And so it begins....

The journey seems like it has already been going on F-O-R-E-V-E-R, but today it got real, folks. Like, really REAL.  No backing down, no backing out.

Let me start with a short backstory to catch you up to speed.  We put our home of 11 years on the market and within a month, it sold.  If you've ever sold a house, you know what kind of stress is involved in that entire process and I could hijack this first post already by simply sharing the many frustrations and nightmares involved.

Then, we were homeless.  Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.  We weren't homeless...we moved into my mom's basement.  Yep, 40 years old and living in the basement with my husband and our 12-year-old son...every girl's dream, right?  For many reasons it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise and I am thankful that we had that as an option.

But...I want to focus on the process of this entire house-building journey for us to look back on, for friends and family to see, and maybe to share the laughs and tears with strangers who can relate...maybe even learn from.  So, here we go........

First, we found land that met all of my husband's ridiculous list of wants (bless his heart).  Here is a picture of the land when we purchased it.  It looks pretty different today because this was taken at the beginning of the summer and now we're in September, so there is a LOT more green.  I'll post an updated picture soon.

Three acres of beautiful land covered in trees and overlooking the Ozark Mountains.  It really is an amazing view and I'm looking forward to drinking my coffee on the back deck on a crisp, cool morning.

Today, September 13, 2016 marks the day we officially begin the house building journey because we closed on the construction loan.  The shear volume of paperwork and the promise that I'll pay with blood, sweat, tears, and more money than I care to disclose makes me want to vomit.  I'm pretty sure somewhere in there I may have signed away my first born child.  But, for better or worse, here we go.  May the odds be ever in our favor!