We’re MOVING!

That’s right!  We are officially moving!  I know, I’m just as shocked as you are. But hopefully we will be staying in this house for a while.  No, really!  I know we said that the last 2 times we bought a house, but hear me out.

When we moved here to Tampa 4 years ago, I wasn’t familiar with the area.  And things like kids, and schools were a far fetched concept in my head.  But my husband (who grew up in this area) really thought the neighborhood of Fishhawk was where we should be because “one day when we have kids it’ll be a great place for them to grow up and go to school”.  I basically rolled my eyes at him and could only see how big & awesome of a house we could have in a different neighborhood about 15 minutes away.  He agreed the value was hard to beat, and thus, here we are today.

Fast forward 4 years, we have a beautiful baby boy, and things like schools, family, and neighborhoods are now more important than they used to be.  Who’d a thunk?  Let me go ahead and say it right now, Ryan was right.  (There babe, I said it.)  And school is still really far off for Aiden, I know that.  But if we want to build, it’s a now or never situation.  The neighborhood is selling the last section of lots, so if we wait until closer to school age for Aiden, there won’t be any building opportunity left.  Ryan is really wanting to move right now, and with my picky specific taste, building is the way to go for us! 😉

So, that’s why the blog has been quiet for the last month.  I’ve been feverishly crunching numbers, scrutinizing floor plans, deciding if we were actually taking the plunge, and hoping we can truly make this our dream home!

Here’s our neighborhood and lot 20 is officially OURS!  It’s an awesome corner lot with a huge backyard and lots of beautiful trees.  The privacy is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to play with Aiden in the backyard.

Building a West Bay home is literally a dream come true.  I remember walking through their models yearssss ago and thinking “in my wildest dreams!”  (And yes, there are ducks on my pants.  It’s Ryan’s nickname for me and he bought them for my birthday this week :-P)

Here’s a conceptual of what our house will look like.

And here’s one nearby that’s complete. Can I get a HECK YES for a 3 car garage, anyone??  It also has 12 foot ceilings throughout the main areas downstairs which is one of the things I’m most excited about! (Andddd a white kitchen.  Andd a free standing tub. All the heart eyes.)

Oh.  And if you’re wondering about our current house and saying “but it’s so beautiful! and you’ve worked so hard!  How are you leaving it??”  then we share the same thoughts.  I honestly love this house so much it’s borderline weird, but I’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into it for 4 years straight.  It’s where Frills and Drills was born, where Aiden was born, where my dreams and passions were discovered, where I taught myself wainscoting, crown molding, backsplashes, where I mastered the mitre saw, and became an expert painter.  It’s where I redid closet after closet, wallpapered from one end to another, used a nail gun daily, and was covered in sawdust more days than not.  I’m getting teary eyed just typing this.  And I know nobody else will love and appreciate this home more than I do.  But I’m looking forward, giving thanks for everything this house taught me, and dreaming of all the new, bigger, and better projects I will do in my next home.

It will go on the market in a few short months!

I will be posting ALL the details along the way and I can’t wait to share my plans for our new house and all the projects already spinning through my little head.  It’s going to be amazing!  Stay tuned!

Linds, Ryan & A