Adieu

Breaking News:  it's time to bid adieu to views like this:

And also views like this:

Because we're moving!  We closed on our new house this afternoon, and will be moving to the 'burbs just north of Houston!  It's a little bittersweet.  We've loved living out in the country.  But while we'll miss the beauty of the farm, we won't miss the long commutes, the cows licking my car, the hordes of horseflies, and the piles of poo right next to our car doors.  Also, frankly, when Noel's gone on his long work trips, I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere with nobody to talk to except the cats, sometimes for days and days on end.  And when I expect the cats to start talking back to me, we begin to have some problems.  And did I mention the 3 hours I spend every day in the car commuting to work?

So goodbye country life.  We will miss you!

Say Hello to our new house!

We are slightly excited.

(I hug the floor)

(Noel does cartwheels in our new living room!)

Here's a picture of the living room!  Now, to clarify, this isn't our furniture - these are pictures from the real estate listing.  We're SO excited to have a fireplace!!!

The kitchen has granite countertops!  And a dishwasher!!  (As opposed to our hands, which have been our dishwashers thus far).

There's a breakfast room:

AND a formal dining room!  (Love the red and the built-ins!)

Check out the Cleopatra-esque sunken tub in the master bathroom!  Oh la la!

A Master Bathroom, you say?  Yes!  Know what that means?  We have more than 1 bathroom in this house!  This is so exciting.  When we have people come visit now, we don't have 5 people sharing 1 bathroom!  Hurrah.  Beside the bathtub, behind that closed door, is one of TWO master walk-in closets!  We currently share one non-walk in closet.  Wow.

We are so excited.  As I said, we'll miss the farm.  We really will.  And while it's been peaceful out here and beautiful, it's really so remote that it makes life hard sometimes. 

For example:

• I currently drive 45 minutes one way to get the cats to the vet.  At the new house?  There's a vet at the NEXT EXIT. 
• Currently the nearest Waffle House is 36 miles away.  At the new house?  There's one at the NEXT EXIT. 
• The closest knitting group to the farm is 45-50 minutes away.  There are multiple ones in our new town.
• There's a Super Target 1/2 a mile away. 
• And we won't have to go grocery shopping at Wally World anymore (hallelujah).  Why?  Because our new town has an HEB!  My favorite grocery store!  With a cheese shop inside!  And free sushi samples!  We are in heaven.

So yes, moving to the 'burbs is going to be a change.  We won't have so much open space around us, obviously, and we'll be dealing with more traffic.  BUT.  We have a charming new home with lots more space inside, and actually lots more privacy outside, with a fully fenced yard for our garden!  And it's an investment in our future.

Yay!!  Our own home!!!