Movin' on up to the east side...

... of the Bay, that is!

That's right, folks. In a mere 25 days, escrow will close and Shane and I will be signed, sealed, delivered home owners in the adorable city of Berkeley, California!

Can I tell you how amazing it feels to say that? Talk about an exhausting process -- house hunting could easily be a full time job! After countless open house tours, 3 offers, and 2 heartbreaks, it's all over! Third time's a charm, and we ended up with the home that is just right for us.

Feast your eyes on Casa de Harter!

Fave things about the house?

• Lemon tree by the front door (Fresh lemonade, on-demand!)
• Windows, windows everywhere (Let there be light!)
• Warmer weather (and less fog!)
• Proximity to BART (San Francisco is still just a 30-minute BART ride or 20-minute drive away)
• Compost bins and solar panels! (We're so Berkeley, I almost can't even stand us)
• And just a mile away from this incredible view....

We're now accepting reservations for guests at Casa de Harter in Spring 2014 ;-)

Before & After: The Guest Bedroom

This is a bit belated since we've already had 4 house guests by now (with lucky numbers 5 and 6, my parents, coming in July!), but we DO have a complete and functional guest room! YAY! Which means.... PLEASE COME VISIT US!!!  All the cool kids are doin' it!

Before....

And After...

Playing Tourist, Part II

Our second set of visitors, James and Jessica, arrived last week and we were so thrilled to have them! 

We met James and Jessica when we were all working for a previous employer.  James and Shane (both software engineers) became good friends and even stayed close after James & Jessica moved away to NYC!  They came to experience all that the bay area has to offer, so they spent a few days in Napa, a few days with us exploring the South Bay area, and are doing their last few days even further south near Big Sur. 

Here's a few photos from their stay with us...

We went hiking at Sweeney Ridge in San Bruno (additional blogpost with A TON of photos coming soon!)

After the hike, we came home EXHAUSTED and watched the sunset on our roof!

Then the menfolk made us dinner!

Thanks to James & Jessica for providing the lobster! LOVED it!!

Archie loved making new friends, but he sure was exhausted by the time they left!

Our Morning Ritual

As I've mentioned, Shane and I are serious creatures of habit. We eat at the same taqueria every weekend, we eat the same thing for breakfast everyday, etc.

Well, yet another of our rituals is the work sendoff.  I invented this during my brief unemployment period (because I had nothing better to do with my time), and now that I am back in the workforce (yay!) and I leave before Shane does, he indulges me....

First, Archie watches you walk down the stairs to the front door..

Once you get halfway down the steps, you hear Archie bounding across the living room (we call this a puppy stampede) and out to the balcony to say goodbye one more time...

And finally, as you walk to the BART station, Archie waves his tiny puppy paw and says "Bye Friend!"

Before & After: The Living Room

Before...

 

and After.... featuring our brand new red wall!

Teaser: The New Kitchen

They're painting our kitchen/living room accent wall today! "After" photos coming soon...

Before & After: The Office

Next on the agenda: the office, so Shane has a place to spread out and get some work done!

Before....

and After....

 

 

Before & After: The Guest Bathroom

Well, we're still slowly chugging along in our home decoration process and the next on our list of completed rooms is.... the guest bathroom!

Why in the world did the landlord purchase those furry green monstrosities??!

A reminder of just how terrible our shower doors are

Come visit us! You can bathe here!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Is anyone else shocked that it's actually December? Where the heck did the time go?!  In any case, it's here, and it's officially Christmastime.

As I was attempting to unpack a few more boxes last night, I came across 4 large boxes (yes, truly 4 of them) filled with Christmas stuff! And even though Shane and I only have a few days to enjoy it (since we're leaving for Ohio on Sunday!), I've decided to do a teensy bit of Christmas decorating.  I give you, our Christmas spirit...

Detail: note Mom's Christmas card to Archie :-)

Detail: Shane's presents!

Perhaps just a bit too much Christmas spirit :-)

Before & After: The Kitchen/Dining Room

Because inquiring minds want to know, I give you: the kitchen & dining room....

Before:

and After:

Before & After: The Balcony

The balcony is the smallest room/area in our house and was therefore the easiest to complete.  Woo hoo! Progress!!

I give you the first of many before & afters....

Ta dahhhhh....