tzipnational

A group of friends and I went to visit Matt's new home a few weeks ago. It's in Sacramento and a few miles away from where I actually live. When I had heard the news, I was surprised. In October, Matt had talked to me about it. But I had forgotten about it. I don't think most people my age would have buying a brand new home on their mind. Me and you are here talking about buying new shoes, but Matt is buying a new house, Jimmy said. I felt a bit empty after weighting the proportions of those thoughts.

Since his home was still being built, Matt led us into the model of his home first. It was a spacious single story home. When you open the front door, there's a clear view all the way into the backyard. Matt and I were the first go in since we arrive earlier than everyone else. He walked straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle from the rack. He was at home. We talked about things like interest rates, mortgage plans and things like that. I asked him if had plans for the backyard yet and he told me no. The backyard would be the last thing. We talk about furniture. The house is going to feel very empty in the beginning, he said.

We were in awe of everything: the design and layout of the fake furniture, the paint on the walls, the large marble counter in the kitchen, the themed bedrooms, and comfort of it all. Everyone was feeling slightly envious. We walked over the other model homes next door. There were 3 of them, mostly large two story homes with fancy staircases and interiors. There was even one home that had a small hidden room, large enough for small children to sleep in, inside the guest closet. Another family who were also walking through the home, called it a "time-out box". As big and grand as they were, these homes did not impress us as much as the first one. We nit-picked and point out all the faults, from the wooden beams in the ceiling to the hotel lobby feeling of the living rooms.

After we were done with the model rooms, we walked down the street and around the corner. Here, you could see the new homes being built. Matt's house was halfway down the block. The frame and walls had been built up though there was the driveway and interior of the house still waiting to be finished. Matt would close by the end of February. If things go according to he and Tina would be able to move in sometime around then too. The unfinished house felt much different than the model. Though they had the same floor plan and size, the unfinished home felt much smaller, the ceiling much lower. There were holes all along the walls for where the various outlets would be placed. When we walked by outside, we noticed that some families had already moved in. There cars on the driveway and lawn decorations up. It reminded me of when my neighborhood when my mom and dad had bought our house.

I asked Jimmy if he wanted a new house too. Thirty years is a long time and a big commitment, he said. Yeah it is, I said. We walked back down to where our cars were parked in front of the main office of the lot and meet up for lunch at one of the new suburban restaurants.

At the beginning of the day, I had wanted to be where Matt was. It wasn't so much the house itself; it was the thought of just being able to buy a house. I felt so far away as I pulled away from the sidewalk.

As promised, here is a picture of the 6 ft Christmas tree in our kitchen - this tree contains only cat ornaments, green/gold/red garland & a few green, gold & red Christmas balls. Best viewed LARGE to see ornaments

During Christmas my kitchen is themed as "A Cat Christmas" and all decorations are related to that theme.

*Below is the other side of the tree. Sorry these shots arent that great, but I took them in daytime so you would be able to see the ornaments.

I started out with a 4 ft tree and each year have had to upgrade! LOL!!!