For the past few months, Sunil and I have been looking to buy a house! Originally, purchasing a home wasn't in our plan for this year (in fact, it was many years away), but God opened some huge doors and ended up shoving us through them. Almost literally. :) We've been renting since we were married; first a one bedroom apartment, and then a tiny (but brand-new!) little duplex. We decorated it, loved it, and made it our home... but through several circumstances it became apparent that we needed to find a different place. We love having people over and have always dreamed of having enough space to actually throw a party! As you can see, there was only so much space in our living room (and no dining room!). 

Well, over 30 homes and 30 days later we found the perfect little house in the cutest little neighborhood! We were so so thankful that the entire buying process went smoothly with only a few grey hairs..... and now we're proud home-owners of this beauty! I feel like such an adult! :)

My favorite part of the entire house may be the front porch - no joke. I've ALWAYS wanted to sit on my front porch with my man and watch the world go by. 

Our glorious living room, complete with recessed lighting, a huge picture window, wood-burning fireplace and beautiful hardwood floors. 

A dining room we can actually put a table in! AND FRIENDS! 

View from the dining room.... 

The view from by the fireplace. 

Our kitchen isn't huge... 

But we have plenty of room on the opposite shelf for storage! 

Our basement is finished, with a bathroom (not pictured) and a tiled room that could double as another bedroom or workspace. 

We've managed to make our tiny garage fit all of our camping gear, tools, my car, and Sunil's motorcycle! 

Upstairs are three spacious bedrooms. This is our guest bedroom!

And another view... We can have lots of people come stay with us now! :) 

We'll use this room for my office. 

And maybe put Sunil's computer in here too. :)

And this is the master bedroom. And our gloriously regular sized closet! Since we've always had to share a tiny closet together... this is beautiful in so many ways. :)

YAY for being home-owners!! :)

About a month ago (it feels like forever!), Sunil and I headed out to California to visit my brother and his family - and I'm just NOW getting around to editing and blogging the images! Why? Because life gets busy, that's why.  

Fact #1: I love traveling with this man. So far in our 2 years of marriage we've driven to Minnesota over 15 times, flown to Maine and North Carolina, wandered around India for a month, and now California! It's safe to say we've got this traveling thing DOWN. 

Fact #2: I make piles and he packs. He's an expert. 

Fact #3: I can't wait to have kids with this guy! Somehow he managed to become my nieces' favorite person in the WORLD about 30 seconds after they met him. He puts my aunt skills to shame. 

Fact #4: I have absolutely gorgeous nieces. Need proof?

Fact #5: Sunil is becoming a fantastic photographer. Sometimes before photo shoots I let him take pictures of me. 

Fact #6: The reason we went to California was because my oldest brother Brad was graduating from The Master's Seminary! He's going to continue on to get his PHD but it was SO fun to be able to see him graduate summa cum laude. This man is a genius. 

Fact #7: Exhausted kids are either little monsters or little comedians. 

And sometimes they create awesome caricatures. :)

On our last day, we drove away from the desert (after some rental car tire issues) to see... 

THE OCEAN! Because how can you go to California without catching a glimpse of the Big Blue? 

Fact #8: My parents are adorable when they snuggle. 

Fact #9: I burnt to a crisp. But it was the there's-an-ocean-and-this-is-so-much-better-than-Kansas kind of crisp. This is pre-crisp.  

Laying on the beach for 6 hours is the best feeling in the world. 

After the beach, we wandered around the coast and ate at a family owned restaurant. 

Fact #10: I had no idea that Swordfish is SO delicious! 

Fact #11: He makes a great looking beach bum. 

Fact #12: I have no idea how Californians keep their homes sand-free. It seems impossible to me when even the ROADS are covered in sand. 

Fact #13: Sunsets on the beach are breathtaking. 

The next day we headed home to Kansas, and the sunburn followed us. A token of all the wonderful memories... and of course, the beautiful ocean. :) 

Happy Friday!