# 549 - COUNTRY HOUSE - CONSTRUCTION LOAN SIGNED & SEALED!

Oh Dear Sweet Jesus and a very thankful me is ecstatic to announce that we FINALLY closed on our country house construction loan! We had another delay, but finally closed yesterday!

Here is a picture of poor Sgt. Dave and me as we were at the bank yesterday morning...just before we headed to the title company to sign our papers.

Deer-in-the-head-lights expression for Sgt. Dave.

At the title company, Sgt. Dave finally re-gathered his composition.

Actually, the day before closing, I began having massive anxiety. For those of you who have followed this process, you know how much we have gone through. Major ups and downs were part of the process...mostly those belonged on my end because Sgt. Dave left everything pretty much up to me to decide. That is both good and bad. It's good because my husband trusts me to make the best decision possible, and it's bad because he trusts me to make the best decisions possible...and this is completely new territory for me. Building on raw land, in a rural area, is a big challenge.

We did not take drawings from another person's house and we did not buy architectural drawings already completed...our house originated from me spending time over nearly two years drawing and considering each element. Basically, our house drawings sprung from my drawings on graph paper.

Yes, graph paper. At least I used measurements and a ruler for my layout. I had foundational ideas for our custom country house that were ingrained into my mind as either a wish-list kind of thing or a hard-core requirement. After owning several homes, I knew what we liked and didn't like. Of course, I couldn't work everything I loved into the house design, but I can guarantee that every single element of this house has been considered and mulled over, extensively.

First floor:  Great Room is truly great with the height going to 2 stories.

We actually have 1.5 stories, here is the upper floor.

After we closed our deal, we went to a local Italian restaurant we love and had a very late lunch and we even ordered extra food to bring home for dinner.

However, our day was not over...we got home and barely had time to change clothes and then walk across the acreage to meet the agricultural specialist we have hired to oversee the final clearing and prep of the home-site. He will be here on Saturday to do some major work and to oversee clearing activities.

Paul is able to walk through the area and immediately be able to identify every tree, its worth, the root system, its potential and to also determine if it is a "trash tree" that should just be eliminated because it will likely cause problems.

After this Saturday, we will be able to better see our home-site area and to make further decisions about the clearing process before Paul returns for a final full day of work.

So, that means we have about a week and a half to two weeks of land prep, then our builder can come in and start building the actual house.

I can't believe it's happening. Every day, I have many decisions and significant business to handle; it can become very draining. But, I am one happy woman!

For now, I am thankful that everything is sign, sealed, and delivered so that our house can be built. This is a joyous time for us, and most of us know that the great times should be savored because we never know what the future holds. Therefore, good times are to be appreciated and treasured; don't ever let those good times slip by!

These are GOOD TIMES, indeed!