it's ours and there's no going back

Well, we officially closed on the house today, so after much pen wagging, I own my own chunk of South Dakota. I took the afternoon off in preparation for the overwhelming excitement I would have at receiving my keys, but really I was too exhausted by the afternoon that I retreated home and am now baking an asparagus quiche while I look over the list of items I took note of while there.

There is the issue of the plumbing, which, having been winterized will need to be repaired. There are also both storm doors to the front and side door which appear to be in various states of decay. Otherwise, other than some elbow grease, the place could be move-in ready by next week. All I do know is that the very first thing that is going to change is the over-sized lantern outside the garage door: I don't know why, but since I first looked at this place I knew that thing had to go. Seriously: it's the biggest light I've ever seen.

My plan is to head to Lowe's with my list tonight: most of the items are small or related to cleaning up the place, but it's the first step. I'm the kind of person who likes to do everything, all the time, all at once so this might be an interesting adventure. Got to think of it like eating an elephant: one bite at a time.