Family Reunion --Have We Met?

You don't realize how big of a family your family has until you start making a list. The number of people The Mister and I had listed to attend the wedding was already overwhelming. I balked when we hit 100. I squeaked at 110 knowing 125 would probably be the list's final resting place. But, nope, wrongo, I was. I underestimated the vastness of my family on my dad's side. It's starting to look a lot more like 150. Palpitations don't count as stress, right?

Ever the novice wedding planner, I was not aware that family who comes in for the wedding and stays over night is invited to the rehearsal dinner. Numbness in my left arm aside, I realize this boosts our small rehearsal dinner of 33 to a potential 50 (luckily, that number includes children). Either way, it's still a lot of people (no drama).

I'm not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but I'm not sure I can handle cooking enough for that many folks. New plan? .... ... ... .... Nothing concrete is coming to mind, yet. I have wedding planner's block. Instead of thinking about that tomorrow, my usual plan of action, I'm delineating responsibility to The Mister.

I'm diverting my attention to other matters. No, not work, don't be silly. I'm thinking about homes. We've seen enough homes to crush the Wicked Witch of the West into a cube (not entirely unlike Jimmy Hoffa), but we still haven't found "the one" (given that we're both so indecisive, it's miraculous we agreed to marry one another...kidding ;D). We're like property virgins (watch HGTV for reference) gone wrong. We've got three top runners in mind.

House #1 is an adorable 2/2 in our ideal location. It's got an updated kitchen, large formal dining space, modern fixtures in the bathrooms, a large deck that overlooks a sprawling well-landscaped yard. But with only 1200 square feet, the asking price of $154,000 seems a bit high. Our main concern is if we'll be able to get any return on the property (or more importantly, not lose anything on it!).

House #2 is a charming 2/2 not far from our ideal location. It's got nice wood floors throughout and a spacious kitchen, which needs a little updating. A large add-on family room in the back has the extra bathroom. The add-on leads to a nice wood deck that overlooks a well-shaded back yard. With 1,300 square feet, it's slightly larger than house #1 and is priced at $139,000. This street though, will most likely get the most through traffic of all the homes.

House #3 is an attractive 3/1 in a nice area of midtown. A well-sized sitting room leads into the formal dining space and then into the lemon-yellow kitchen. Off the kitchen is a large laundry room, which leads outside. Adjacent to the laundry room is a small bedroom --an add-on that would make a great office space. The shot-gun style home grants access from the small back room into another bedroom. The bathroom is located between the master and original second bedroom. The backyard could profit from landscaping and the addition of a deck, but the home does have a garage, which is right up The Mister's alley. This home is 1,439 square feet, the most spacious of all three and is priced at $149,900.

I've got to stop watching that show.