Plans, Paint, & Petrified Pit Bulls.

My house went up on the market today. Crazy, right?

Well, probably not that crazy for you. Very, very crazy for me and mine.

It feels like an eternity ago since we returned triumphant from Lubbock and began the process (the very fast paced process)  of getting this house ready to list. I didn't really know what to expect.

Luckily, Determined Deb had already begun planning her attack.

GETTING THE HOUSE READY TO SELL

Chapter 1: The Unfolding of the Plan

About three weeks ago my mom, aka Deb, informed Tyler and I that she would be coming over twice a week, at the very least, from 9 am until around 5 pm. Tyler and I, so young and unaware, said "oh, okay?" not really knowing why we were staring at 40+ hours of work looming ahead of us in the not so distant future. "Our house is so cute!" said we. "I think a good dusting should do the trick!" we offered. "We could vacuum once or twice and probably call it good!" we exclaimed.

With the confident smirk, Deb said "Uh-Huh. We'll see about that."

Actually, I think she said something like "WHAT, YEAH RIGHT! You guys are nasty little piglets, I just hope three weeks is enough time to clean that place up. NASTY PIGLETS!".

But the other way sounds cooler. And doesn't have the whole piglets part in it.

Chapter 2: "You Bettah' Werk"

I wish the actual working part was as fun and sassy as the title of this particular chapter (RuPaul inspired, OBVI) but sadly...it was less voguing and more crown molding. Don't judge me for that weak sentence, it's the best I could do.

Honestly though, when Deb unraveled her full To-Do list out I think my jaw may have dropped.

Here are some Disney gifs to give you an idea as to what I looked like in that moment. Why Disney? WHY NOT?!

 

 

 

 

 

Scuttle=Tyler

And Deb was all like

Okay, okay, she wasn't scary about it. But when Deb has her game face on you know shit is about to get real.

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The first phase was prepping for the staging of the house. Basically, what that means is we had to pack all semblances of Tyler and I actually living here away. Not only did this mean just going ahead and boxing the nonessentials to get out of our way, it meant paring down in general. Mainly for Yours Truly. I mean, I have a lot of stuff so...I get it. That didn't make it any easier though. There was a lot of

"C'mon, have you worn these shoes in the past two years? No? Then they don't get to come!"

"You're saving that blanket? I don't think the people of Lubbock will let you in with something that jank! Bye, blanket!"

"Tyler only has like 11 shirts, Kelsey! Stop making him give one away just because you have to! I'm so sorry, Tyler. You're a brave, patient man, huh?" While I'm over here all like

okay, enough Disney.

....etc. etc. etc.

In the end, despite how difficult it was to part with the knick knacks and baubles that have collected around this house over the past five years, it really is nice to finally be rid of some of the junk. All joking aside, I'm truly glad that in the "paring down" process, we probably eliminated the need to buy at least 10+ more XL moving boxes. Full of crap I wont even want to unpack in our new home.

After that first phase was finished, the second and most time consuming phase began- deep cleaning, painting, repairs and overall sprucing.

In like four days we had repainted the entire hallway, all of the doors, the baseboards, any necessary touch ups in literally every room, as well as most of the cabinets in the kitchen.

We vacuumed like 9,000 times and then shampooed the carpet in every room 2-3 times.

We shampooed the loveseat and the couch.

I repeat.

We shampooed the loveseat and the couch.

WHEN DEB SAYS DEEP CLEAN, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT HUNTY!

We replaced the guest bedroom door (that Winston tore up in a needing-to-potty induced rage back when Addie lived here) and the backyard door handle. We re-caulked the guest bathtub and toilet. We used this incredible little invention named "Shop Vac", which is exactly what it says. It's a little tube of a vacuum used in like scene shops and construction sites and stuff. It has a thousand different nozzle heads and can freaking get just about anything up. I was amazed. I named him Steve. He is my new friend. Just kidding, I make Tyler use him. But he's my dudes new friend and I'm all about it.

During this time we also had the entire roof redone as well as the gutters. Plus we had two windows replaced. Plus plus, Deb planted some flowers out front.

A lot of stuff going on, right? Stressful, right? Could be a little overwhelming, right?

Which leads me to

Chapter 3: The Case of the Petrified Pit Bull

Winston. Is. Over. It.

Vacuums have always kind of given him the willies, so imagine what a regular vacuum, Steve the Shop Vac, AND  a carpet shampooer did to the poor guy.

Pair those three monsters with the fact that all of his parents stuff was getting thrown in boxes (and his stuff, too! We packed his wardrobe away! Even the tutu! What?!) and having to deal with a plethora of strangers in and out and on top of the house and whaddaya' get?

A shaking, shivering, immobile, pouting, won't-come-out-of-the-closets and/or corners, sad, sad pup.

To make matters worse, he stepped on something jagged outside and it cut his little paw so we've had to ghetto rig a cast on his foot until we get to the vet on Tuesday.

 

lol @ the pink and green duck tape, not lol @ sad Hoonst

 

 

Suffice it to say, Winston is ready for things to stabilize a bit.

 

We all are.

 

 

Chapter 4: To Market We Go

 

We had done it, y'all. We had accomplished the crazy list that my perfectionist Mother always knew we would. (Non negotiable, if Deb is committed to something, it will happen. She's pretty neat that way.) Though the days were long and the chores were tedious, it was all totally worth it. My mom was right. Yet again. Like always. We are little piggies, dammit. :)

 

After spending days being splattered with paint, drenched in sweat, and tackling dust bunnies (which, BTW, looking nothing like actual bunnies. Like. How rude.) we had done it. Okay, mainly my amazing parents had done it BUT Lyler and I helped as best as we could.

 

Today was the day. Our realtor, Karen, came over to check out the house and take the pictures for the listing. She was amazed at how much had been done, she actually hadn't seen the house since she sold it to us five years ago! Here's a little taste of the changes we've made:

 

 

Crazy, right? You can imagine her surprise!

 

Anywho, she went through and took the pics and just a few hours later sent me the listing.

 

It's up. We did it. The house is on the market. It's on effing Zillow and everything, so you know it's gata' be legit.

 

I'm not sad yet, just tired. And excited.

 

I know it'll hit. I'm not sure when or where, I'm not sure what will trigger it. But I know it'll hit and I'll probz be a mascara dripping, ugly crying mess.

 

For now though, I'm just proud.

 

So now I think I'll pour a glass of wine, sit next to my gimpy wimpy dog, and bask in the accomplishment of it all.

 

I'll leave you babes with a few pics.

 

Enjoy! I know we have.

 

 

 

 

The End

 

 

xoxo,

Kelsey

Beauty Bloggin'

Hey, y'all.

With times as crazy as they are now (actually, when are things not crazy...?) I feel like doing a totally fluffy post.

In my life, nothing says "indulgent" and "wasting my time but like in a fabulous kind of way" like browsing Pinterest or Tumblr or any other number of websites and reading makeup/beauty posts. Y'know the ones. They list off the "hottest makeup trends for year ****" or "the top twenty products you've been missing out on" or my personal favorites, "My top *** products". I love seeing the products or regiments people couldn't live without. It's absolutely fizzy and mindless but whatever. I've found some amazing products that I now use on the daily all thanks to those little babes. I love them so much that I actually did one myself a couple of years ago, read the post here! Forgive the really crappy quality of the pictures. And the rambly descriptions. But hey, if you're reading this you obvi don't mind my rambling, stream of consciousness style of writing. Check it out!

Anyways, I think it's time to do one again. Here's what I've been loving recently! The products range from Walgreens to Sephora to Whole Foods! Mhmm. Enjoy, betches!

My Top Eight (Because I Didn't Feel Like Doing Ten) Beauty Obsessions...Lately...In No Particular Order...I'm Starting Now

1.LIPPY Liquid Lipstick

In my last post I updated you all on the long trip to Lubbock to find ourselves a new home. Amongst the pictures and the details of how difficult house hunting could be...you probably just glazed past the whole "six hour car ride sitting in the back seat of my parents' truck" part. Let's go back to that.

After downing a giant red bull, berating myself for forgetting to bring a pillow, playing a level or two of candy crush and catching up on all of my social media sites....I was bored. What does Kelsey do when she's bored? She puts on makeup. Like yeah, I wear makeup pretty much every day any way about it...but when I'm bored I get like...into it. Like I'm auditioning for a MAC makeup girl position kind of into it. So I began digging through my giant Betsey Johnson makeup bag and applying various products (some that will show up later on this list!) I realized...shit...I had no lip gloss. See, I'm not normally a lip gloss girl, I'm a red and/or wine hued lipstick wearer. Solely. But MAC KELSEY decided that my 1,000 variations on the aforementioned two colors just simply wouldn't do with the palette I had so tediously crafted. So what did MAC KELSEY do to solve this lip gloss fiasco? She made her mom hand over her purse and she ransacked it. That's when MAC KELSEY found and stole this little beauty.

Stolen Color: Queen Vic

 

 

Y'all. Not only is this color like as fresh as a spring bouquet from like a really, really overpriced farmers market...but this stuff feels so great on your lips. Coming from a pretty anti-gloss gal like me...that's saying something. When this company coined it's name "Butter"...they weren't kidding. Not only does this gloss miraculously avoid the icky stick, it glides on like...well, like butter...and it's richly pigmented. Plus, it's has great staying power, too! This guy's price tag reads $18.00, which for some may be ridiculous to pay for lip gloss, but I must say it really is worth it. Also, it's easy for me to say that. Because I stole mine from Deb.

 

2. Activated Charcoal Capsules

 

If you have a Pinterest account then you've probably already heard all about these little wonders in a bottle. I won't go into all the details, y'all got google, but basically Activated Charcoal is the shit. It is good for pretty much everything. The reason it landed in this diva's house is because my mom heard from my sister in law who is as beauty obsessed as I am that it was a great natural teeth whitener. Deb bought some for herself and reported back that it made her teeth feel like she had just gotten back from the dentist. I was like..."okay well obviously I want some now" and true to Deb's giving nature (remember the lip gloss scenario?) she got me some and brought it over. Her instructions were as follows:

 

-Open up one capsule on a plate

-Wet your toothbrush and place it in the little pile of charcoal

-Brush your teeth for about 2-5 minutes

 

Simple enough, right? I, of course, went right to work. I was eager to see if this rando health food store item could really do anything that my toothpaste didn't already do. I followed the steps and...I'll be honest...I looked pretty scary doing it. The charcoal turns your whole mouth a goulish, Walking Dead extra worthy, dark black. Have no worries though, a few rinses with some water and you're de-zombified.

                  What?

 

So...was it really as cool as everyone's been saying? Y'all. Ask Tyler. I was amazed. I wish I would have taken before & after pics so I could show you. I mean the change isn't like BOOM WHITE TEETH HEY GIRL GET IT....but dude my teeth were at least a shade whiter and felt...true to Deb's words... like I had just gotten a thorough cleaning from the dentist. I was obsessed so I immediately went to Pinterest to see what else I could do with my new little miracle product. Apparently you can use it for all kinds of helpful, non-beauty related things because it naturally draws toxins out of the body. It's used for spider bites, for food poisoning, and all kinds of other health remedy stuffz. Though I thought all that was pretty awesome, I was on the prowl for another beauty use. I found about a zillion different charcoal face masks. I tried one yesterday and another one today. Though I didn't see any real noticeable results, my face did feel great! I encourage you all to go read up on this handy little product!

 

This is the one my mom ordered online. For like $4.64. Yep. Less than five bucks. GET IT!

 

 

3. Taylor of London Elegant Rose Luxury Talcum Powder

 

I found this festive little product when I was browsing through a local TJ Maxx (I'm a total Maxxinista.) and it triggered a memory of a passage from "To Kill a Mockingbird" that I'd always loved. Here yah go:

 

"Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum."

 

Something about it always felt so old school southern to me, y'know? I don't know, maybe I'm weird. It just always felt kind of lovely to picture a bunch of belles fanning themselves on their giant front porches, pale white with powder to keep them fresh and cool.

 

Long story short, I bought the damn powder in a Harper Lee driven impulse. I've got to say, what was originally purchased on a random literary whim has really become a favorite of mine. I keep it on my bathroom sink and pat some on any time I think of it. I pat some on my neck to add its soft and feminine rose scent to whatever perfume I'm wearing that day. I get a little on my hands and rustle it through my hair to dry up any oil and add a little hint of rose to my tresses. Sometimes when I get out of the bath or shower I'll just dust some all over my body to lock in moisture. Also, to feel like the before noon-bathing ladies of yesteryears.

 

Basically, it's a rich and silky powder that adds a little touch of floral to your life. Plus, as much as I've used it the past couple of months, I have still barely put a dent in it! Longevity and nostalgia in a cute girly tin container? I love it.

 

Though my Maxxinista price was only about $4 or so, I found it online for a mere $13!

 

 

4. it Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush

 

I got this little dude through a beauty mail service called TestTube. (It's basically a way more expensive but also way better quality version of BirchBox. Which I also get.)

 

This brush quickly turned into an every day must in my beauty routine. My whole makeup-wearing life I've never used a foundation brush. I just always felt like my makeup looked best when applied with my own fingers. Sure, I've experimented with using various brushes throughout the years (see: the disaster of 7th grade's Bare Minerals foundation trend. AKA- a bunch of 11 year olds with no concept of proper blending techniques attempting to wear a completely powder based, pretty pigmented foundation.Though some mastered this craft...I never did. It was a rough, blotchy year.) I've just never been sold on the whole brush thing. But with this brush...I'm a total convert. It's got the head of a basic kabuki brush but it feels like effing velvet on your skin. The dense, soft bristles allow for an almost airbrushed finish. It's amazing. I love it. Thank you TestTube. XOXO.

 

At $48, this guy is a little pricey. However, when it comes to makeup brushes...you really do get what you pay for and it can make all the difference.

 

 

5.  Vaseline

 

Yep. That's right. The stuff that, if  you were to open any grandparent and/or parents pantry like in the whole world, you'd find. It took me years to figure out why our elders coveted something as nasty sounding as "petroleum jelly". I guess it's that whole "with age comes wisdom" crap or something, I dunno'. Any way about it, they were right to be obsessed. It does so much. Dry skin patches? Vaseline. Want softer feet? Vaseline. Shinier eyelashes? Vaseline. Highlighted cheekbones? Vaseline. Keep hair dye from staining your skin? Vaseline. Keep nail polish from getting all over your fingers during a manicure? Vaseline. Remove stubborn eye makeup? Vaseline.

 

You getting the picture? Join your grandma, your mother and yours truly as a member of the Vaseline revolution! It's like six bucks and some change. Just do it.

 

*insert a chorus of angels singing harmoniously*

 

6. Mally Eye Shadow Stick

 

This was another TestTube win! TestTube is pretty expensive, I think it's around $40 a month...but man have I gotten some truly awesome loot out of it. The coolest part is that unlike BirchBox or other companies like it, TestTube will send you full sized products as well as the standard samples.

 

The Mally stick was one of my full sized product wins. Basically, it is what it says. It's eye shadow in the form of a stick. Though that isn't usually my kind of thing, I prefer the cathartic act of choosing shades of shadows and pairing them with appropriate brushes to get a lovely blend of carefully applied eye makeup, I must say it's come in handy. I am a girl that, as I'm sure you've noticed, really enjoys the art of makeup...but even I have days where I'm like "just don't look like vomit and we'll call it a win". Okay, sorry for the vomit visual, but you know what I mean! The days where you get up and the birds are not chirping for you they are screaming at you. The days where leaving your bed feels like it would be a real case of abandonment and neglect to both you and your mattress. The days where you look in the mirror and you're like "I AM NOT TRYING TO DEAL WITH THIS TODAY". On those days...my Mally stick is great. The hue I got was a soft violet. On my "eff it all" days, I reach for my pretty purple shadow stick and in one swoop my lids are handled. All I have to do is throw on a little brow highlighter and mascara and I'm done. I just saved myself an extra fifteen minutes. Saving those fifteen minutes bought me a spare ten minutes. I cash in those spare ten minutes at Starbucks and voila! Espresso in hand and I can now conquer the day! Hell, maybe I'll even add eyeliner at some point! Or not! Whatever! Thanks Mally!

 

$25 bucks can equal a trip to The Bux. I'm just sayin...

 

 

7. Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub

 

This has been on my "top whatever" lists for years now. No matter how many fancy, high end face washes I buy...I always come back to this product. It's no muss, no fuss. Sure, there are days that I decide I'm gana be all spa-ey and I bust out the nicest foamy face wash I can find and pair it with my amazing Clarisonic and I do the whole exfoliation thing up right. Mostly though, I find myself reaching for my tried and true drugstore favorite. Throughout the years I have sampled just about every drugstore face wash they crank out. I figure "Hey. It's like four dollars. Why not?" In fact, that's how I stumbled across this particular face wash! But unlike it's fallen brethren, it has staying power. Why? Simply stated: my face feels clean after I'm done using it. I know, what an absurd thought! Face wash that washes your face! Good heavens! But like really though. I can't tell you how many times I'll use a face wash, despite whether it was from Sephora or Dollar Tree, and I still feel grimy afterwards. It's such an annoying, defeating feeling. I am a believer that a good face wash can turn your whole day around, so for me...I find it infuriating when the wash is a wash.

 

This face wash is tingly, but not too tingly. Scrubby, but not too scrubby. The smell isn't overpowering but it is kind of rejuvenating, almost like a spearmints second cousin that lives in Brazil, y'know? If you have combo-but-mostly-oily skin like me, I highly recommend this dude. The best part? Not only does it slough off oil and dirt with it's little micro beads....but it does so in a way that's so gentle that you can literally use it every day! YAS!

 

Head over to your neighborhood drug store and find this little lovely waiting on the shelves for under $6 bucks! Give him a good home, he deserves it.

 

 

8. Coconut Oil

 

Like its friends Activated Charcoal and Vaseline, Coconut Oil can be used for so, so, so many things. It is a natural way to: moisturize both skin and hair, soften hard cuticles, treat chapped lips, remove eye makeup, repel bugs, shine shoes, etc. Minus the hair masking, basically anything Vaseline can do, so can coconut oil. Plus much, much more. Where Vaseline can only multitask your outsides, coconut oil steps in and multitasks your insides as well! You can take a spoonful of it daily to help boost your immune system, you can cook with it, you can use it as a natural toothpaste, you can oil pull (google it, it's pretty amazing) and all sorts of other things! Seriously, just type in "coconut oil" into any search engine and you'll fine lists upon lists of things it can do and uses it has! When something has the abilities to do as much as this power product...why not invest?

 

This is the brand I use (pictured) costs about $10, but there are a bunch of different brands and prices. Explore. Invest. Enjoy.

 

 

 

So there they are, folks! The eight products I'm currently loving! Feel free to share your favs with me, I'd love to hear!

 

xoxo,

 

Kelsey

 

 

 

 

Realty Realities and Lubbock Lovin'.

Hey Babes! Hope you're doin' well, you look fab! Things have been pretty crazy on this side of the computer screen. Wanna' hear?

Cool. Here we go.

This past week we finally got to take a look at the place we'll be living for, at the very least, the next three years.

We finally got to see it for ourselves. We finally got to see the mystery that was Lubbock, Texas.

Now, mind you, this wasn't just any sight seeing trip. My parents, Tyler and I hunkered into my Dad's giant ass truck and endured those six hours of flat scenery for a very big, very important purpose: find a house and nail it down.

Overall, the trip was fast and intense. It was a rollercoaster of emotion, sleep deprivation, and trying to learn a lot of grown up words and terms. Seriously, does anyone fully understand "escrow"???

Let's break it down, shall we?

THURSDAY:

Tyler and I loaded up my jeep with our luggage and sluggishly drove to my parents house at 8 am sharp. Yes, that's right. 8 o' clock in the morning. Suffice it to say...we looked rough, y'all. Once we arrived we loaded into the aforementioned giant ass truck, parents in front and Lyler and I in the back. I couldn't remember the last time I sat in the backseat of my parents car to take a road trip. I immediately fell back into being thirteen years old. I wanted candy, a pillow, an iPod mini full of Fall Out Boy and a Teen Vogue to clip collage pictures from. Instead I had a fiancé, a Redbull the size of my pit bull, a laptop with potential houses to look at upon arrival and a candy crush level I still haven't beat. The thirteen year old inside of me was pretty pissed, but the twenty three year old that I am felt nothing but excited. Well, I did still want some candy, so that sucked. But mainly the excitement thing.

After six hours of trying to get the wifi to work and feeling gross after eating Dairy Queen for the first time (what are you all freaking out about, I didn't think it was that good?) we finally rolled into town. None of us had ever been to Lubbock before so we were just going off everything we'd heard. Which was scary.

"Oh...Lubbock, huh? That's rough! Hope you like tumbleweeds!"

"Man, it's just a flat wasteland out there.."

"Does Lubbock even have a Starbucks, Kelsey?"
(FYI: I googled that myself like two months ago out of sheer paranoia. They do. Hallelujah.)

etc. etc. etc.

With everyone grumbling about how crappy "little ol' Lubbock" is...we had our eyes peeled and ready to take it in, tumbleweeds and all.

To our pleasant, happy, relieved surprise we saw that Lubbock was...well...kind of like Edmond and Oklahoma City (y'know, like near Memorial) in a blender. First things first, Lubbock is not small. It is big and kind of confusing. It's on a loop, which my Dad and Tyler seemed happy about. I don't know why. Actually, I don't even know if I'm saying that right. "On a loop"? "Near a loop"? "Has a loop"? I don't know, there's a loop involved and the guys were happy about it.

Though we weren't able to do any actual browsing anywhere, I was so happy to pass a pretty decent mall, a whole bunch of restaurants, my beloved Starbucks, all kinds of shops I'm used to having near me (Target, TJ Maxx, DSW,) and a two story Barnes and Noble! Happy, happy bookworm diva. They have a World Market, a store I've always loved to visit in Texas, which we don't even have in Oklahoma!

We drove around Texas Tech's MASSIVE OMG SO HUGE campus. We didn't do any real looking, just drove around the perimeter to try and take it in for the first time. It was gorgeous. Also, daunting. After spending five years tinkering around UCO's quaint little campus, Tech looked like a whole city within the city. I'll be excited to get back down and meet up with my friend KJ, a fellow Tech student, and have him give me the tour of our stomping grounds.

By the end of the day we were all pretty wiped. We went to our respective hotel rooms and melted into the cushy mattresses, thankful to not have the word "FORD" stamped into our butts anymore. We all knew we had a big day ahead of us. The first day of house hunting. We had about 17 houses picked out to look at and our realtor had some that weren't on the list as well. All in all, about 20 houses to see that were within our price range. So, yeah. Big day.

FRIDAY:

We were up and out at about 8:45 am, on route to the first house of the day. In classic Fisher style, we were about thirty minutes early. We sat in front of the house and waited for the realtor, pissy that he didn't read our minds and know that when we said 9:30 we OF COURSE meant 9 am. Sharp.

Our guy, Josh The Realtor, pulled up (finally geez how dare you Josh gahhh) and with that, the day had finally begun. The first house was a no go. It was the most expensive of the houses and for no good reason. It was decently sized and recently renovated but...it just wasn't right. It's weird how that works. Like...when I pictured us house hunting I pictured it being really time consuming, really hard. Though it is hard in many ways, knowing if a house is good for you is not. When you're in a house and the vibe just isn't "it"...you know. Almost instantly. I can't tell you how many times we walked into houses that day and we were just like "....nope. Next!"

We saw a handful of houses after the first "no" and we liked a few of them. We had adopted a grading system. Standard school grades, A-F. Most of the houses from about 10-12 o'clock averaged about a C. Then, tucked amongst all of the mediocrity, we found it. A house that was built in the 00's, which was something my parents really cared about, that had a lovely little breakfast nook and a huge walk in closet. Though it was in pretty crappy shape, it would take a lot of cleaning and love, it was the first A of the day and we were all high off of it. Tyler and I were googly eyed, already planning our first breakfast in said nook, when Josh The Realtor informed us that the house was a foreclosure short sell, or something confusing and realtor-y like that. Basically we would have had to jump through a bunch of hoops to hopefully, maybe be able to move in anywhere from two months to six. I have to be in Lubbock for training by the beginning of August. It just wasn't possible. Our first A of the day, the glimmer of hope in a sea of sort of okay but not that great houses....dropped away into the "nope" abyss.

We were all so down trodden after that. We lugged ourselves back into the truck and silently headed towards the next location. It was another 00's house that was a foreclosure. It had a small kitchen that was missing a cabinet, the living room carpet had been ripped out, and it was a bit on the small side. But it was nice. And if we liked it, we had to put a bid on it that day because the next day investors would be able to bid and make their offers which are apparently looked at before regular buyers. Confusing stuff. All in all, the house was probably a B, maybe a B+ because it was newer.

We had seen all the houses we could. There were a few we didn't even go in, a few Josh The Realtor ruled out because they weren't in great neighborhoods, and at the end of the day we had seen somewhere around 15 houses. Still sad about the A house, we decided to go ahead and put a bid on this house. My dad told JTR to expand our price range a little and pull some houses to see the next day, knowing we could back out of the B+ bid if we needed to.

Back in our hotel rooms, Tyler and I sat and talked. We knew the house was fine. It was kind of in the middle of nowhere, it was kind of small, and it was kind of missing carpet...but it was fine. Our hearts weren't in it but our heads told us "it's only three years". Right as we were ready to lay down and drown out our sorrow with another episode of our latest obsession "Hells Kitchen", the phone rang. My mom informed me that the realtor had pulled some promising houses in our new price range and that we would be able to go see them that day. Rejuvenated with the possibility of the perfect house still waiting for us, we paused Gordon Ramsey telling some chef to fu*k off and headed down to my parents room. They showed us a couple of the houses online. My mom pointed out one that we all thought looked really promising. At that point though...they all looked really promising.

The first house was lovely. It was an adorable two story in a really pretty neighborhood. We caught the owner on the way out and he seemed like a hip, young gay man. Obviously this thrilled me. The house was decorated well and had a lot of personality...but it still wasn't screaming "LIVE IN ME, YOU'LL LOVE IT".

As we headed to the next location, the one Mom loved online, I felt a pressure lift off of me. Even if the rest of these houses sucked, the two story one we had just left was better than the B+. We had an option and it made me feel about a million times better. Even the sting of the A house was starting to feel far away, unimportant. I had hope.

Then we pulled up to it. IT, it. The one. The outside was so sweet. It had a wooden bear that welcomed us, an elephant fountain that delighted us, and a little rock pond in the flower bed that didn't work but was still pretty precious. It had big windows that looked into the kitchen and a little bench by a tree. We walked in and...I mean...we fell in love. It was a 70's house but you would never know it from looking. Everything, and man I mean just about eveeeerything had been renovated and updated. These people took care of this house. It had three bedrooms, two baths, a sunken in living room with hardwood floors and those windows that I mentioned...the windows that almost suggested...a breakfast nook. Insert goofy sigh here.

There were many features that I really, really liked. The bedroom may have not had a walk in, but it had two closets. I could make that work! The bathrooms had ACTUAL COUNTER SPACE! The kitchen had the backsplash I almost picked for my current kitchen when we renovated it a couple of years ago. The fireplace was beautiful. The backyard was big, but not too big.

And there, in that very backyard, was a flowerbed made of bricks that were in the shape of...

the Texas Tech logo.

It was home.

Here are some pictures that don't even do it full justice.

SO CUTE.

Love this living room.

See that fireplace? YAS.

Guest Room #1

Guest bathroom.

Guest Bedroom #2

Nookalicious. Ew. I'm sorry for typing that gross word.

See that metal backsplash? Love it.

Pano, betches.

Master bedroom. That little cute cutout is the bathroom!

Deb workin' hard.

Backyard. We love the brick patio!

Not a great picture, but look at the Tech logo!

Happy dude and dudette right there.

We still had a couple more houses to see...but I just didn't see the point. I was in love. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to buy it right then and there and then make the people move out that day just so we could sleep in it that night. It was...it.

I walked through the next houses as restless as a child that has to go to a fabric store with their mom after leaving Toys R' Us. Nobody wants to look at on sale flannel when you have a new Barbie to play with, y'all dig?

Long story short, we all loved the house. THE house. No grade needed. The. House.

We put a bid on it for a few thousand less, as our realtor suggested, and signed some paperwork that basically made it official that we had made an offer.

The night was restless as we waited for a response. Not even the screaming Gordon Ramsey could quiet my nerves. We had found a house we loved, something that had begun to feel impossible just hours before. The lethargy we had felt after we put a bid on the foreclosure house felt like years ago. Nothing before finding "it" mattered.

SATURDAY:

Saturday was bananas. I awoke to a phone call from my Mom at about 9:30. She informed me that the home owners countered, went down a mere $500, and that was their final offer. She told me that Dad was on the phone with the realtor talking and told us to meet them downstairs. Tyler and I nervously got ready. I pulled my shirt on (inside out, mind you) and headed to the lobby. We got in the truck and Mom told us that Dad made the offer. He met their price but demanded they leave the kitchen appliances. I didn't know you could do that. I silently hoped we could make them give us the bear, too. Also, the elephant.

Now...we would wait yet again. We got some coffee and sat in the hotel. Nerves raw and patience strained, Tyler and I went back up to our room. I grabbed a new shirt and had managed to put it on correctly when we once again received a call. They accepted our offer. Our trip was a success. WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!

Now we needed to get home, and a day early, hurrah! Deb instructed us to get packed and meet downstairs. Once we were checked out and loaded up, we headed to the house for another looksee and some more paperwork signing.

The house was just as perfect as we had unwillingly left it the day before. After about thirty minutes of fantasizing where our furniture would go and what flowers could be planted and what paint touchups were needed...we left. Now that we had placed a contract on a house in Lubbock...we probz needed to get back to Oklahoma to sell the house we currently have.

We still have a stretch to go on this house. Painting and packing and ultra cleaning, but I think we'll have it ready to put on the market in a week or so. Well, we better. Cuz' we have to.

In fact, this whole post was written in procrastination of the fact that I need to go clean out/pack up all the clothes in our bedroom dresser.

Sorry, Deb. I'll go now. Also, you're eyeliner looks good right now! Remind me to steal it next time I come over! ;)

xoxo,

Kelsey

Homa's Where the Heart Is.

So I watch the Real Housewives of Orange County. Yeah, I said it. I'm not ashamed.

I find these middle aged women frightfully entertaining. They fight over things like stealing each others seats while dining in restaurants my friends and I could only dream of being able to afford. They throw million dollar ridiculously themed parties on a whim. They talk shit on each others nose jobs in their Jaguars on the way to get a consultation for one themselves. Its asinine and it's awesome.

I was on my couch watching my guilty pleasure show and Vikki, one of the more outrageous amongst the women, was going off on an insanely animated tangent (as per usual) when out of nowhere....betch went too far.

Betch insulted my home.

See, her daughter is moving to a faraway land called "Oklahoma City". Vikki found this appalling, said something about how Oklahoma is an invisible place, a place that may be nice to visit but a place she and her family shouldn't live.

I didn't really get offended. I reminded myself that I was watching a dumb television show, mindless entertainment. This woman from another world can have whatever opinion she wants. I would never want to live in California, and once Bravo finally gives me my own series where I can proclaim that, I don't expect her to get offended either. (Seriously, Bravo. Give me a show. Now. My friend Tyle and I are CAMERA READY, OKAY!)

What I got was sad. In a matter of two months, I'll be living in Texas. Though I am absolutely ecstatic to get down there, I do really love being an Okie.

Invisible state? Hell no. Oklahoma is vivid, thriving, kind. Here are just a few things I'll miss when I'm in the Lone Star State.

• How friendly Oklahomans are. That's such a cliché thing to say, I know. But clichés become clichés because they are so true they just keep being said, y'know? I really missed this in my recent trip to England. Not saying the English are rude...not at all...they're just not as giving with their politeness as people are around here. That kind of overt friendliness just isn't part of their culture, I guess. They are very "to the point". Though I don't ever really want to just stop and chat with every passing face, I found myself missing the "How y'all doin?'s", the little act of kindness that is holding a door open for a stranger, just...southern charm, I guess.

• Driving on Rockwell, by Hefner. That one little stretch of street holds so much for me. The house I grew up in, literally. From the age of 4 up until the day I moved into my current home at 18, that was my home. My parents only just sold it a little over a year ago. I miss it so, so much. My elementary school and my high school are literally right next to each other there. I don't know how many times I'd be driving to my parents old house and reminisce about my time spent as a James L. Dennis dolphin and as a Putnam City North panther. I loved those schools, that neighborhood, that 7-11, Hunan Wok delivery, the McDonalds my friend Ida and I would scrounge up change to walk to and eat crappy but delicious burgers, the big field across the street from my neighborhood, Okie Sno, even the place I totaled my car! (The first day I got my license. Yep.). All right there, all side by side. So many memories. I don't drive that way often anymore, not since my parents moved, but I still think of it any time I'm in the city. It calls to me, it really does. A piece of my heart will always live there, within the walls of my home, my schools, there lies my adolescence.

Don't be jealous of my dye job~~~*

• Lake Hefner. Oh man, do I have some memories of that lake. That's where I went with my friends in my teenage years to sit, to talk, to feel smarter and deeper than I'm sure we actually were. It was our little escape. Our picturesque and parentless getaway. We'd sit on the rocky wall with our feet dangling over the edge sneaking cigarettes (If you're reading this Mom, then sub out the word "cigarettes" for the words "candy bars". We snuck so many Snickers bars back then. I'm sorry.) and talking about life. We'd watch the sunset and then go find something else to do, move on with our lives. But so many quiet, lovely, teenagey times were held watching the waves crash up against the rocks with the Oklahoma wind ripping through our hair.

• Penn Square Mall. Like, I know that's a kind of shallow one...but man Penn has stepped it's damn game up in the past 10 years. Their Dillards designer area is ON POINT, I love the two story Forever 21, Lucca has my favorite tank tops, and Aldo has always been my go to for cheapy- that-doesn't-look-cheapy accessories for events. The makeup counters are great, it has a freaking Lush. Blah blah I know, shopping, whatever. But I know that Lubbock won't have all the stuff I'm used to having in a mall. I'm used to a thirty minute drive being all that separated me from the Chanel makeup counter. Not a huge deal, but a deal. I'll miss it. Judge me~*

• The "shop local" "support OKC" "hometown pride" thing that's really kicked off in the past few years. I love all the local shops that pride themselves in their Okie roots. I love Blue 7, Evoke, Vintage Coffee, etc. It's cool how much Oklahoma is thriving right now, all around the city you can feel the buzz of a community that is proud to be right where it is-Oklahoma. The Thunder have obvi increased this home grown gusto, but it's everywhere. I'll miss a city that is seriously coming into its own and just cruuushing it!

        At "All About Cha" with my babe

• My house. Me and this house have had some really good times. And bad times. And hard times. And crazy times. Five years of my life have happened inside of these walls. These walls that I've painted just to my taste alongside my family and friends, these walls that hold pictures of said family and friends, these walls that have way too many holes hidden in them because I'm bad at figuring out where to hang the pictures of twice aforementioned family and friends. I'm going to miss everything about this house, even the stuff I'm not crazy about...I'll miss. Yes, my too-small bathroom with absolutely no counter space or storage...I will miss. (Listen, for a product-junkie like me, the struggle has been real. And constant.) But the things I love far, far outweigh the things I've grumped about throughout the years. I will miss the brick painting my Aunt Karen did for me in my living room so much. It may be my favorite thing about my home. It's so unique. It was painted by hands I love, with love, and I love it. It's the embodiment of love. I'll miss my weird floor plan that's always forced me to think creatively when I decorate. I love decorating and after five years of changing stuff around, guest bedroom turned to office, Mutz's bedroom turned to guest bedroom, the living room arranged any way it possibly could be arranged, the kitchen pretty much remodeled, and so much more...I think I've gotten kind of good at it. I will also, obviously, miss all the things this house has seen. My best friend and I living here in roommate bliss, throwing awesome parties and having intimate talks and cooking crappy food and cooking kind of okay food and eventually actually really learning to love cooking, I'll miss it all. My now fiancé as my then new boyfriend, shyly sitting on the couch and sipping a beer he probably didn't even want, wishing with all of his heart that it would morph into a Coca Cola. This house is where my friends became my best friends, my boyfriend became my future husband, Winston entered my life and man do I love that guy! Just so much. I love this little chunk of land, this house that has become my home in every sense of the word. I will miss this place something awful.

 After about two months of projects, this was my living room when I first moved in

 

                                            My living room now

• My family and friends. I cannot elaborate on that. Not yet. I cannot open the floodgates. Not yet. I still have to sell this house I love, buy one in Lubbock, get moved and start school. I cannot let my grief of not seeing and talking to the people that I loveeee seeing and talking to on a daily basis is just...I can't go there yet. But for now, know I love y'all. And that I'll miss you more than all of the houses and all of the Penn Squares and all of the other stuff times about a million. Too many pictures could go here...so instead of fishing through the thousands of possibilities, I'm just going to put a picture of my dog. 

I could go on forever, but I think that's enough for now.

At the end of the day, Vicki-the-random-reality-star can say what she wants about the place where the wind comes sweeping down the plains and "y'all" is a perfectly acceptable way to refer to a group of two or more people. For me, this will always be not only the heartland, but my heartland. Homa'.

 

xoxo,

Kelsey