I’m assuming that by the title of this post you can guess how our house hunting adventure went today.
After looking at a handful of houses and driving around with a realtor from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., we came up empty handed.
The theme of the day? The beautiful homes are in the middle of nowhere and the heinous-anus homes are in the middle of everything.
The first house we saw was our favorite of the day.
Isn’t it sch-weet!?
It was light and bright (this is a HUGE deal to me!), had a lovely open floor plan, a pool and was located on three acres of land.
Unfortunately it is located about 20 minutes from everything. From the gym. From the grocery store. Everything.
Even though our current place is less than stellar, we’re so spoiled with its convenient location. We walk to our gym. The grocery store is half a mile away. Target, the closest mall and delicious restaurants are within five minutes.
Ryan and I struggle with the thought of driving 20 minutes to and from the gym. That adds 40 minutes onto any workout time which is simply too much for both of us to wrap our heads around.
So, temporary housing it is!
We’re going to move all of our stuff into a storage unit while we rent a fully-furnished apartment until we can find a house we both love in an ideal area. I’m hoping to follow up with the dream house we saw last Monday to see if maybe that one can work now that we don’t need a place by August 1. That would be amazing.
Lunch + Dinner
Our day included a pit stop for lunch with our realtor at Scrambles, a local Ocala restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch.
I ordered a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with a side of fresh fruit and was really impressed!
The turkey slices were thick and flavorful and the bread was full of seeds and grains.
After lunch, we spent a few more hours exploring the area and viewing houses before heading home to Orlando.
We drove home feeling a little bummed, but also happy that we at least have a plan to look into temporary housing… Even if the plan is less than ideal. It’s better than being in limbo!
Our drive took about an hour and we arrived home ready for dinner.
On the menu for tonight was one of my all-time favorite crock pot meals: BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.
Served with roasted Brussels sprouts, this meal was the kind of comforting meal both Ryan and I needed this evening.
As I was typing up this post, Ryan said he had an awesome idea for a dinnertime blog post for me. His dad just sent us a care package of goodies that included a can of pepper spray for me. Ryan’s blog post idea: Shoot him in the face with the pepper spray. What???
Yeah, that’s about how we feel right about now.
Clearly our minds are a bit numb after all of this house hunting today. I think Ryan is delirious. And this means he’ll probably make it through an entire episode of The Bachelorette with me tonight… Which probably also means that I’ll get to hear about how Ashley is “the worst bachelorette of all time.”
Let’s just say Ryan isn’t a fan of her overwhelming insecurities. Of course Ryan hears me complain about my insecurities from time to time, but I’ll never forget one time when I was complaining about my knees to him. (They’re really weird.) He just looked at me with a dumbfounded look in his eyes and said, “Your knees? Are you serious? Please don’t be one of those girls.”
And he was so right.
Sure I think my knees are funky and weird, but 99 percent of people wouldn’t even give my knees or legs a second thought. I can’t change them, so why moan and complain? Now I just say to myself, “They’re just knees. Who cares?” I mean really. Knees!?
Okay, time to watch Ashley complain about how she’s not Emily! And time for me to possibly fall more in love with Ben F. My affinity for JP is wavering and Ben F. is making a run for my heart.
Caroline @Everyday-Caroline says
I think it is much better to be in a semi-limbo stage than to settle on a house you don’t absolutely love! In the end, you will find a beautiful house you and Ryan adore. PS teaching Body Pump would be amazing!!
Mary Alison says
I used to live in Ocala…have you looked in the Fore Ranch community? Fore Ranch is new with lots of sidewalks for running and rollerblades. Also, a great club house with soccer fields and a pool. The community is also in the “new” part of Ocala, close to Old Navy, Dillards, some decent restaurants. I will say though that Ocala is going to be a huge change from the Orlando area, good luck!
Gina @ Will Run for Cupcakes says
A. Your workout from this morning looks intense and I’m afraid to try it…but I think I might!
B. I have a new found love for Ben F. myself, but I think thats because I secretly hope that JP will find me and love me 🙂
C. Good luck house hunting. No fun when you can’t seem to find a good fit.
Happy Tuesday 🙂
Dani says
Aww man, that stinks but you WILL find something. my gym is 15-20 minutes away and i’m dyinngggg to move within walking distance.
Carissa says
First- yeah for brussel sprouts! I adore them! Sorry about the housing situation. I’m sure that’s very frustrating. I drive 30 minutes to the gym, 1 hour to school, 40 minutes to work…and I drive a giant SUV. It’s frustrating but once you’re home…you’re home. I just change my gym/work/errand schedule to work together into one big trip. But keep the faith – things always work out for the best!
kristen says
I am defiantly one that can find something wrong we my body. But remember those knees help you run, workout, and take sady on walks each day- they are quite useful!
Felicia @ Ellipticizing says
I love the pool! My apartment complex has a pool and it’s definitely one of the best things about it.
Jena says
Good Luck w/ the house hunting. Unfortunately I think “the middle of nowhere” is going to be a recurrent theme in Ocala.. It’s a pretty rural area. 20 minutes is kind of far when you are used to being able to walk everywhere.. I’ve never had that convenience so 20 minutes is pretty good. – I work 20 minutes from my house and it’s not bad at all, it’s really only 12 miles.
adrianna says
ok, a tad delayed on the discussion…but DITTO on the ben/jp feelings! at first, loved me some jp, but man alive, ben is where its at. i actually tweeted if she sent him home, i hope he finds his way to me! (but alas, that didnt happen…yet!)
Jenny says
Hi Julie!
Echoing the person above – I’m late on this discussion as well. I was out of town and am just now catching up on all of my favorite blogs (yours obviously included).
In regards to your knees, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU FEEL THIS WAY! For as long as I can remember, I have felt self-conscious about my knees. I always thought that it was a weird thing to dislike but I couldn’t help it. I feel like there’s just this extra pinch of pudge that hides my kneecaps if that makes any sense at all? lol
Anyway, thanks for sharing your quirks with us!
P.S. You (and your knees) are beautiful 🙂