Day 0: Here we go!

So, this was Wednesday:

Beloved Husband standing by our sign. SALE STILL PENDING.

And this was yesterday:

MUCH SIGNING. SO PAPER. SUCH LEGAL.

And (drumroll please) THIS IS TODAY:

KEYS OPEN DOORS

I may have run shrieking around the house. THIS IS OUR HOUSE. THIS HOUSE IS OURS. The stairs are ours! The kitchen is ours! THIS IS THE KEY AND THE KEY IS OURS AND THE HOUSE IS OURS AND AAAAAAAAAAAAA. I'm sure our new neighbors think we either have a small excitable dog, or several loud children. Nope, just me!

My goal upon receiving the key from our fairy godmother agent Patti was always to rip up the horrible carpet (horrible horrible horrible carpet). Let the demolition commence!

 

 Jesse starts in on the living room carpet.

SO MUCH FUN. 

Living room, mostly demolished. 

I knew going in it was going to be gross - the carpet was easily 15 years old and had reached that sort of threadbare, creepily moist stage of decomposition - but yikes, it was bad. Evidence strongly pointed to an incontinent feline tenant somewhere in the past, and where the carpet padding wasn't mysteriously and strongly adhered to the floorboards beneath, there was a thick coating of dust. (My guess was ground up cat litter, cheerios and sawdust, although my bestie Victoria helpfully pointed out later that statistically speaking, it was probably mostly skin cells. THANKS FOR THAT. I'LL BE OVER HERE, SWIMMING IN BLEACH.)

BUT despite the grossness, we got all of the carpet and most of the padding up, and into the garage, where it awaits a trip to the dump later this weekend. (As soon as we locate a dump.)

    

Looking into the den (left) and the living room (right).

I was really afraid that the wood under the carpet would be heavily damaged, but despite the cat smell (yecccch) it looks like we may be able to salvage it. I ripped up the laminate in front of the front door, and the original Douglas fir planks underneath are barely touched. It's absolutely gorgeous, and exactly what I was hoping to find. Hopefully the rest will be just as beautiful when it's stripped and refinished. 

And now, we're sore and exhausted. BUT WE'RE HOMEOWNERS. Even after being in the house awhile and getting its dust all over us, it's hard to believe after all this waiting, it's actually ours. It doesn't seem real yet. And coming back to our apartment - much as I love it, it's filled with boxes right now, and even tighter than usual - was anticlimatic. Home is still the apartment, but hopefully, once we get the house in a more livable condition, it'll start to feel more solid.

THE ADVENTURE WILL CONTINUE.