I’ve been keeping a bit of a secret. Not for very long, mind you, so you can’t really be upset with me.

It’s been, like, four days.

And this is after I kept our house search to myself for a few months . . . mostly because there wasn’t much to report.

Yet.

But now? We got the house!

The bank accepted our offer on a property about ten minutes from where we live now and, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be heading to settlement in late April (!).

It’s a four-bedroom with three and a half baths, a full basement, a bit of land. And room for my library! (A LIBRARY!) Basically, everything we’ve been talking about for years — and in the area we want to be in. Most importantly, it was in our budget.

Basically, a miracle.

Our first house!

And we’ll be moving.

Honestly, since we learned we’d won the bidding war and took my mom to see it (Dad was with us the first go ’round), it hasn’t really felt real. Despite the copious amounts of paperwork we’ve already signed, part of me is still holding my breath waiting for the “sure thing” sensation to wash over me . . . which probably isn’t an awful idea, given we have so much that has to happen before we get to settlement.

Home inspection. Well inspection. Window replacement. Financial stuff. Tons of stuff I’m sure I don’t even know about yet.

I’ve gotten quite an education in just the last three months, friends, and my schooling has just begun.

But before I get all Negative Nancy, I do want to take a moment to be excited. I’m emotional at the thought of leaving our condo so soon after Spence and I have moved in together, but he’s been here three years — and is ready for the joys (and grass-cutting-pain!) of homeownership. And after just moving from my parents’ house in October, the idea of moving all my worldly possessions again — but worse this time, ’cause we’ll have my husband’s, too — makes me feel exhausted.

I can’t deny the allure of our own home, though. A real house. A house bigger and nicer than anything I would have ever thought we could find without bankrupting ourselves, and something we will grow into and personalize and craft in the years to come.

It needs appliances, tons of paint, new carpet. Some TLC after sitting empty for so long.

But no more jerks blasting loud music at all hours of the night! No more randos stealing your parking space! No more shared living space. Listening to our neighbors pacing at all hours of the night.

There are absolutely things I will miss about our condo — and I’m sure I’ll wax philosophical on them in the weeks to come. It’s only natural.

But this place will really be ours. I’m kind of shell-shocked . . . but am learning to give myself up to life’s currents. They’ll take us where we need to go.

I’ve found that to be true. And I do believe that to be true.

So, we’ll see.

Now, who’s got coffee?

Backyard view