Welcome to Wisteria Road...

So as most of you know, we have embarked on a new and exciting adventure. It all began when I was sitting in the Portland airport killing time and began searching properties in all of our possible retirement locations, because that's just what I do in my spare time. I ran across a forclosure home in Daytona Beach that looked like a steal of a deal. It was an online auction which was going to start in about ten days. I had Megan drive by and see if it was worth coming out to take a peek. She and her sister must not have noticed all of the "no trespassing" signs as they walked all around the property, looking in windows and taking photos. She said "I think you better come look at this".  They were holding the home open on Saturday from 11-3 so I flew out on Friday morning and Megan and I walked around the property and drove by the house twenty or thirty a couple of times. We spent about an hour on Saturday touring the house and the garage apartment. I was so taken with the home that by the time we left I already had my heart set on winning the auction. The agent mentioned that the home had belonged to someone famous but she couldn't remember who. Before leaving, Megan and I went into the yard and made penny wishes in the fountain which was all dried up in the middle of the overgrown sunken garden. I headed back to the airport but not before running into WalMart for graph paper, a ruler, and pencils. I spent the two flights home looking at the photos I had taken on my phone and trying to recreate the floorplan on paper. I knew when I got home Reed would want to know the layout of the house. The next day I received an email from the agent saying that the home was built by Elizabeth Rothschild. Thank god for Google!! As I began researching her name I discovered that she and her husband Martin were first class passengers on the Titanic. Elizabeth and her adored pomeranian survived the tragedy but unfortunately, her husband did not. She had built this as a winter home about ten years later. The more research I did, the more obsessed I became. There was one more open house the following Saturday which was also the first day of the auction. Megan went back for the second open house to gather information and see how the traffic had been. I watched the auction continuously for the next few days. I had never done an auction like this before. Someone was bidding but as soon as the reserve was met, the bidding stopped. I had planned to swoop in at the last few minutes of the auction but these sales are not like Ebay... if anyone bids during the last few minutes, the auctioneer extends the auction deadline! What the %#$#&!  On the fifth and final day I sat on the computer and with ten minutes left, place my bid. "You are the highest bidder" popped up on the screen! Before I could even blink "You are no longer the highest bidder" screamed at me in bright red letters. You can't tell who else, or how many others are bidding against you. I bid again, they bid again, I bid again, they bid again, I bid again and then I watched as the timer counted down 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 "Auction ended, you are the highest bidder".  Now I realize this doesn't sound all that dramatic but let me just say, my heart was pounding out of my chest, I thought I was going to throw up, Reed was calling, Megan was texting, and then it was OVER! I couldn't believe we had actually won it.  Sooo, now what?

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See you soon with another update,