The house thing continues- we have had 2 THE HOUSEs, and neither has worked. The second one had an insufficient well. Sounds very odd for Western Washington, but there you go. Thanks geology. The builder was a total tool about it and tried to bullshit us as to what the yield was, despite the well report that HE supplied. We passed on that one. It was beautiful, though.

Hope remains alive.

The best part of this whole thing is that Kman and I are doing well as a couple throughout. I can see where this process could destroy a marriage. It's bloody hard to define what you want in the first place, and gets more difficult the deeper into the details you go. We definitely have some different parameters, but overall it has been very respectful and supportive. I like that.

I have some rules for this. I'll even share. Because that is how I roll.

1. Don't buy a house to end the fucking ordeal of buying a house. (I have teetered on this one more than once. Just. Don't.)
2. Don't fall in love until the paperwork is signed. (Failed this one on THE house #1, not on THE house #2- that was just a crush)
3. It may be a deal, but it can be someone else's deal.
4. It has to be at minimum 85% ready to go- otherwise it's a fixer-upper. We are NOT in the construction business, so walk quickly away. Nothing to see here, folks.
5. We each get a veto. It may be painful, but it is important.

So we have another batch of about 20 listings to dig through, and I will start vetting the options for Kman, and let him see the best of the bunch. Some day we will have our very own home. But for now, our rental is lovely, in a great area, easy to access, cheap as hell, and ours for the duration.