Plan B, Chapter 4

I like my job, but it can be mentally exhausting. I prepare commercial insurance policies and endorsements (adjustments) to those policies, so everything needs to be done just right and with a great deal of care and concentration. Adding greatly to the length of my work day is my commute - I get up no later than 5:25 a.m. (with a great deal of effort, being a "night person"), leave no later than 5:50 a.m., get to the office at 7:20-ish, start work at 8, leave no later than 4:45 p.m. and get home at 6:30 p.m. Since most of my commute is via ferry, I am able to crochet, read, nap, use the facilities, etc. But it still makes for a long day. My underwriter recently took on a new program I will be helping with, and between that and the existing accounts I already help with, last week was especially tiring. That was the main reason I switched one of my remaining vacation days for the year to today. But it worked out well since it allowed us to visit the remaining builder today instead of waiting till the weekend. They have a small branch here in our town, but there are presently no models there. But we wanted to discuss development costs and compare to what the last builder estimated, see interior photos of some of the plans that interested us, and find out where we could see the models in person. We felt this was the only way we could compare their models to the high water mark the other builder set two days ago and be able to make a final decision.

I wasn't real impressed with most of the floor plans this builder offered. There appeared to be at least a partial wall between the living and dining areas, which I felt would not result in the open "great room" we want. The master bedroom on the plans in the total size range we want also didn't seem quite as spacious as we would like. One plan that did have a great room, the room bent around in sort of an "L" shape whereas we would prefer an open square or rectangle. We spent a good amount of time there and when we left, I wasn't convinced we should even go and see this builder's models, with their next nearest branch being at least a 40 mile drive. We sat in the car outside the office for some time and looked over the plans again. Suddenly, one that had gotten lost in the shuffle made its way to the top. We looked at it and looked at each other. We looked at it again and brainstormed aloud as to how right it looked - the island kitchen, the not-huge but very open great room, the big bathrooms, the BIG walk-in closet - and wondered how we had overlooked it when we were sitting in the office. We went back in and the man said, oh, I have interior pictures of that one. He showed us the pictures. I am tearing up as I write this; I don't want to jump to conclusions before we have even seen the model but if it feels as right as these pictures did, I feel we have found OUR house. It even comes with a lot of extras such as the thicker walls and upgraded cabinets that we would have had to pay extra for on the other models. I will refrain from posting a floor plan here till we see the model and make our decision. But we are driving 2-1/2 hours to Vancouver, WA this Saturday to see this model in person. If you are reading this on or before October 1, I covet all prayers and good thoughts that our ordeal of seeking the housing we desperately need is about to finally come true. Chapter 5 coming soon!