I'm goin' on a treasure hunt. . .

I have finally discovered craigslist and this is my first deal! I am so excited to add this cute chair to my collection of unique furnishings. The man said it was pre-Castro Cuban mohogany but to be honest I really don't care because I like the way it looks and I paid $30 for it. I will have to reupholster it. I might go the the "Y" to look for some good furniture fabric. I think I did pretty good for my first craigslist purchase! Now I just need to find another one that is similar in structure. Wish me luck! (p.s. please forgive the mispellings- I'm feeling a little lazy today)

A new house for the Shacks!

We bought a new house! We were not exactly expecting to buy a new place but we were at that crossroads where you decide if you pour more money into a house that might have potential (but feels like a money pit) or you invest in a new house that better suits your current and future needs. We opted for the new house and we are very excited.

It is in a planned community called The Preserve in Chino in a neighborhood called Hidden Hollow. There are dairy farms all around and our best friends live in this same community. It is a new construction house to be finished in October. We were originally looking at this this house which was a short sale going for $400-$425K, but then we found out what a nightmare a short sale can be. As a back up plan we began looking again at the new construction homes in the community and were amazed at how much the prices had dropped. Our pick was this 2572 sq ft cottage style corner house on a park. It was listed for 478K but they are having a special and took 75K off the price of the house plus it sits on the second largest lot of 5,100 sq ft and comes with many upgrades (granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, recessed lighting throughout the house, designer paint, white cabinets) We put a hold on the lot so that we could think about it while we heard back from the bank on house #1. The next day I had to drive back to Chino to show the model house to my parents and put our deposit down on the house when the sales rep announced that just this morning the company decided to give us $20K towards upgrades in the house!!! So basically that sealed the deal for Dan and I and we are getting this huge new house for $403K plus $20K in upgrades! Here are some details about the house and some of the things I like best about it:

Floor Plans:

4 bedrooms
3.5 baths
2572 sq ft
3 stories
2 car garage
corner lot on the park
wrap-around porch

my favorites:
the storage!!!
the high ceilings
the old fashioned charm this new house has
the abundance of huge windows that let in the natural light
the master bath and closet is huge!
the master bed and bath overlook the park
there is only another house on one side of us
the view from the third floor (mountains are beautiful and the dairies fun to watch
the parkhouse which is a community center that has a huge pool, jacuzzi, bbq center, movie theater, pool/game parlor, 24 hour gym, meeting rooms (great for my music recitals), and Dan's favorite free Starbucks coffee in the internet cafe.
the school district (great for teaching and our future children)

Even though the move means a longer commute for Dan, eventually we both hope to transfer to local branches in our respective jobs. On Friday, we go to the design center to decide how we want to spend our $20K in upgrades. I am going for dark hardwood floors on the first floor and upgraded carpet on the 2nd and 3rd floors. I am still trying to decide if we should carpet the stairs or put hardwood on the stairs. Any opinions?

God has really blessed us with this opportunity. Chino definitely has a more tranquil feel to it. We are ready for the change! There will be lots of room for guests. I can't wait for you all to see our new place! Tim- we will be asking you for advice on renting out our current house. Dan already has several CHP cadets interested in renting it. We will visit the house again on Sunday to sign papers so I might be able to post more pictures for you all. If not, you will just have to make the trip down to check it out yourselves!
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Anatomy of an 18-day Caribbean Vacation

Never in my life have I so much needed a total and complete break from life. On June 19th Dan and I boarded a plane (first class) to Aruba for 18 days of rest and relaxation. We left the phones, computers, and other distractions at home and we are so glad we did! Here is a brief breakdown of our trip for those who wish to know. . .

6/19 Fly to Miami first class stay in Miami overnight
6/20 Fly to Aruba first class stay at Marriott Stellaris and Casino eat the most amazing meal at Texas de Brazil (brazilian bbq)
6/21 Drive to the California Lighthouse and move to the Marriott Aruba Ocean Club
and grocery shop at Super Food (they had Magnum ice cream bars!!!!)
6/22 Relax with the iguanas at the pool and earn marriott reward points for our next vacation by taking a sales pitch tour of the Marriot Surf Club (we almost bought-but didn't)
6/23 Went on an amazing catamaran snorkeling trip around the aruba coastline. We snorkled at the Antilla wreck where a German warship from WWII was captured by the Dutch. (The Germans sank their own ship so the Dutch couldn't use it.) This was such a freaky experience but i loved it except for the horrible sunburn I got. (FYI- arisol sunscreen doesn't work on a windy boat trip)
6/24 Watched movies in the suite while recovering from my lobster colored sunburn
6/25 relaxed by the pool in the shade and finished reading The Magician's Nephew (great book!) and then played slots in the Casino
6/26 Watched European cup soccer with serious soccer fans (we actually did this several days)- relaxed by the pool
6/27 Relaxed on the beach (snorkel/swim/float, lay out and read, order a tropical drink, repeat)
6/28 Shopped at the local market place and watched the aruba syncronized swimming team perform and a bartending contest. Ate at Moomba beach restarant (we dined barefoot on the beach while the sun set)Moved to the Westin Aruba resort for two days
6/29 Spent the most amazing day at Baby beach snorkeling and wading in the most pristine water I've ever seen. Relaxed by the pool. Watched the sun set over the ocean after eating an amazing italian dinner that we won for free at a raffle
6/30 Got up very early to fly to Puerto Rico! (not first class) checked into our amazing hotel room at the marriot Stellaris and Casino in San Juan. (Our room was floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city of San Juan, the blue bay and the green rainforrest hills in the distance)
7/1 Explored Old San Juan which is very much like a real life pirates of the caribbean. We loved the ruins of El Morro and the other Spanish fort that protected the city of San Juan from the Brittish, the Dutch, and pirates.
7/2 Drove to El Yunque rainforrest to hike to Mina falls. it was very beautiful!
7/3 Relaxed
7/4 Relaxed by the pool while listening to an amazing steel drum band. Explored Old San Juan again!
7/5 Toured the Bacardi Rum factory - fun! Took the ferry to Old San Juan again.
7/6 Drove to the other side of Puerto Rico to explore Ponce and tour a restored coffee plantation then stopped at La Route de Lechonores (the route of the pig bbq stands) We were the only white people there and people yelled "gringos!" at us but it was so delicious and very fun. Anthony Bourdain would be very proud of us.
7/7 Flew back home first class (Thanks Dad for picking us up!)

Well, it was an amazing trip. I came back relaxed and tan and so happy that I didn't have to go right back to work- sorry Dan. . .Hmmm I wonder where we should go next! Help us decide by voting in our blog poll!