Here's how it happened.
October 26th 2011
2:37p – Ready to give up, after weeks of tempting yet fruitless searching, calling and emailing on Craigslist for a house in the Highlands of Denver, Tommy emails Dani an ad for a charming little bungalow in the perfect location. The subject line reads “This one’s a real tease”. He debates not sending her the ad in order not to get her hopes up.
2:44p – Dani reads the email and gets her hopes up. Way up.
2:45p – Dani calls their friend Lindsay in the Highlands to have her check out the house.
9:15p – Tommy and Dani go to bed thinking of the home. Dani is excited. Tommy is rolling his eyes thinking it’s a scam and or will get snatched up by the next morning.
October 27th 2011
8:32a – 4:46p – Several emails are sent between Dani and Tommy about what restaurants and bars are near the house.
6:12p – Lindsay visits the house and its current tenant.
7:06p – Lindsay calls Dani and Tommy and informs them that the home is adorable and tells them “… that place IS Tommy and Dani’s home…”. She also lets them know that there will be an open house in 2 days during which the current tenant will be screening applications from potential tenants.
7:45p – Tommy and Dani make the decision that in order to have a chance at their now dream house, they would need to be there in person at the open house. They decide to drive to Denver from Des Moines the next afternoon.
9:39p – Miss Munson looks confused.
11:30p – Dani and Tommy go to bed after packing up supplies for the weekend, their Halloween costumes (Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf) and a load of belongings to move to Denver early and store at Lindsay’s.
October 28th 2011
5:45a – Tommy arrives at his job and explains to his boss that he is there 2 hours early today because he needs to leave after lunch to go to Denver. She is clearly upset because it is month’s end crunch time, but understands and gives Tommy permission to leave early for the weekend. She can see it in his eyes – “Do not F with the power couple”.
1:17p – Several pounds of sunflower seeds, Gatorade and Reese’s Cups are purchased at Casey’s in West Des Moines. Tommy and Dani depart for the Front Range.
1:18p – 10:53p – Dani sees a total of 83 deer that she is sure will careen into the side of the Jeep at any moment.
10:54p – Tommy, Dani and Miss Munson arrive in the Highlands to stay with their friends Ryan, Lindsay and Senor.
October 29th 2011
3:30a – After rehearsing their story in order to make them look like the coolest, most responsible tenants in history, Dani and Tommy finally fall asleep
5:01a – Dani and Tommy wake up in order to be ready for the day. Only 3hrs and 59mins to open house.
6:30a – Munson practices her adorable well-behaved yet playful face. Cleary she knows today is A-Game only.
8:55a – Tommy and Dani arrive at open house, along with close to 30 other applicants. Schmoozing ensues. Munson plays and snuggles with current tenant’s dog. Tommy and Dani learn from current tenant that its preferred that the future tenants have a dog. Dani and Tommy high five when he turns around.
10:22a – Neighbors spot a young couple and a dog jumping up and down in the street and shouting “ADORABLE!!!” and “I LOVE IT!!!” and “IT COULD HAVE AN AWESOME MAN CAVE!!!”.
11:00a – 3:00p – Dani and Tommy tour three other houses and pretend to be excited about them, still thinking about where they will hang which pictures in the house they fell in love with that morning.
4:14p – Tommy and Dani receive an email from the current tenant and landlord of dream house informing them that they are in the top three for the house and a decision will be made by the next day. They flip out.
9:15p – Fully costumed (see previous blog), Dani and Tommy hit the town of Denver for Halloween shenanigans. They tell every stranger about the amazing house they’re going to move into. Dani rekindles some of her Denver friendships.
October 30th 2011
1:48a – Back at Lindsay and Ryan’s Dani falls asleep with visions of home décor dancing through her head. Tommy eats half a McRib and lurches into bed.
9:30a – Dani leaves to have a wonderful brunch and catch up with her dear friend Oats. Tommy wakes up to learn that lack of sleep, the cold he was recovering from, the altitude, multiple gin and tonics, half a McRib and general stress have developed into the perfect storm of flu bugs. He realizes that he will not be leaving the bed today except to speak directly to his porcelain friend, ‘John’.
11:24a – 3:49p – Dani checks their email a total of 54 times to find nothing new except messages from Barrack Obama and coupons for J. Crew.
4:12p – Tommy rejoins the living.
4:45p – Dani and Tommy receive an email thanking them for their interest in the house in the Highlands and that a tenant has been chosen and a lease has been signed. Tears, shoulder dropping and overeating ensue.
October 31st 2011
11:10a – Tommy and Dani drop off the rental applications for the other houses they toured and quietly, sullenly depart for Des Moines. All the while trying to point out the negatives of the dream house, lying to each other about parts they ‘didn’t like’.
November 1st 2011
9:55a – Tommy returns to work the late shift at the job he was hoping to give two weeks notice to. Dani resumes the online house search. Munson makes a bed out of dirty clothes.
10:46a – Every house on Craigslist sucks.
12:30p – Dani receives an email from dream house landlord. The email says that the other applicants that were chosen cannot get out of the current lease and Tommy and Dani are next on the list – “… are Tommy and you still interested? Can we meet up tonight?”
12:30.46p – Tommy receives a frantic call from Dani explaining the aforementioned email. They discuss.
12:40p – Dani replies to the landlord explaining that they had returned broken hearted to Iowa once they learned they didn’t get the house; but after Tommy gets off work at 7:00p, they could do a phone meeting or perhaps a Skype session. Proving that she’s not a nerd, the landlord agrees to a phone call at 7:30p.
12:41p-6:50p – Numerous texts are sent between Tommy and Dani. Most of them intelligible, with the majority saying merely “AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!” with happy emoticons sprinkled throughout.
6:59.59p – In order to make it home to Dani for the 7:30 phone meeting, Tommy sprints out the door of the office. He finds that the Jeep will not start.
7:02p – Wells Fargo workers are appalled at the curse words echoing through their normally peaceful parking garage. Dani leaves to meet Tommy at his work after learning the Jeep will not start.
7:16p – Following multiple “almost electrocutions”, Tommy identifies the problem as a loose battery terminal. He mends the connection, starts the Jeep and calls Dani to meet her halfway in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
7:35p – The dream house land lord, Dani and Tommy begin their phone meeting. Tommy and Dani are unsure whether this is a “confirm lease terms” conversation or more of a “do I want you as tenants?” type of conversation.
7:39p – Dani and Tommy learn that it is the former of the above choices. They know they got the house. They have trouble listening to the rest of the conversation because of their excitement. Luckily, unlike most Colorado leases, there are no Mafia agreements.
8:09p – After agreeing to move in November 15th 2011 and occasionally watch the landlord’s dogs; Tommy, Dani and the dream house landlord end their phone meeting.
8:10p – Customers in the in the northeast corner of the West Des Moines Wal-Mart parking lot are startled when screams of “WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!” fill the air. Customers in the southwest corner of the West Des Moines Wal-Mart parking lot are curious why people are shooting mice and yelling about it.
A roller coaster of emotions, but we got the house. We love it. Every bit of our home. The quirks, the cracks, the colors... everything.
Dani moved out here a week before me in order to go to some interviews. I stayed behind in Iowa to finish up my job and save a little more moolah. But we're all out here now in the Mile High City.
We have spent the past few weeks making the house our own. Though it wasn't hard. It already felt like home.
Would you like to take a tour?
Hi there. Come on in.
Welcome into our kitchen. Dani has prepared you a delicious dish.
Enjoy. Now lets continue the tour into the living room.
Yeah. If you think this is nice, check out the other side of the living room.
Nice, huh? Now, through those french doors behind you and into the bed room.
Design tips from Judy Willey. On with the tour, follow me back through the kitchen.
But first a stop in the bathroom. You ever see "Elf"?
Here we are in the sink room. You see, much like the Parisian Flats of fancy yore, we chose to have our sink separate from our kitchen. A touch of class. Now we're ready to head to the basement.
Come on down!
Here we are in the scary part of the basement. Lets keep moving.
Ah, that's better. The not scary part. Or as we call it - "The Male Room" (also known as ManCave in some cultures).
And back upstairs we go.
Back to the main level. And there's one more room to check out before you leave...
... the Mud Room/Entryway/Munson Drying Room.
Farewell. Thank you for touring our home. But before you leave, some one else wants to say goodbye.
Arf. Thanks for visiting. Ruff. I got to go play with my best friend senor now. Bark. He's visiting too. Don't forget to check out the tree swing on your way out! Arf.
We love and miss you all.
-d & t.
