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For once in our married life, our timing is right.

Like most things in life, what is horrible for some is beneficial for others.  We've rented for two years now, waiting to make sure that our move to California would be permanent.  When we first moved here, housing prices were still sky high.  But because of the current housing market crisis, the prices have been coming down--way down.  It is definitely a buyer's market and lucky for us, we are buyers.

I've been busy the last several weeks looking for houses.  And due to technological advancements, I've been able to do a lot of my house shopping online.  My realtor has a website where all I have to do is plug in what I am looking for (number of bedrooms, square footage, price, and location) and it shows me all of the available listings which usually include pictures.  It has undoubtebly saved me hours of having to drive around town, wasting gas.

I've seen a lot of houses: some great, some not so great.  The other night while lying in bed weighing our housing options, I couldn't help but wonder something.  If I could create a dream house, what would it be like?  We wish that we could build our dream house, but even in this market that is not even an option.  Instead, we walk inside a house pointing out things and saying things like, "We could paint that.  We could rip that out."  Etc., etc.

So if I could have anything imaginable, anything that I wanted in my next house, what would I have?

My kitchen would be huge, with counters that never looked dirty and stainless steel appliances that never showed any fingerprints.  The dishwasher would be so quiet you would never realize that it was even running.  (You can hear our current dishwasher three blocks away.)  My pantry would be big enough to hold everything, expanding in size to fit in new groceries.  The cabinets would have special holders for all of the sippy cup lids, and the Tupperware lids would never get lost.

The boys' rooms would somehow always stay clean and would have enough storage for all of their toys.  Their beds would automatically make themselves and their closets would be organized to fit all of their clothes in perfectly.  

The bathtubs would never show dirt rings and the toilets would never smell.  The mirrors would make you look ten pounds--no, twenty pounds--lighter and hide every wrinkle and gray hair.  Toothpaste would automatically rinse itself out of the sink and the floors would be the kind that you never had to mop.

The family room would always have plenty of room for everyone to sit.  The formal living room and dining room would actually be used and the backyard would always be green and filled with flowers that could withstand two children and two dogs.

I don't think that is too much to ask.  

As I think about what I want in my dream home, I realize that most of them will never come true.  But the best part of any home isn't what is inside it, but who is inside it.  And lucky for me, I have plenty of love to fill my new house.

But those magical bathroom mirrors sure would be nice.