Score!

The closing was this past Wednesday and, thank goodness, it went smoothly. In fact, it seemed like the whole world was smiling with us that day. The weather was gorgeous, the trees rolling by the train window were hypnotic in their numbers and unrelenting greenery, and as we headed from the train station to our prospective new place for the final walk-through, getting a good look at our new neighborhood in all its springlike glory, I couldn't help but think of the Talking Heads song, "Once in a Lifetime" -- particularly the line, "How did I get here???" It was too lovely to be believed, like something out of a movie. And then, right on cue as we were examining the outside of the house, a sweet little old lady (a great-grandmother, in fact) who lives across the street came over to greet us, saying how nice it was to have a young couple moving in. She offered us the use of any tools we might need (she and her husband have quite an impressive arsenal), and let us know that everyone looks out for each other there.

The walk-through went fine (whew!) -- nothing looked amiss. We discovered that the sellers even left us their gas grill, which was a big bonus, as well as cans of paint matching what was on the walls, spare sheet rock, and spare downspout material. We met up with my mom for lunch afterwards, and she was really excited for us. After lunch we went and signed our lives away. It was interesting meeting our attorney in person -- he was nice enough, and to his credit, provided very concise explanations of everything we were signing. According to our realtor, it was the smallest stack of closing paperwork she'd ever seen, and she found him very efficient. (The only problem was that he forgot to make copies of our photo IDs so we had to e-mail them to him the next day, he forgot to explicitly state that my hubby and I were married on the official deed he was going to send in to get the proper title insurance so he had to hand-write that in the next morning, and he forgot to include proof of homeowner's insurance in our take-home stack of closing paperwork so he had to fax it to me the next day. He also would have completely forgotten to ask the sellers to provide us with the original DEP certificatiion paperwork if our realtor hadn't reminded us a couple of days before. So, my impression of him being somewhat of a space cadet still stands.)

The sellers also had a couple of contractors in the house doing some last-minute corrections to get it 100% up to code (namely installing a railing in the basement and fireproofing the basement ceiling), but we've been assured it will be wrapped up by the end of the week (though we are holding some of the sellers' $$ in escrow until we confirm it's complete -- urgh, there's always one more thing).

It was a wonderful moment when the sellers' attorney slid the keys in an envelope across the table to us -- it was all official!!! We were actual homeowners now!!! We could hardly believe it was real. We went back to Calaloo Cafe, where we'd gone for lunch, to celebrate by having some dessert, which we hadn't had time for before. My hubby and I decided that on May 21st of every year we live in this house, it will be Closing Day, which we will observe by either creating or procuring a gingerbread house topped with candles numbering however many years we'd been living there. Maybe we'll even write "Happy Closing Day" on top in lemon icing.

A couple of days later, our loan officer was thoughtful enough to call and ask how everything went, and to wish us well. It was so sweet of her! She's been really great to work with -- warm, friendly, upfront, and extremely responsive -- and we get along so well. We may even get together socially sometime this summer and go to the Museum of Natural History, since our loan will be flipped to another company by then.

Our luck with this whole thing is just astonishing. Granted, it was BRUTAL every single step of the way to this point, but totally worth it:

* The news of the previous buyer starting to back out of the contract on the place we chose came first thing in the morning on my birthday. While of course I didn't know how it would all turn out, it almost seemed like fate. I mean, what were the odds of us having a second shot at the place after it had already been claimed AND finding out about it on my birthday???

* While the loan industry is in a total panic and slashing niceties such as lender-paid MI with only 5% down, what were the odds of us getting it anyway, as we did??? We were able to pay for the entire down payment and closing costs completely on our own, with no help from my family.

* Just out of morbid curiosity, I've been doing MLS searches for houses in Morris Plains each week for the past several weeks to see if any new listings come up in our price range -- they don't. Not even one, as everything else is priced significantly higher. In a region of the country -- and a neighborhood -- where real estate prices are so inflated and are barely affected by the general market downturn, what were the odds that we would get the one and only great place within our budget???

* In a small area with fairly average lot sizes, what were the odds of us getting a larger lot on a corner???

* In an area where most houses date back to the '50s, what were the odds of scoring a place with a roof only 6 years old, a recently remodeled kitchen and basement, and brand-new windows in every room???

* My hubby's boss actually told him recently that Morris Plains had been his first choice of locale when choosing a town for his family to settle in, but that it didn't work out because he couldn't find a house that was walking distance from the train (the parking lot is too crowded to conceive of driving and leaving one's car there). With a town of only 6,500 people and very little housing inventory to begin with, and property walking distance from the Midtown Direct train to New York at a premium price, what were the odds that we could find such a stellar location AND afford it???

* One interesting factoid I didn't hear about until after we'd already committed to the house was that the very first Arabian horses ever to set foot on American soil were first brought to Morris Plains. I am a horse fanatic, and I love Arabians especially, but had no idea. What were the odds of one of my favorite horse breeds starting its U.S. migration in my newly adopted town, with no prior knowledge on my part beforehand???

We have been truly blessed. My hubby and I keep advising each other to be extremely careful because we've probably burned up most of our allotment of luck for the next while in one fell swoop.

I can't wait to have breakfast in the dining room with the sun streaming in through the sliding glass door.
I can't wait to be able to wander outside at any time of day or night and know I'll be safe.
I can't wait to check books out of the local library, which is only a short walk away.
I can't wait to grill outside in the coming summer months, maybe even right in time for July 4th.
I can't wait to be able to hear crickets during dinner while the weather is warm.
I can't wait to see all the trees in the yard and the neighborhood ablaze in color when fall hits.
I can't wait to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
I can't wait to gaze out the front window from the couch while it's snowing and sip hot chocolate.
I can't wait to put up our very own Christmas tree and stockings and decorations -- and perhaps exterior lights -- for the first time.
I can't wait to see all the flowering shrubs burst into bloom during spring, with a halo of pink petals surrounding the front tree.
I can't wait to have a dog (or two) in our large, fenced-in backyard.
I can't wait to be able to watch TV/movies and listen to/perform music at whatever volume I want.
I can't wait to be able to travel only 10-15 minutes to reach a bustling nexus of entertainment, dining, and shopping options.
I can't wait to see deer (and maybe even bears, which have reputedly been sighted) in the immediate vicinity.
I can't wait to meet the neighbors in our new "Community of Caring," as Morris Plains calls itself.
I can't wait to see clusters of trees out the train window during my leisurely commute to and from work. Hooray for our "Little House in the Big Woods," to quote Laura Ingalls Wilder.

As a long-time urban dweller, I have been totally starved for these things.

HOLY COW I AM OVER THE FREAKIN' MOON. I feel like we're going to the Promised Land.

And so concludes one adventure as another begins. On to preparing and packing...and the rest of our lives!