We got to hang out at our new house a bit yesterday because we had it inspected. It was nice to get a better look at it...after all, we had been in it a total of less than an hour, and that was before we bought it. It's a different mindset to look around a house to assess whether you want to buy it than to look around it knowing it's where you're going to live in a few months.

The good:

• I still think what I like most is the overall appearance and feeling. The vaulted ceiling and open setup are both welcoming and livable. The flow of the living room and kitchen and sunroom is good for entertaining, as people can be in different areas but still feel as if they're together. There are lots of windows, which contributes to the open feeling and lets a lot of light in.
  
• It's functional in the way most prefab ranches are, but a little different in a way that suits us.
• Nice big master suite. I've really come to hate small bedrooms.
• I've never lived in a house with a utility room, and now I will. I love it!

The bad:

• No basement.
• Storage space isn't what we would've liked to achieve with a new house. I still worry about how this will become an issue if we have another kid or two, but it's a pretty big price jump to four-bedroom houses.

The indifferent:

• The oven sucks. I was thinking I'd just live with it a while and save up for my fantabulous convection oven down the road, but now I'm thinking replacing this thing is moving up my priority list.
• The fireplace is...what's the opposite of inspirational? The nice thing about it is that it's extremely efficient. But the downside of the efficiency is the disappointing lack of charm or romance. You flip the thing on with a switch, and a barely visible blue flame flickers behind a thick black immovable screen. I love fireplaces not as a means for heating a house, but as a comfort feature--that is, I'm looking more for something that warms my soul than something that warms my body. Don't get me wrong: it's better than no fireplace, but still.
• The neighborhood is nice and quiet with pretty, newer houses. I like it, but there's something that vaguely bothers me about moving out into new-construction areas like every other latte-swilling yuppie in this town. I love the charm and character of the old homes and neighborhoods in central Champaign, but the reality is that the options there aren't as practical as what we've chosen. So I guess it bothers me that our move forces me to acknowledge that I really am a slave to practicality. And that frightens me, because it means I really might get a minivan someday. *shudder*