Disneyland and House Hunters v2.0
If you find me shaking in the corner today, it’s because I’m having severe Mickey Mouse crispy treat withdrawals….
(Why are they so good?!)
We got back late last night from a little bit of a whirlwind traveling adventure. Since we’re moving to San Diego fairly soon, we figured we should start house hunting and decided to throw a fun family Disney vacay into the mix. I felt like it would be a nice treat for Liv since she’d be tagging along as we drove from house to house in San Diego, and let’s be real, I kind of wanted to go too 😉
Disneyland was a blast. We grabbed some military park hopper passes, and had so much fun watching the shows, parades, walking around, and riding the rides. Liv surprised me with how many rides she actually *liked* this time (even though major bummer: Small World was closed), and she even got over her character fear. She’s still (understandably) doubtful of the non-human characters,
but the princesses… she walked right up to give them a hug. They had very serious conversations together 😉
It’s obviously been many, many years since I’ve conversed with a Disney princess, so I have to say that I was very impressed by their interactions with the kiddos. You can tell they went through a lot of training to *become* their roles, and were so sweet, patient and kind. Some of the improv happening -Anna was just as sassy as the character in Frozen and the Pilot and I got a kick out of the Cinderella stepsisters- was pretty hilarious.
After our Disney trip, we packed up into the car again to drive to Coronado, where we stayed at the Navy Lodge. I’ve always been happy with military hotels and housing -they tend to be tactical, but clean with a friendly staff- but I was blown away by the Navy Lodge. No wonder it’s nearly impossible to get a room there! It’s located on a private beach with a playground, fitness center, free breakfast and WiFi.
Our room went right out to the playground:
and just steps behind that, out to the beach:
We had an awesome lunch with some friends, who were so kind to take us around the island looking at houses. It was especially helpful that they’ve been in SD for a couple of years and are familiar with the different areas. I fell in love with one (ok, a LOT that were a liiiiiiiiittle out of our price range) but they don’t accept pets. I’m hoping to talk to the property manager today to see if that’s set in store or negotiable for small dogs (one who is more like a cat and crate-trained). After our day of house hunting, we were treated to an amazing BBQ at Whitney‘s house with some of their friends and family. Livi made some toddler friends already, so I can’t wait to plan play dates when we’re there.
Couple more pics:
All in all, it always feels good to be back home. It’s nice to be back in our comfy bed, walk around in pajamas, and eat non-restaurant food. Even though I wouldn’t be sad if a crispy treat showed up to go with my coffee 😉
Hope you have a wonderful morning <3 See ya later today.
xoxo
Gina
How did you find your current living spot? Destiny? Word of mouth? House hunting extravaganza? How’d you know it was “the one?” The Pilot and I knew our current house was the spot because it was the ONLY one we both liked. House hunting can definitely put a strain on a relationship, haha 😉
*I’m going to get back to the questions that were asked yesterday, but will likely miss some since we technically two giveaways going on. If you left a question and I haven’t responded yet, please let me know! Don’t forget, you have until tonight to enter the Polar giveaway <3
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With our house we “just knew” it was the one! We walked in and immediately saw how we would decorate and renovations we would eventually do. It is a work in progress but we enjoy doing it and it is fun to do stuff to the house as a family.
On a side note, I am going to Phoenix in March for a work trip with my husband and was looking for some fun stuff to do/good places to eat while we were there…any suggestions? We are staying at the J.W Marriott if that makes a difference 🙂
I’m glad you had a great trip! Sounds and looks like a blast! I still am weary of non-human characters. I don’t like anything in a costume, it just weirds me out. I’m doing my post-bacc at a really big university and the mascot will run around campus sometimes and try to engage people. Every time I send him a “Don’t-even-think-about-it” vibe because I think I might have an anxiety attack if he did 🙂 As for my current living situation, it’s the best apartment I’ve ever had and it’s so amazing. I found it because it’s a sister property to the place I used to live so effectively I transferred here once my old lease was up. It’s so quiet! I love it!
Disney treats are the best! We haven’t done the whole househunting together yet. My husband owned his home before we met and then our next place was a rental that he found. I looked at it and thought it was perfect. The idea of moving again makes me want to hide in the corner in the fetal position. YUCK!
I’m moving and it took 6 months and 3 bids on a place. Our real estate agent wasn’t as helpful as Redfin and going out to look at houses on a whim.
I love your matching shirts – where did you get them?!
Livi is just the cutest. I love that picture of the three of you standing in front of the Mickey Ferris wheel! And the one where she’s talking to Merida. I can’t wait to have kids so I can get cute pics of my kids with Disney characters (Okay. I CAN wait, but it’s one thing to look forward to. :-).)
Still curious– will you be teaching on the island? I’ll be down in May and would love to take a class from you!
Ah, this makes me want to go to Disney! I have never been, but will never be too old. :] And you’re rocking those heart shirts!
So excited for you guys! Finding a place to live is fun and scary all at once.
We are about to build our first home after renting for several years now. We’re actually starting it next week!!!
Some advice: Both of you should write down your absolute must-haves in a house and location. Compare your lists and decide what you’re willing to compromise on and what’s non-negotiable. Then focus on the key “must-haves”. I guess that’s pretty common sense advice but it really does help to see where each other stands.
Good luck in your house hunting adventures!! Don’t stress…easier said than done, I know.
omg Disneyland! I’m so jealous, I love all things Disney. When I was little we went to San Diego a few times and stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado (all I remember is how pretty it was and the great breakfast buffet…) and went to Disneyland on a day trip. Loved it!
My current place is the result of a househunting extravaganza but I absolutely love it.
Also I cant wait to go to Disneyland in a few weeks! Ive never been and I’ve been sitting on some free tickets that a friend that works at Disney passed along, I just need to finally have a free weekend!
When we PCS’ed to Pendleton, we searched online for weeks (we were moving from Pensacola and had just gotten married). We used militarybyowner.com for our search, and found two houses that we loved. It all worked out perfectly and we were able to arrive in town, move in that same day (yay for full DITYs), and spend our house hunting leave exploring SoCal.
We found our current house on a house hunting extravaganza. My husband had a new job 3.5 hours from our house and was living out of a hotel, so we had to buy quick. We loved the yard on this house and that is what sold us on it. I can’t wait for the snow to melt so we can enjoy it again!
My husband and I are apartment hunting now. It’s not nearly as much of a commitment as buying a house, but we’re expecting our first child in June, so there’s a lot of pressure to find the right place for a newborn! I’m sure once we’re actually ready to buy it’ll be a much more tedious process, but even this hunt feels stressful!
The homes on Coronado are so, so beautiful! I love running around those neighborhoods when I’m visiting. My grandparents used to have a home there when they lived on the island (military fam!), but sold it when they left and I always wish it was somehow still in our family!!
We knew our current house was the one because it just felt like warm, family type house. Also, the second time we looked at it, the next door neighbor saw us and introduced himself to us and talked about the neighborhood and schools. I’m really into having friendly neighbors and being part of the community, and after living here for almost a year, we know we made the right decision 🙂
I definitely “just knew” with my place. I got that weak-in-the-knees “omg I have to get on this before someone else snatches it up” feeling. That said, I was working with a broker and had crunched a lot of numbers and gotten everything in order so that when I knew in my gut I’d found the place, all I had to do was jump.
What a fun trip!! We found our apartment by googling when we were still in Pennsylvania. When we toured it when we visited Omaha it confirmed it was a perfect fit. We love living where we do.
We are about to go house hunting for the first time in Tucson! My boyfriend dropped an aircraft at DM and we are waiting for the dates. Looking forward to it! PS- the Navy Lodge never fails to impress me, at any of the ones I’ve been to.
When you move out here to San Diego you should get Suzie’s CSA. And I think you’d love little Italy or Hillcrest farmers markets.
I just LOVE Livi’s smile in the photos!!!!!
Such adorable pictures with Liv and the princesses! I am so glad we don’t have to make a move anytime soon, it can be so stressful!
How fun to play house hunters in real life!! haha!
We found our current house by accident. We weren’t even in the market to move but noticed it for sale and went for it! We’ve never looked back! Love the neighborhood, yard and house — now that we’ve remodeled of course 😉
Good luck in your search!!
Olivia is so lucky to have you guys! Disneyland looks so fun 🙂
Finding our new home was a process. I actually cried in the realtors office, haha. Not my finest moment, but I knew he was a class act when he got me a drink of water and a tissue! He worked some magic and got us in to see this house so we could be the first offer. The rest was fate and we’re in love with our new home!
Good luck to you guys, you already look like you belong in SD! It’s wonderful you can still be so close to family too.
One of the great things about being single is I get to make all of those decisions myself! I narrowed down where I wanted to live to a few subdivisions. I knew I wanted to stay close to my parents because they are a huge help to me. I happened to be driving through my current subdivision and saw a new FOR RENT sign out front. I called immediately and saw it that evening. I loved the layout, the fact that it had a living room and separate family room, a fenced yard and was on a quiet street. I moved a couple of weeks later. We have been here for 9 months and still love it!
Ok, so this comment is for the Reebok sneaks giveaway….
Today I did Jillian Michael’s Shred video 🙂
We found our current house by visiting a friend, we live in an apartment part of a big complex, with a pool overviewing NYC, tennis courts and other great amenities, so when we visited my husband’s friend we wanted to move in right away 🙂
that sounds amazing!
love your matching shirts! too cute :)!
thank you!
I found my current apartment because I had other friends moving into the building and it had a gym – it was the easiest decision ever. Now I’m looking to buy a place and it’s a lot harder! Those heart shirts are adorable!
Sounds like you had a fun trip which helps when you’re trying to make big decisions like where to live. The picture of the 3 of you in front of the Disney ferris wheel is super cute! Every time I’ve moved, I’ve just known after walking into the house that is where I am meant to live.
thank you! i agree. when you know, you know 🙂
We just starting house hunting, and we are 6 months away from our wedding so planning is in full force. To say it’s been stressful is an understatement. Hopefully we fine a place we love soon!
i hope you do, too!
I actually used Citydata forums for local suggestions on neighborhoods and services. I haven’t bought a house before but did a LOT of apartment hunting online from across the country. In the forums, locals usually suggest local people/places/sites that help and aren’t as noticeable in a sea of Google searches. Good luck!
awesome. i hadn’t even heard of that! thank you!
I’m sure finding an apartment is maybe a little less stressful than finding a house (because it feels slightly less permanent), but we found ours online (good old Craigslist). We went to see a bunch of apartments and ended up hating the apartment, or the place wasn’t large enough, or we just didn’t get a good vibe about everything we were seeing. Finally we found a place that was nice in a desirable complex, but something still had us hesitating. I went online that night to look for any new listings (even though I’d already been checking every 5 minutes) and found a condo for rent that seemed too good to be true – very large size, very good rent, recently remodeled- and I pretty much knew from the pictures that we’d live there. Everything fell into place perfectly and sure enough, our application was accepted a few days later! So I think when things ‘just work out’ and you have a good feeling, you’ll know! 🙂
totally agree! when you know, you know 🙂
I bought my first home (a condo) in June 2012 when I moved for the “job of a lifetime” that I was offered. I looked at four places, three being condos in the same association (it’s a very, very, very small town without much inventory) and I just knew that the first one I looked at was the perfect option for me. It was right on the outskirts of town, so the back of the condo overlooks a field and forest and has huge pine trees in the backyard. It is a fan shaped, ranch-style condo (with a full basement and huge garage!) and the entire back of the condo is all floor to ceiling windows. It is perfect for me and my lifestyle and love of nature, without being an overwhelming amount of work for a single girl. In other words, I just knew. And it was in my price range. 🙂 Sadly, the job turned out to be pretty awful when combined with my personality (perfectionist + building a new department = 90 hour work weeks and poor health) and I am selling to pursue another opportunity. I’m so sad to leave my home but I’m so hopeful it sells before I have to leave town and sells to someone great because I’ve put so much love into my home. Fingers crossed!
fingers crossed for you, too! sorry to hear the job didn’t work out as planned :/ xoxo
Love the picture of Liv with the princess. It does seem that they are discussing some serious issues.
We looked at over 80 homes in our area before deciding upon the one that was right for us. It was our first house, and so we were not really sure exactly what we wanted, which made it tougher. Good thing that we had a patient realtor.
I agree with Kristen’s advice. You two should list your priorities separately and then decide where you agree and where you will need to compromise.
Oh, and make sure that there are some great opportunities for running and dog walking nearby. That will be important for everyone in your household.
80 homes?! OH MAN
that’s a great tip- we will definitely look into something that has that. we’ve loved being able to walk the pups and have livi ride her bike around our current neighborhood
I could do with one of those mickey mouse rice krispie treats right about now. Turning your house hunting trip into a Disney Land trip too is such a cute idea. Gives you something relaxing to do to cut the stress of looking for a new place to live.
definitely! i was really glad we did it that way 🙂
Anytime we have been looking for a place we have made th3 decision the same way, it has been the only one we remotely agree on. Are you going to get to live in Coronado? It is so nice, like Pleasantville! 🙂
we’re trying to but finding a place will be tricky! they’re usually snatched up within a couple of days, so we may likely live somewhere we’ve never seen
Love Livi’s big grin! So precious!
thank you! she is a cheeser 😉 it took us 4 tries to get a family photo because she was making funny faces for the other ones haha
Oh man, my boyfriend and I haven’t had to look for houses together, yet, but I just know it’ll be a fight once we start! We have such different tastes!
haha i know how that goes 😉
Is Liv talking to the chick from Brave in that photo????? That’s my all time favorite – I love celtic chicks who kick butt.
yes!!! she LOVES merida, even though she’s never seen the movie. the merida character was so spunky and sweet, too
We looked at a ton of houses in the small amount of time we had to find one and picked the best one. It’s tricky in CA when it’s so hard to find something nice in a reasonable price range, so that kind of narrowed it down for us. I wouldn’t say we love our house, but there are things we love about it, and it’s definitely the best of what our options were. That’s the worst thing about CA, but everything else is great, so it’s a tradeoff. Super curious to see what you guys are going to end up with in San Diego vs. what you had in AZ, but if you’re renting then that might help you get more for your money (not always, though). Good luck!
And Livi is adorable talking to the characters!
hahah we can get about 1/4 size for what we pay here in az, BUT it will be on the beach 🙂 fingers crossed!
xo
That Disney treat was such a flash back! My friend just moved out to California and had to hire a realtor to find her the home she now has.
Navy Lodges are usually decent. We lived in the one in Yokosuka for 3 weeks (after living in a hotel in town for a month) before housing was available.
We have almost always lived in base housing. Our move to Japan was #8 in 10 years and only twice we’ve done civilian housing…we bought a home in GA that we sold during PCS , and we lived in a civilian rental in MI since there was no base nearby. We’ve always been lucky enough to know someone in the gaining area that was willing to send us pictures, check out listings from a distance, etc.
FB groups are excellent too. I see listings and assistance daily on the sub officers wives page and pages for each base/area.
Our current apartment was recommended to us. Good luck with the move! The most traumatic time of my live was a PCS move from Monterey, CA to Nashville, TN… well, really it was a Move to Home of Record because he was being honorably discharged. But it was a mess!
We move a lot so we have a little bit of a different take on buying houses. Yes the house has to fit our needs but we also look at it from a resale standpoint as well. We do a lot of online looking, hopefully have a few contacts in the area so we know which areas are safest, have the best schools, etc. then we usually go on a house hunting extravaganza. I am usually in the new place for about a week, so for the first 4 days we will go through every house in the designated area and price range, then the next couple days we will go through our favorites one or two more times. Usually every night the hubs and I will each make a top 5 list and hopefully a couple of the houses are on both lists. Then when we are done going through houses and have a final 5 list we decide what we would be willing to pay for each house and start putting in offers. If house #1 gets countered back higher than our set price we move on to the next. We went through 40+ houses the last time we moved and are living in house #2 off the list. I always say that I don’t want to find my dream home because I know I won’t be staying in it forever. I made our last realtor mad because I told him “if my first offer on a house is ever accepted, I will be mad because I might have paid too much!”
Sorry for the long post!
haha that is amazing! (and i loved reading your “long” post)
xo
I guess we are in our current house because of “destiny.” My husband and I were relocating back to our hometown last spring and the house hunting process was so discouraging. Houses in our price range and area were being snatched up in less than a day! One particular evening after we had just about given up, my husband called from the computer room, “your grandparents house is for sale.” I was shocked- my grandparents lived in this house for over 50 years and sold it back in 2011 when my grandpa went into a nursing home. Well, here the house was for sale! We jumped on it. The icing on the cake was that it was at the bottom of our price range which has allowed me to stay at home with our son (sons as of two weeks ago!). Living in this house was definitely meant to be.
I am about to go and do the exact same thing. We are moving at the beginning of june and even though it is a little too early to start looking yet it has been so long since I moved I’m not even sure where to begin! It can always feel overwhelming in the beginning.
definitely! but it feels better to scope things out and figure out where everything is!
What a fun little family vacation!!
Looks like a fun trip! It’s a shame you can’t just live in the lodge! Looks amazing! I’m moving next week (eek!) and I found a place near where I’ll be working. It’s easier when it’s just one person, all I need is a reasonable location ( no car, just a bike!) and light! Places in Japan can be really dark! I need windows! Good luck with the house hunting! Hope you find somewhere great!
right?! i was like, “let’s just live here.” good luck with your move!
That first picture of the crispy treat …. wow I began drooling immediately.
We are military too and used a combo of AHRN and militaryforsalebyowner.com, both great resources. San Diego is so beautiful, what a nice PCS!
thank you! they threw us a curve ball with that one.. we were thinking of getting out, but it’s hard to say no to SD
Yeah I can imagine! I’m sure you guys will really enjoy it there, BEA – UUUTIFUL, and it sounds like the pilot will be doing new and exciting stuff, a definite plus! 🙂 Pray your move goes mega smooth!