Thanksgiving...Callaway Gardens...A New Home!

Thanksgiving 2011 and it was just Mike, Toby and me.  Kristi did not have the kids so she was going to Orlando to be with Linda and her family.  Amanda was going to spend it with Josiah and his family so...we made reservations at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA for their holiday weekend.

We have visited Callaway Gardens before and really enjoy the whole atmosphere.  It's like stepping back in time a bit.  Quiet paths to stroll down, benches that are strategically placed to provide a breathtaking view, nature shows and a gorgeous chapel for reflection.  In the summer there is a lake and beach area that has shuffleboard courts, canoe rentals, an amphitheater, hot dogs and ice cream and fun.

This is our first visit in the fall and it is spectacular.  The weather is cool but not cold, there is some color left on the trees and the Christmas decorations are going up.  Mike, Toby and I wandered the paths and enjoyed all the gardens had to offer. 

Then....we got a call from Wendy, our Georgia real estate agent, checking in and once again urging us to make an offer if we still like the house.  The owners wanted to sell and were actually moving in to their new house.  Mike said 'ok' but we are offering $60K less then they are asking.  Well, I won't bore you with the details, but it got all the way down to $1K dollar difference and Mike would not budge!  I was a wreck.  But lo and behold the owners took our offer and the house was ours!!!!!!  Of course, all of this was a flurry of emailing, faxing and phoning to get to this point and the internet at Callaway was spotty at best.  I had one corner near our room that I could receive a signal at.  So I was racing back and forth to the office trying to get reception to send and receive all of these communications.  YIKES!  But at long last...signed, sealed and delivered. 

Thanksgiving Day was almost anticlimactic after all of that.   We truly enjoyed it though.  The dinner was excellent, we met some nice people and the day was lovely.  That evening we took the little train ride though the holiday light show that Callaway is known for.  How much fun!  The weather was quite cool and crisp, the holiday music was very festive and the light show was great.  

What a weekend!  We headed back to Orlando and my head was spinning.  I was dreaming and decorating and planning.  I could not believe that we had bought our house!