Judy and Matt At Sea: THE HARTNETTS SET TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY

Headline--Boerne, Texas: Matt and Judy buy house. Now they need new appliances, furniture, linens, towels, “stuff”, etc. Texas likes having them move here because they are spending money! Maybe the government could give them a stimulus for helping matters out.

Seriously, yes we did buy a house and close on October 6th. We are so excited to finally settle down after a year of traveling around in a boat and/or a Chevy Suburban. We looked at this area when we were here back in May and really liked it, so have been checking houses on the internet ever since. Two weeks ago we actually toured 9 houses in the neighborhood we wanted. We fell in love with one so made an offer. After some negotiating (remember I’m married to a “salesman”) we agreed on a mutually acceptable price.

The house is 3,000 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, a study, family room, breakfast room, wonderful kitchen and a 3 car garage, built in 2003. It is on about 3/4 of an acre with a park-like backyard, a gorgeous pool and a cabana. I think it must have been professionally decorated because it is “perfect.” The only thing I want to do is change the master bathroom paint color. We may add a jacuzzi to the pool and change the fence, but not immediately.

We thought it was great to sell, give away or throw away many items such as a car, lots of furniture, clothes and kitchen items, but now thinking about how much we have to buy is daunting. At least there is great shopping here and in San Antonio. We love all the stores.

We are very satisfied with our decision. We feel so “at home” here. We love the town of Boerne with all its old Texas charm. In fact on Thursday we went in a local ice cream shop (we can do that because we go to the gym 6 days a week) which was in a building from the 1850’s that was originally a saloon. There is an inn here from about the same era which is a wonderful place to visit and eat. We keep discovering areas of interest. On Tuesday mornings we take our walk in the town and look at all the buildings and businesses, then go to the local coffee shop for $1.00 coffees or lattes and sit out in front watching all the cars go by. It really is a small town. This is what Matt has always wanted.

Our house is in an area called Fair Oaks Ranch. It is like a subdivision (8 miles south of Boerne), but is an incorporated town unto itself. Therefore, the taxes pay for all the upkeep such as roads, maintenance, landscaping, etc. instead of large homeowner’s association dues. There are about 2,200 homes there. It was originally a private 5,000 acre ranch which was subdivided about 25 years ago into homesites -- small garden lots up to 10 acre ranch parcels.

There is a club there which is owned by Club Corp of America. It has 2 golf courses, 14 tennis courts, 3 swimming pools and a newly opened fitness center. Our Realtor is paying 1/2 of the membership fee (which was dirt cheap anyway) and the dues are so reasonable. Also, the special if you sign up now, is 1/2 price on all meals for the foreseeable future. They have a relatively new chef and the food is fabulous. The clubhouse is in the original 14,000 square foot ranch house with the different rooms set up as dining rooms. A few years ago they added another 10,000 square feet. Matt is ready to take on their tennis players and I can’t wait to start swimming. They also have several bridge clubs, which I am anxious to "try out."

We are still enjoying the YMCA -- Matt because of all the young, blonde, Texas housewives and me because of all the young, male bodybuilders. Seriously, we like exercising, but that makes it easy on the eyes.

Now all we need is rain . . . very dry with a record drought going on. Also some record heat this summer. It is starting to cool off a little in the mornings and evenings and hopefully we will begin the fall weather.

Matt is set to go to Hilton Head to get our belongings out of storage. The moving van comes on October 3rd. I’ll stay here and make sure everything goes properly (and do some shopping).

That's about it for now. We are staying busy with all the house stuff. We hope everyone survived whatever kind of summer they had -- wet, dry, hot, normal, Irene, etc. Fall is a beautiful time all around the country, so enjoy it. We plan to. We hope to hear from you and we'll keep you up-to-date on our activities.

Matt hasn't bought his new cowboy boots yet -- he did try some on, but they didn't have his size. Can you believe that boots are some of the things we gave away in Hilton Head? We both had them, so guess we'll just have to buy more.