When I was young and growing up in So Cal, my mother used to subscribe to Sunset Magazine. Every month it would come, presenting a treasure trove of modern light-filled interiors, Mediterranean meals served outdoors, gardens, relaxing covered patios, and swimming pools. So each month I’d wait until my mother had clipped whatever recipes she wanted, and then I’d snatch the issues and study the pages like a map to the future I wanted for myself, folding the page corners and storing them away in my mind. Some teenage girls are obsessed with Bride’s Magazine, I was obsessed with Sunset.

And now, twenty or so years later, after a great deal of frustration and angst, failing at and/or pulling out of one house-buying scenario after another, we finally have a deal on a house that comes pretty darn close to my adolescent fantasies. Escrow closes and we move in next month. Welcome to my California Dream:

Front of House (ignore the ugly trailer in the carport--it's not staying)

Living room with sliders

Living room different angle

Covered patio and pool!

Another pool picture (because you can't have just one)

My whole life I’ve wanted to own a house with a pool and a covered patio with ample space for outdoor dining and entertaining. And, for anyone reading who was familiar with the house we owned in Illinois, this one has that same hip mid-century modern vibe too. I feel as though I’ve somehow gotten so much of what I wanted as a girl, and that I’ve regained a large piece of what we loved and left behind two years ago to come out here.

Stay tuned for pictures of what it looks like with furniture inside, pictures of kids playing in the pool, party pictures, etc. Oh, and my better half would want me to say that there will also likely be many pictures of us both covered in dust/dirt/paint/etc from gardening and home improvement projects. I can’t wait.