To dream or not to dream (of a house)? That is the more pressing question.

Recently, andrea and I have started seriously contemplating about purchasing a house of our own. After computing how much we’ve spent (and wasted – in a more pessimistic note) on rent alone, we can’t help but wish we’d bought one from the beginning. It’s been almost 4 years since we moved in together and started shelling out a considerable portion of our income for a place (well 2 to be more exact) that we’d never really be able to call our own in the end. I mean if we had invested on a property from the beginning, we would have already shaved 4 years off from the loan period.

So now we’ve taken the first bold steps towards fulfilling that dream of having our own home. Last summer we’ve undergone a seminar for a government housing loan program and became aquainted with the nitty gritty stuff of the trade such as mortgage protection insurance, title transfers, building permits, occupancy permits and all the other legal mambo jumbo. We’ve also started asking around for available lots, trusted architects and engineers.

Heck, the more I get to understand the ins and outs of getting a house, the more realistic and, at the same time, scary the dream becomes. No wonder a lot of people have second thoughts about purchasing a house of their own.

Now that it is exactly a month to go before the start of classes, every fiber in my body is screaming for one last summer blast before vacation finally ends. I’m trying hard to focus on getting ready for work but this particular urge to enjoy the break is making things really hard.

How I wish it was that easy to just make Westgate reservations or book local flights to Palawan or Dakak. Unfortunately, it isn’t. We’re down to the last reserves and barely making ends meet (because, you see, work becomes a little less rewarding during summer when bonuses and allowances are temporarily stopped until classes resume). So until I win the lottery, I’m just gonna keep on hoping for one last summer blast.

After much evaluation on where we stand, what we’ve done and accomplished, and on what else we want to with our lives, andrea and I are now consciously moving forward.

We’re moving forward so we’ve finally put an end to the red car tales. After almost four years of service, we’ve decided to finally sell the red car. In fact, it’s been eight whole days since its new owner bought it from us. It is a little difficult and limiting at first but andrea and I have been commuting since we were in elementary so readjustments are not really too drastic. Also, we want mateo to learn the same crucial skills, and even all dangers and hassles that come with commuting.

We’re moving forward and arranging all financial and legal matters in order to purchase our own house. We’ve selected a nice area in the subdivision, contacted its owner, and are curently undergoing planning and negotiations. We have more or less planned the next few steps in construction and payment.

We’re moving forward and patiently waiting for everything to settle down (house-building and all) before we consciously start on having our next child. We’re looking forward to baby announcements, if all goes well, before the year ends. We don’t want mateo to be too old and too distant to his baby brother or baby sister (latter one preferred).

We’re moving forward and creating several plans for the future despite constant prodding from parents to do otherwise (to drop everything and go start a new life abroad where the grass is supposedly greener). We’re moving forward and deliberately taking the necessary steps to follow our dreams and the plans we’ve laid out way before we even got married. We’re moving forward.