We closed on the house on Friday! We were on tenterhooks until the last minute. Our real estate agent called as almost as we were walking out the door to tell us that the roofer still wasn't finished putting on the new roof (!) and we couldn't close until that was done and the house was reassessed, hopefully that afternoon. Then we got a call at 1:15 from our loan officer who said, "Oh, closing's at 1:30, didn't you know that?" So we raced to the bank and signed forty bajillion scary documents and the house is officially ours.
Our agent, Kit, gave us a thank you card that included a membership to Passport (like a diner's club) and promised to stop by the house in a week or so with a bottle of wine to toast to our new home. We loved working with Kit, who was fun and helpful and attentive all the way through the process, so if you want to join us in the joys of Omaha homeownership, we highly recommend Kit Pflaum of CBSHome.
That evening we relaxed at home with a Whole Foods pizza that we got for free. Oh, the Whole Foods pizza... I have to tell the story behind it. So two weeks ago we decided to order a pizza from the grill at Whole Foods while we were doing our regular shopping, and we went to the counter to place an order. The employee there told us that because they'd just gotten a fresh shipment, ALL the pizza dough was totally frozen and it would be at least a 45 minute wait. We said never mind and continued to shop for groceries. Not two minutes later we spotted him making a pie for someone else and were somewhat annoyed but said nothing.
So this week we called ahead for a pie and were told over the phone it would be a 45 minute wait. We arrived at Whole Foods 45 minutes later and the same employee as last time told us he hadn't started our pizza and it would be at least 10 more minutes. We were both irritated by this and wandered off to the wine section to debate canceling the order. I said I'd rather wait the 10 minutes than have to call one in elsewhere and wait 45 more, but Mike wanted to cancel on principle, so that's what we did. Somewhere between the pizza counter and the exit our outrage grew until Mike decided to complain to a manager. We explained to the manager about the two pizza incidents with the same employee. He was sympathetic and apologetic and wanted to give us a free pizza. Mike said that wasn't necessary but I felt it would make the manager feel better to send us away satisfied - and, plus, ummmm free pizza - so we accepted.
The worst part was the pizza was delicious. Spinach mushroom gorgonzola and it was really really good (if a little undercooked, and who could blame them at that point). But we can never order there again, because the same guy works every weekend night shift, and we will always be the jerks who complained to the manager.
Moving right along, on Saturday we decided to celebrate our closing by going to a restaurant I'd been dying to try - Espana, right in downtown Benson. We goofed by not making a reservation, since this is one of the few restaurants in Omaha where one is recommended... but even so we were quickly seated at a table for two. We were immediately pleasantly surprised by the ambience in Espana, which was cozy and relaxing. Most of the places we've gone to eat in town have been harshly lit like fast food joints, even at establishments that were otherwise aiming at a high quality atmosphere. Espana managed to feel both private and romantic, and social and fun. The older lady who was acting as hostess was also visiting some tables and taking ostentatious shots of sangria straight from the bottle to entertain the larger groups of diners. A ten year old kid followed his dad, presumably the owner, around as he ran the show.
Espana has a menu of about 100 hot and cold tapas, plus a selection of paellas that require a 45 minute wait. I was familiar with tapas style eating from a high school exchange trip to Spain, but the waiter also gave us a rundown on how to order. In Spain, tapas are kind of like bar food, but better. Usually a group of friends will go to a tapas bar, order a bunch of food and drinks, and share everything. Tapas are all appetizer-sized dishes; our waiter recommended we order at least 3-4 per person, but we found that 6 total was more than enough to fill us up. Out of such a large menu, I will admit that our choices were rather limited by the need to avoid meat, but even so we had enough good options to make a meal.
We started with a grilled shrimp dish that was full of garlicky flavor. Next came a plate of diver scallop and shrimp ceviche, which was light and tangy with a bit of orange sweetness, served with plaintain chips; crusty bread soaked in olive oil with a plump fresh olive on the side; diced potatoes with spicy tomato sauce that tasted authentically Spanish to me (I remember a kind of tangier ketchup-like sauce that was ubiquitious in Spanish fare). When we were about midway through that selection we got our breaded fried calamari with lemon (good, if not standout), and breaded grilled portabello mushroom with spicy tomato sauce - I used the sauce for calamari as it was quite hot and I felt it smothered the lovely flavors of the mushroom. We also ordered margaritas - admittedly not a truly Spanish drink, but made more so by the substitution of orange juice for lime. All of the food was quite simple, but delicious, and at least going by my decade+ year old memories of Castellon, authentic Spanish cuisine. Two thumb up and we will surely go back again, next time for paella!
We finally took ownership of the house today after giving the sellers the weekend to move out. Mike stopped by before he went to work, and I went in with Russell after my work day was done. I brought over some paint samples and put them up... unfortunately it's a dark rainy day in Omaha and I couldn't see the colors well, but we'll decide another day. The house is... awesome. A little dirty. Needs a good mopping. But it's a great house. Russell ran around sniffing and panting happily, and christened the master bedroom with a puddle of pee, god bless him. The sellers left behind an entertainment center in the basement that I think will do as a temporary unit until we find (and can afford) something we love. We got back some money at closing and are planning a trip to Twin Cities, MN to go to Ikea in two weeks (yes, we are dorks enough to drive 400 miles to hit an Ikea). Aside from repainting most of the interior, we're planning on focusing on one room at a time beginning with the bedroom. Currently we have no bed frame, end tables, or dressers so those are top priorities. Exciting stuff.
