Not just another house.

We have been house hunting for a while now. And back in late December, I was asking myself if I would know which house was THE house.

I now know the answer to that question: when another offer beats out yours, and your reaction isn't merely disappointment or frustration, but actual grief...you know it was the house. However, the house we fell for and lost out on in a span of 24 hours was not meant to be our house, and so life - and the house search - goes on.

And the process of losing out on a house we really wanted gave us an opportunity to identify some important truths about house hunting:

1. It takes two to say yes, but only one to say no.
2. Choosing a house is done with both the head and the heart.
3. God ALWAYS knows what is best for us, and occasionally, "not now" or "not this one" is what is best.

We also learned we approach our buying decision in two vastly different ways:

• Mr. Official will not be rushed or pressured into making an offer that doesn't make financial sense to him, even if that means we will not get a house we really want; and
• I refuse to even consider buying a house that doesn't tug at my heartstrings, even if that means my heart will get bruised a few times along the way.

Fortunately, these positions are not mutually exclusive. But when you combine them, the universe of potential houses becomes very small and our focus must be laser-sharp. And apparently there are a few other house hunters out there with similar mindsets, so I am braced for the unhappy possibility that we might run into a few more near-misses before we snag a house that will be THE house for us.

The night before we put in the bid that would ultimately lose out to another buyer, we ate at our favorite Asian eatery.

Mr. Official's fortune cookie read, "Persistence and endurance will be rewarded."

Mine read, "The one you love is closer than you think."

Hmmm.  Fortunate cookies are always right, right?

Happy hunting,