I’ve been a little hesitant to share some big news on here. Actually, I haven’t really even told a whole lot of friends about it recently but here it is:

I bought a house.

Yes, it’s official. In fact, I close on it in less than 48 hours. As a first-time homebuyer, I have been pretty cautious about when to consider the house “sold” because there are so many variables that can cause things to fall through. You put on offer on a house and then you have a a bunch of home inspections, and then if repairs have to be done you counter, and then they counter, and so on. And that’s not even touching the financing side. You have to shop around for the best rates and the best rates with the best plans. It’s annoying and kind of stressful. Thankfully, I’m in the clear with the house-buying hassle, and I’m officially in the excited stage.

As for the house itself, it’s a 3-bedroom, one-bathroom house in the Brookside area. I’d had my eye on that area for quite a while now. It’s got a yard which is nice even though it means I’ll be spending some time in the warm months mowing. It’s got hardwood floors and has a good deal of character which was important for me. The last thing I wanted to do was be one of those people who moves out to the suburbs into some bland house. I don’t consider either to be the case. I will also be living alone which means the place is going to soon be transformed into a super Bradical bachelor pad. Watch out!

It’s weird to think about being a homeowner. It means that I’ll need to budget better and that I’m going to be staying in Kansas City for a while. Both are good things, of course. Most importantly, it means that I’m more of an adult now. I’ve been noticing that I’ve been feeling more ready to take on that role, and it’s a strange thing to think about. My priorities have shifted from what they were even just a couple of years ago and getting a house is just an example of that.

I was fortunate enough to see the band Ha Ha Tonka play at Record Bar last week. The billing was insanely random, and it marked the first time I’ve gone to a show solely to see the opener for the opening band play. The headlining band was Ludo and the band that opened for them was Anything But Joey. Yes, THAT Anything But Joey. I don’t even know what song they sing, but I do know that I have heard them before on the radio and didn’t care for them.

Up until that night, I really thought I was the only person I knew that had even heard of Ha Ha Tonka but found out that my friend Jennifer was a big fan, as well. If I had to describe their sound, I’d compare them a little to Kings of Leon but a little more rockin’ and with almost a little dash of southern soul/gospel harmony sometimes thrown in. The thing I love about Record Bar is that, not only is it really small, but you always see the band just hanging out beforehand. This was the case with Ha Ha Tonka as they just mingled with the people a little bit. Once they hit the stage, though, they totally rocked it. I was a fan before seeing them live, but I’m an even bigger one now. I really hope they end up getting bigger because they really deserve it.

As always, I took a couple of videos from the show. The first one is of them playing “St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor”:

The second is of them playing “Caney Mountain”: