We signed our names to about a thousand forms, then the banker let us keep his fancy pens. At Wal-Mart, we picked out three cushy air mattresses, and some food that didn't require cooking. Then we drove to our first house and snapped pictures on the front porch. I put the key in the door and turned it, and our daughter went running to check it out. We blew up our mattresses and ate our deli food. Then we sat in a circle in the empty living room and designed every room together.