This is the way we wash our clothes....(Mulberry Bush)

Up and at'em bright and early. There was a home fair scheduled today for Tustin Field, a new neighborhood sprouting up on the land reclaimed from the Marine airbase. Sitting on the Tustin side, just within the border between Irvine and Tustin, this was PRIME, Grade A real estate, even if it was bordered by a train track, a marine base, and built on land that probably hid the remnants of military experiments long past. Given that the model homes hadn't been started yet, my curiousity got the better of me and I was off to the fair!

There was a line of cars that stretched down the block, prospective homebuyers were parking across the street and walking in to avoid the wait. Once inside the mud lot, 2 giant tents presented themselves. One for registration, one for information. Registration...you mean like for classes before the University decided to convert to a phone system?

I asked Janne, the registration girl, how many were on the list.

She stated, without hesitation: "4500, and if you don't show up today, that's it, no home for you"

I almost had a heart attack. I had no idea the competition for purchasing a home was so competitive in Southern California. 367 homes, a mixture of row townhouses, cluster homes, and detached houses starting from the 400's on up, for such a huge pool of fish. It was a relay race! First you had to know about the building site, register online for the interest list, show up for the event today, and for all consecutive events to even secure a possible slot for buying one of these babies.

I was blown out of the water. If I was Jennifer Aniston, I'd have assistants snatch up a few of these as investment properties.

Depressed that buying a home in Irvine seemed even farther out of my reach, I was determined to do something enjoyable....go SHOPPING! I may not be able to afford a new home, but a new pair of shoes always makes a girl feel better!