For Such A Time…
Sometimes I feel like a circus act, trying desperately to juggle way too many things at one time. That, my friends, is the current season of life we are in. If you have not heard yet, consider this your formal announcement that we have sold our home and are moving to a new home at the end of this month.
Why? Great question!
Darek said for many, many years that we would stay in our current home forever. We love our current home. I waited patiently for 12 years before having Cambria Quartz countertops installed in our kitchen. The kitchen remodel is one of my favorite changes that we made to this house. The location and yard are great, but we have finally agreed that we could use more space. Our kids are growing, and as they grow and have friends over it will be nice to have some larger spaces for them all to hang out. We were very intentional in purchasing a home that offered multiple "hang-out" spaces. Like many parents, we want our home to be one that all of the kids and their friends choose to occupy. If that means stocking a fridge and freezer filled with favorite snacks for the next handful of years, then, by all means, we will do that. We realized that our home is nearly 50 years old and is going to need upkeep on things that we are not skilled to take on ourselves. That being said, a newer home with an easy maintenance yard will be a welcome change for us. We will miss our mighty Silver Maple trees and the sap we collect each year for our syrup making adventures, but we will not miss the mess that comes with those 6 HUGE trees. Darek will not need to risk his life on our roof with the leaf-blower any longer! Our oldest daughter will tell you that she is going to miss the laundry chute most of all. This magical chute has been amazing for FOUR people in our family over the past 8 years. They claim that there is a laundry fairy who collects the clothes from the bottom of the chute and magically washes, drys, and folds them. The fifth person in our home (yours truly) happens to be the laundry fairy, is looking forward to a slight change in this process. Haha!
This move is taking us about 10 minutes West of our current home, so we are still in the same general region of the SouthWest Metro. We will be in a newer neighborhood filled with families with kids the same ages as ours. There is a nice park nearby, and a recreational lake across the main road. We already know a handful of families in the neighborhood, and honestly believe that God held this opportunity for us. We looked at plenty of other homes but none of them checked all of the boxes for us. A few smelled like cat, so that was a quick "no" for us. There are a few very interesting facts that lead to this house becoming our new home.
We were not looking to move this far West, but the location offers a couple of easy routes to major Highways that we frequent.
The city of Victoria is part of the same district we are currently in for community sports, which is a benefit for our kids. They really wanted to continue playing sports on teams with their friends.
The home we are moving to was listed for a couple of weeks before we made an offer, and the market up here is incredibly competitive! We knew that if it was meant to be, God would have his hand in the process and it would work out.
We have friends already living in the neighborhood who heard we were looking at this particular home, and they started praying that we would be their new neighbors.
Carina was very hesitant at first (almost resistant), and then one day told me that she was praying about it and she believes that God told her this was the home we were supposed to move into. This was after we made an offer that the sellers countered, and it was not looking favorable for us.
We decided to wait on it and see what happened. During the waiting, the sellers dropped the price of the house, which allowed us to come back in with our offer again.
Our friends continued praying diligently that we would be their new neighbors.
Our offer was accepted, contingent on us selling our current home.
We de-cluttered / staged, and listed our house the following week. Within 24 hours we had 10 showings with 5 offers above asking, and we sold our house.
All contingencies were cleared, and the purging / packing process began
We are now at the point of preparing to close on both houses in the next two weeks!
The only explanation for the perfect timing of this entire process is God's hand. We were pretty relaxed through the looking and buying process, which helped tremendously. Honestly, if you look at the past and current market, and the comps in our region, there is no reason at all that the house we purchased should have stayed on the market as long as it did, other than the reasoning that it was meant to be for our family. The day I walked into the house with our realtor, Toby and Makaiya came with me. Toby walked through the main level and said, "Mom, this is the best house for us!" He said, "It's better than any of the new construction houses, or other houses we have been to." "Mom, call Dad. We need to make an offer on this house." That is the first time he has ever been passionate about a house. Our kids were very comfortable with the idea of staying put, and while they enjoyed looking at houses, they did not necessarily want to move from the only home they have ever known, until now.
I know it will be bittersweet when we close the door for the final time at the first and only house we have owned. We have more memories than I can currently recount in this home, and I am sure many of you do as well. We hosted a wedding in our backyard shortly after we bought our house. Darek's sister and brother-in-law lived here with us for the first year and a half, which was super special for all of us. We formed some pretty tight bonds during that time, and Emily and I shared our pregnancy journeys with Toby and Zeke in that home. We loved our first beagle, Hunny, at this house and enjoyed offering her a fenced backyard to run and chase chipmunks in. We said goodbye to her while we lived in this house. We brought all three of our children home to this house, as we grew into our family of 5. We replaced, updated, and renovated nearly every aspect of this house under the direction of Pa (Jerry), who we desperately miss. We love that we remember him in nearly everything we see in our house, and trust that another family will feel the love, care, and attention given to every project in this home. My dad helped with many projects in this house as well and lived with us to help out for a few short-term stays after both Toby and Makaiya were born. We have hosted many 4th of July parties at this house, with the carnival and parade just down the street. We pray that this house is not just a house, but a home filled with love and sweet memories for the new family living here, for many years to come.
We will cherish the memories made in this backyard! From the treehouse to the zip line, swings, fire pit, and gardens. This backyard has served our family and friends well.
We know that the timing of this move is perfect - as God’s timing always is!
If there is one lesson this past couple of years has taught us, it is that we can trust God’s timing as we walk in His will and seek Him first. We now juggle school and a few other big life decisions. It feels like there are still many pieces up in the air, but we can trust that everything will work out in this season as we continue moving forward, fulfilling our calling. I am a little giddy with excitement to live in a community filled with children and friends we can create memories with as our kiddos grow up. I look forward to sharing our new home with our friends and family, and hosting gatherings that bring people together and help build relationships, sharing in sweet moments and memories.
I am thankful for each new day - an absolute GIFT! Celebrating weddings and championships with people we love fills my eyes with tears of gratitude. (Like, big, uncontrollable tears)! My perspective has shifted a bit, and I can honestly say that I am thankful Every Single Day for the impossible things God has done in my life, so I can point to Him in every celebratory moment. For me, it is never “just another win, or loss.” It is a moment in time that I cherish, choosing to make the best of the situation and appreciate the lessons learned in that moment.
I have learned to let go of petty concerns and focus on the big picture.
Life happens one day at a time and how we choose to spend each moment is up to us. Will you look toward the good that can come from every opportunity, or will you let your circumstances bring stress, fear, and anxiety into your life? Remember: If it’s not good, then He’s not done with it yet! You are in this place in time
For Such A Time As This!
