Our old home officially sold about a month ago (PRAISE GOD!) It was a smooth sell, asking price offer, and they did write all my appliances in the offer... washer, dryer, fridge. But it was ok. The house SOLD! (And if you need an incredible Real Estate Broker, I seriously have your gal)
We started right away searching for a new home to purchase, and quickly found that in our budget, location, and specs, there were VERY limited choices. VERY. As in... like 3. We looked at them all, and they all had very negative things going on. Moldy basements with exposed wiring. One with a master bedroom and master bathroom on opposite ends of the house (what?! who does that?) One had a nice chunk of land but it was out in no-cell service boondocks and 90% of the beautiful land was set on a steep rocky hill.. you get the idea. None were a plausible option really. So we have a few options, we could sit in trailer world for an undetermined amount of time, it could be a week, or a year, before the perfect place came along to snatch.. or we could do what I told Seth I would. never. ever. do.
So amazing how God works on stubborn hearts. Am I right?
We made the choice to pursue a piece of land and start the process of building our own dream home. And so here we are. We have our eyes (and our hearts) set on a piece of land. Its beautiful. Its perfect for us. (pictured below with the most incredible and gorgeous oak tree in the center) Annnnnd its got a ways to go. Completely raw land, in need of sewer/septic/well ect ect ect.
We new that we didn't want to weather the winter in the trailer. This aluminum sided buggy cools off and heats up as quickly as a tin can would. And with nights cooling to aprox 50-60 lately we already use the heater on a regular basis. I couldn't imagine if it were in the freezing temps how that would go. Seth has had to haul this puppy to "dump" the black water every 8-12 days over the last 5 months, you can do the math. I don't blame him for needing a break from hitching, hauling, unhitching, leveling, resetting. ect. Its a pain. And would be worse in winter months, with ice, snow, ect... He has been incredibly patient and such a trooper. And now he is pro at this chore ;)..
What am I pro at? I am pro at keeping my fridge really cleaned out, with limited space. I am pro at putting ONLY safe toilet paper down the pot. I am pro at remembering to turn on the hot water at least 30 min BEFORE I need to shower or do dishes. I am pro at storage solutions.
I am semi-pro at sleeping in a moving vessel. Semi-pro at sharing my bedroom with 3 men and a dog. Semi pro with rotating through 5 basic outfits. Semi-pro and knowing where aprox 10% of my belongings are located. And I know I will have gained a passionate and deep appreciation for these things, when I gain these luxuries back.
With that, we began to search for a rental. For those of you that have looked, youll know, rental rates are THROUGH the roof. And some, (not all) companies are taking advantage of the fact that many people don't have decent credit to purchase, or the amount of homes for sale is so limited, many are forced to rent. Most of the rental houses we sifted through were nearly double our old mortgage payment and also required deposits, first and last month rent ect ect ect. What a mess. So we checked into apartments. In one town, a 2 bed 1 bath apt ran aprox $1100 a month. mind blowing! In another nearby town we found some cheaper but with a 3-5 month waiting list.. hmm.
So, we sat a little longer, waiting to see what God had planned. We decided to put in an application on the waiting list apartment, in the event we needed it 3-5 months later. Before we even got to that point to submit applications, I was at church mentioning our current situation and a friend mentioned a duplex (of a different mutual friend) and how she was planning to move, and SOON. I can say it "just so happens" that the landlord is also someone we know, but this is all God's hand. He knows what we need before we even ask for it. And he takes care of the little things too. With excess. He is so good! This duplex, turns out, was to be made available in aprox a month. I could do another month in a trailer.... What else.. would it work for our budget? It was just a little under our old mortgage, so YES. And you know whats amazing? Washer, Dryer, Fridge, already there for us to use. AND they allowed sweet Pippin to come along. This little duplex has all hard floors, a full size shower, 2 whole kitchen sinks, doors, roof, walls, and a DISHWASHER. Praising God! Its the little things you know? Coming in around 750 sq feet this baby is like a mansion. And the landlords? By far the biggest blessing. Kind and thoughtful and willing to help. We've moved 10 (now 11) times in our marriage, and they are by far the most amazing, and we are grateful!
Now we move. Tonight. And we hang out for about a year, and wait for God to move in the property if that's His will. I am at peace, and grateful for the opportunity and the change of heart to even pursue a new dream, and open a door that I had long-ago closed. So here's to new adventures!
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