Big Move

Considering that Tyler and I are moving in ONE WEEK, I figured it was time to make it public knowledge. I think I've been in denial up until this point. :) So here is the full scoop on our big move:

We will start at the beginning. Way, way back to the beginning.
From early on in our marriage, Tyler and I knew that we ultimately wanted to have a rental property or two. We have joked that we "will never be rich with the jobs we have." That is to say, we like the jobs we have, and have every intention to keep them. And our goal in life is not to be rich. That isn't our plan. We just realize that in order to help [ok, I'm going to get all Dave Ramsey on you for a second] build wealth so that we can fulfill our long-term goals, we need to look into other options.  And we both felt most comfortable with the idea of owning rental properties. We discussed and dreamed about the idea of rentals, but it was nothing more than just that -- an idea.

Now fast forward to our current house. Our dream house. Our forever house. We put our blood, sweat and tears into this house. I'm rather proud of it. We saw this old, outdated house and were able to fix it up into something somewhat modern. It still had work to be done (as is the case with any older home) but we had really transformed it.

Even while I was pregnant and the early weeks of Silas' life, we still thought we would stay put. We still talked about the idea of investment properties, but let's get real -- who has that kind of money lying around? It just wasn't feasible for us in the anywhere near future.

Then one weekend, we went up to NWA to visit our family before I started back to work full-time. It was on our way home from this trip that Tyler and I had an epiphany. We got into a huge talk about the "big picture" and our long-term goals. And, plain and simple, living in our forever home was going to keep us from these goals. So we talked about it, prayed about it and did some research. And we made the big decision to sell our forever house and move out of town. 

It took us about two months to get the house ready and on the market. All the while, I was fervently praying. We had made this huge life decision to move to a smaller town, and I had doubts. Were we making the right decision? Do we really have the guts to sell our perfect, wonderful house? Would my added commute be worth it? Yadda, yadda, yadda. I was worrying and second guessing and oh ya, worrying a little more. So I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. I prayed that God would make it perfectly clear His desires for our family. If He wanted us to stay or go.

We put our house on the market late on a Wednesday night and had it sold by Friday. It was incredible. Within 36 hours we had a great offer to a great couple (you know, it always helps if you feel like you like the people who are buying your house haha). Wow, my head was spinning. We had sold our house and will had no where to live! YIKES! But nonetheless, we sold our house and my prayer was answered.

The following week, Tyler and I met with our realtor. The day before, Tyler informed me he was going to be "extremely picky" with what he wanted in a prospective rental house. Ruh-row. I can see the writing on the wall with that comment. Tyler had very specific ideas, which I fully respected and understood. It just meant that if we didn't find something that met those specifications, we would be homeless. Ok, not really, but we would probably have to move into an apartment for a short time (which I was not excited about.)

So I prayed. I prayed a very specific prayer that God will give us a house with x, y and z. I prayed that Tyler would be excited when he walked into this house and that his nerves would calm. I prayed the house didn't need too much work because I didn't think my fragile little self could handle much of a renovation.

We went looking with our realtor the next day. The first house we visited was perfect. It checked all our boxes. It had x, y and z. Another prayer answered.

We put in an offer, it was accepted and we will be moving in next week! I hesitated to make anything too public until now because a part of me has been too scared something will not work out and everything will fall through. But seeing has I'm moving in 7 days (and still need to pack. oops.) I figure it's about time to clue in all of my friends.

The "plan," and we all know how those work out, is to live in this house for a year or so, and then move to something a little more "permanent," making this house a rental house. 

So yes, Tyler and I are moving the week after Thanksgiving. It's scary and overwhelming. But God has answered my prayers all along the way throughout this entire process. I know He will continue to guide our family. And I'm excited to see that process...