You see, we're moving. This weekend!
Closings for both houses happen this Friday (God willing) and the actual move is this weekend.
From here..........to here.
To say that this moving process has been stressful for me is a gross understatement. I know that many people have endured much more stressful situations with much greater grace than I have shown during this time in our lives. I guess I'm just not very graceful. Especially when assimilating change and the unknown and deadlines that are out of my control and negotiations and money.
Ugh.
Add to the mix Lena starting preschool, Sam starting kindergarten, my office moving, one of my best friends leaving the office, my band evolving, another good friend leaving the state...and I've kind of been a mess. It's so much all at once. Reminding myself that these are all positive changes for everyone helps sometimes, but honestly more often than not the stress sticks around, eating through my stomach lining, knotting my neck muscles and graying my hair.
The only things that really calm me are praying and feeling my husband's arms around me. Both help me feel safe and watched over. I've never been more grateful for both.
So...enough about my emotional instability. That's not news to anyone who knows me.
This moving business all happened pretty quickly. Rich and I weren't crazy about the school system the kids would be entering into at our current place. And we've both always wanted to live in a more established, older neighborhood in a community that's actually a community, not just a jurisdiction. So after a series of happenstances, late this summer we decided to put our house up just to feel out the market. Within 10 days we were in contract.
I guess we shouldn't have been surprised. We have a lovely home, despite the cookie-cutter houses and the new-ish subdivision nature of our neighborhood. Rich poured himself into our house over these last eight years, updating and adding and finishing, inside and out. What he made into a perfect first home for us is being passed onto to a young couple who too will make this their first home. I feel good about that. And I pray that this home is filled with as much joy and happiness for them as it has been for us.
Two brand new babies' cries and laughter bounced off its walls, tiny new feet took their first unsteady steps on its floors, first words were spoken into its air...their first everythings happened in this house. And as our family grew and stretched and evolved, our home sheltered us through all of the growing pains and growing joys. It's a happy place. A peaceful place.
We're sad to say goodbye to it.
But we're also very excited about our new home. We decided to focus on Westerville for its schools and community and recreation and location and availability of homes we liked. We saw six houses in one afternoon and, after walking through this house once, Rich and I could both see the kids growing up here and being happy here and our family truly enjoying this neighborhood. It is peaceful and quiet and established and exactly what we were searching for.
We were sold. And so began the process.
Rich is itching to start making this home ours, drawing up schematics of built-in bookshelves and window seats and wood shingles and front porch expansions and discussing paint and flooring and counter tops and back splashes. All that stuff he loves to do and is so skilled at doing.
And I'm dreaming of the years and stages and holidays and small everyday joys and meals and homework and fights and laundry and heartaches and laughter that will happen in this place. And I'm anxious for this new chapter of our lives to begin in this new place we will call home.
I pray God continues to bless and protect our family in this new place, in this new phase. And that he continues to make our old home a safe and happy place for its new owners throughout this new chapter of their lives.
Welcome home.
