On Buying and Selling Our House, Pt. 1

{Forgive the run-on's, typo's, and the massacre that is my comma usage. It's been a loooooong couple of weeks around here. If I don't put this up-it may never happen :) }

One month ago, on a rainy Saturday, Jeremy greeted my sleepy self with a cup of coffee and a picture on his laptop. The photo happened to be of a house. A house that he had been watching over the last eight months. Turns out, it had just come down in price. Again. Apparently it had done that quite a few times over the last year and half that it was on the market. And now, at it's absolute lowest and in short sale, it had his attention. He asked what I thought, and I casually agreed to the niceness of the pictures and then casually brushed it off-mostly because he's always looking for a deal. It's kinda in his DNA. He would not be thwarted, however, asking if we could take a drive to go see it. Immediately thinking of the drizzly weather and our day's lack of plans, I agreed. We hopped into the car, hit the Golden Pride drive thru and started off for a look.

A short drive later, we exited the interstate and began to make our way on the road to the house. When we pulled up the drive, turned off the car and got out, we were immediately in awe. The quiet beauty that surrounded the house, the mountain breeze and cloudy sky that leaded itself towards fall, and our scattering children who were anxious to climb hills and explore in the trees all reinforced the fact that the house was out of the city. We did a bit of poking around and craning of necks up against dirty windows, but really how much looking can you really do through partially closed blinds and no Realtor to let you in. We resolved that we would come back-just to take a look-but really that's all it would be. A look.

We spent the  next week talking about the house, looking at the pictures on the internet and generally scratching our heads. We honestly had no idea how to even go about pursuing info about the house, let alone trying to buy it. I hoped for the best case scenario, that the house would be an absolute  wreck. That we would hate it and this pipe dream could finally be put to rest. After all, this could never really happen, right? But the following Saturday when we went back, this time with Jer's record partner who also happens to be a Realtor, we found that it was not a wreck. In fact, it was just like the pictures. I may or may not have even jumped up and down a little when we walked in the front door. After a quick walk through, our love for the home was only reinforced, as it turned out to be almost an exact replica of the floorplans we had come up with a few years ago, when we were considered buying and building in Placitas. 

The car ride home was one of epic proportions. Me, totally overwhelmed in the backseat, with all of the reasons "why we shouldn't." The boys, crying in their carseats, about not wanting to leave our house and wondering where all their would toys go. Jer, in the front seat, talking numbers with Hadley. Sweet Anna, crammed between the carseats probably texting someone about the madness. It was crazy to the max. Finally when we got back to the house, the kids went down for naps and Jer and I had some time alone to really chat, although our conversation was only something like this, "How? How do you do this? How?" The thought of all of the different obstacles involved in trying to buy the house seemed impossible. Getting our house ready to list. Listing our house. Selling our house for enough to make the transaction happen. Getting approved for a new loan. Putting an offer on the new house. Acceptance of the offer. Appraisals. Inspections. Closings. And all of that and you're not even moved?! Really, HOW do people do this?? Nevertheless, our strong pull towards the house and the fact that we didn't have anything really telling us that this was not the Lord's will for us, led us to decide that we would handle this just as we do everything in our lives at this point. We would be prayerful and just do the next thing. 

The next week is one that I will never forget. Jeremy and I spent every free moment either packing or repairing all of the things that needed to be done to our house but that we never made time to do. We had our carpets cleaned, and the glass on the back door replaced. We even had baseboards put in the Master bath-something we've lived without for NINE YEARS. Our house was looking pretty sweet and when Hadley came to take pictures the Thursday before we listed it, I lost it. The reality of what we were actually doing had finally hit me. Everything that Jer and I had poured out in to this home was going to be for someone else to live in and enjoy. The bathtub and shower that we tiled ourselves, would no longer bathe our babies but someone else. Our fireplace, where the boys helped build winter fires would now keep some other family warm. The kitchen remodel that we survived through, would just be another remodeled kitchen to the next person. All of our work and effort would still stand but we were leaving it. For another house, yes, but one that we would be starting over on. All of the sudden, I wasn't so sure about our decision. I wasn't so sure that I really wanted to move. I wasn't sure that I was ready to close this chapter of our lives. So I began to pray that the Lord would just close the door, and quickly at that.