Guess what those are? Yes, duh, boxes. But special boxes. Magical boxes. Moving boxes.
{Picture David and I doing the sprinkler dance in our living room right now!}
YES, FRIENDS. WE'RE MOVING! It's true. At the end of February, we will finally be ending David's year-long stint of driving 150 miles a day to and from work. When he accepted his new job over a year ago, we never expected that our house wouldn't sell and that he would have to make the lengthy commute for so long. But, that's the way the cookie crumbled. I'm not gonna lie, it hasn't always been easy. David has really long work days in order to avoid some major Atlanta traffic, which means he oftentimes only gets a few precious minutes with baby H each day. It has also been really stressful having the house on the market both when I was pregnant and with a newborn. But we've been pushing through, having faith in the fact that David is in love with his new job and understanding that a temporary long commute will be small potatoes in the grand scheme of life.
While we are moving now, we actually haven't sold our house yet. Let me explain. Back in December, I was chit-chatting with my best friend about our frustrations when she shined a whole new light on the situation. Instead of waiting to move, why didn't we rent an inexpensive place closer to D's job while we kept our house on the market and continued to try and sell it? My brain went crazy thinking it through. Hm. It must be too expensive. Well, to tell you the truth, we spend a gigantic chunk of change each month on gas for David's car... almost a house payment's worth. So if we weren't driving as far and spending that much money on gas, we could spend it on a rent payment. Right? But what if we sold our house while we were renting and were stuck in a lease? Well, that would actually give us some time to find a dream home to buy instead of having to buy immediately after selling our house. But if we weren't living there, how would we show the house while it was still on the market? The more we thought about it, we realized it would be easier because the house would be empty and ready to show at all times. Dang. This all made sense. Holy cow... why didn't we think of this sooner?!
To add to the story, little H has been in temporary childcare since I went back to work in January. We planned for him to go to the corporate daycare at David's office (an ah-maz-ing program!) once a spot opens for him in early March but, clearly, he can't make David's lengthy commute each day. We've been stressing about how to get him in a more permanent situation. So, if we move closer... well, you get the picture. H gets his daycare. D gets his shorter commute. Even I will be driving about ten miles less to get to work! Bada bing, bada boom.
To give you some background, that idea came to fruition in December. From about mid-December until the end of January, we pretty much obsessed over finding a place to rent. In case you guys have been wondering where I've been (hello, it really shouldn't take a normal person three weeks to answer an email... so sorry!), I've been researching rentals online or spending my free time visiting them. It's been all-consuming. But all of our efforts paid off, because we found an adorable house to rent. With three bedrooms and two bathrooms, it's definitely a much smaller home than we've got now, but we're okay with that. In fact, we're excited. We're in the midst of paring down what we own to take to the new house, storing some things and selling/giving away others. It's a great feeling.
To make a long story short, I can't even handle how excited we are. David and I will each be less than thirty minutes from our offices. We'll be closer to most of our friends and some of our family. We'll be in a part of town that we've always wanted to live in. It will be amazing! And we (as well as our realtor) has faith that we will sell our house this spring/early summer when the market picks up. So hopefully everything will fall into place. Of course, we have a few back-up plans if life doesn't pan out that way, so don't think we're going at this blindly. God has definitely made some wonderful plans for our little family, and for that we are so, so grateful. David and I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to move and get situated in a place that's better for us. We're counting our lucky stars a lot over here these days!
What does this mean for you guys? Well, thank goodness... home projects! You obviously won't see any major bathroom renovations or big time makeovers since we'll just be renting, but you can be sure you'll see lots of fun decorating going on at our new house. I have so many ideas! And for those of you out there who are also renters, hopefully I'll be able to come up with some great home improvement tips for all of us in temporary housing. At least that's the plan!
Well, that ended up being quite the wordy blog post... but it does certainly feel like a great big ol' end to a long saga. Or if you look at it another way, the very beginning to a whole new story for us! And I'm excited to finally share it with all of you who are along for the ride.
Now, who wants to come help me pack up boxes?!
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Can I get an Amen on your awesome attitude my sweets! Let's start a new series, "own a fabulous house in one town but renting a small house in another town". It looks like we're going to be in the same boat here in just a few months. I'm excited to see some of your ideas for decorating because I'm at a loss for what to do to make it feel like home!
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful news! I think it's all going to work out great and you both are going to be so rewarded in your waiting.
What I wise friend you have that made that suggestion.
Can't wait to follow your next adventure!
Betsy
That is exciting! Good luck with the move and hopefully your house will sell in the Spring. Praying for you as you have faith in God's plans for your family! :)
ReplyDeleteAwe! Michelle! Such great news!!!
ReplyDeletecongrats! I'm glad you found a solution for yourself and your family. Happy moving (is there such a thing?... :))
ReplyDeletei am so happy for you!!! life will certainly be a little easier! :)
ReplyDeleteYou like to MOVE IT. Woo woo! Congratulations!! That is awesome and great news! It is so true about the gas--makes perfect sense! Very happy for you and for David--I know Atl traffic can be fun fun. Spaghetti junction anyone? Yuck. Ha. Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteyay! good luck!
ReplyDeleteGrand idea! Congrats and good luck with those boxes.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! So glad that this is all going to work out so perfectly. :)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I'm so glad things worked out!
ReplyDeleteYayay!! Congrats!! This is so exciting, glad it worked out!!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you! This sounds like the perfect idea. I can't wait to see the miracles you work in your new home! Good luck with the move and let me know when you get all settled. I'll come cook for you!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great plan for your family, Michelle! Having that extra time to spend together (rather than sitting in traffic) is going to be so great for you all!!
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you guys! I'm sure your house will sell and moving out will indeed help! We did that with our last place (mostly to get our cats out for showings) and it was way more convenient. Rather than worrying about someone letting them out, or the house being messy, or us sleeping, we just gave our realtor free reign to show it whenever. It stayed perfectly staged and sold quickly (even in a crappy, saturated market)!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so happy for you. What great news and perfect timing for the opening into H mans new daycare. Hugs all around!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful news. Glad you have an awesome new plan that's going to make your every day lives so much easier. It's so stressful having a house on the market. I can definitely relate. We had our prior house on the market for a year, then took it off for a year and then re-listed, and that time it sold in 14 days! I think it teaches you how to be patient for sure. We found a beautiful home that we love within in a month of looking and are glad now it all worked out the way it did, but boy there were some hard times! Good luck on this new chapter!! Looking forward to seeing your rental and decor tips!
ReplyDeleteYay, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteSo beyond thrilled for you guys!!!! xoxox
ReplyDeleteGreat solution...yay for you guys!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great solution. I had wondered why you guys hadn't thought about that, but assumed it was because moving while pregnant and then shortly after and dealing with the holidays would have been so hard. Now the time is perfect because it won't be long and baby will be mobile and take up a little more time. Can't wait to see the new place. And, will keep praying you find a buyer for the house.
ReplyDeleteSo exciting! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteSO so so excited and happy for you guys! We've been praying for so long about this-- God totally had it all planned out from the beginning (as we know!) but this is so fun to see it come together. Hooray for being closer to work and H's daycare and family! xoxoox
ReplyDeletethis is exciting and must be such a relief! so happy for you!
ReplyDeleteyay! this is a win win situation! God is good. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is what great bff's do.... They help you to see the forest through the trees. Much luck my friend! Cannot wait to see this new adventure unfold:)
ReplyDeleteXo
Trac
This is so exciting! Congrats on the move and the beginning of a new phase in your life!
ReplyDeleteThat is SO exciting Michelle, I can't wait to read all about your journey to a new home!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations....all of the planning is working out! I know some of your stress is gone now....
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you guys!
ReplyDeleteJust SO excited for you guys and know that this is the right plan. Life is ALL about balance and this is 100% the healthy thing to do. Can't wait to see the new digs and how you decorate. You'll reach a whole new audience of readers with tips on decorating and living in a temp space. Sooo happy for you!! xo
ReplyDeleteYay! So happy for you guys!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I'm so happy for you! This is a great solution - you'll be able to spend so much more time together after work with your little man!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I', it's a little unnerving not to have sold your house yet, but how wonderful that you'll be able to spend more time as a family. Happy packing!!
ReplyDeleteErin @ The Great Indoors
So happy for you! What a blessing that everything has worked out perfectly Yay for H going to a great program!
ReplyDeleteI just love your blog! We too are renting a home to be closer to Hubby's work, yet own a home that we moved my parents into an hour away. So many difficulties knowing you can't rip out the bathroom floor, but so nice knowing decorating can be fun! Looking forward to following your adventure.
ReplyDeleteJenn@moonflowermadness