Temporary Home

First of all, I just wanted to say thank you for all of the messages of concern and support you have sent my way.  I suppose I have left you in suspense long enough.  ;)  Truthfully, we just needed time to tell family and friends before they stumbled upon our blog.  I needed time to let the news of change marinate so that I could verbalize it without breaking down into a puddle of tears in front of them.  Some of you have already guessed it.  And no, I'm not pregnant. ;)

A positive attitude.  That's what I'm working to adopt while we forge ahead with the many logistics of Mt. Everest the task ahead.  Overwhelmed.  That's how I really felt when DK told me that we needed to move.  It had been hinted to before, but I guess I was in denial.  I wouldn't hear of it.

I was full of questions as my mind tried to wrap itself around our soon-to-be reality.  I may still have denial, doubts and questions, but the tears are slowing down.

We are from Louisiana {Shout out to the Saints!}, but the week we married, we moved to Texas.  I've lived between north and south Texas half of my life.  {yes, again, we were 12 yrs old when we married}  I say that only to say that moving is not new to me.  When you work in church ministry, as we have in the past, moving is always in the back of your mind.  Nothing is predictable.

So the big overwhelming news?  We are moving back to Louisiana.  This is a classic 'never say never' case as we never expected to move away from Texas {wiping tear}.  Texas will always hold a special place in my heart.

Fortunately, Granny has opened up her home to us while we sell our house and get our finances in order and prepare to find another home.  This is a blessing we don't take for granted.  It only proves, once again, how wonderful she is.  She has always felt more like a mother to me.
{Love you, Granny!}

The company DK works for strongly believes he would be an even greater contribution to them working from their main office.  I see the logic.  I really do.  

But that means...  Many changes are imminent. 

Being away from friends that mean so much to me.  As I've mentioned in another post, my friends are very special to me.  Our resignation in church ministry years ago was more painful than I can describe here, but that only brought me closer to my closest friends.  You can't put a price on that kind of friendship.  I will miss them so much, it's hurts.

There will be a {hopefully temporary} step down financially as DK is leaving a small side job with this move.

 

We will have to say good-bye to our house of 4 years, with no promise of finding a comparable home where we will be moving.  This is the second house that we've actually owned.  The first house we owned cost us $40,000.  Yes, I'm a high-maintenance girl.  ;)  If you believe that, read about our very first home as a married couple.

This house was not our 'dream home'.  While a cookie-cutter home, it was... is ours... and a lil' more than 40K.  ;)  We picked out the open floor plan, door knobs, light fixture, cabinet style, Silestone counter-top, tile back-splash, appliances {which DK thinks we may try to keep}, door shape, ceiling fans, placement of light-bulbs, baseboard...  New flooring and crown molding was in the future, but that task will be left to the new owner's tastes now.  {Jasmine seems to work her way into each photo shoot, yes?}

  

Then there was the deck that DK and I built and stained together one weekend.  That task alone required a trip to the chiropractor.

  

I painted the girl's rooms the week we moved in.  The girls stayed with Granny in Louisiana a week before the official move in.  I worked myself to plum exhaustion that week, but it was worth it to see their excitement in the end!  Gracie wanted a room of pink, pink, and more pink!  Nator wanted purple, so I chose a soft lavender... this task was followed by a glitter glaze that fills their walls with a subtle sparkle.

  

Oh, and why some people from our church thought it would be funny to toilet paper the front yard while I was working on said projects, deliriously sleep-deprived and on the verge of sickness, I'll never know.

  

A number of nights painting until 2 a.m., I was just getting our wall colors finished.  I know how to procrastinate.  Just sayin'.

  

We will have to make sure we say hello to our baby oak tree in the back yard when we pass this way again.  Gracie named this one Thumbelina.  Cornelius didn't make it.  The baby oak in the front yard is named Romeo and Juliet.

We may have to say good-bye to our beloved Bella.  If any of my local-lurking friends happen to have an opening in their heart and home, please email me.  {hmama02@gmail.com}

Before we told our girls the news of the move, I had been prepping them the entire week, dropping hints of positives of a possible move.  Initially, they cried at the hint, but handled the news better than expected; however, the biggest tears came from the strong possibility of not bringing Bella with us and leaving behind our closest friends.  

Focusing on the difference between a house vs. a home helps, but change and good-byes are hard, regardless.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is not the end of the world, but everything about this decision is changing my world.  I do okay most of the time, then thinking of my friends... or seeing something like the measurements of the girls growth inside the pantry door sends me in a tail-spin of emotion, but I can't stay there.  I have to remain positive for the girls.   It's hard to believe they've grown roughly 6 inches each in this house.

I suppose the bottom line is that all of this stuff is just that.  Stuff.  The material things are material.  Deep, I know.  ;)

I also suppose it doesn't matter what kind of house we live in...

All of it is just temporary anyway.

But if I could find a house with a nice fenced-in yard, open floor plan, Silestone counter-tops, great laminate flooring, spacious rooms, keeping my appliances... I'm sure it would help.  ;)

If you need me, I'll be figuring out how to pack for moving most of our things into a storage unit.  This will be a new challenge for me.  But for now, I'm focused on preparing for Gracie's pajama party Friday.

One day at a time...

On the flip side, we will get to see family more AND
DK and I may get to date again!!  We may or may not have had a proper date since... our anniversary??  That's what happens when your sitters grow up and move away for college.

Remember the crazy cookie fortune?   This is my most recent treasure... 

I wonder what that will be??

Maybe it should have said...
"The only thing that stays the same is... change."
or
"Blessed are the flexible, for they will not get bent out of shape."

I'm off to stretch.  ;)