Our new home

Jon and I are now impatiently waiting to move into our new home. We've made the offer, been accepted and completed all of the legwork. On September 1, 2010 we will own a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home here in
Cookeville, TN. And by own, I mean paid for! That is the most exciting thing about the house. But the space for a library comes a VERY close second. This home needs some cosmetic work and I've been spending my spare time making lists and copying pictures of the changes that I want to make. I found the fabric today that will go perfectly in my bedroom and the kitchen. But the bones that we wanted and the price are all perfect. 

I'm so very, very excited. I will be taking a ton of pictures when we move in so that I can post before and after pictures of the changes I've made. But I can post a couple from when I toured the house right now.

The kitchen pictures

 Looking through the library into the dining room.

The bathroom pictures.
I've bought chocolate brown towels and have a brown bath mat. I'll use the brown to tone down all of the pink. Then I bought a pink, white and brown shower curtain (since we are removing the shower doors) to tie everything together.

Official Offer and a Freezer Party

It shouldn't surprise me, but it does. God REALLY wants us to move to Cookeville. Sometimes in life I will pray about a decision and not really feel sure that I'm making the right one. I just hope that it is because I really don't "feel" anything wrong. But God has worked so many things out for us. Our house had been on the market exactly 7 days when we went under contract for the exact price we had been hoping to get for this house. The place we are moving to fits everything on the list that we had of things we wanted in a new place if we moved. The town and the people we've met so far are wonderful. (With the exception of the fired realtor who is STILL sending me emails.)

Even the fact that we will be flying to Canada one week after we move to TN has worked out okay with very little complications.

We had a freezer party on Sunday and the guests left with "party favors". I had one chest freezer, on upright freezer and a refrigerator freezer that were all mostly full. So I made a list of everything in all of the freezers and put it on a dry erase board. I then made a menu using those items. We invited all of the people that we especially wanted to see one more time before we left. Then as they said good-bye we handed them a bag (or several) and had them take things out of our freezer. I am now down to a few items that I need to use this week and I've turned off the two main freezers.

It's so exciting to be moving and yet sad. The night we accepted the offer on the house I cried. I will miss my little carriage house and my friends. But I can't be sad for very long when I think of all of the amazing things that God has in store for us in our new home.

Moving Stress

Today I've had an up/down day as far as Realtors go. I had to "fire" our realtor in Cookeville. I had given her the requirements that we needed in a home. She just couldn't seem to remember or care what they were. I would send an email asking her to give me info on a house I'd found and she would ignore that email and send me a listing of hers that didn't fit any or hardly an of our requirements. I was SO frustrated. And yet I was reluctant to let her go because she knew that Jon and I were Adventists and I didn't want to hurt our witness with her. Jon wasn't so reluctant and said she gave him the heebie jeebies. =)

I was discussing it with my mom today and she gave me a bit of advice that helped me get the job done. She informed me that I was unhappy enough that I was going to eventually let her go. So I might as well do it now instead of waiting until she'd put some serious effort into it and I had to tell her to her face that I wasn't happy. Since I had dealt mostly through email with her I could "fire" her that way and never have to deal with it again. And she would be disappointed and upset, but hopefully not mad that she'd wasted so much time. Also I wouldn't have signed the realtor agreement yet.

On the up side - Kathy just called us and told us we have an offer on the table. Also we have someone else coming to look at the house at 11am on Sunday. And a friend told me her uncle is also interested. So it looks like we'll be selling this house sooner rather than later. So excited! =)

Also when we were looking at that job in High Point Kathy recommended a realtor. She was great. So this time I did what I should have done and had her recommend someone. This lady's name is Kathy as well and I'm already happier with her. So hopefully we are good on both ends.

Moving!!!

God answered our prayers very quickly this time. It feels so right. But it feels strange to be so sad and excited at the same time. It's actually possible to have your emotions contradicting themselves. =) Several of my friends have cried and that has made me feel so awful. I'm glad that I meant enough to them to have them miss me, and yet I don't know what to say. I'm happy that I'm leaving! I'm also very sad!

I absolutely LOVE looking at houses. I've had an interest in real estate for quite some time and found out that I really enjoying showing the rentals that I handled. Moving allows me to indulge my interests. But it's also pointed out a possible career switch once the kids get into school. I've been thinking seriously of getting my broker's license.

We are off on an adventure. Off to start another chapter in our lives. And yet, because of God, I'm not losing this part of my life. Even if I never see some of these people again, I'll get to see them again in heaven. And that is a very comforting thought.

Moving

We got back early this morning (1am) from an interview in Tennessee. I'm so tired that I can't keep my eyes open. My kids are being angels and playing by themselves right now so I thought I'd organize my thoughts by blogging.

Jon felt that the interview went well. But we've have really been praying hard that if God doesn't want us to have this job or to move yet that he'll have the people say no regardless of how much we might want this job.

The area is beautiful. I fell in love with the town and found several homes that spoke to me. Whenever Jon has an interview I call a Realtor and have her take me to some homes so we can get an idea of what the area has to offer. The church is larger than New Bern and has a church school. We would be with in 30 minutes of an academy. It sounds and looks so perfect. But God can see and hear things that I can't.

This time I'm actually feeling at peace with the wait. God is in control and I know that I will miss my little home here if we move. So while I wait I will enjoy the time that I have here. I am so ready to move though. Before Jon and I moved here I had never been to a school for longer than 3 yrs. I had lived in 5 states and never lived in one home for more than 4 years. Yet we lived in our 1st home for 5 years before moving to our little carriage house. We have lived in New Bern for 8+ years. It's time to move back closer to family and closer to a church school for the kids.

But I was feeling a pull towards New Bern because of how long we had lived here and the friends that I had made. But then last week I found out that one of my closest friends is moving up north and will be leaving as soon as her house sells. I have helped so many of my dear friends move away while I stayed here to miss them without the benefits of having an adventure. So now it's my turn. I don't know if I have any friends left to help me pack, but since I've done it so many times I'm sure I can handle it. =)

So hopefully in a few weeks (they had better not take the 8 weeks the last place took) we will know whether we will be here in New Bern for a bit longer or whether we head to Tennessee.