Big Life Changes!

I have stayed away and not posted in awhile, because I had been so worried that if I spoke too soon about how the sale of our house was going, I might jinx our luck! 😂 However, things went so beautifully, and we are on the downhill slide now!

On August 22nd, the 4 of us drove two cars out to Branson, MO, to get set up in a temporary condo. On the 26th, Eli and Norman drove back home to Yukon to oversee the move, so they were there to direct the packers, movers, handyman, have new carpet  installed, and then finally to hand the keys over to our miracle worker of a realtor. The house went on the market on Tuesday, September 12th, and we officially closed on Friday, October 19! That has to be a record of sorts, because everything worked out amazingly. We listed the house for $600k, and sold it for $630k, which still has me floored. God had his hand over the entire situation, and we are just so very thankful for how this turned out. 

We had originally planned on staying at least 8 weeks in Branson in the timeshare, but the boys asked to come back to the Oklahoma City area the first of October. For the last two years, they have worked at a Halloween Haunted Trail, and they loved it, so they wanted to do it again this year. So we have rented an Air BnB, we put in an offer on the most beautiful home (that is smaller, more easily maintained, and so much more well suited to us and our needs at this point in our life). The sellers accepted our offer, and the inspection and appraisal went off without a hitch. We are so incredibly grateful for how this entire process has gone. We are so ready to get settled and have this all behind us, but we know we have been blessed throughout this entire process, and it could not have gone any smoother. So many times Norman and I catch ourselves being so overwhelmed by how beautifully this has gone, and we know without a doubt that God has been guiding our steps at every single turn.  

During this entire time, we have had friends excited for us to find our "dream house". Because that is the American dream, right? Most people keep going after more. More house, more amenities, etc. What we learned throughout this process is that the home we sold, in every possible way, was our life-long dream house. That house had everything and was the ultimate "we made it, life is perfect" home. Almost 4,000 sq ft. 5 bedrooms. We even had a designated cat room. We had a laundry room downstairs...and upstairs. Everything was custom made, our saltwater pool was heated, and we even had our own pool house. It was literally the home that people dream of having, and we decided to let it go. Throughout this process, we have realized that we don't want "excess". We are a family of 4, and we are incredibly happy to downsize to a more manageable space. The young woman who was living with us for over a year has moved out, and we just really have needed to get into a home without stairs, which is super important for Chase and me. Our POTS and Ehlers-Danlos make stairs tricky, so thankfully the home we are buying is only one floor. 

I have the photos from the home we have sold, plus the listing photos of our new home, and I will be making a couple slideshows of them, because I want to always remember this process and know beyond any shadow of a doubt, that when you do follow God...when you seek him out and wait for guidance through prayer, it will come. Because one thing I have learned is that there is no such thing as no. When you think you are getting a no, what you are actually getting is a "not yet" or maybe "something else entirely is planned for you". At 44 years old, I am still learning that I have so much work to do on myself when it comes to patience, among other things. But we are all works in progress, and I am just realizing that I have so much more work to do in that area. 😅  So until next time peeps...ciao! 🥰