I know when you saw the title of this post you were thinking "Have they been matched with their baby from China?"....well, sorry to disappoint, that is not the announcement for today, though that would have been a fun one.
I've been asked recently what has been keeping us so busy this summer that we haven't had a chance to blog, vacation, or do much of anything but run all over the place. Well, let me start by giving you a few photos and see if you can figure it out:
What? That's not helpful? Let's try another one:
Ok, maybe this one will help:
Ok, so here's the scoop...........................
WE ARE MOVING!!!
Not very far- just about 3 or so miles from where we currently live. It's been the year of many new things and one of those was finding out that our current rental house was going to be sold (which we had already began speculating very early in 2012 might happen, so had been thinking in advance as to what our next steps might be. It had been built 2 years ago, but sat on the market for 6 months so the developer was eager to rent, and we were blessed with a wonderful place to rent and live for two years. However, while living in our neighborhood, each home he continued to build began to be sold so guess whose home was next on the selling block? YEP, that would be ours.
In lieu of knowing this might become a reality and also looking forward into the future as to what next year might bring with our adoption process, we decided to start praying and began considering purchasing a home so as to not continue to "give money away" to our landlord year after year. (anyone that knows us knows that we both hate to waste money) When you actually sit down and do he math and learn real estate, you realize how wise an investment purchasing really is in the right market. So, several months later in early summer, we made the decision to buy our first home, well townhouse that is.
We were blessed to know several very wise people as well as several realtors who really gave us great advice and encouraged us to be wise negotiators. (that part wasn't hard as Nate and I are both savers by nature and both will haggle a good deal any day of the week- I knew that this part of the process was certainly going to be interesting.) One thing in our favor was that the developer we went with was in the process of building a new townhouse community, so it was a great time to get in on the development. They were very willing to negotiate. (LOVE that part!) It also sits on the county line right beside the city, so that was also a very nice benefit in a number of ways.
We have been blessed to be able to work out a great deal, be able to get in right as they were starting to frame the town home, and have the opportunity to choose and customize everything. (which I must say these builders have a great structure in place for choices that aren't upgrades (i.e.hardwood, countertops, etc.) -- That was a wonderful perk too.)
The timing couldn't have been greater and we feel so much better knowing we won't bring home our daughter from China (sometime next year most likely) and then have to move again. Anyone who understands international adoption and some of the things that children can go through in that process understand that moving shortly after a child gets settled in would have been the worst thing to do. An internationally adopted child will have enough adjustments in their little life those first few weeks and months, so adding a move to the mix was a big "no, no" in our minds.
We are very thankful that God opened this door for us and as always, we give it all back to Him since he owns it anyway. Our desire is to use what He has given us as a way to minister to people. (although just don't invite yourself over quite yet, there is still much to do)
So, here is what the last several months have looked like for us:
So that's a quick sneak peak at what's been happening the last several months. We have spent many a night for the last several months playing "Inspector Gadget" making sure they were doing everything right. (and as anyone who builds knows, you will always find something, even if only minor)
That comprised our evenings along with packing and sitting through numerous meetings answering questions such as the following:
1. What kind of cabinets do you want in what color and with what kind of doors and handles? How do you want your kitchen cabinets & drawers laid out?
2. What type of carpet and padding do you prefer and in what kind and color?
3. What kind of tiles or flooring do you want in the bathroom, how would you like them laid and how do you want to design it? Not to mention- what color grout do you want between your tiles? Do you want a short toilet or tall one, a taller sink or standard?
4. What kind of knobs and faucets do you want in your bathrooms, and which sink option, type and color do you want? What kind of light fixture?
5. Do you want ceiling fans, lights, or none at all in your rooms? (a funny story on this one will come later)
6. What stain color outside would you like on certain outdoor elements? What kind of doors do you want throughout the house?
So if this makes your head spin just reading it, imagine doing all of this in several meetings over a somewhat short period of time. I learned quickly, that the things we may all love on DIY or HGTV just aren't a reality or sometimes even possible when building, but TV makes it look so easy. (haha) It has been a whirlwind and though tiring, we have loved every minute of it. (except maybe signing our lives away document after document)
So, we close on our townhouse tomorrow and will officially become first time home owners (scary and exciting thought all at the same time) Then comes the beloved job of painting. So this is how we will spend vacation time this year- packing up the current rental home, painting the new one, moving and settling in. I must say that I'm thankful and looking forward to having the next week off to get everything "move in ready".
More info and photos to come!
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