(Warning: long post! Mostly for journal use)
I have now been home from Brazil for just under three months. Things change so quick in three months. I have been living with my parents since I got home. When I got home we had no intentions of moving, about a week and a half after I got back my Grandma called to say that they wanted to move up with us. We have been trying to talk them into it for years, but they liked where they were at, and all of their friends our nearby. Now it’s to the point that they need our help. That’s when all the fun began!
Within the following two weeks we had bought a house perfect for us and our grandparents about five minutes away from where we currently live. We then put our house, and my grandparets house, up for sale. We knew that the market for selling houses was down, and January is not the time to try and sell your house, but that’s just how it worked out. We planned to close on the new house on April 15th, giving us plenty of time to sell at least one of the houses before moving day.
No one came through our house. Literally, no one. For a whole month. Then one day we got a call saying a family wanted to come through. Later that afternoon we got a call saying they wanted to come through again. The next morning they put a really good offer on our house, to which we counter offered. While waiting to see if they had accepted another family came through the house and also wanted to put an offer on the house. The first family accepted the counteroffer, and the second put down a back up offer. They needed us out of the house by April first. So our moving date was moved up.
Two weeks later my grandparents sold their house. For a time when the housing market was down, our family has been incredibly blessed.
There are lots of advantages to having my grandparents living with us. My dad is an only child, so me and my three siblings are their only grandkids. We have always had a very close and special relationship with them. Growing up we saw them at least once a week, even though they lived an hour away. Over the last few years their ability to drive has gone down, so we have only seen them about half as often, when we go down. We are all looking forward to having them close, and they are thrilled to be close to their great grandbabies.
The house that we are moving to is beautiful. Big and open and clean and new, but with one problem. There is a very, very small yard. We have lived on quite a bit of land for the past 15 years. We have also had a beautiful chocolate lab for the past three years, Sadie. She has been a great dog, but she is BIG! Our current house is perfect for her, the new one, not so much. It is pretty cruel to keep such a big dog in such a small space. Plus, she is so big that she could easily knock grandma and grandpa over. It became apparent that we would need to give Sadie up for adoption.
We really procrastinated, not wanting to actually see her go. We finally made some signs and hung them up at the vets office and talked to everyone we know, but to no avail. No one wanted such a big dog. Then yesterday my parents went on a walk through of the new house. The real estate agent was with them, and they jokingly asked if she would like a dog. A couple of hours later she called to see if she could come and meet Sadie.
Yesterday night (while I was at a meeting) her and her husband came to meet Sadie. They already have a black lab and wanted a friend for her. They also live on lots of land. Apparentl y Sadie took to them right away, and they took to Sadie right away. After 15 minutes they loaded her into the truck with them, along with her bed and food dishes, and off they went, with the promise that we could come and see her whenever we like.
I’ll be honest, its been quite a sad day for our family, we LOVE that dog! But you cant question the Lord’s hand in all of this. They really seem like an ideal match for Sadie, and she will now have a friend to play with. It also happened right on time – three days before the big move. A tender mercy of the Lord.
So right now our house is in a state of chaos. In the 15 years that we have lived there, we have acquired quite a bit of stuff. We are getting closer to being ready though. Boxes are packed, cupboards have been cleaned, DI trips have been made. Yesterday my mom and SIL packed away all the dishes and silverware. Eating my yogurt today was quite the adventure. I think we will be living on Granola Bars for the next few days!
So that is it (sorry for the novel!) We start moving our stuff tomorrow and Saturday. Monday we close on both the new house and our current house, and after that we can actually LIVE in the new house. We will try and get settled in before moving Gram and Gramps up with us on April 12th. We are all sad to leave behind our good ole’ home, but excited for the new adventures before us.
(eating pizza on boxes w/ Liz and Mom. Gotta love it!)
