The Life of Riley: August 2016

The last month or so has been a whirlwind, and I still feel like I am trying to catch my breathe at times (figuratively and literally as it's hard to breath at 37 weeks pregnant in general). It all started back in June when someone in our neighborhood sent an email about looking to downsize after they sold their home quicker than they expected. They asked if anyone knew of anything coming on the market and laid out their specifications. It sounded like our house was exactly what they were looking for. Paul asked me if we could show it to them. We had always talked about how this was probably a 3-5 year home for us, but honestly I loved our house so much I wasn't sure I could ever sell it. But, I agreed that he could have them come look at it, and if they would pay what we wanted for it that we would have to HIGHLY consider moving. Plus, when you are married to a real estate agent you find that your house is always for sale at the right price.

Low and behold, they loved our house, and soon after we found ourselves under contract- with no other plans, no where to go, and oh yea a baby due in just a few short months. I am not going to lie my first reaction when Paul told me it was sold was to go in the bathroom and cry. I knew it was probably going to come to this, but I don't think I was really mentally and emotionally ready to pack up and move. I get attached to things, and specifically the memories that are made in our home.

I remember the excitement of building our new house, taking pictures of Brady where the new front porch would be, sitting newborn Katelyn in her car seat in the room that would be hers. But, I was also sad when we left our first home where we brought both babies home from the hospital, spent many nights walking around trying to put our newborn babies to sleep, Brady took his first steps, we celebrated multiple Christmas's. But of course, once we moved into the new house I never looked back. Change is hard, but it's also good.

So here we were, selling our beloved house that we custom built and put blood, sweat and tears into. Paul assured me that it was the right decision, and he would find us somewhere to go. We looked at what was on the market around town, but just didn't find anything that we really liked. We decided we would just find a rental house for the time being, because we didn't want to be forced to buy something that wasn't exactly what we wanted. Finding a rental property was a feat in itself. I searched the internet everyday, contacted several property management companies, and just couldn't find anything that would suite our needs. I finally found the perfect property- it was 4 bedrooms, in a good area, large backyard, 2 car carport- perfect. We went and looked at it, and we submitted an application only to be told a day later that sorry someone just signed a lease on that property yesterday. I was devastated and back to the drawing board. I was just sure that I was going to be homeless with 3 children (our parents live in town, so obviously that would not have happened, but pregnancy hormones can get the best of me sometimes). Finally I found a house that was only 3 bedrooms, no carport, not a very nice yard, but it was in a good area of town, the house was decent, and I would feel comfortable and safe there for the time being. We signed a lease, and I could finally breathe knowing that I was not going to be living on the streets in a few weeks.

We packed up and moved half our belongings into a storage unit and the rest to our rental house. In the meantime Paul was on the hunt for a lot where we could build a new house. We just knew that after living in a brand new house, it would be nearly impossible to find something comparable in the area of town we wanted to be in. So we decided that we would probably just build again. Paul found an old house on a great lot exactly where we wanted to be that was not on the market. He had actually contacted the owner a year ago asking her if she would be willing to sell it with no response. He decided he would try again, and low and behold this time she answered. After some negotiating, we worked out a deal, and the property was under contract. We bought the property and are currently finalizing plans and working to get the house knocked down to start building a new one.

Whew- that was exhausting just writing it all down, but I wanted to remember this crazy time in our lives. So far Brady and Katelyn are adjusting well to their temporary house. They are sharing a room which they love, and it is very sweet that they get to have this time together. I am feeling a little guilty for putting them through so many changes at once (new house, new baby, new classes at school), but so far they are doing great. They are excited about the new house and surprisingly haven't asked much about the old house. Katelyn did ask me a couple times if we could go back to the old house, but that's about it. We have a room set up for the baby- it is not the perfect nursery I was envisioning before we moved, but it will work for now and has all the necessities. I will admit I am not a huge fan of building a house. I love the finished product of course, but the whole process- all the decisions, are a little overwhelming for me. Thankfully Paul is our rock, and this is his thing. I know he will build us a great house (with my help and design choices of course). I'm looking forward to what the future has in store for us, and constantly remind myself that it is not where you are, but who you are with that really matters.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of what we have been up to the past month or so!