News!

Do you ever feel like sometimes God is just plain showing off? I LOVE it when He does that. Warning: this is a long post, but if you stick with me, you’ll see why!

We stepped out in faith and obedience when He told us to relocate. It was crystal clear and He confirmed it in multiple, obvious ways. I mean, when you feel this at peace with a difficult decision, you know it’s the right one.

But alas, there was a lot to do first. Many moving parts:

• finish renovation
• list house
• sell it
• get a job
• find a house/land in Colorado

You’d think that after finishing a three year home renovation project, we would want a finished, move-in-ready home. No way, José! We are fixers and love a good transformation. That is the dream.

So…I am a list maker. I like to write down my goals, dreams, prayers, requests. It’s always fun to look back and see how God provided and fulfilled the desires of my heart, usually it’s in ways better than I’d anticipated. G’doi!!

Back to my story…we knew He was calling us to the Colorado Springs area. We looked at dozens of houses but none of them were “it.” Sure, we could settle for a nice finished home in our price range, but remember the dream? A fixer upper. Something with acreage, space for the kids to run and explore. Unfortunately, the more houses we looked at, my list was starting to seem ridiculous. Ready for another list?

• land (acreage)
• existing well
• a livable space that would fit our family while we build
• close to family
• same school district as the cousins
• in our budget

I was starting to get discouraged, finding myself beginning to worry. I’d catch myself and say, “Ok, God. We’re being obedient. If these things are not Your will, change my desire.” Then April 23rd happened.

Three days after we sold our house, we were in Yosemite for spring break. Johnny and I continued stalking the MLS. Something popped up that intrigued us. A house, finished and updated (LIVABLE) on 2.89 acres with a well, a pond, 15 minutes from family, right school district, IN OUR BUDGET. OMG! It was perfect!

Immediately I contacted our realtor in Colorado and asked her to send info. The listing had not even hit Redfin yet. It was brand new. The following was her response:

This was the home our realtor lived in from 7-9th grade! Ummmm…WHAT?! It gets better. The possession date on the listing was June 3rd. Guess what day we close on our sale? June 3rd.

Friday, April 26th: My in-laws went with the realtor to check it out. It is so helpful having boots on the ground, and also FaceTime. We fell in love. It checked every box, including hardwood floors and a hot tub. (Those were on the *optional part of my wish list.) Strong offer made and submitted! I felt really good about this one. Like, we had it in the bag. Until we didn’t.

It was a hot home. It had 17 offers but ours was not selected. For about a minute I was confused and upset. Then, I heard God, “Do you trust Me?” Immediately, a peace I can not describe overtook me. “You’re right. Your plan. Not mine.”

Monday, April 29: Realtor calls. “You’re not going to believe this. It’s back on the market! The buyer backed out, I spoke to the agent and told them you’re still interested. Wanna try again?” YES! We submitted another offer.

When I called my mother-in-law to let her know, she told me, “I have not stopped thinking about that property. I was shocked you didn’t get it. It felt like your home.”

Wednesday, May 1: Our anniversary. We were supposed to find out whether or not the seller accepted our offer. Longest. Day. Ever. Johnny and I went on a date, and tried not to think about it.

It was almost 8pm Colorado time. The seller must have chosen someone else. The server was clearing our plates and then it happened. My phone rang. It was our realtor, “Hey… (long pause) congratulations!” I almost dropped my phone and started screaming, but I was in a fancy Danville eatery and that probably would have been frowned upon so I let out a little squeal and showed amazing restraint!

They had seven offers this time and they chose us! Seven. The perfect number. I am still smiling, in awe of how perfectly God is orchestrating this move, remembering the peace I felt when He asked me if I trusted Him.

So now the hunt is on for the perfect job. The final piece of the puzzle. We’re not worried because…well, we trust Him!