Grandma's Weekend

Jeremy's parents have spent the last 3 weekends with our kids. I bet they are tired. My mother came to visit (planned before we knew we were going to move).

5 minutes before she arrived. We got our second offer on the house. So Grandma spent the weekend discreetly not listening while we discussed counter offers and making our kids feel loved while we were distracted by other things.

So here is what I know based on Jeremy's parents and mine. We can raise them, we can send them out into the world. But we will always be responsible for these beautiful girls.

She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me???

After some tense negotiations, we are agreed on an offer. The contract won't be signed until tomorrow, and everyone knows their inspection could throw the whole thing off, but as of right now we are off the market.

I am glad I don't have to show the house tomorrow.

I am glad my mother arrived 5 minutes after the offer so she could pay attention to our children while we debated the finer points of whether or not to replace the range hood for the buyer.

Now we wait for inspection. and the contract our attorney has to create because we have gotten complex on this deal . . .

In and Out of Love

We got our first offer last night. It was a good offer, and after a little negotiation we all agreed on a deal.

We went to bed with our house sold.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, the buyer got cold feet.

I guess that's show biz.

Ranting

1 Peter 5:6-7
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Since discovering we will be leaving the midwest there have been a variety of reactions. We are grateful for our friends and family who have rallied to help us through a difficult time getting the house on the market. Now that we are listed (2 showings booked today, 1 this weekend), I am calming down and reflecting on the past month.

I am truly grateful for the friends who still take my calls after the last month. I was not always a bright and sunny spot in their lives. I am also seeing how easily some people let us go. There are friends who already look past me, like I have moved. I won't lie, that hurts. People I thought I had a genuine connection with, but for some personal reason, have already separated from me. I must choose to see how their contrast with the people who have held us closer as we prepare to go. This makes some friends more cherished. The ones who send me scripture to keep me going, give us a room for our "stuff", show up with a truck, or willing spirit to help us tackle another house project, or the women who just sat in a room with me last night and let me be afraid a little bit about the future, without trying to make me go back to sunshine and roses (Ok, the chocolate they provided helped too).

I am grateful for those who will make moving harder. Those are the people I will take with me to Tucson.

Showin Showin Showin

At 6pm yesterday evening, our realtor finally stuck the for sale sign in our yard. Just after he casually informed me that I needed to paint my garage door. He was right. Many of the shingles thrown over by the roofers skimmed the door on their way to the dumpster and you can't help but notice big black marks as you pull up. Everyone KNOWS that curb appeal is essential when selling a house, right?

So, when I got the call that someone was walking through our house at 3:30 today (less than 24 hours after the sign went up and before the listing made it to MLS), I took a long lunch to rush home and start painting the garage. Instead of the fun lunch with friends we had planned, we sanded, and primed the door. It no longer has black marks visible, but when you get close it obviously needs another coat of paint. Unfortunately, oil based sealer/primer needs longer than latex between coats, so it will have to do.

What is the point of this post? you might be asking, and that would be fair.

Just one month ago, this would have been a major project. It would have caused angst and much research and at least 10 days before we would have mobilized into action. Now it is something we can squeeze in a couple lunch hours. I call that progress.

Now it is something we can do together, and not even argue. If you know me, you know I tend to work better alone that with a partner. I call that progress too.

I am proud of what we have accomplished on our house and in our marriage in this process. We may have spent our 12th anniversary eating left overs and working on getting our house ready. But we enjoyed working together, and that is worth everything.

The fact that someone is walking through our home less than 24 hours after the sign went up doesn't hurt my mood either. I realize they won't buy, but I am a numbers girl. Every walk through increases the statistical likelihood that an offer is coming, right? I wonder if Jeremy can do a model that will tell me the probability of walk throughs I must have before I sell . . . .

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

And We're Back . . .

Elspeth crawled up on a chair with her sister this weekend and asked for their picture to be taken. As we are rushing chaotically to get our house on the market, it has been a joy to see our girls bond more and more with each other.

Other things to be grateful for:

- Prayers of our friends and family

- The unknown person who snuck up and fixed the siding on our house (who ever you are, thanks)

- Jeremy's parents for making the drive two weekends in a row and sticking to their chore lists

- John for coming over and updating a couple outlets

- Erik for coming over, hauling away furniture with his truck and fixing the switch in the master bedroom

- Celina for showing me how to sell things on Craig's list and for doing some research on how to prepare small children for a move

- Rob and Robin for saving us the cost of a storage garage by lending us a room in their basement for the next 18 months

- Kevin and Sylvia for offering us a safe haven when we need to leave our home (assuming someone will come and look at it in the next few months)

- Our realtor for helping us save significant money on our roof

Ok, there are a ton of other people that I am grateful for, like Jamie for giving me a primer on how to be a working professional, then suddenly a professional mom. all of these people are a blessing in our lives, and I am overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit that has sustained us during a difficult time.

The house goes on the market tomorrow. I have done what I can, I no longer have control. If you know me at all, you know how much that terrifies me. Prayers would be good.

Good News Edition

I am not a lot of fun to be around these days. We are struggling, and are grateful for all the support from friends and family as we address one issue after another. I find myself crying, first at something bad that comes up, then because someone nice has helped me through it and that person is part of a community I am leaving. I need good news. You live in this economy too. You need good news. So here is some highlights of stories that have been brought to my attention by various people who have given me a pep talk when my pep has gone away.

A man has survived going over Niagra Falls. If you have ever seen Niagra Falls, you know that is pretty cool.

A man in Michigan has started a donating chain for kidneys. By agreeing to donate to a stranger, he has started a domino effect that has 10 completed transplants behind it and potential to go to 28. One altruistic effort that has saved 28 lives. That is good news.

A pharmacist in Alabama gave each of his employees $16,000 bonuses in his own heroic attempt to stimulate their local economy. I would love to see how that chain worked, he gave it to them in $2 bills so it would be noticed as they were released.

An Indiana town that has been hit hard by the economic decline got a little help in feeding over 5,000 people. Hmmmm, who can't see the miracle in feeding 5,000?

A 7-year-old girl wants everyone to know there is always hope. 3 months ago, she was told her cancer was in-operable. Today she is cancer-free.

Reality Check

If you leave two 4 year olds alone with a light bright, you will be picking up light bright pegs for weeks.

If you are moving to Tucson with dogs, not only do you have to check if rentals allow dogs, you have to check to see if you are old enough to live in the potential community (rule of thumb, if you are getting excited, you probably have to be at least 50 to live there).

If you are trying to pack up your house, your children will help you. They will pack stuff for you. If you are called away while you are packing, you should inspect any boxes for cups of milk or favorite lovies, or baby sister's favorite toys (I suspect she would put baby sister in there if she could) before you continue loading the box with your possessions.

Moving is not fun. Selling your house is not fun. The addition of children multiplies this effect. The addition of dogs makes the multiplier exponential.

Random Acts of Cute