Settling

It happened! We finally bought our new home.

Thank you for your patience while we get unpacked and settled into our new place. We are so thrilled where we are and couldn’t be happier. We took a much needed break to relax and enjoy our new space. It isn’t finished by any means, but I don’t have any more boxes to unpack. (That’s a victory in itself!)Pictures still need to go on the walls and nearly every wall needs to be painted, but we have time for that, right?

I mentioned how this home was an answer to prayer, and I guess now is as good a time as any to explain what exactly happened. This was a long process for us. We originally decided back in July 2015 that we would need to prepare for our next home. We decided that once we paid off all our debt and saved enough money for a down payment, we would list our current home in Connecticut. So fast forward to April 2016, all of the above were completed. We prepped our house for sale, got it listed, and waited. And waited. And waited.

Hundred of showings. Dozens of open houses. One lowball offer. And so our house stayed on the market for what seemed like a lifetime. Not to mention, we had our third baby at the end of May, so our life was a little crazy. Now that I look back on this past year, I don’t know how we did it. Our life was so up in the air, with a newborn, and it was hard to plan anything. We knew God had a plan and were completely content in that. However, how long would this be? How long would we need to wait?

The interesting thing about moving is we originally weren’t planning on relocating to New Hampshire. My husband got a promotion this past August, but was offered it back in March. The timing worked out well (and completely divine) because we knew that when we listed our home, we would no longer buy in Connecticut but relocate. Connecticut had been so good for our family (friends and church), but we were looking for a place closer to family, a little slower pace, better cost of living, and better schools. I grew up in Southern NH, so we knew it was a good move for our family. Plus it would be closer to my husband’s corporate office and more central to all the branches in his company and close to airports. 

So back to the waiting. We listed our home on April 15 and didn’t get under contract until December 5. It was long. It was painful. But we grew. We knew God had us staying where we were for some reason. But even though we knew that, it was still hard to be joyful through the entire process. I wish I could say we were happy and content through it all, but I would be lying. But ultimately we were confident in Him and are thrilled where we ended up! 

We put an offer on a home at the end of December, but it didn’t go through. What at first was very discouraging at a time where nothing was going to plan, it turned out that  And was another God thing too. We wouldn’t be where we are now if we bought that place. We ended up closing on our home in Connecticut on January 21, and the entire earth heard a sigh of relief. Our family packed up and moved into my parent’s house in New Hampshire.

I am so thankful we had a familiar landing pad, because our poor kids had been in a state of limbo for so long. Even though as parents we put on a brave face, kids can read through that. The first couple weeks were tough for Levi (age 2), but it was an awesome transition in general. Even considering the whole dynamic- my dad and husband work together, from home, and my mom works from home. We have three kids under four, so that brings a certain level of noise… I am so thankful my parents graciously opened their home to us and all of the activity that comes with us! We had such a wonderful few months with them. In Connecticut we were 2.5 hours away, so there’s only so many weekend trips you can do. This was such a great time to spend with the grandparents, making memories and enjoying time together.

We waited (im)patiently while living at my parent’s for homes to come on the market. The unfortunate part about moving in January is that there isn’t much to choose from. But then finally, FINALLY, on March 28 (my birthday! Best present ever!) we went under contract with our new home. And then time FLEW. Before we knew it we were closed, e packing up the truck and moving in, rain and all. We were so desperate to put down our roots again!

It was a year. We listed our last home on April 15, and closed on the new one on April 21. One year of waiting. One year of limbo. A year of lessons and stretching. But we are even more grateful now than if we didn’t have to wait! 

Shout out to my amazing husband who has been my rock and strength through it all. He’s done more unpacking, organizing, cleaning, and building than I have, on top of his full time (plus!) job and traveling. I am so thankful for him.

So please forgive me as we find our new normal. As the house comes together I am slowly finding my motivation to blog again. If you want to see more details of our day, go check us out on Instagram and my Instastories. I am also so excited to add in another passion of mineto the blog- interior design- now that we have a home again! Stay tuned for updates on our place and what we’ve done so far, including our current project of finishing the basement!