We found a house!
June 24th, 2008
It’s in a great neighborhood with a decent commute time for Troy and has an enclosed front yard with a couple of citrus trees and the landlords seem genuinely nice and it’s costing us about one-sixth less than most of the other contenders we looked at. Score!
We were getting rather discouraged after our initial foray into the rental market last week, when we just weren’t finding anything promising that was available/afforable/allowed cats. Then I had a talk with myself one night before I fell asleep. I reminded myself that each place we have lived in the past twelve years, even the ones we didn’t like much at first, has been a blessing in one way or another. I prayed that God would help me remember that wherever we live, it will be the right house for us.
When I woke in the morning, I had received an email from our friend Lisa, encouraging us in our house hunt. It read in part, “Remember whatever you’re going through now you have to go through to get to where God wants you to be.”
Later that day, we were driving around viewing homes when we passed a little house with a ‘For Rent’ sign on the gate. We didn’t stop, but went on to view two or three different houses. When we finished with the last one Troy said, “We’re still in the neighborhood. Wanna go check out that house with the ‘For Rent’ sign on it?” So we did, and then we called the number on the sign. The owners agreed to meet us later that evening to show us the property.
We introduced ourselves to our potential landlords with smiles and handshakes, and then wandered around the house as the owners followed at a discreet distance, ready to answer questions but letting us lead the way. We stage-whispered to each other in each room: Can you believe how much storage there is in this kitchen!?…Cool, a laundry chute!…I wonder if the piano could go on the second floor?
We ended our tour in the kitchen, after being encouraged to walk around the house again if we liked, and I filled out an application on the spot as Troy chatted with the owners. We drove away slightly giddy with hope and confidence, having been promised a phone call to let us know by noon the next day.
Next morning at 8:30 we got the call. We signed a lease and wrote a check that afternoon. Thursday night we pick up the keys.
Now to face the next challenge: unpacking all twelve trillion boxes!
June 24th, 2008 at 4:38 am
YAY! I am so glad you found a house.
It sounds pretty much perfect.
I love how you open your mind to things and they just happen. I must remember to do this more often.
Good luck with the unpacking.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:42 am
Woohoo! Congrats!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Congratulations! Good luck with all that unpacking. I’m sure Annalie will be a great help with that ;-)
June 24th, 2008 at 6:48 am
I’m so glad you found a house that you like. Of course we are all waiting for photos but I know that will follow shortly. Hope it won’t be long until you get all settled in.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Yay! A house! Don’t tell me you didn’t take any pictures of it, I can’t believe that. Looking forward to seeing your new California bungalow :)
June 24th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Hooray for a place to live! Bonus points for great location, good landlords, and affordable! I don’t envy you the boxes…but the rest of your life sounds pretty good!
June 24th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Yippie! Now I really believe you’re staying! :)
June 24th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Citrus trees! Can’t wait to see it!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I’m guessing you are still into Mary Engelbreit, and my favorite “saying” of hers is “Bloom Where You’re Planted.” Your post made me think about that, and I just thought I’d remind you of it. It’s one that has been important to me over the years. I hope you enjoy the new house, and the unpacking!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am
So exciting, but it’s also probably a huge relief to have that huge fundamental need of “a place to live” taken care of! Can’t wait to see the pictures of the new place. Hope the unpacking process goes smoothly for you, I always hate that. It’s a relief when it’s done, but it kind of feels daunting when you first start!
June 24th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Congratulations! Sounds like it was meant to be. Can’t wait to see pictures. Now the fun of settling in and making it your own starts. Whee!!!
June 24th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Hurray! May you all be very happy in your new home!
(I remember when I was young and we went to the house of family friends who had a laundry chute…I thought it was so cool!)
June 24th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Hooray for you guys!! Have fun unpacking!!
June 24th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Congrats, Bethany! That’s thrilling.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am
yay for you!!! so glad :) a huge relief isn’t it?! I’m a few days behind you, just got a call that i have a subletter for the next two months as hoped for … now to pack my boxes!
June 24th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Yay!!!!
I have more good news for you, too. Your tote is finished.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:50 am
YAYYY!!! Great story, congrats!!
June 24th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Congrats! That much be a huge relief to have that part out of the way at least. Good story too.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
OK, so I’m dying to know where you ended up, then? I think you can see my e-mail address? Anyway, I hope you can make it to our Photo Party on Sunday! If you aren’t moving!
June 24th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Congratulations - I’m so pleased for you.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I’m just ecstatic for ya! Can we see empty house pictures? I just love empty house pictures - so many possibilities!!!
June 24th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I’m so happy for you! Sometimes the best things are in the places you never think to originally look. God does show us the way. Amen to that.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Oh man. I am SO with you! We move this Sunday.
I’m SO glad you found a place to live. God is amazing when we trust Him! (And even when we don’t, it’s just a whole lot better when we do!)
June 24th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
When it’s meant to be it’s meant to be! Yeah! I’m so happy for you and your family.
There was a lot of divine intervention when we moved from TX to FL. FL was where we needed to be and if there ever was any doubt in my mind, God took it away. We were able to sell our TX house in a slumping market, our church family came to help us move without us asking (they just showed up!), J landed a job that enabled me to be a SAHM, we bought a house immediately next door to my cousin and her family… the list goes on and on.
I’m sure you’ll be so happy in your new home :-)
June 24th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Woo-hoo!! Congrats. I know that’s a load off!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Yipppeeee! So glad to hear you are almost “home” again. :)
June 25th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Hooray!!! That is fabulous news. Once in a while you just have to sit back and let things fall where they may. And funny how it wasn’t even one of the houses on your list to visit. I don’t envy you the unpacking, not one little bit.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
[...] days ago and I am just now getting around to posting my last photo. What can I say, we were busy finding a place to live and [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 7:46 am
WOO HOO!!
That’s awesome!! I’m so happy for you guys!!
Can’t wait to see photos of the laundry chute once you get around to posting them. :)
Congratulations!
June 26th, 2008 at 11:48 am
oh yay! bethany i was thinking about you the whole time i was in california, wondering if you had found a place. so happy to hear that you did! congratulations!
June 26th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Where are the pictures???