When nothing goes as planned.....

"Let's sell the house, move to the suburbs, and put the kids in public school!"
"That's a great idea!  Let's do it!"

This was us in January.  We had it all figured out, didn't we?  Lots of conversations about downtown life, motivation, and community led us here. We knew where we wanted to go (still in Birmingham), what schools we wanted to be our kids first after homeschooling for 9 years, and we were ready to put in the work to make it happen.  A few weekends of fixing upping and the house would be ready for a bidding war the likes of which Crestwood had never seen!

Then came March.

Nothing will put a screaching halt on life plans like getting laid off.......especially if only one of you is employed! NO PROB- Andy will get a job in no time!

We regrouped. We mourned the plans we made.  We got to work.  Andy and I put in some intense hours of labor (along with a few friends) and finally had the house ready to put on the market......July 26! Yes, we grossly underestimated the amount of work and time it would take to make Cainberly presentable on the real estate market while job hunting! Then we waited for the bidding war to commence the very day she went live online......then we waited the next day- on the edge of our seats......and the next, and the next, and the next.  Completely dumbfounded, we lowered the price and finally got our first offer with the most perfect family who LOVED the house AND the trains. We were thrilled!

Then it fell through- and I was officially done- done with owning a home, done with selling a home......DONE.  And a week later we had another offer- this was the one.....almost exactly one month after putting it on the market.  No bidding war- oh, and still no job and no hopes of staying in Birmingham. And suddenly the feeling of loneliness started setting in.

I'm sure you're asking yourself, "How could she possibly feel lonely? She has two kids AND her man at home every single day!" But it's true.  In March I just knew God had an awesome plan for us and He would reveal it and we would just cruise on. By the end of July, I was feeling like the seven year old version of myself that got separated from Momma in the Mercer Mall- I knew she was there and wouldn't leave me, but for the life of me I COULDNT FIND HER!!! Where was God? And why couldn't I find Him????

To make a long story short......I'm still looking for Him.  I've caught a few glimpses of Him- a job interview, a second job interview, a passed inspection, a chance meeting with the buyer of the house......He's there and hasn't left me!

We close September 15 and will quite literally be homeless.  Everybody chuckles when I say that, like it's cute or a joke.  It's not.  But rather than let our story be a drama, we're making it an adventure! We're hitting the road! The pooches are getting a vacation in Indiana (Thank you Joey and Carly!) and we're going, by way of Niagara Falls and Saratoga Springs, to visit Momma in Vermont! I have never seen Andy so excited about a trip! Fall in Vermont- it really just doesn't get any better than that!

Or does it? Maybe He has other plans.