Our Housing Adventure

We haven't mentioned anything recently about our house building adventure because we haven't been sure what was going to happen or where we would eventually end up. We were all set to purchase 5 acres in Woodland, WA and build a house, but the closer we got to the project, the less we felt it was what we were meant to do. We had some serious doubts, which the builder graciously walked us through, so we kept moving forward on the project. However, when it came time to really commit, we both felt very strongly that this wasn't where the Lord was leading us. Our "gut-feeling" continued to be one of resistance, so finally, after a lot of prayer, we decided we'd better listen and stop moving down this path.

The very day we broke off the Woodland project, a house came on the market in a nice rural pocket northeast of Vancouver. The home is a 1960s era fixer-upper on one acre. It would be a close commute for Jeremy but we would still get to feel kind of like we were living in "the country." The home would be large enough for our growing family and Jeremy would have room to pursue his projects in the extra-large garage. This house seemed like a really great fit for our family and we were very excited to "stumble upon it" when we did. (Of course, we think the timing had more to do with being directed than stumbling!) However, it was a foreclosure and the price was unbeatable, so we were immediately part of a bidding war with three other interested parties. Thankfully, we were eventually the winning bidders. However, because of some major repairs, we could not get financing secured for a while. Eventually, and thanks to our great realtor, we were able to come up with a workable solution. Now, we are finally officially in contract on the house. We plan to close and take possession on December 21. We probably won't be moving in until the end of February when our apartment lease expires, and, in the meantime, we'll be working hard to get the roof replaced, the electrical systems replaced, the downstairs plumbing removed (from concrete) and replumbed to a different area of the basement, the entire downstairs demolished (including walls, floors, ceilings - everything but the one structural wall), the kitchen demolished, the laminate flooring that covers the entire main living area removed, and... well, you get the idea. We want to do as much as we can before we move in February, then we'll just live in whatever part of the house is most liveable at the time while we work on other parts of it.

Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am to have such a handy husband? It's a good thing he likes projects, because this is a pretty major one! This is definitely a different direction than we thought we would be headed, but we are so thankful for the strong sense of leading that has brought us to this house. We are very excited to "plug in" to our new community and get started on this adventure. If any one of you happens to be in the area and wants a workout, let us know. We can probably manage to find an extra pair of leather gloves for you. :-)

Fall Fun
The boys carved some fun fall pumpkins (it's obvious they had a LOT of help from Daddy!) and enjoyed dressing up for a harvest party that we never ended up making it to. It was still fun. We went around our apartment complex and got a few pieces of candy and they thought life was pretty great. Here are the pics!







Also, I keep wanting to mention a few of the funny things these boys have been saying lately:

Aric, pointing to the thin blue lines in his wrist: "Mom, are these my brains?" (I emphasized the difference between VEINS and BRAINS after this question!)

Taylor, after getting a flu bug: "Mom, I don't like throwing up. It makes my stomach feel all googley." (Who knew "googley" was such a bad thing?)

Aric, as he was being dragged through a store: "Dad, I'm so BORING!" (Jeremy said the checkout lady couldn't stop laughing at this one. He really was tired of being out and about. As he came in the front door, I overheard him say, "Dad, you wore me out!" Sometimes it's pretty funny to hear him repeating phrases he's heard.)