When it rains, it pours!

Ryan and I have always been known to keep life interesting! Throughout our marriage - we have never really taken things slow and life continues to go that way for us. We bought our first house in Brookhaven on the last day of October 20o5, got married November 2005, found out we were pregnant in March 2006, bought another house and moved into it that October, had Ali that November, both changed jobs within that time, had Rhodes less than two years later, etc etc. Now we are busy with our new family of 5, both back to work, Ryan busy with Leadership Cobb, I am trying to do some taxes, and, low and behold, we got a contract on our house yesterday! We are completely thrilled, but nervous b/c we have to be out in 3 weeks and I will not rest assured that it is a done deal until the papers are signed and the deal is closed! Now, in the next 3 weeks, while toting around a 1 month old, we have boxes to be packed and a new house to be found....as well as completing the projects on our house that our buyer asked of us, being available for the inspection, appraisal, etc (or being out of the house) and, of course, getting everything set up for the appraisal, inspection, and everything in between for our new house! Phew!

The past two days (especially today) we have been talking, looking and researching where we want to live. It is tough!! Even though I have literally looked at harrynorman.com every day probably for the past 3 years (at least!), having to make an actual decision of where to go next is terrifying! The hardest part is that we have a specific area we want to stay in and we really like the school district that we just registered Ali for....and the houses in our price range in that area are few and far between. There is not one "perfect house" that we know is "the one" and it is so hard to weigh what is most important. Do we pick the one that is the best location, not far from where we are, with character, not as many bathrooms, a great backyard and neighborhood, that is going to need some improvements because it is older (1980), and does not have a basement? Or the one that is similar, built around the same time, with a great backyard that backs up to the National Battlefield, that is not as open, smaller kitchen, not as conveniently located, has less character, but is bigger and has fewer improvements that need to be made and still a great house with a great basement and storage and quiet cul-de-sac for bike riding? Decisions, decisions and I am so torn (and unfortunately, Ryan and I are both leaning different directions on which one is the right one - but feel that, deep down, we really can't go wrong with either one!) I have spent my day today praying that God will lead us in the right direction. Either house would be in a great school district, in the same general area, with more space than what we have now and on dead-end roads where cars will not be speeding by every day. All three of our kids can have their own room, plus there is an additional playroom for them in each house and a garage! (I can NOT wait for a garage!) Will keep you posted on what ends up happening!

If this all really goes through, we are going to miss this house SO much! It's going to be hard to find something we will love as much as we love this house...but the time has come to move on and expand and I am excited to see where we go from here!