Home

In August of 2014 we listed our house for sale.  My husband and I had the house built for us in 2002 and we enjoyed nearly 13 years there starting a family and raising our babies.  We have been dreaming for a few years now that we would like more land for the kids to roam, and maybe even have some animals.  Restrictions, and other incidents I won't get into gave us our push and we listed our house.  Over 6 months after we listed it, we accepted an offer.  We closed in April and moved out on May 3rd.

When we sold our house, my husbands boss took him aside and let him know the shop he was working in would be closing but didn't have a specific time frame.  Talk about devastating.  We just sold our house, didn't have another in mind, and were living in my parents 2 bedroom house temporarily (while they stayed at their campground resort in Indiana).  They let him know that they really valued him as an employee, and would like him to relocate to their new Indiana location.  So, our new options were stay in Ohio and not have a job in the near future, or move to Indiana.

Can I tell you how hard it is to shop for houses when you aren't in the same state?  Thankfully it was only a 2-2.5 hour drive, but that is 4-5 hours of driving time in a day.  We have 3 kids (who do not do well for long trips!).  Challenging is a good word to describe life this past year!  It took us several trips, many MANY house showings, and 6 months to find a house, close on it, and move in.  September 11th, we closed on our new home, and our belongings arrived on the 18th.

For a long time, I have been a believer that things happen when they should happen.  Not a minute before.  If our home had sold any earlier, his boss wouldn't yet have known our shop was closing, and we would have purchased a new home in Ohio - only to be out of a job months later.  If we had found a home immediately following selling our house, my husband would have been commuting between Ohio and Indiana for months.  And, if we had bought just any house, we wouldn't have found a home that fits us perfectly on just under 5 acres.  I'll take you on a tour in another post.  ;)

So, my apologies for not getting as much accomplished with the planners this year as I had hoped!  It has been quite a ride!  This week is the last week my husband will be commuting and he will finally be HOME for good!  I am so grateful for everything that has fallen into place for us.  We are excited to make new memories with our girls in our new home - and to plan out what that 4 acre back yard means for us!

How one decision can change your life completely...

Before our first daughter was born, we were a pretty typical couple.  Married, house, two cars, two decent jobs, middle class.  In 2003 we decided I should quit the job I hated and go back to college to get a degree in Early Childhood Education.  Looking back, this single decision changed our entire life path.  Had I not went back to college, I probably would still be working at that job, probably excelling, probably making a decent amount of money, but I can be 99% sure of one thing.  I would not be happy.

I graduated in May of 2005, and have not used my degree in a job setting once.  We planned for our first child to arrive shortly after graduation, and she did.  In July of 2005 we had our first daughter - Julia, and had the biggest change in our lives.  We were parents!  For the first time in our lives we had to really think about someone else's life and how we were affecting it.  Obviously, we thought about others before, but this tiny person relied completely on us to make good decisions, because she could not.  It was up to us, and from the moment we got the confirmation on the pregnancy test, we have taken that job very seriously.

When I say that I have not used my degree in a "job" setting, I definitely do not mean I have not used the knowledge I gained while I was in college.  That knowledge is what changed me the most, and I am eternally greatful for that.  Had I not taken those classes, I shudder to think of the decisions I would have made differently.  My parenting style is completley different now than it would have been.  I now research everything, reading until my eyes hurt, talking to people in similar situations for advice, watching informational videos, and researching some more. 

Unfortunately, we are not always supported in the decisions we make as parents.  Family, those who are supposed to be there to support you the most, are often the ones who question you or make you feel bad about your choices.  I take pride in the decisions my husband and I have made so far, regardless of who agrees or disagrees with them.  We did not decide one day to just "do" the things we do.  We have put more thought and research into each decision, than we ever imagined possible.  But at the end of the day, we feel good about them, and that is what matters.