Gratitude Friday: The Pruning: What Now?...

For seven days, our lives were cray-zy.

The photographer came to the house on Monday.

Local real estate agents came by on their Tuesday tour of homes.

Wednesday we had pre-market home showings.

Thursday, at 3:30 pm (no idea why so late), our house went live on the market.

Friday, more showings and we received multiple offers.

Saturday, more showings and still more offers.

Sunday, more showings and offer accepted.

Finally Monday, life got back to a regular schedule after over 30 showings and I honestly don't know how many offers.  Five or six maybe?

Believe me, there were plenty of people who were not AT ALL interested in our house.  

Reading their feed back was the hardest part for me.  

The whole process is completely intrusive.  You're putting your home, your life, your family out on display.  But reading complaints about the house we have poured into for the past three and a half years was difficult for me.

Not for Chris.  Men can totally detach themselves from it.

But my home?  That's my office.  It's my "job."  So in a way, this was a performance review and sheesh.  According to some, I did not pass.

Thankfully, there were some who thought it worth taking on.  Most, even our buyers, see it as a fixer upper of sorts.

When I first called the real estate agency, the lady who took my call asked lots of questions.  The first three being:  Name, address and do you have granite?

My answer, no, no granite.

Um, have you done any updates to the house?

If I say yes, do you really care?  Because it doesn't have granite so is it even worth your time really?

(I didn't actually say that.  I answered her question.  Politely even.)

If we had the money to put in granite, we might have.  But we didn't.

And I can't promise we would have used our cash for that anyway.  We might have used it for a vacation.  Maybe take AK to see Frozen on Ice.  A date night.

Cause those are the "things" we are missing out on living here.  Experiences.

Strangely, the white laminate counter tops seem to work just fine.  It's almost like a miracle.

Are they fancy?  Nope.  Are they clean?  Yes.  Are they new?  No.  Do they function as designed to do?  Yes.

The truth is we don't need granite to survive.  Heck, we don't even need laminate to survive.  We are incredibly spoiled.  What is a luxury, gets twisted to be viewed as sub par.  And the perception of it being so simply rubs me the wrong way.

But thanks to exemplary schools and every organic, speciality grocery store you can imagine, our little area is "sought after."  And I think that's an understatement.  I mean 30+ showings?  For a house with zero granite?  Clearly, people are desperate.

So now our little fixer upper is sold and you're wondering where we are going now.

And the answer is...

...We don't know.

This would be the part where my dad's advice to use your brain isn't getting used.  And people likely think we have lost our minds.  

When people ask me, I simply shrug my shoulders and say, "We'll see!"  I assure you 28 year old Robin would have been completely freaked out about this.  But 38 year old Robin is all "Meh.  God will provide."

As I told the realtor, "This is sort of a don't put the cart before the horse thing.  But it's a don't put the house before Jesus thing."

We have faith that the perfect house will be available at the perfect time.  It might feel late to us but it won't be.  It'll be right on time.  As all things with God always are.

This doesn't mean we are doing nothing.  We are keeping our eyes and hearts open and watching the market in potential areas we have been considering.  And we're praying.  Praying for a full of fruit branch we can use for God's kingdom.  In the exact place He wants us to be.

Until He leads us, we'll keep waiting.

We are grateful for how He has always provided.  Grateful for the time we had here.  Grateful for how it has shaped our hearts and vision for our life.  Grateful for a quick sale.  Grateful for options and possibilities.  Grateful for the removal of dead branches and grateful for the anticipation of what God has planned next.  

From the very beginning, with our first 1,100 square foot, vinyl siding and yes, laminate counter top filled first house, God has always been faithful.  We have been abundantly blessed.    

Look at our precious first house.  So cute!  Oh how I loved that home.  

And check out the cutie with a full head of hair!  That was the first lawn moving. 

Aren't newly weds just the cutest?  We want to document just everything.