Happy Birthday, Kevin, Let's Sell the House

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday. We had a deliciuos dinner last night at Don Joses while the kids were with Carla for what we have come to refer as "Miss Carla Night." We sat and ate and talked leisurely and I think we were almost the last to leave the restaurant before it closed. I'm so thankful for the wonderful man of God I am priviledged to call my husband. The kids have presents and cookies ready to celebrate tonight when Daddy gets home. Kevin doesn't ask for much, but this year he has asked me to take a huge leap of faith.

After Christmas Kevin told me he thought now would be a good time to sell our house. He has wanted to do it before, but I have been unwilling. I told him, the best confirmation that he will probably get from the Lord is that I was even willing to consider it.

We discussed it and have been praying about it. We also made a list of things that would have to happen in order for us to sell it. I kind of hoped it would be obvious from the beginning that it wasn't going to work out, but so far things seem to be falling into place.

So, right now we are anticipating preparing our house to put it on the market near the end of March. A lot has to happen between now and then, and that thought alone can completely overwhelm me. We have a lot of work that needs to be done on the house itself, a lot of packing to do, and a lot of things to get rid of. It will sell better if we don't have near as much stuff inside. Last month we got the lawn and sprinkler systems put in and a lot of other outside things accomplished.

Since we received Melody's diagnosis and began to learn what spina bifida could mean for her, we have known we would likely need to move. If you've never been to our home, it sits on three different levels, on a hill and we have no sidewalks. We believe that Melody will be a walker some day, but what that means for her may be different than what it means for you and me. Having any mobility issues makes living in a house like ours difficult.

We could wait until she is older to move, but Kevin feels like the market is not going to improve for 5-7 years, so waiting is really not going to add value to our home. In fact, it may even decrease in value. We bought at a very good time, before the market really sky-rocketed and we said, "it will never drop below what we bought for." Unfortunately, it has and it may go lower. Of course, we don't know the future, so we just have to make decisions we believe to be wise and trust God with the rest.

Our plan is to sell our home now and move into a rental. We are not leaving Riverside, so we'll be looking locally. We have also been told that swimming is a wonderful exercise for someone with spina bifida. Melody's upper legs are strong, so with flippers she could swim and be on a level playing field with her friends and siblings more than when walking. I'm not sure I really want a home with a pool, so we are considering renting one to see if we like it.

We would probably spend then next 6 months + in a rental until we would qualify to buy a home and/or could find one that fits our needs. We would be looking for a one story home in a level community with sidewalks. Single story homes are harder to come by and we'd be looking for 4 bedrooms as well and possibly a pool. I'm trying to resign myself to moving into a "cookie cutter" home and neighborhood. I do love where we live, but a tract home/community will really be better for our family.

We would appreciate your prayers.

*We have just a week or two to finally decide whether we are really going for it, or forgetting the whole thing. Pray for wisdom for us in the final decision making.

*We need a significant amount of money in the bank to make home repairs and possibly close escrow if our home sells below what we bought it for. Pray for Kevin's sales that they would provide the income we need if it is God's will. It is looking likely, but we know house sales fall out of escrow all the time.

*Pray for our kids as we ask them to give away a lot of toys and pack up their things. Elizabeth especially does not do change well. Pray for their ablility to adapt and enjoy the process.

* Pray that I will not get overwhelmed with all there is to do, but will have strength and wisdom in when and how to get it done.

* Pray that the Lord would send just the right buyer that will offer us a fair price as well as enough for us to be able to sell. If the offers are too low, we'll have to take it off the market.

I don't really mind leaving the house, it is just a house after all. But, getting from here to there and all the work in between is a bit much for me to handle sometimes. Also, I like the security of having a house and selling it for some future unknown is difficult for me. But, houses are not where our ultimate security lies. We trust God whether we are able to sell, or not. Either way we know He will provide for our family.

If you are local and can help out, we'd love to take you up on it! We are tentatively planning a "work day" on Feb. 27th, so if you are free that day, come on over. We need someone to hold a cute baby girl as well as help with the work. Our older kids would love to go play at someone else's house that day, too. :) We have so many friends who have already offered to help. We are abundantly blessed.