The Why.

After I read my friend Melissa's comment yesterday, I realized I hadn't given the reason why we decided to put our house up for sale! So, here it is.

We love our house. It's cozy and has everything we need (solid foundation, running water, a place to eat, a place to hang out, a place to sleep) and some extras, too (each child has their own bedroom, there are two bathrooms, wood floors, a fenced in yard, etc.). We realize that, by American standards, our house would be considered on the small side, but, in comparison to the rest of the world, it's above and beyond. Our cars have a covered and insulated place to spend the night and our washing machine even has its own room, for pete's sake!

I say all that to emphasize that we did not decide to put our house on the market because it was not enough for us. We feel immensely blessed to own this home--the memories we have here are priceless. It has served us well and we love it.

So, then. The Why.

There are a few things that we've wanted--not needed, just wanted--and we decided to put our house on the market to see what was out there. One of those things is a safer area for our kids. We live in an awesome neighborhood, but our home is situated on a busy corner lot, which isn't exactly conducive to little ones going out to play (although there is a playground down the road, which has been great). We wanted some land for them to run, away from a busy road. We also do not have an extra room for guests. Now, don't get me wrong--my husband and I are happy to give up our room, and we have some comfy couches in our living room, but our primary overnight guests are my parents. I don't know if you remember, but a few years ago my Dad was diagnosed with Stage Four Metastatic Carcinoma--a cancerous tumor had metastasized in his scapula (just typing it makes me choke up), requiring grueling chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He is currently cancer-free (praise God!) and has regained most of the use of his left arm, but it still gives him pain. We wanted an extra room so my parents could have a private, comfortable place that would allow them to stay overnight while visiting their grandkids. Throughout this whole process, my husband has referred to the guest room solely as my parents' room, showing his quiet compassion (and making his wife's heart full) while we've searched for the perfect mattress and such to make the room as comfortable as possible. They will even have their own bathroom in this new house, which is something we were not expecting.

Again, not a need, just a want.

We wanted to find the home where we would raise our kids. As my friend Katie puts it, we wanted to find our "forever home". We knew that houses like ours were selling well and that houses in the price range we wanted to buy were not selling so well (leaving room for negotiation, which is how we were able to buy the house we are purchasing), so we decided to make a move on something a little more removed, a little quieter, with some room to house loved ones.

Throughout this whole process, my husband and I have acknowledged that if our home did not to sell, we would be okay with that. It's a great house and has generously seen us through the first six years of our marriage. We're blessed to have a home, no matter where that home is or what that home looks like. A lot could happen in the next week, but either way we will still have a house, and for that we are truly grateful.

So. We'll see where this journey takes us next.

Have a lovely day.