May thru September: sort of a blur

May: oh, look! the end of the school year! woo hoo!

June: grandma very sick, grandma promoted to Heaven. House on the market. Offer in the first day, same day grandma goes to Heaven. Offer too low. Counter back and forth, no sale. One last update, never ending showings.

July/August: Thinking maybe we should have taken the "too low" offer after all. Nate and family come for visit, two weeks of pure fun. And exhaustion. Showing after showing. "awesome house. too small" yeah, that's what we said. grandma's memorial service, offer on house, things going wrong with house. Took the offer, repairs attempted and successful but more issues uncovered. Unexpected expense after unexpected expense. What?!?!! School is starting already!?!? FOUND A FIXER UPPER THAT WE CAN BUY! offer accepted, apply for loan, (far below our approval amount) and found out the laws have changed and the house has to be "complete" so there's a list of repairs here and repairs there and WOWSA. overwhelming. not sleeping well, not functioning well...it's crazy.

September: CC begins, great first week, cut down in my prime by the strep bacteria. Oh My Swollen Glands. A full week gone! We're getting back on track...

In all this, God works for us and in us! It's been a super time of learning and I'm sure there's more to come. I have to say I'm very excited to sign the papers and get this chapter over with!!  It has been really fun to get to know the older man who owns the new house. He is the original owner and such a sweet guy.  The new house needs a lot of work but upstairs it's a bathroom renovation and cleaning and painting.  I can handle that!! Downstairs we have visions of wall removal and wall creation, new flooring and bathroom renovation. But we'll have more space! and a partial basement! And the price is right for the neighborhood, so we should be able to make it work as far as investment goes. As heartbreaking as it will be to leave our "sweat and blood" house, and especially our lovely neighbors, we're very excited to have another project house. I'll be pinching myself when we sign the papers. There's just one thing.

The new neighbor has a lovely garden. And. A cottonwood tree.

You remember our 4' diameter cottonwood that we had removed just this year? And how greatly I rejoiced in the lack of sticky pods and messy branches. The hands raised in praise. The happy hallelujah dance. As you can imagine, I'm already plotting my "please remove that nasty tree" strategy.  A plate of sugar cookies decorated like tree slices, complete with age rings; a yule log cake with cottonwood bark...a chainsaw wrapped up with a bow.  Wink, wink.

I can't wait to post before (and after!) photos of the house! We've got lots of vision, at least!