God's (Latest) Act of Grace in Our Lives

"Unmerited favor" is a phrase that has rung in my mind countless times over the past few dizzying weeks.

Short version: We're moving.

Longer version:  For years I have wanted to move "out".  Out into the country.  A little land. A few animals.  Jas hasn't always felt the same, but for the past good while he has wanted this too.  We've tried a few times and a few different ways to help this along.  But - much to my impatient chagrin - the Lord has always made it crystal clear that it was not His will.  I didn't know if it just wasn't the right time/situation...or what.  Truth be told, I despaired that we would ever get to move out into the country, and to say it was "a desire of my heart" would not be overstating it.

Add to this desire:  Every time we have driven out to my dad's "farm" that he purchased about 10 years ago, we have passed a particular house that I loved.  And every time I would point to it and say, "Jas, I love that house!"  Every. time. I kid you not.  And then about 3 years ago, they painted the brick and put up a precious pergola over the carport, and basically just made me love it even more...which I would not have believed possible.

It's probably clear now...we're moving to ***that house***.  I still have to pinch myself!

We found out a few weeks ago that it was for sale.  It is currently owned by a relocation company and it has actually been vacant for about a year now.  We never knew it was on the market.  It has been listed with several different real estate agents/company over the past year...and the price has come down...and down...and down...

And we offered them even less...and we found out while we were at Disney that they accepted!  WOOT!

Literally:  Only.  God.

Only God could have worked all this out the way He has.  Only. God.

You are decidedly "out" in the country at this house...but it is less than 5 miles away from our current home.

back of the house, you can see a peek of the sunroom on the right

The house has the same number of bedrooms as our current house (4), but it does have more square feet over all.  But the size of the house is not why we want to move...the Lord has been very faithful to always show us how to make our current house work for our family.

The house sits on 2 1/2 acres.  Enough to raise some chickens and dairy goats (yes!)...but not too overwhelming to maintain.

I love, love, LOVE the fact that the house has mature landscaping and trees.  There are magnolia trees, oak trees, crape myrtles, etc.  LOVE this!

The house is almost 50 years old, and while in good shape, will offer us some opportunities to flex our home improvement muscles.

For example: I'm finally going to have to learn how to take down wall paper, because this border in the dining room has to go:

And we have quite a bit of painting to do because the previous owners were...ummm, bold in their choices....

Daniel and Noah's room

Gabriel and Joseph's room, right next to our master

...and we don't have any girls named "Ashley", nor do we plan to have any in the foreseeable future.

Elisabeth stopped and gasped and did the "Macauley Culkin" o-face when she saw this chandelier in the girls' room.

master

It didn't hurt the children's opinion of the house that it had sitting behind it a precious little playhouse.

And for "the cherry on top"?  God also saw fit to take care of two "minor" things...that are not so minor to me.  As I thought/dreamed for years about us moving "out", I was sad to think of leaving two amenities of city-living behind: We love "our" pool (our dear friends/backdoor neighbors who have given us unlimited access to their pool.)  With the children getting older and being such good swimmers, and given that we live in the deep South (and the only outside activity that you can stand during the summer is swimming)...I was sad to think that IF we did ever get to move out to the country that we wouldn't have a pool.  Because IF we ever had the money laying around to put in a pool, well, that would practically be enough money to adopt, and we simply wouldn't be able to choose to use our money for a pool.







But this house already has a pool.  A pool with a slide and a diving board.  AND a new metal safety fence surrounding it.  Only. God.




And, the other thing I was sad to think about missing in the country was a place for our children to ride their bikes.  May sound silly, but this is no small matter to a mom-of-many who is very interested in her children getting all the crazies out exercise!  But many places we've seen out in the country only have a very small paved driveway, if they have a paved driveway at all (they usually only have dirt driveways).

Well, this house has an unusually long, already-paved driveway.

We are scheduled to close at the end of next week.  I still cannot believe it.

(BTW - Know anyone who wants to buy a house "in town" in Mayberry?)

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He didn't have to do this for us.  Any of this.  But - as my dear friend Kris was fond of saying before she passed - He did it because I'm His favorite.  And so is Jas.  (And so are you!)

And we are overwhelmed.  And we are humbly grateful.