Home vs House

Housing update: We have a contract on our house! Inspections are over, and after some more negotiations we close on Dec. 27th. It was on the market for 2 weeks. God is so good! Now just to find a place to live. We only have to find a house that is big enough for 3 growing boys, has a lay out that works for us, is move in ready (because we aren't fix it people), but doesn't have the new cookie cutter style. It has to be in a good neighborhood, have a fenced in back yard (again, 3 boys), and is not on a busy street. And we are hoping it is our forever home, at least until we retire to work at Disney World. And now that we have a move out date, has to be available pretty quickly. No biggie.

I have remembered how much I hate looking at houses. I don't mind the actual walking through them, but I detest the looking online part. Luckily I have a husband who loves that part. I have sat with him for many an hour the past month looking and after 30 minutes or so, my eyes glaze over and I am willing to move into a mobile home and park it behind the church. And looking online is almost pointless because you realize that just because you find a house online that looks perfect, you get there and realize the cute rooms you saw on your computer screen are in the craziest floor plan that would never work. Or when it says "backs up to a golf course" they really mean, open your back door and take two steps to the 14th tee box. Yes, heaven to my hubby, but again we have 3 boys who need a back yard.

But now I'm in the good phase where the timing has worked out that my hubby can spend the afternoon with the realtor driving around and narrowing down my choices for me. I am a preschooler in that sense. Just give me 3 houses to choose from. I get overwhelmed. So tomorrow I am flying to MS to look at the top 6 choices and hopefully I love one of them as much as he does and we can make a decision.

I had a meltdown over Thanksgiving about our house in Houston. I love this house. J couldn't grasp why I was upset. Its just a house. But to a mom and wife and emotional girl, it is a home that we have made for our family. We brought a baby home here and he doesn't know anything different. Everything fits just right. But the cool God thing is, after we got home from Thanksgiving, after being gone 8 days, when I walked in, some of that attachment was gone. It is just a house and having all of our personal belongings packed up in the garage, makes it lifeless and not our home anymore. We are just staying here until we move, and the house now almost belongs to someone else. And even though that is sad, its good. I know God already has the right house picked out for us just waiting. He has been so obvious in this part of our journey that we have no doubt He will help us finish this part. One of the Jesus Calling days a few weeks ago said, "Leave the outcomes to Me." And that has stuck with me. He will bring us the right house that will become our home. And I can't wait!