Makes My Monday

This house.

(From the road)

(Across the back pasture)

(One of the good climbing trees.  A swing will be going on this one...)

So, check it out! (I'm so excited!!)  This is the house we found after looking at a crazy variety of affordable rentals in the area we want to live in.  We saw a gorgeous house on 35 acres on the top of a mesa with a panoramic view of the San Juans and the surrounding countryside that was stunning and a house that was perfect -- but it was almost an hour from the church.  We saw a house within ten minutes of church that was big and functional but in the most awful, ugly junkyard of a property you can imagine.  We saw a very affordable house that looked cute from the outside, was nestled in a beautiful grove of trees five minutes from church, but it smelled of smoke, was in bad shape, and was too small. 

And then there was the one we really wanted.  Here's the saga:  We've known about the above-pictured house for some time;  we'd seen it in the local paper and called on it a couple of weeks ago, but the owners wanted a rent-to-own situation which was just too expensive for us to consider and they didn't really need plain old renters because they had some good folks renting the house already.  So we'd written it off as a possibility.  Until... 

On the way over the mountains Thursday, we got a call from the owner who told us the renters were buying a house somewhere else and they wouldn't mind if we looked at their house as a straight rental.  We thought that was cool, but were afraid it would still be too expensive...  But we were curious about it --- aaaaand, well... you just never know....  So we set up a time to go take a look.   And we were excited.  Until...

About a half hour before the showing, the owners called and told us "Never mind.  The current renters had decided to buy the house."   We were bummed.  But we figured it was God's will -- and it was probably going to be too pricey, anyway.  So, we puzzled on what to do next.   Until...

 Bright and early the next morning the owner called.  He was a little flustered.  You could tell.  It seems that over night the renters had a chance to consider the ramifications of a big mortgage and changed their minds.  They wouldn't be buying, but moving out of our house as soon as possible to rent one of the owners' other properties.  So.  Huh.  Go figure that. We went to see the house.  We loved it.  (I knew we would.) And the owner being a nice fellow, and feeling, I think, a little embarassed by the confusion of the whole situation let us talk him down considerably.  It all had to happen just like it did.  There are no accidents in the universe... 

And so.

God willing our house-closing here at the old farm goes through on the 1st of July, we will be living in a log house three doors from the church -- with a path through a hay field for the children to walk to school -- and for us all to walk to morning Mass. 

Can you feel my astonishment?

Can you hear the whiz of all the lists I'm making in my mind right now?

Oh, my gosh.  Can you believe it?

Our life is changing so quickly my head is spinning.

But, mind you, we're not counting our chickens before they're hatched.  We're doing "remote" packing, making calls that can be easily reversed if things don't go through, doing some thorough planning and organizing -- but not moving anything over the mountains until we know for sure all deals are on.  Still praying.  Slightly skeptical in light of other house-selling experience.  But hopeful.

Deep Breath.

Anyway -- Quick specs for anyone interested:

11 irrigated acres, worked by the owner, planted in hay
single story log construction
4 bed/2 bath
Great Room (YAY!  Always wanted one of those!)
Huge laundry room with space for extra fridge and freezer (Yes!)
Humongous barn
Chicken coop for Cathy (or I should say: Cathy's chickens)
Climbing trees
Paths to explore
Retirees as our closest neighbors
But, old friends and their kids a little walk away through the fields
Jesus a hop, skip, and jump through the hay field, over the fence, 'round the school building, up to the chapel...

God is so so good.  We beg (shamelessly) for continued prayers for the house deal to close, for Dan's business to take off (since our savings will only last but so long), and for gratitude for God's many blessings in our lives, with or without this house.

More Makes My Monday Good News Posts over at Twinfatuation!