To Move or Not to Move....

About two months ago when we found out we were pregnant one of our first thoughts was... we should move! Let me start by giving you a little history... we moved to Dallas in May 2006. We had every intention to buy a house as soon as we could. We knew (or thought we knew) that Kyle would be in seminary for at least 4 years, so that would be a good amount of time to invest in a property and not waste our money renting. So, we bought this house in Oct 2006 and thought we were in love... key word... thought.

We wanted to be close to Kyle's school (thinking he would be there for longer) and we wanted a house that would fit in our budget if we ever had children. We were not planning on have kids until after Kyle got his masters degree, but we knew that we didn't want to tie ourselves to a large mortgage payment just in case. We made a vow several years ago, that I would stay at home with our children no matter what it took (that is a long story, for another blog). So, after looking for homes for several months, this seemed like a very nice, reasonably priced (for Dallas), well maintained, home for us. But, lets just say that our idea of home repair or remodeling has been slightly skewed from watching way too many home improvement shows that make you think anyone can do these projects, you can do them for under $1000, and that you can get them done in a weekend! Haa haa.... my Dad tried to warn us... but we had lofty ideals. :)

So, over the past year, we have grown progressively frustrated with this house. The kitchen is not large enough, there is only one bathroom, the washer is in the kitchen and the dryer is located on the opposite side of the house, the carpet is old, the cabinets are old and gross.... and the list goes on, oh I forgot to mention our front planter is falling down. So, when we found out baby #2 was on its way, there was no doubt in our minds that we need a larger house. Not much larger, just at least two bathrooms and an actual laundry room.

And we wanted an excuse to move into a newer home that is closer to Kyle work... since now he drives about 45 mins one way and he is no longer in school. So we began praying about it and looking into new mortgage guidelines and such. We got excited about possibly moving, we found several homes in North Dallas that were in our price range and newer (hopefully less up-keep). And, to be really honest right here, everyone we know lives in better, larger, nicer homes then we do. Every time I go to their homes, I covet. I know, not a reason to buy a new home, but I'm not going to lie, it was one of my thoughts.

So, after two months of talking about it, praying about it, seeking advice about it, we have actually decided not to move. And, honestly, I am happy with that decision. Of course there are things in this house that I would change, I am sure in my next house there will be things to change there too. Of course there will are things to fix and yes there will be things to fix in the next house as well. Of course all of our friends have larger homes then we do... they are living on two incomes, that will most likely always be the case. But, in the end, I am happy here. I have great neighbors. I know that it is because of this house that I am able to stay at home with Ryland and baby #2. It is a comfortable house for us at this stage in our life. And, I know this is where God wants us. So, we are staying.