Change of Plans...

It's been a whirlwind 2 months since our move with lots of plan changes. If you know me, you can imagine the stress levels I've had needing to mentally readjust to a new plan. Let me walk you through them.

Our intent on returning was to restore an old mobile home on my in-laws' acreage, live there for a few years while paying off student loans and saving up for a house. About two weeks after we returned, Matt went in for a deeper look into what we were up against. The trailer was in such a state that the money we would have to put into fixing it would not be worth it for the living space and effort required. We're talking rotting structure. No bueno.

So, we went back to the drawing board. "How about we just head straight into building an inexpensive house?", "Maybe buying another mobile home is the answer.", and "I've heard good things about RTMs. Let's look into that." all came up in the discussion. But then there were other things to consider. Subdividing the acreage, the need to put in water and plumbing, the troubles of deciding to move after building a house on someone else's land, and other issues were brought up.

In the midst of this, we thought we should try looking for rentals in the city just in case. Our old basement suite was coming available in July and after attending the temple, we felt like that would be a good place to be. It was exciting thinking about living near the river valley again and returning to a ward with many wonderful people. Living in a two bedroom place didn't sound so great, but we could deal with it if that's what we were supposed to do.

Then Matt springs on me that he thinks we should stay in Tofield. So, we went back to the temple and back to house plans, RTMs and trailers. This decision was followed about two weeks later with another suggested plan change. The idea was given from Matt to move to Mundare, a small town just west of Vegreville. At this point, the plans had changed so many times and I had had it! I demanded that he stop changing the plans after I'd just adjusted to the new plans. He couldn't keep doing this to me. Luckily, I have a patient husband who understands the way my brain works and what I need is just a little encouragement and persuasion to get me on board with most everything. So, we started looking on realtor.ca at homes in Mundare. We found an approximate mortgage amount from an online mortgage calculator and when I was about 75% convinced this was a good idea, we called our good friend, Jerry the realtor.

Now, I honestly know very little about mortgages or house buying so Jerry was wonderful with getting us started. He gave us the number of a mortgage broker, we met with the broker two days later, and seven days later, we were in the town of Mundare looking at houses with Jerry. We looked at six and three were immediate right offs. Dreadful. Three were liveable. One was a favourite from online searches but was of a hundred years old and there were concerns after the viewing. The next was a nice house with beautiful bay windows and a landscaped yard. The third was a huge house with giant garden, and it had an ensuite. I went to the viewings with every intention of buying "the cutesy house" as we named it but after seeing them all, and with the counsel of our realtor, we started seriously looking at the last one, renamed by Jerry"the old lady house". After prayers and further discussion together and with family members, we told Jerry to write up an offer. The next day, the owner countered and we accepted. We were PENDING!

I found out today that the finances went through and our mortgage broker got us a great rate on our mortgage. Awesome news! The inspection is booked for Friday and the "condition removal" day (or whatever it's called) is next Wednesday and then it will be ours! Two weeks from looking at houses to owning a house. I can't even believe it!

I have had my faith tested and strengthened through the last two months. I can say with stronger conviction that my Heavenly Father is deeply aware of me and my wants, desires and dreams. I also know that He would have been ok with any of our housing choices but He kept leading us to this opportunity, which has so many more benefits than any of the other ones. I love that He loves me and cares about me. I am so excited to own a house, to get out of a basement forever, to have a craft room and to get back into some kind of schedule (it's been lacking a little since the move).

Here's our house!

Any good news in your life? Surprise change of plans that work out for the better? Tell me about them! :)

The News

We have some news. Some of you know. Others probably wouldn't have seen this coming. After a little less than a year, we are returning to Alberta.

My heart feels heavy as I think of leaving this beautiful place and the wonderful memories we have made here as a family. I ache to leave behind dear friends and the slower pace.

But I am thrilled at the same time for many reasons. The first one: at this moment in time, I have not physically seen my dear sweet mother in 10 months and it will be 11 by the time I see her again but with this move, I will see her at least weekly, along with so many more beloved family members. Family is so great. :) Oakley and Emmett will get to grow up close to cousins. I'm excited to not have to take the ferry and pay $170 just to go to the temple. I look forward to having WAY more Costcos close and seeing hoar frost again. The island will always have a piece of my heart and I hope to return often and share my love of this place with all my children but this is what we are meant to do right now.

We are also looking forward to new adventures BACK IN MY HOMETOWN! That's right folks! We are returning to Tofield. If you told me on my graduation day that I would be coming back with my family in 8 years, I wouldn't have believed you. But I am excited. It's a great little town to raise a family in and we will call it home for as long as we are needed there. 

As I've started packing, I've been looking back over the past year with fond memories. We have so loved being here. We've kept ourselves busy building our family and sharing experiences. These will always be treasured times in both my heart and Matt's. Here's to a month and a half of packing, mingled with very mixed emotions and moving on to the next stage of our little journey.

The best way to show you how wonderful this last year has been is through pictures. We have taken hundreds of pictures since we moved, which is a big deal for us. I went through and picked some favourites and there are A LOT! I just so happen to be too lazy to put captions on any of them so if you want more info on a picture, comment below with a description of the photo and I'll do my best.