An End to the Suspense

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!!

We didn't have to wait till midnight after all, because their realtor told our realtor tonight that their final decision was not to drop their contingency. So the house is ours--pending the paperwork, of course. We're closing in under 4 weeks. Yikes!

We won't have to move right away, though, since our current home isn't sold yet. The first thing we want to do is have hardwood floor installed on the main floor, and we can't move in till that's done and cured. And we have Oliver to get through (ending May 17)...but we should be all settled in by the end of May!

I am so thrilled just to be able to make plans. As I told a friend earlier today--it's been exhausting not knowing, on any given day, where we'd be in six weeks!

And how exciting to know that in six weeks, we'll all be in a large but cozy house in the country, in a sweet little subdivision that's 10 minutes from everything. Really! It's ten minutes from the church building and our friends in the historic district, 10 minutes from Lake Michigan, 10 minutes from the tollway for Papa Rooster's commute, and 10 minutes from a grocery store I think. Oh--and under 10 minutes from the library, too!!!!

That's all by car--but it will fun to see what's within 10 minutes' biking and walking distance too, because the house is right on a bike trail. Not only that, but at the far edge of our large yard, between us and the bike trail, we have our very own creek--not more than a foot deep, but a creek nonetheless. I confess, my first thought when I saw it was not, "oh how wonderful for my children," but "ohhh, nooo--the mud they'll track in!" I'm reconciled, though, by the decision to put in hardwood floors. With four boys, I think the creek will be a source of endless pleasure for them and Chicklet5 as well.

Our view, with the creek and its trees and overgrowth, will be lovely in the summertime. And there should be squirrels! I was sad to think of there being no squirrels in a couple of the subdivisions we looked at; I love to watch them in the mornings. The runners in the family--Papa Rooster and the older three Bantams--can't wait to start putting in the miles on the path! Even Blondechick and I figure maybe we'll get out a little more, there.

I'll write more about the house itself in my next installment...but for now, praise the Lord with us! Our long days of waiting, wandering, and wondering are nearly over. We've been gradually pulling up roots here in IL, without being able to plant them anywhere...and now we're within sighting distance of the good Wisconsin soil the Lord has prepared for us. I can't wait to start putting down roots again.

I feel a bit like Moses and the Israelites must have felt in sight of the Promised Land. (IS Wisconsin the Promised Land??? Do tell, Wisconsinites.) Though it hasn't been 40 years, it's still been a looooonnng journey.