Friday, April 18, 2008

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.

12 comments:

We are Tommy's Advocates said...

CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so glad to hear the great news! Praise the Lord!

stephseef said...

i don't know about the promised land in wisconsin, but i sure can tell you that the Chicago suburbs ain't it!! ;)

Can't wait to meet you, new neighbor -

Steph in Racine

Anonymous said...

Oh, YEA!!! What good news for you! Can wait to hear about the rest of the house.

Art Middlekauff said...

Yes, Wisconsin is the Promised Land, where milk and honey freely flow. I know God richly blesses those He calls to serve here.

Bronwen said...

Praise the Lord indeed! What joy to finally pack things knowing that they will have a new place and a time in the foreseeable future when they will come out of boxes.
You can now enjoy the closure and the final pull of those last roots... as you look forward to putting new roots into new compost!

Linds said...

Wonderful news! Praise the Lord indeed! I can't wait to see the photos and hear all. The creek at the bottom of the garden sounds absolutely lovely. But do NOT mention squirrels to me...they have destroyed my garden!

Brea in Texas said...

Ooooh, praise the LORD, honey!! That is so wonderful! I can't wait to see pictures of the place once you're in. It's really nice to not have to move everything in one day. Because we bought our house so fast (closed less than 25 days after first looking at it!), we had a huge overlap before our lease was up at the apartment. I loved it; it took so much pressure off.

~Brea

Megan Cobb said...

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! It sounds like a little slice of paradise, to me! :)

Anonymous said...

Many congratualations! What a relief for you all! Sounds perfect for your whole family.

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

Wooohooooo

Kerry said...

Wonderful, Jeanne! I'm sure you all are so excited - I' can't believe you'll be closing in 4 weeks. Amazing!

Post pictures!!!

Anne said...

Congradulations! May the Lord be praised and praised.