After literally months of cautiously hoping, planning, and counting down the days, we are less than 2 weeks away from moving down to Chapel Hill, NC for Roy's new job as the Assistant Dean of Innovation and Strategy at the UNC School of Pharmacy. I'm so proud of him for getting this dream job and could go on and on bragging about how UNC School of Pharmacy is #1 in the nation. And MY husband will be working there. That's amazing!
I wanted to briefly document our journey because someday our kids (and us) may forget how we lived through this crazy time in our lives. While it's okay if we forget, I absolutely do not want to forget that we have been led and lifted by our Heavenly Father during this emotional, exhausting, exhilarating time.
In December 2015, we closed on our first home, one that we had saved for and planned for for years. We researched and house hunted for months before we found it and felt absolutely guided that we were supposed to be here. It's a good thing we had that feeling because this house, while gorgeous and big enough to be our forever home and just what we needed, has been an endless money and sanity pit. It felt like every week of the first 2-1/2 months of home ownership had at least one visit from a repairman because something major wasn't working. Then it got fun and we started fixing up the bathroom, painting the dining room and living room, and finally getting things where we wanted them in the house. And then things started breaking again. Everyone kept saying, "Welcome to home ownership" and I would add "on steroids" in my mind. I have known a lot of home owners and I don't know anyone else who had as many things break as we did. My war story of this house could continue, but we have gotten it to where we love it and the work we have put into it.
The day we moved in, Roy got an email from UNC asking him for a phone interview. They followed up a few weeks later asking him to come in January for an in-person interview. And then he had a follow-up interview in March. From the time he got the initial email, I knew Roy would get this job. And I knew we were going to have to sell our house. And I didn't know how we were going to do it, but felt an overwhelming peace that it would all be okay. And then the offer came while Roy was on a trip and they Fed-Exed the official letter (which was written on my birthday) and the offer was accepted and we were packing again. I'm so grateful that UNC is letting Roy finish up his current job at the Worldwide Convention this week, which also means our kids finish school here and we don't have to do some long-distance crazy weekends-only-with-Dad thing.
We got the house packed, finished painting, staged, and the remaining repairs made and the house was listed 6 weeks later. And 11 days later, we got an offer for our asking price, which means we just may get our down payment back. That is a miracle.
We went house hunting last weekend in Chapel Hill and we found a house plan we love. We just need for it to be built because right now it's a dirt lot. It's supposed to be done at the end of August, right about the time the kids start school. The only hiccup in this plan is that we discovered (after hours on the phone and online) that finding housing for a short amount of time is close to impossible, especially since all our stuff will be in storage. And that means beds, toys, dishes, etc. Then, by some miracle, Roy found a family who will be leaving town for the summer and we are renting their house and using their things, including the toys of their kids who just happen to be the same ages as ours. Now we have 10 days or so that we need to find a good hotel before our house will be done. And so yesterday, we signed papers for selling this house, papers for our "summer home", and our offer for the new build.
This journey has pushed me right to the brink of faith, but not over. I keep feeling like it will all be okay and I feel calm most of the time. It's those moments when I let fears creep in or I dwell on the questions we still have that I feel my hope faltering and I wonder how on earth this crazy time of our lives is going to work out for us.
We are so thrilled for this opportunity for Roy and for our family. I'm excited for the kids to learn about a new place and make new friends again. I'm happy that they have been a part of this insanity and that some of them are old enough to have actively participated in the praying and planning as we have made plans for our move. We can already see how the last 6 months has built us as individuals, bound us more tightly as a family, and allowed us to grow our faith in a loving Father in Heaven.
