Sometimes You Really Can't Dream How Good Things Will Turn out!

House update:

When you sell all of your excess belongings, and stage your home so it is ready to go on the market, one of the most important things you can do is declare to the universe what you want and who you'd like to buy your home.

That is exactly what Steve and I did......we talked about what we wanted to get out of the sale of the house and ideally who we would like to purchase our home. The checklist was not too long.....

1. we agreed on a dollar amount

2. we wanted a young family who might be looking for a long term home

3. we wanted a family (like we saw ourselves thirty plus years ago) one with young children

4. I wanted someone who would love my home and appreciate all the things that make it special

The house went on the market.

In less than twenty four hours, we had two offers from three showings. One was 15000.00 over asking price. We were blown away...literally. I was thrilled because if they wanted to spend that much to get my home, they surely loved it. I was excited, but the thought did cross my mind that all of the boxes were not checked or at least to my knowledge were not checked. However,  they did love my home and it was a young family, but this time, the universe did not align and the couple found out the day they made the offer that the husband was being relocated for his job and they were crushed, as well as we were, when they knew they could not buy our house and had to back out of the contract during the option period.

So, our agent contacted the other family to let them know we were still accepting offers, but it was a no go. Talk about a let down...and here we were right back at the start of it all. 

What does that really mean, the start of it all?? Well, it means keeping your house spotless.....it means training your husband to use a swiffer and use it rather quickly and efficiently on a moments notice.....it means rushing home from work, with thirty minutes to dash in, make sure every thing is perfect and dash out with four dachshunds in tow and riding around the city, while hoping the dog who gets car sick does not decide to throw up in your car....it means eating out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY ...as we have to keep the kitchen spotless....it means doing this multiple times a day, each day. 

We got discouraged rather quickly...we are homebodies...and we were put out of our home and well..it was rather uncomfortable. We knew to expect a little discomfort, but I don't think we were truly prepared for the DISCOMFORT we felt in the whole process of selling a house. Oh, and if you have not guessed it by now, we have never sold a home or moved in all our adult lives. Yes, trying to say the least.

So we waited, and had another showing, and two days later we had another showing and this time we got another offer......price was good.....however the contract had stipulations that did not set well with me....we accepted the offer, but I felt a unsettling that I could not put my finger on. This time, as far as I could tell, there was only one box checked off our wish list and it truly had me on edge. Long story short, they backed out during the option period.....wasted our time and took the house off the market for almost a week. So again here we are back at the start of it all....and  you know what that means...discomfort! Three days went by without a showing once it was back on the market......

....we felt panicked....reason being, we found our home we wanted to buy, we just needed to sell our house and sell it within 30 days to be able to purchase the home we wanted. It was so stressful and heart wrenching to think it might not work out.

Tuesday of this week, we had a showing and that sparked the same ole same ole....rush home, swiffer flying across the floor in record time, curtains spruced and pillows fluffed...scentsy burners going, lights on, backing out the door with four dogs in my arms surveying how my home will look to someone walking in for the first time....dashing to the car and pulling away as the Realtor pulls up. Same routine...but something felt different this time......crossing fingers.

Wednesday morning came....and we  got feedback from the Realtor that showed the house. She said she could certainly tell the pride of ownership from the homeowners and that it was a JOY to show our house. She said her clients were thinking it over and would let us know. We were  really starting to think maybe we were not supposed to sell our house and possibly we would just stay put. We were stressed out beyond imagination.....both of us had short fuses and aggravated at the fact we wanted this to go so smoothly but it in fact was turning into a roller coaster of a ride with nothing but stress and we were deciding we were all but ready to bale all together.

When you think you have just about given up holding on to a dream, I am here to tell you, just hold on a little bit longer.....and then it happened.

Our Realtor called, and the people who saw our house the day before had submitted their offer. We were stunned into disbelief. Their offer was a CASH offer and a price we are more than happy to accept. They pay closing cost, survey cost, title company cost. We are not responsible for any of those cost. No option period, no inspection, no appraisal. We close on the 12th of November and they have agreed to lease us two extra weeks after the 12th so we can get closed on our new house free of charge. WE. ARE. STILL. STUNNED.  The couple wanting our house even submitted a personal letter to Steve and I and that really sealed the deal. That letter was the most heartfelt letter, and it brought Steve and I both to tears.

Once the shock of the day settled, it became apparent to us that what we said we wanted when we sold our house was exactly what we got in the end, even if there were bumps in the road to get to the destination. I really believe the  first two offers that did not go through for two different reasons, only happened in order to take my home off the market for a few days. That was just enough time for the family looking for the right home to find ours. I have said all along...timing...it is everything.

Oh, and our checklist.....

1. We got the offer we wanted

2. We have a young family with small children purchasing our home who will have family close. (just like we did all those years ago)

3. They love my home and all the details I put into my home

It has been a whirlwind and a roller coaster of emotions, from super happy to super sad. We are elated at the sale of your house...and sad at the same time to be leaving where so much of our lives have happened. Then, on the flip side of that, we are so excited for the next chapter in our lives....like a fresh start with the home of our dreams and looking forward for what is to come. This is where we will spend the next chapter of our lives....we are excited.

I am thankful today for very dear friends who have walked this journey with us, I am thankful that I believe in positive thinking, I am thankful for St. Joseph and St. Jude who no doubt had a hand in all of this house selling business, I am thankful beyond words that this family will love and care for my home after we are gone...I feel it in my soul that the right family has found where their lives will happen and will love and care for our home the same way we have.

If you want something....say it out loud to the universe....it will come to pass. It may not  be in the way or time frame you had in mind...but it will work out in the end.  The cherry on it all is when things work out far better than you could have ever dreamed possible.

I'll keep you all posted on how this all goes...but I am  thinking smooth sailing now!
 

Looking Ahead for Twenty-Fourteen and Fondly Saying Goodbye to Twenty-Thirteen

Saying goodbye to twenty-thirteen is kinda bittersweet. It was a year of first on a lot of levels, some good, others not so good. One thing it did provide was a new outlook on things in my life and a new found gratitude for the things I often take for granted.

Both my husband and I had minor issues with our health, but that being said, he was in ICU the beginning of the year and I had surgery in the summer, and if that wasn't enough, we finished December with another minor surgery for my husband. I learned a lot from all of these health experiences. The major ones were neither he or myself make a great patient and we are both about as chicken as chicken can be. If you could only imagine the sights of the two of us trying to take care of the other.....I like to rule with the iron fist when I am the nurse taking care of the patient and I like to rule with a iron fist when I am the patient, and not too sure the nurse is competent. Yes....it's all about lessons learned.

Above all the lessons learned this year, the one of taking care of your health is first and foremost. I took that lesson seriously, and decided to try and lose some weight this fall. I was able to drop 21 pounds, but then the hustle and bustle of the holidays rolled around, and I sorta just stopped obsessing about losing any more weight. I decided to hop on the scale the other day and was thrilled I had not gained any of that lost weight back, so I am confident to jump back on the band wagon and keep working towards my goal.

I learned that its ok to not be able to do all I think I should be doing, whether it be housework, cooking, cleaning, sewing or just surviving the day. I may need to work on not being so lenient with myself in 2014 as I am thinking my word for the new year will be "simplify." I seriously have come to a point where I am sure less is totally more....and this next year, I plan on trying to downsize and pass on some of the things I have told myself I have to keep for so many years. I know it will be a challenge, but I am up for it.

I also learned, that the most amazing experiences can turn into moments you will never forget. This fall, I casually mentioned to my brother of an event in Dallas coming up and I had thought about going. I never dreamed he would have taken that to heart, but he did. He purchased tickets for us to go. I could hardly believe it. I don't recall ever in my adult life spending an evening with my brother..just me and him. It truly, in all it could be, was the highlight of twenty-thirteen from start to finish.

He picked me up and we were off to Dallas to see Theresa from Long Island Medium. I could hardly contain myself as I expected that show to be the highlight of the evening. I expected a reading and to hear from a family member who is no longer here. Sadly, it was sort of a let down when that did not happen, but in all actuality, that was not the lasting memory of the evening.

True to Dallas fashion, the traffic was starting to back up as we made our way into Dallas, so my brother got off the freeway and took an alternate route, which happened to take us over the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which of course I had never seen or been on......Dallas and myself are not often two words in the same sentence!  I expected the road across that bridge to be packed with cars, but the most amazing thing was, there was no cars AT ALL on that bridge but one. As we started across the bridge, we noticed a car stopped on the side of the road. There was a girl standing beside the car and a guy on one knee, and he obviously had just proposed to his girlfriend, and we saw the tail end of that event. My brother honked his horn and said they would always remember someone honking at them at that very moment, I have to agree, I believe they surly will.  It was sort of a magical moment to the start the evening.

We had plenty of time before we needed to be at SMU for the event, so my brother drove me to where Klyde Warren Park sets over a busy freeway in Dallas. I have heard about this park and always wanted to go, but had no idea where it was. My husband and I have talked about going there, but as things go, we just never had done it. The park was enchanting and I really enjoyed that part of Dallas and all the buildings surrounding that area. It was amazing seeing a part of Dallas I had no idea even existed, I loved it.

Once we made it to SMU and parked, we still had plenty of time and we walked across the road and ate tacos from a little taco place called Diggs Taco Shop. It was good and I enjoyed our meal....I enjoyed it so much I almost choked on my taco, but that is another story!

It was truly an enjoyable evening spent with my brother. I never would have thought it would have been marked as my most memorable moment from the year, but it was. I will always treasure that evening...even if I did not get the reading from Teresa that I was so sure I was going to get. The event was exactly what Teresa said it would be at the beginning, which was that it was entertainment, she was enchanting and funny just as you see her on television. Some of the things she talked about have stuck with me and I won't soon forget them. I appreciate the fact my brother wanted to take me to see her, as words can never really explain how much that has and does mean to me. I am so glad that it was in the other things we did that night that proved to be the front runner of the evening as far as memories go.  It was a enchanting night from start to finish.

Twenty-thirteen provided an opportunity to reconnect with family members whom I have not seen or heard from in all of my adult life. Once again, facebook provides a great outlet for that very thing. It has been heartwarming to reconnect with people I remember so fondly from my childhood and whom are still around to share bits of my life with and share bits of theirs. Family is family no matter how old we get or how long it has been since we looked at each other face to face. I am grateful for "finding" my relatives this year, they add a lot to my every day life and I am thankful for that.

I don't know what twenty-fourteen holds, but I am looking forward to whatever it may be. I plan on simplifying so many things this next year, I have a list of things I want to get done, and plan to check them off the list one by one.

Quilting will still be a front runner, and as this year starts, I am already staring behind the ball on several things that need to be finished or started. I try and not put so much pressure on myself, but it is a hard thing for me to do. I have set goals for my family, and intend to see them met. I pray I have the patience to deal with any adversity that may come in the process of meeting these said goals.

May we all find peace within ourselves, find joy in every day things, be optimistic about the future and get as much enjoyment as we can out of the new year. May we learn to appreciate the things we often take for granted and never forget we could lose it all in a blink of an eye.

Wishing us all peace and happiness for twenty-fourteen.

 Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.
- John Wayne