The Fresh Prince(ss) of Bel Air

"Now this is a story all about how my life got flip-turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute -- just sit right there -- I'll tell ya how I became the prince(ss) of a town called Bel Air..."

If you're wondering how much I'm going to overuse/overplay that song over the next four years, let me set your fears at ease: A LOT. Constantly. Consistently. I mean, how many times in a person's life could they ever put themselves (sort of) into a DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince song?!? Pft. Please. You wish.

All joking aside, I have been so thrilled with the house we have chosen and, God willing, will own in about a month after we close. Not only is it gorgeous, the seller seems fair and amicable and motivated to keep her end of the deal. We sifted through a lot, and I mean A LOT, of inventory before we even met with our realtor, who is a really fun person and a great realtor. I wondered at first how well she would understand us and our needs/wants. After having met and worked together she has proven to be very intuitive and assertive, which I love. By the end of our marathon house viewing session last week, R. and I had two houses to chose from that were both outstanding options for our family. I still can't believe how well this has gone so far and pray that I haven't jinxed the process by feeling so confident about it!

One thing I have learned as a newlywed going through this process is that it can stress even the best of relationships, and it really points out how different you can be from your spouse. There were plenty of areas where we didn't agree on the layout of a room or things we would change, etc., but at the end of the day, R. and I were both very much in tune with what each other felt were pros and cons of each property we were seriously considering. I think my favorite memory of this experience was at the end of the day where we were making our final decision on which house to submit an offer. We were pretty mentally spent from really walking through each nook and cranny of both houses and trying to visualize our reality at each property. I flopped down on the side of the tub in the master bath of one house, and he sat next to me. I just stared out the window, too exhausted to move, and asked him what he thought. By the end of his careful run-down of everything we had talked about during the day, he just looked at me and said we should put the offer in on the first house. I looked at him and thoroughly agreed.

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off our brains once we made that decision. And as much as we pored over every possible detail, it was a fairly easy decision to make. We definitely agonized over the decision, but once we made it, it just felt right. I was beaming when we walked down the stairs and out to the car. Of course we would put in an offer on the first home -- I remember when I saw the first pictures of the kitchen I said, "Now this looks like a K. and R. kind of house!" I still loved the second house and knew that we would be happy with it, but it just had too much significant work to be done to the basement to make it the best choice for us, but that's a whole other story. With only a couple of minor changes in paint, the house we chose is move-in ready.



Check out the workstation in my new kitchen! This is where GGG's bloggy magic will happen in the future! All within bright, lovely walking space of my coffee pot! Swoon! What's not to love?!?

What's better is that the house is less than a mile from the school where BOTH kids will attend (thank you, Jesus, for blessing me with having them in one school in the same town for once!). Additionally, we are located in a great place for R. to access work, and there is a neat Lutheran church within three miles of the house. Oh. And a Buffalo Wild Wings within walking distance of the house. WALKING DISTANCE! Heck yeah!

In all honesty, I've been praying over this whole situation about finding a house. I may not be the most consistent, scheduled pray-er in the world, but each time I would sit down to look at stuff I couldn't help but ask the Lord to be preparing the way for our family to find the right home, schools, teachers, church, etc., and to help us with a smooth transition. The house I really felt we would look at, love, and buy wasn't even available by the time we got up there by a matter of mere days. But look at what we got instead! Even better! We aren't moved yet, and we haven't closed yet for that matter, but things feel like they are on the right track, and I'm incredibly thankful.

That being said, life on the post will be a challenge. It's harder to connect with your military community when you don't live there. We found out very quickly that living on post would not be the way to go, and this post is a bit of a ghost town. There are a lot of personnel coming our way over the next couple of years, so I fully expect this to change. (We are getting 12 general officers and their wives, all of whom expect to live on post. HA! I wish I could see the looks on their faces when they get here. Hopefully that will be the most potent catalyst for change.) I am fully prepared to check out the PWOC on post and be a part of that ministry as a way to connect with other wives. However, I'm thinking this could be another one of those ways where I walk into a group that is struggling to stick around and I become a work horse. On one hand, it's a great way to see God at work when groups like this go from fledgling to thriving and growing. On the other hand, it can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. I'm coming from a situation with my church that has been stressful in the past but is on the path to strength and renewal, which is relieveing. However, I don't know if I can take four more years of that same level of stress and support my family at the same time. Hey -- it's God's knot to unravel. I'm just along for the ride to figure out where God needs me to plug in, right? Either way, it should be an interesting ride!

'"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."' -- Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)