Daddy, you can have my quarter...

to help buy the new house. This was said to Dan by Gus (age 5). It was a nickel by the way, but the thought is what really mattered.

Last Thursday, the 12th of January, we were having our last planning meeting with our contractor before demolition was to begin on Tuesday. At this meeting they tell us our project is going to cost $80,000 more than our well known budget amount. I guess they just thought we had that kind of money sitting around. I blew an absolute gasket, and fired them. I feel as part of taking care of Dan's parents we are to be good stewrds to protect their assets in case they are needed later. In order to continue with the construction project we woudl have to seriously dip into their nest egg and there was NO WAY I was willing to do that.

I really do believe that the project cost more than our budget, I just think that long ago they should have realised that and made it known that bids were coming in high. At that point I was worried that no contractor could do it for our budgeted amount, and honestly, at this point of waiting 6 months already, I really was not willing to live through a major construction project with 5 small children, homeschooling and taking care of 2 elderly adults. I told Dan there was no other choice, we are moving.

Friday I called my good friend and attorney, Angela, and she recommended her real estate agent. This woman was such a gem. I told her we need someone to be patient with us and hold our hands through this whole process. We started looking at houses on Saturday and looked also Sunday and Monday. On Sunday I had seen a house and told Dan when going through it- this is it- he looked at me worried :) We continued to look on Monday. On Tuesday we put a contract on the house, they had until 5 pm Wednesday to respond. Before 4 on TUESDAY, they countered and we accepted. We close on our new house on February 17th. The family who owns it happens to be a homeschooling family with 5 children!

House hunting with our particular needs is quite a challenge. Dan and I are really committed and sewn into the city. And to find a house that has a first floor bedroom with a bathroom attached, plus an additional bathroom on the main level was a challenge to say the least. We looked all over- Soulard, La Salle, Compton Heights, Saint Louis Hills, University City, Kirkwood, Glendale, Webster Groves. By Tuesday we were utterly exhausted, and I already knew this was the house.

The House:
The interesting thing about this house is in some ways it is a side ways move. It is still just 4 bedrooms, but the layout of the bedrooms is so much better for our needs. No longer when I'm working in the kitchen late at night or early in the morning will I worry that I'll disturb Mom and Dad. Dad will have his own private bathroom that he can linger in as long as he wants and the rest of the family will still have another one to use in the mean time. This house is very contemporary- which if you know mine and Dan's taste- you know I describe it as "Old, stuffy and Traditional". I'm sure this has all happened for a reason and that God has a beautiful plan for our family.

Back in September when Dan's parents moved in with us this house wasn't even on the market- so even if we had been looking we wouldn't have found THIS house. Then when they put it on the market in October we would not have been able to buy the house and do the things needed for Dan's mom before move in if we had bought it at that price. But waiting until they had already lowered their price, and then negotitating an even lower price will protect the nest egg and allow us to take care of Dan's parents. The yard is significantly smaller than our current home. But there are positives in that too- now we should be able to maintain the beautiful landscaping they have, and the children love the playground on the small piece of yard we do have at the new house.

I have begun asking Saint Joseph to help us find a good buyer for our current home. I hope it blesses someone else, as much as it has immensely blessed us. ++Saint Joseph, pray for us++ And God bless sweet Gus who wanted to give all he had to help us buy a new house to help take care of Grandma and Grandpa.