Not quite a year ago, we put our house on the market. We knew Zac would be getting orders sometime this summer and I really felt God telling us it was time to get out of debt. We put it on a over a year early thinking it would sell, we could live in the trailer (or base housing), and potentially be debt free by the time we moved.
Up until just recently, it was also an IF we move. We knew we wanted to sell, but we were still working to see about staying here for another tour. We came close, but in the end, we’ve been called to elsewehre. It’s been a bit of a struggle in this market to remain hopeful, but we knew that God would provide in the right time.
Last month, the military confirmed that Zac would be going to Scott AFB in Illinois at the end of May. While it is not set in stone, the assignment now shows up. This meant that besides just “wanting to be out of debt”, the pressure was on to get out of the house by then.
Since January of 2011, we’ve had 10 showings. That’s it! In this real estate market houses in our price range and location are just not moving. We live in the country on five acres. People are moving closer to town to save on gas. Two of those ten showings were Saturday. One of those showings has made an offer that we accepted yesterday. It could still fall through (let’s all pray it doesn’t), but now we need to look forward to what selling the house means.
First, it means we have to PACK! I’m not sure if the military will pack us four months before our scheduled move date, let alone store our stuffs for four months. Zac and I will both be out of town a week this month so if we have to do it ourselves that will consume us for the next few weeks when we are home.
Second, it means that I really need to figure out what we need to have on hand to live in our fifth wheel through the end of winter, spring, and into the summer. Fortunately, the trailer is stocked with most of the essentials, but still – we’ve never lived in it more than a week or two. What do you do with two kids, a dog, and a husband in a “house” the size of a bedroom? How do I set up a workspace that allows me to work from “home” successfully? What do I do with ALL of the food we have? No way I’m storing it for 4 months and I can’t fit it all in the trailer pantry. More importantly, how do I entertain a 5 and a 10 year old in a trailer for 4 months?!?! How do I do laundry for a family of 4 without breaking the piggy bank ? (The RV park machines take lots of quarters!)
Even with the stress and the questions, God is good and has provided this opportunity at the perfect time. We’ve made it to within a few months of the move, past the majority of winter, and just before the pressure would have really started to mount. Ohh, and since the trailer has been in the shop the last 2 ½ months, He’s waited until we had a chance to actually get it back in time! Let’s pray they can actually deliver by the time we need it!
Soon I’ll be writing posts about the best way to clean out black tanks, cook in a kitchen w/ no countertops and a stove the size of an Easy Bake Oven, and how to manually adjust the satellite dish we’ll be throwing outside! I’m REALLY looking forward to it!