It’s been an intense few weeks at our house. You may have noticed I was quiet for several days — things got unexpectedly busy. Just before a recent trip, an exciting and life-changing opportunity showed up: after talking about moving to Seattle since spring, we finally decided to take the first scary step and list our house.
I was nervous because my son starts school in September, so depending on how the sale unfolded he might stay here or begin at a new school. Sometimes you can’t know the outcome unless you take a leap of faith and put the idea out there. In hindsight, I wished we’d listed earlier in the season to allow a longer, less stressful selling window. Still, we agreed that if the house didn’t sell within a few weeks we’d pull it off the market at the end of August and move on. We didn’t want months of limbo. So on a Thursday we called a realtor to ask questions and have her come see the house.
Then, to our surprise, we had a signed contract before we even got the sign in the yard. Suddenly we were racing to pack, move, and — well — figure out where we would live next. Under normal circumstances we might have been excited to hunt for a new house, but inventory in our price range and preferred style was scarce. Still, we were thrilled to have a contract, even if it meant a temporary period without a permanent home. And just as that news arrived, I boarded a plane to speak at Haven. House hunting from across the country proved to be an adventure.
I’m eager to share the rest of the story and all the ups and downs that followed — there are a few twists. Leaving a home I love feels bittersweet, and I’m still processing it. I’ll write the full details soon, but for now I need to get back to packing.
PS. I may share some of what’s happening at home on Instagram, so if you don’t follow me there and want updates, consider finding my account. I’m also thinking about trying Periscope for a live stream; I haven’t done one intentionally yet. My daughter Courtney and I accidentally started a live Periscope from a restaurant a couple of weeks ago, which was unexpectedly awkward — we entertained about 20 strangers while learning the platform. Now that we’ve had that experience, I might be brave enough to try a planned stream. If I do go live, I’ll announce it on Twitter.
If you missed my earlier posts about the move, you can catch up here:
Staircases and Big Steps Part One
Staircases and Big Steps Part Two
Chasing Dream Houses