House Hunting the third

The house we rent has been sold. We have just under 3 months to find a new home for us, for Avie, for our three students...and for us to host in. Cool beans.

Honestly I'm feeling faith filled and excited most of the times - sometimes worried - but mostly optimistic. The real issue is that it doesn't feel real! Last month I unpacked our last box and organized the last remaining messy spaces. Of course. I can't actually imagine that we need to move from this house that we have thoroughly made a home. I'm sitting in my living room - it's a home. It's beautiful. And somehow in less than three months we won't live here anymore - and since I think the new owners will be renovating, we'll be the last people to enjoy this space the way it is. So weird!

The real estate situation in Vancouver is weird - you can't buy a house here for less than a million - our home went for 1.4 million...crazy. Therefore, rent is expensive also. Oh the joys of big city living. That being said, we found our miracle home before and we will again. Our last two homes have been better than we ever expected, for less money than we'd dared hope to pay. God has provided consistently in our lives and I can't believe He would randomly stop now. Even the homes I had before getting married were answers to prayer. Time and time again I've ended up in wonderful housing situations and I know God orchestrates these things. 

As bummed as I am to move, to search again, to pack up, I really am happy for our landlords. They bought this home years ago, raised their kids here and later moved out to Surrey. To see them make such a profit is nice. They were gracious to us and I am honestly happy for them. 

I've blogged before about what we're looking for. Our list hasn't changed much - except that this time the yard things is even bigger in my mind. A yard and a deck. This place had a great deck for summer meals and that was important to us, but we always wished for a yard for hosting. So great for kids. We want to have fires (in a fire pit) and kiddie pools and parties. We also want a kitchen layout that's great for parties - we love to host. 

I'm finding it daunting to think of searching craigslist and looking for a home - BUT that being said, I'm PUMPED to decorate a new house. Our place was finished so this is a big joy to get to do!

I wonder what our new home will be like? I am praying we get to stay in our neighbourhood - we have the best neighbours, the best street. I want my kids to go to school with the other babies we know here. I long to have relationship with the moms at school - from baby days onward! 

Our list:

• 5+ bedrooms (we need our room, kid room, office/guest room + 3 student rooms)
• Dishwasher!!!!
• Laundry INSIDE and not shared
• A whole house and yard (though we would do top half if everything else was ideal)
• More than one living space in the home - we need two separate seating areas so that we can do separate small group times at lifegroup
• A house built to host - we want to throw parties, feed lifegroup, have family dinners and invite the church and the world into our home.
• A kitchen with well laid out space
• A pantry area
• A storage area
• Room for our deep freeze & fridge
• Little nook's throughout the house for storage, cozy seating and random awesomeness
• Shed/Garage for projects and storage
• Backyard! 
• Patio! OH! BBQ's and dinners
• Bathroom in Master Bedroom! And maybe a room laid out such that we could have a little seating nook so we can have privacy.
• A space for an office for Paul - whether that's a room or a quiet corner or a space in our bedroom - he needs a place that he can leave all his stuff out, be alone and just study/work.
• In Vancouver proper, preferably our neighbourhood, off of Fraser Street.

So if you are someone who prays, join us in prayer! If you're someone who knows people, keep an ear out for a home for us. I'll let you know how this all goes!