When people found out where we were moving to, they would inevitably ask, "Do you think you'll be okay living in town? It will be a big change from the country."  To which I would reply that we've lived in both places before and both have their positives and negatives.  There were things we missed about living in town, like being able to walk to a destination rather than just walking out to point x and turning around.  There are things we love about the country, like the sound of peepers on a spring night and the glint of the moonlight off the barn roof. 

I think they were mostly referring to the noise, though.

We've been here all of 3 days, but I think I can safely say that this isn't an issue.  Our new house is well insulated, we live on a relatively quiet street, and we lived on a busy farm before.  A few cars going past is not nearly as loud as guys peeling out in their diesel trucks or semi trucks, sprayers, combines, etc coming in at all hours of the night. lol.

Aside from one or two things that need to be hung, we're completely unpacked and seem to be adjusting well to our new surroundings.  The girls have been sleeping great, which I am so thankful for, we were early to Anna's speech therapy today (it's a lot closer than it used to be!) and the only thing I can't find is my favorite pencil.  And, shockingly, last week actually kinda felt like a vacation since Dave took the week off of work and my mom was here to take care of the girls, so we didn't have any of our normal responsibilities.  Dave and I had tons of quality time (we even snuck in a date to a Thai Restaurant) and aside from a few tense moments here and there, our stress levels were pretty low. 

This was a much different experience from the last time we moved when I was still working through post-partum emotions, had a newborn, and moved to a different state where I knew no one.

And now you are probably sick of all the posts about moving, so with this final update, I'll move on to something more fun.  Like my new garden that my dad prepped for me and even planted peas in. :)  Okay, I might be the only one that finds that truly thrilling. lol.

On Thursday I confessed to my friend that the thing I crave most in life is stability.  On Saturday, her husband stopped in to deliver the uncomfortable message that he wanted us to move out of the house we've been renting for the last 4 years so that his son could move in.  It was something that we always figured would happen, but it was still a shock and I couldn't finish my dinner or stop crying.  So much for stability.  (In all fairness, I think I should interject here that our landlord was willing to buy another house for us to rent.  He wasn't actually leaving us homeless.  But we live in the family farmhouse that Great Grandpa built and their son is buying into the farm and therefore gets this house.)

It's been over a month now since that conversation.  Tonight Anna asked me if I was excited about moving and I could honestly answer yes.  In fact, I'm very excited about it!  I spent the day shopping today for window treatments, sheets, rugs, etc and I'm itching to be able to put them in the new house and start decorating it. 

I don't know why God has chosen to bless us so extravagantly, but I give him the praise for it.  Our current landlord connected us with another family from church that recently moved and didn't have any plans for their old house. 

Blessing 1: They are willing to rent it to us at the same rate we currently pay, which is incredibly low.
Blessing 2: The house is beautiful, modern, and HUGE.  We'll now have a guest room, a laundry room, AND a play room.  (We currently have a room that serves as all three.)  Yet the utilities are comparable to the farmhouse.
Blessing 3: At the outset, I made a list of all the things we need in a house, want in a house, and wish for in a house.  This house has things on my wish list!!!  The kitchen drawers have that cool automatic closing feature, there's a master bath, there's more storage than we could possibly use, the windows have honeycomb blinds, the furnace is new, we'll be able to walk to church...
Blessing 4: There are hardwood floors throughout most of the house which will be so helpful with our allergies!
Blessing 5: It has a 6 ft privacy fence around the yard and even though it is in town, the fenced in area is just as big as what we have fenced currently.
Blessing 6: Anna can finally get her dog. :)

I went from being anxious to being overjoyed in a matter of weeks.  I'm not excited about the physical act of moving our things, but as my dear friend pointed out, moving does present many organizational opportunities.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a bit of a nerd in that department and get a high off of organizing. lol. 

The funny thing is that I've wished we could move many times in the last 2 years just to get away from the allergens here, but felt stuck because we can't afford higher rent and even a teeny 1 room apartment would cost more than our current rate because of their generosity.  God worked it all out for me!

We weren't planning on moving so we didn't have a "moving" line in our budget, but get this- God gave us a mild winter and so we actually skipped a fill in our propane tank and have all of the money we had saved for that available for things like curtains. :)  Today I hit amazing sales and while I spent $350, I saved $300!

I'm so so thankful and yet feel so undeserving of my Creator's lavishness.  I've hesitated to write this post because I feel a bit guilty when I hear of other friends that are also serving God and yet have to live with their parents to make ends meet.  I don't understand, but I know I must praise him for knowing what we need and providing it.  I know that every good gift comes from the Father and I humbly accept this new living arrangment as a gift from my God. 

Perhaps I have wrongly defined stability.  It means more than a period in my life without major change.  It means putting myself in God's hands.  He is my stability.