Has it been 2 years already!?!

(this is a rambling blabbery post...sorry!)

This week marks two years since we moved from our first home. There is something about your first home. I remember our first night in our new home. My Mom had made tacos and had put them on plates and brought them over so that we would have dinner to eat. I remember wanting to at least get Maddie's room settled so she would have a place to sleep. Late that night, we finally sat down on the floor surrounded by boxes to eat our cold but so yummy tacos. The blinds weren't up yet and we felt like we were in a fish bowl. A messy fish bowl. But it was all ours. No more renting! We sat there eating and in complete disbelief that it was ours. For reals!

I loved that house. There were things that I swore up and down that I would do differenly the next time around, but those are some of the things that I miss the most. Crazy! It was the first place we put down roots, where Maddie made great friends, where we made great friends, where we brought Hayden home from the hospital to, where Josh became the crazy lawn guy, where he could walk to the golf course with his buddies at night to "practice" their game, where kids would play outside all night and we would all talk. So many memories.

Then the day came that I never thought would really happen. A company had seen Josh's resume since he had just revised it and contacted him with an interview opportunity. When Josh and I first got married, I promised him that if he could ever get a job here I would move back. I didn't think it would ever actually happen, since computer jobs aren't that popular here.

He went to the interview and they offered him the job. He came home and asked what I thought and I said "No." I didn't want to move. I didn't want to leave my home. I didn't want to move away from friends and family. I loved where we lived (despite the horrible traffic!!) and didn't want anything to change. He told the company no. They came back with another offer. I said no. He told them no again. They came back with yet another offer.

I remember that I was in the kitchen when the thought hit me "Maybe I am missing something. The offer keeps coming back despite the fact that we say no." Later that night I was in the car and it hit me like a ton of bricks. We were supposed to move. There was no question in my mind about it. I remember coming home and telling Josh to tell the company yes. He looked at me completely stunned. We both felt so good about the decision.

Before we knew it we were down here looking for homes. We went back home knowing that in order for our new house to work we needed to get our house on the market. We called Wendy and got to work. I remember the day the sign went up in the yard. I bawled and bawled. I called Josh at work and bawled some more. That afternoon Wendy called and said that there was someone interested in the house and she would bring them by later that night. I waited outside with the kids while these strangers went through my house. I pictured them opening the cupboards, opening drawers, looking in closets. I was hoping they were clean! They came out a while later and Wendy gave me the thumbs up.

24 hours from listing, it was sold. I bawled some more. We put the offer on our house now and it went through. We packed and packed until I was so sick of packing that I didn't care if anything moved with us when we went. Not to mention, finished the extra room in the basement that was to be Josh's office! We had listed as a 4 bedroom home, and the painting and finishing touches had to be done before closing day! I packed during the day and then at night we would be covered in white paint from head to toe painting until all hours of the night! My Dad was down here working and that alone made the move easier. Josh had to go back up for training for a week so it was nice to know Dad was here. We have met wonderful people here and love living here. It is funny how life works out. And thank goodness for blogs, we are able to still keep in touch with friends!

Josh's Beloved grass :)

I hated the kitchen because there wasn't enough counter space. But I will admit, I have days that I miss that rolling island!