It is what it is

Since August we have been trying to sell our house. We lowered our price and tried again this spring, and got an offer within the first couple weeks of putting the house back on the market. But the deal collapsed yesterday. We are bummed that we put so much time, effort, and money into this 8-month journey...

Today we are back at our cute little house after spending weeks at my mom's (she's been such a gracious host). And we're spending time reflecting on the circumstances.

Mark is strumming on his guitar, and wrote some lyrics-
The breeze
blowing through the trees
outside my window
sky is blue
My baby is asleep
in the other room
We got everything we need
When I'm next to you

I'm reading Cutting for Stone. And last night, after getting the news of our botched deal, the last words I read for the night felt apropos (@ 24% on the kindle version)-

For the first time since Sister Mary Joseph Praise's death, Matron felt a sense of peace, a sense of certainty where there had been none. She was certain that this was the spot- this was where the long voyage of Sister Mary Praise would end. She remembered, too, her first days in Addis, when things looked so bleak, so terrifying, so tragic- it was at those moments that God's grace came, and that God's plan was revealed in his time. "I can't see it, Lord, but I know you can," she said.

So here's what I can be optimistic about going forward-
1-We love being blocks from such an amazing park.
2- We love the convenience of our neighborhood. Yes, we have Peet's, the library, banks, restaurants, 2+ grocery stores- but more importantly, easy freeway access is such a perk!
3-We feel safe in the Dimond- you hear a lot more gun shots in the neighborhood we were planning to move to. This was a low priority for us in general, but somehow having a kid changes these sort of priorities for you.
4- Our neighborhood is very walkable, and encourages us to have a more active lifestyle.
5- Hopefully we'll be creative and make this house work better for us going forward. I'm looking forward to possible renovations.
6- We love the school we're slotted for, Glenview. It's public, diverse, has good test scores, has a dynamic parent community, and is walking distance from our house.
7- We love that we're in between the hills and the flats.
8-We love Farmer Joe's- and we've missed it.
9- By staying longer, we'll be able to put more equity in the house...hopefully it will be a better financial decision in the long-run.
10- The leak in our garage (which really killed our deal), only got 2 of our boxes wet.

Here's to being optimistic!

XOXO,
Rebecca