We are moving! While I am not overly enthused about the the prospect of packing AGAIN and hauling all our earthly possessions to a new locale AGAIN, I am actually excited about this move because of the newness of it all.
A little background … we live in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area. With a population of 80,000 people, Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas, with the largest being the capitol city of Little Rock. We had the opportunity to move about a year and a half ago to a little house in the country on ten acres. That’s right, ten acres of beautiful country landscape in the hills of the Arkansas River Valley. It’s quiet, peaceful, and green. Trust me – it doesn’t get much more country than Possum Hollow Road in Booneville, Arkansas. Being a country girl at heart, this sounded like a great idea to me, even though it would mean a daily commute of about 45 minutes. That was before gas prices skyrocketed.
For the past several months, we have been paying as much or more than our rent in fueling both vehicles, and I have come to realize that country living loses its appeal if you’re not home enough to really enjoy it. So, we recently began the nerve-racking process of trying to find a place closer in to town, where we both work. I prefer not to relive this process, as it was so traumatic, so I’ll spare you, my dear reader, the details. Suffice it to say that the process of looking for a new home is not one I care to repeat very often.
We had hoped to buy this year, with the market being favorable to buyers right now, but we have decided to rent a little longer, and continue to build our down payment fund with the money we will be saving on gasoline by moving back into town. We hope to be in a better position to purchase a home within the next year or so.
At any rate, we did find a place this past weekend, and we will be moving over Labor Day weekend. Our new residence is in a brand new subdivision, and the home has only been occupied by one other tenant, for about 3 months. There is a privacy fence around the backyard, so Sheba will still have a place to run around outside, although not being able to see through the fence may prove to be a test of her sanity – she likes to be able to see what she’s barking at.
To our delight, we are on the last street in the very back of the subdivision, so it is nice and quiet, and there is – wait for it – wait for it – a cow pasture behind us. I guess I still get a little bit of country after all.
So for the next however-long-it-takes-us to finish getting our little duckies in a row to make a home purchase, we will be hanging out in a brand new place. God is good, and I am so thankful for His abundant provision.
