I'm not sure I even mentioned on this blog that my husband was looking for a new job. The one he had was sort of a dead end without much chance for promotion. The one promotion possibility that he had fell through, so it was back to the drawing board and applications were submitted. Little did we know that things would change so fast!
He decided to apply to positions in several different areas, but one of those areas was very near our "home" in PA. We thought the chances of getting the one position he wanted the most would be slim to none, but God works in mysterious ways and he had a job interview one week after applying...in PA!
To make a long story short, 4 weeks after his initial application, we were loading a moving truck and heading out of WV where we've lived the past 4 years to our home state of PA. Before that, we lived in UT, FL, and TX...so finally moving back to PA has been very exciting.
We haven't lived near family since we got married in 1998, but we now live 12 minutes from my sister and about 20 minutes from my brother...good stuff! Plus, our new home is right around the corner from CVS, Walgreen's, Rite Aid, McDonald's and a huge convenience store...and only 5 minutes from a huge, gorgeous grocery store, Lowe's, Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Target, Wal-Mart, and restaurants. We can even get pizza delivery!
I know this sounds odd to some of you reading this right now, but for the past 7 years it has taken me an hour to get to a grocery store and Wal-Mart! If we wanted to go out to eat, there was a McDonald's about 30 minutes from us and a little gas station that sold pizza...if you could even legally classify it as pizza.
The homeschool group in our new town is 400+ families and chock-full of fun activities, sports, clubs and events for the kids. There's even a mom's group that meets once a month. A night out with other moms without the kids? Music to my ears!
Plus, as an added bonus, my dear sister said she would babysit the kids so hubby and I can have regular date nights. I'm not sure I know how to go on a date anymore...and I'm sure I'm going to have to go shopping so I have something other than hole-y yoga pants and t-shirts to wear. Now I have an excuse to get some nice clothes!
Things can change so quickly...it's really mind-blowing. I can't believe I'm sitting in our gorgeous new home this morning. It's full of boxes and we've eaten out every night since Friday, but we're here. There's so much space in this house that we don't know what to do with it. And although I am counting my blessings and thanking God every day for the wonderful things He has given us, there are also a few downsides to moving from a 1200 sq. ft. house to a 2700 sq. ft. house.
**We don't have enough furniture to fill this place!
**Sometimes I can't find the kids...there are too many places for them to go!
**With 3 bathrooms, sometimes I have to run up a flight of stairs to "help" my toddlers on the potty.
**I have 3 floors and more than double the space to clean...ugh...
**Higher bills because there is more to heat and cool...and did I mention that the house I left in WV had free gas?
What I've found is that a bigger house doesn't solve all the "problems". It might fix some of them, but more are created.
I've also learned that no matter where you are, as long as your family is there, you can make it work and be happy. We were just as happy crammed into our 1200 sq. ft. house as we are here. Sure, things might be more convenient and we have more places to spread out and store our stuff, but happiness doesn't come from a big, fancy house.
Happiness ultimately comes from taking each day as it comes and enjoying this adventure called LIFE. Changes happen around every corner and I'm determined to embrace them and remember that life is not going to happen "someday" when all we get all our ducks in a row...it's happening right now, every second of every day!
Blessings!
Brandi
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