Gone Country...

Ken & I just got back from a quick trip down to Roseburg, Oregon on a house-hunting expedition. Our parents each took Jack & Maggie for a night and spoiled them with fun & lots of love, while we headed down with Logan for the hopeful hunt. It was (I think??) a success. haha. Rough start yesterday: up at 4am, cancelled 6am flight due to mechanical issues with the plane, not making it on for the next 2 flights on standby, having to re-buy tickets on another airline, finally getting there, meeting with his new boss & her husband at their home, then finally making it into Roseburg to meet a realtor who took us around all parts of town...followed by (what was intended to be a nice Valentine's date) dinner while Ken sat bundled indoors, shivering in his winter coat while the waitress brought our orders, realizing the flu Maggie just got over, had now hit him too. Day-Quil, the Emergen-C packets, lots of sleep, and praying for quick recovery...and we were back at the hunt bright n' early this morning determined to make the most of the trip since there really wasn't another time to go down before Ken starts training on Monday.

We had a front-runner contender, but since we saw it last night at nightfall, we drove back out again this morning to see it in the daylight. It's just a short drive (15min) into the city-center part of town, but nestled in a beautiful setting. It sits on 10 acres, and there's a fence right around the immediate part of the house so the kids wouldn't wander off. We are really excited! It's a totally different feel/layout/style than what our taste normally is - but a stellar find by the realtor & ... get this... it's a rental. Yep. Since Ken's contract is for 2yrs, plus we didn't know the area yet, AND, we still would need to sell our home here first if we wanted to buy there, it just makes sense to rent. We hit all areas of town, looking at several.. and as soon as we saw the surroundings, it just felt like home. For most of our marriage, we have dreamed of one-day, living in the country. We had no idea how that might look or if/when that may ever happen... and it feels a bit like God just answered that heart prayer with this unexpected find. The location... it feels a bit like the Mt. Spokane/Greenbluff area but with different vegetation. We'll find out Friday if we get to rent the house...

We had an exciting, quick trip despite some setbacks, but it's good to be back in our own beds with all three kids nestled snug in theirs. ;) We sure missed Jack & Mags! Logan was a stellar traveler ---my oh my, that boy might just be one of the happiest, most content & laid back little babies I have ever been around! He was a JOY!

This is the surrounding view/area (they say they rarely ever get snow... wouldn't ya know, there was a fresh sprinkling of it for the first time all Winter, this morning. It looks rather dark, forgive the pics - but we were out there early & the weather was a bit drab...we were told they've had weeks of sunshine up until yesterday. haha.)

Brush Oak Trees on the road there

Here's the house (see what I mean? This isn't a typical style we'd gravitate towards, but it just felt like a great fit.... though is smaller than where we are now so we'll be um, craigslisting some things to simplify & make better use of smaller space.)