Renting has it's positives

After 3 house renovations and years of "projects" that always seemed to be vying for time, energy, resources - can I just say that it is actually a really nice change of pace to be renting? If something goes wrong, or needs fixing, someone else will be taking care of it. Don't get me wrong, we loved the renovation homes we've worked on & lived in --- and we went into them knowing they were investments where the hard work would hopefully pay off. But now that we're in this stage of life, we realize how much we missed opportunities to invest where it mattered more. Not to be all touchy-feely here, but really, in relationships that could have used more time and energy and well, resources too! haha. There will always be a part of me (don't know if Ken feels the same? haha) that loves a good project & enjoys that transformation process. I think it's my "secret life" if that would even be a way to word it. When others love curling up with a good book or watching movies or whatever it is that floats your boat when you get time to yourself, I love perusing the net for inspirational home projects & decor. I honestly think I would flat out love being a general contractor or something of that sort. I digress though. It has been such a blessing to be living in this rental home. You'll probably see it kinda lacks personality in some ways --- maybe that's more of a feeling we have, and not so much something you can see?... things we love about the house itself? The view, view, view! We see these unbelievable shades of blue/green mountains out the front. We don't tire of it and taking walks around here makes us momentarily feel like we're living in... I don't know... South Africa or some place that just feels so different from the terrain we're used to. We also love the high ceilings. It makes the 1800 sq. ft in this place feel way bigger than it is. This house is smaller than our Hogan house. Really. But the layout is so functional & family-friendly. And, rent is less than a mortgage. So on many, many levels, this is just a perfect fit!! The kids love it & we do to. It's "easy" and to have the time on weekends now to just enjoy whatever without a project stressing over Ken or us, is fantastic. Plus, given that Ken's job is just for 2 years here, it didn't make sense to try and buy a home when we don't know what's coming next. Without further chatter... here are some pics.. :) Love & hugs & please know, we'd soooo love to have you come visit & stay with us!

....and here is the "story behind the story" of how this rental came to be. All God, all God. Some of you might remember that we had come down to the area to house hunt back in February and found what we thought would be the ideal place for us to rent. We did the paperwork, sent in our deposit, all was on track there. Then when the kids & I actually made the move & got the keys, oh my-lanta was it ever NOT going to work. Pet dander & stench inside like you wouldn't believe! Jack is allergic to dogs/cats and was all sneezy & itchy within in minutes of being inside. The other thing? It was actually in rough shape - ripped floors, broken locks, broken glass, mold in the bathrooms. I peered around thinking, "What the??"... when we saw it before, we could only view the exterior because someone was living in it. Desperate to find something asap (keep in mind the moving truck was en route behind us & we were living in a hotel with my parents --- oh what would I have done if they hadn't been here with me to help while Ken was in training?!!)... we searched high n' low to find a new place. Nothing was coming up. The rental market is fast around here - this county has been hit really hard by the depressed markets, and as a result, I think there's just a hot commodity for rentals. We would have done anything to find a place & believe me, it was already stressful enough to think of losing the deposit & first months' rent on the last place that didn't work. But in God's total blessing, I was able to talk with the rental company & they decided they would (break normal policy) and refund us our money in full. And what else was amazing? ... this house came on that very weekend - they didn't even have pictures of it yet!  I had gone to a real estate office to see if they happened to have any rental properties too & low n' behold - they said they just got this one.  Our bare-bones criteria (again, ya can't be too picky when pickin's are slim!).. were 3 bedrooms, 1+baths, no pets/smoking, and ideal if it had a garage too - and of course within our budget.  We were even open to single wides or whatever might have fit that bill!  They handed me the key to go check this out, I was amazed & shaking my head thinking, "Only You, God..." :) we were approved, and literally got the keys to move in, drove back to this house & the moving truck had just pulled up. Yeah. And the other part that's incredible? This house, actually rents for less than the country home that was in shambles. Go figure? God has really paved the way and blessed our time here so far.... I simply cannot wrap my head around His goodness.