Moving on Up! (To the South-side?)

Hi friends and family!  We've had so many things going on here in the past month that I actually forgot about the blog completely until now.  Oops!  

The great news is that we have sold our townhome!!  (Technically, the buyer still has to get an FHA appraisal, but the inspection has been done and the purchase agreement has been signed a few weeks ago).  Our novena to St. Joseph has definitely paid off.  

Also great news is that we have bought a new house of our own, in a suburb just south of where we live now!  It is a typical split-level home from the late 70's and has been really well taken care of.  We have some updates and remodeling we'll undoubtedly do over the years but it's in really good condition.  First project will likely be tearing down two walls in the kitchen to open it up to the dining and living room.  We'll put in an island for more counter space and will probably be getting all new cabinets and maybe new appliances (once I get in there and cook with them I'll get a feel for whether they need replacing or not).   

There are 3 bedrooms on the upstairs level and 2 downstairs, so we're excited to have a room dedicated to an office and a room for our guests.  The neighborhood is extremely quiet and safe, which was very high on our priority list when looking at homes.  Our backyard actually opens onto a large, grassy field and playground that is for use only by those of us with homes bordering it.  I've already taken A there once when we were touring it and she raced toward the playground, shrieking...so, I think it might become a favorite place for her.  =) 

We're equally excited about the location of the home - it takes about 10-15 minutes off of hubby's commute to work, puts us in the busing zone for the school we want to send our kids to, and is in a town known for its MANY lakes, nature trails, and community events.  I'm so anxious to become members of the city's community center.  It has a huge indoor waterpark, an indoor playground, an indoor track, tennis courts, tons of fitness classes, and an outdoor bandstand where they play movies every Sunday evening in the summer.  

I am continually thanking God that we have found this house (and perhaps even more so that we were able to sell our place in this market)!  I'll post some photos of it once we've moved in, of course.  Closing date on our townhouse is July 22nd, I believe, and closing on our new house will be July 18th.  So, we'll have a few days to move, which I'm hoping will reduce the stress level involved.  =)  Lots of packing of boxes between now and then!

Thanks for all of your prayers on our housing "stuff".  They were definitely answered!