Celebration adventures!

I hesitate to even write this, for fear that something will fall through...so, we have TENTATIVELY sold our house.  Counter offers have been accepted and we are just waiting on a home inspection to finalize everything.  It is crazy that one week ago, our house wasn't even on the market, and we were immersed in cleaning and preparing the house to show.  Now, we are in contract and have most likely sold the house.  While many aspects of this Minnesota move have been very, very difficult, it is such a huge relief that this was a fairly easy process...so far!

So, doors are closing in Iowa.  My job will soon be passed onto another deserving teacher to expand PrairieWood and make it their own, and our house will soon be passed onto another family to share and create new memories.  Now, it is time for doors to start opening on the other end of this move.  I am ready to begin preparing for my next teaching endeavor, and to start finding the home where we will expand our family and share time with loved ones, as we have been anticipating for so long...the place where we will finally all be under one roof again.   God definitely has a plan for us, which has been evident with the journey to Jon's amazing new job.  I need to dig deep and have patience in His timing on revealing my path.  Jobs are moving, and I have applied for 5 great jobs, all of which I would be excited to have.

We had a very special treat this weekend.  We usually do not see Jon two weekends in a row, but having taken the Acadia north with the trailer last week, Jon came our way this weekend, both to swap cars, and to have a weekend where we could just enjoy each others company (after working so hard last weekend).  When we planned it, we anticipated having to be out of the house for possible showings, so we planned a lot of activities to keep us busy.  Instead, we were able to enjoy these activities as a celebration of selling the house.  Jon arrived late Friday night, and woke Vinnie Saturday morning...what a sweet treat!  After a Vinnie suggested breakfast of pancakes, we headed to the downtown library for new books and story time before hitting up a brand new brewery in the Czech Village.  Jon and I cannot believe how awesome this town is getting...now that we are leaving!  I guess that is what happens after a flood.  All the potential and great things start happening in time.  We enjoyed Church as a family, dined on a deliciously grilled dinner and then headed to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena for a very special family adventure; one that Jon has been scheming for quite some time.  We got Vinnie on skates, and while he wasn't able to move around, or even stand up on his own on the ice, he enjoyed 45 minutes of being dragged and scooted around with Jon.  It's hard to tell if Hockey is in his future, but we all enjoyed the special adventure.

One more week of school ahead, and then Friday evening Vinnie and I will be Minnesota bound.  We are looking forward to a few days of family, meeting Jon downtown for lunch, and some relaxation before Jon and I head out to DC with my family for a cousin's wedding.  Vinnie will be enjoying a few days of time with his Grandma and Grandpa Keimig!  Our first trip away from the V-man...and I am excited! ;-)

Until next time, all our love from Iowa!

And we are up and running...

This past weekend our little family took one step out of limbo and one step closer to our new reality in Minnesota.  Jon  came from Minnesota for a weekend of packing, purging, and cleaning to prepare the house to be put on the market.  I can honestly say, I don't know that we have ever worked that hard, and I don't know that this house has ever looked SO good!  That is the good and bad about selling a house.  You want it in tip-top condition so a potential buyer sees it for its true beauty and charm, and you end up falling deeper in love with the house...at least that is how I feel!  Having rented a Uhaul, we packed up all of our non-necessities  to declutter the house and allow buyers to see all the space it provides.  Saturday was spent cleaning out and packing, creating a car full of goodies for Goodwill, and Sunday was spent DEEP cleaning, touching up paint and doing minor fixes here and there.  Monday the sign went up in our front lawn and we were off and running.

Shortly after 12noon yesterday I received a phone call from a local realtor wanting to show the house.  At 5:30, after a quick dinner, Vinnie and I packed up and headed to our favorite FroYo spot for a little escape and a great treat.  Less than an hour later we returned home and fell into our night time routine.  A bath was a must after a chocolatey treat, in preparation for daycare picture day, and we enjoyed a few stories before bed.

Then today we heard good news from our realtor...the visitors from last night wanted to put in an offer.  Not quite happy with their price, we have countered and are just waiting to hear back if our counter offer was accepted.  We do not always have the best luck, but when it comes to selling houses, things have historically gone very fast and moved smoothly (knock on wood!)  I'm linking our listing below...just so you can see all the changes we have made.  Jon and I are both very proud of the work we have done in this house, and even more proud of the family foundation and the memories that were made here!

2710 29th St. SW Cedar Rapids, IA

We continue to be overwhelmed by the blessing that Vinnie is in our life.  As we dilligently packed and cleaned throughout the past weekend, Vinnie was content putting together puzzles, reading books, and happy to provide help here and there when the task allowed.  I have said time and again how his demeanor and spirit makes this whole crazy scheme possible...I wouldn't be able to tackle this with any other kiddo!

In the middle of the chaos that is our life Vinnie is growing up so fast.  He loves to count and recite the ABC's, is getting good at his colors, and loves to sing songs and read books.  Each afternoon I drive him home from daycare, he chatters away in the back seat, often times counting the trucks he sees or identifying the colors of each car as it passes by.  He has an opinion about everything, and I can't tell you how many times a day I am put in my place..."no mom."

On top of all the house excitement, my job search is beginning to pick up speed as well.  In the past week I have applied for 3 jobs, one of which is even a Transition Center position.  It would be wonderful to start hearing back from those schools to help continue this forward motion we have been having to the next phase of our lives! 

It is hard to believe that in less than 4 months all of this craziness will be behind us and we will starting our new lives in Minnesota.  I feel like that has been our dream for so long, it is hard to grasp that one day, very soon, it will be a reality.  The last 5 months have been everything and nothing I expected; brutal, painful, exciting, and very, very humbling.  I have been humbled by the friendship that surrounds our family near and far, especially last week as I came down with the stomach flu and had an outpouring of help offerings and well wishes.  And your prayers...oh how we feel the prayers that you have all covered us with.  In the moments when I encounter something that feels impossible or terrifying, knowing that we have our friends and families prayers and support lifts me up and pushes me through.  When all this is over, I plan to return the favor to each and every one of you.

Not for much longer...all our love from Iowa! ;-)