Roller Coaster

We almost bought a house . . . emphasis on almost.

The past few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions to say the least. Starting in mid-April, we have been debating what the next few years should hold for our little family. I LOVE shoreline and voted to stay. Newly appointed Master Joey, was completing his degree and in many ways felt like it was time for a change. We couldn't come to a consensus. We were lost puppies . . . not staying, but no definitive place to go.

We contacted a Realtor and thought maybe owning a condo would be the route to go. We looked at dozens, but nothing felt "right." During this long process, Joey got some great job offers, a salary raise where he currently works and our prospects looked bright. Joe felt good about taking a year off from his PhD to find funding and a good advisor. Simultaneously, we were still speaking with the Realtor and lender and they both thought that with our current situation we could afford a lot more than what we were looking at.

So, we began the house hunt. One night, I was so excited about the properties we were seeing the next day, I lay awake until 5 am. Adrenaline. We saw several that were darling, but again, nothing felt right. There were two properties in particular that we had high hopes for, but were under contract by the time we were able to see them. Why weren't things working out?

A series of small, but significant events followed a particularly long and emotional day looking at houses. A push to make an offer on a house late Friday afternoon, a trip to the lender, a Saturday night Temple session . . .

Well, we aren't buying a house and don't plan on it any time soon. We are jumping feet first into Joey's PhD (with or without funding) and we are staying put. No house in the near future and no moving van either, but for the first time, we both think that is a good thing. We are in the school mode and are ready to see it through. I believe our prayers have finally been answered and our roller coaster has come to a much anticipated stop.