it's official

so.  provided our house sells, we're building in spanish fork!

this year has been very interesting!  david and i both independently felt a very strong impression that we needed to prepare for a change.

so i ran a mental list of the changes that i wanted to have happen this year, because if a change is going to happen, you want it to be a change that you want...right?!  so, the first change:  we want to have another baby, and thought i would get pregnant right away.  i spent a little time and money finding some new maternity clothes, washed everything, got so, so excited... that change has not happened, for whatever reason.  i'm really, really disappointed about that one.  i think i spent so much time and effort and worry preventing getting pregnant when it wasn't convenient, that when it is the "right time," i expected it to happen right away.  you know, if you aren't preventing it, then voila, it's going to happen! 

second change:  david signed up to transfer to st. george.  so, naturally, we thought 'oh--this impression means we are going to get a call from st. george!'  i started looking at houses online, found one that was perfect, and spent 6 months watching it drop in price again, and again, and again. we visited a couple of times, and each time felt like we loved it, and that was where we wanted to raise our family.  we dreamt of warm winters and sunny runs.  we even stopped by the ups plant on one visit and talked with the manager to get the scoop on transferring.  we learned his next hire was a transfer, and that david was number 9 out of 10 on the transfer list.  i thought, 'well, i don't know how this is going to happen, but some stars are going to align, because we had that prompting!'

we saved money.  we had a yard sale.  we sold furniture.  we sold a car.  we were going to go on a mediterranean cruise for our 10-year anniversary...and said no in the name of "being responsible and saving money."  we "prepared for a change."

when the changes we wanted to have happen didn't happen, i started thinking, 'great, what's bad that's going to happen?!'  i tore my meniscus and put on 12 pounds when i tapered and then stopped running.  didn't like that one very much.  when i found out i needed surgery i thought, "maybe i'm going to get a blood clot and die...maybe that's the change we're supposed to prepare for?!" 

when my prayers started going along the lines, "please help the stars to align, and help 8 people to say no on the transfer list before david", i knew something needed to change--me and my perspective!  so i stopped mid sentence one day and said, "ok, heavenly father.  i know you know what's best for our family--where our family will best flourish, where our boys will best grow and develop, where we'll have great neighbors, great friends, room to grow.  if that means 8 people on the transfer list saying no, great.  if that means staying in utah valley, great--just please guide us."  

(i also think at this point, david was reconsidering the transfer due to losing seniority, maybe going down to a 2-3 day work week with the transfer, etc...and also finding out he really does love all the outdoor things he does in utah valley)  

we decided to make good on our end and start looking at houses here.  the guiding was immediate and constant.  it was amazing.  we looked at houses online, then took a drive to check it out.  we would drive up to a house and immediately feel "no".  there were some that looked perfect, that were in our ideal neighborhoods, that were right next to trails we love running on.  each time the feeling was very clearly and distinctly no.  one day david saw a short sale in spanish fork listed online.  we really liked the looks of it, and did our litmus test drive.  we drove through the neighborhood and felt like we loved it.  we drove past the house and felt like it we wanted to see it inside--this was the first place we drove by and didn't feel "no"!  we decided it was time to contact our old realtor.  on our walk-through tour we felt the same way--we had questions about the house (the owners were out of the country and unable to be reached...??), but we still didn't feel no.  we actually felt pretty great about it.  so we started the paperwork.

two weeks later, we still felt like we needed to keep looking.  labor day weekend we were looking online at houses "to be built" and found a model we really loved.  they were building in a community near us, and david drove down to check it out.  they were having an open house in one of the model homes, and he came back 2 hours later looking pretty happy.  they were beautiful homes!  we started talking about the building option, and we looked at each other and said, "well, if it's just the location on the hill in spanish fork we liked...can we build there?"  we immediately felt calm, cool, collected, and very, very excited.  we went back and talked with the builder's agent...turns out they build on scatter lots!  the neighborhood felt like home, has a little stream running through it, has running trails!  the schools are actually in the mapleton district instead of spanish fork, and they are excellent!  

so...we're moving forward...and we have gotten a big yes!  it feels great to feel a yes instead of no!  even if st. george does call this fall...we're going to stay in utah valley and build our dream home on a hill in spanish fork.