We Bought A House!

Another really big that has been happening is that we bought a house! We have been looking at houses ever since we moved to Chemainus, dreaming and getting a feel for what is out there. We got more serious about it about a year ago, really look hard at what was out there. We found Michael who is a fantastic realtor who had endless patience with us!! Nothing seemed right, and it felt like a far fetched dream. Having our own home was something that we went back and forth on - do we really want to go into that much debt? Yet do we really want to keep paying an insane amount of rent to someone else and paying their mortgage? Not really. And we really love the valley and feel like this is our home and we will be here for a while. Back in the spring we started really feeling like we needed to get out of the house we were in - it worked well for us and was a good space, but the landlord was unstable and inconsistent and made us uncomfortable. So the in fall once we were home from the busy summer, I jumped right back into house shopping and comparing and researching. We looked a lot in Chemainus, but were really discouraged by what we found in our price range. (we found out what our price range was by talking to mortgage broker who actually is a christian and a really great lady!). Every house we looked at was either tiny or needed a LOT of work. We weren't afraid of a house that would need work, we just couldn't really afford it if the house was already at the top end of the budget. Eventually, I came to the realization that we may need to leave Chemainus, even though that wasn't ideal. The prices there are just so high since it's a tourist attraction and a retirement draw. With Jon's jobs, really the only other town we could look at was Crofton. I have always been a big hater on Crofton and super judgmental about it! But when we started looking at what was available there, we began to really talk more seriously about a move if we found the right place. We found one half duplex that was UNREAL - it was so fancy and huge that it almost felt too fancy for us haha! It was the first duplex that we looked at it, because I have always been a hater on those as well. But walking into that one I realized that I was very wrong and that duplex's could be great. More affordable, but still spacious and have everything we need. The new duplex's are built so well that you can't even hear anything from the neighbours. We knew that that particular duplex was much too over the top for us, but it opened our eyes to what else we could be looking at! We prayed a LOT, wanting to find a house that was really a great fit for our family, and only go into that kind of debt if we felt God leading us. Then I found another duplex on line that was similar to the first one, but without all the super fancy things (like a toilet that flushed itself and heated floors... I'm telling you, that house was unreal). So we went and looked at it, and from the first second we pulled up in front of it, I felt very excited and very peaceful about this place. We walked in the front door and it felt like "home". As we walked through, I felt more and more that this was the place we had been looking for. It is so spacious that it doesn't feel like a half duplex at all (at 1600sq ft, there is a lot of space!) and it is really well laid out as well as only 7 years old, so doesn't need any work (besides aesthetics like painting). We came back again a week later with Mary to get a second opinion, especially from someone with a background in urban planning! She reiterated everything that I was feeling, and we decided to move forward. It was a bit higher than what we wanted/were able to pay, so our first offer was low. We went back and forth with them a few times until we came to an agreed price (which also included a brand new washer and dryer that is a pretty red!!). So then started the process of getting approval and getting our funds all in place! It was a stressful two weeks!!! Our parents were amazing and generous and helped us make it work with a downpayment and we did a LOT of praying. We had to get an inspection done as well, so Jacob Doirian did it for us for free since he is a building inspector and a trusted friend who is very keen and intelligent. He was SO impressed when he spent a few hours examining everything! He said it was top craftsmenship work, and no corners were cut, and all the materials used were high end. As a contractor and builder, it was SUCH a relief to hear that from him!!! Soon everything was all finalized and the house was ours! Then the owners asked us to bump up the moving date by two weeks, so after just seeing the house three weeks earlier for the first time, we were now moving in!! I talked to a lot of people who live in Crofton about the town and heard a lot of great things that I hadn't heard before - one of them being that the elementary school is amazing and has the best teachers. I called North Cowichan as well and talked to them about Crofton and was told that it is a "focal point" in the Cowichan Valley and in the next five years there would be improvements made to make Crofton more appealing. They are estimating that the price of houses and the general economy around here would be rising over the coming years. Those two things were major selling points for me! A good school, and a community that is focused on growth and improvements. We also spent a bit of time walking around and exploring the beaches and it really changed my heart. This is a really cute town and I am excited about it. And it is close enough to Chemainus that we don't too removed, and still very involved. 

On Halloween weekend we asked a bunch of friends to come help us move, and we were very blessed by our community and their love for us and willingness to help! This was the text I got on Friday morning, moving day, from Mary:

Haha funny girl. A good way to start the weekend! Our house was all packed up and ready to be moved! I took a big load over to the new house, and then stayed there to start unpacking and directing traffic as people brought stuff in! Here is our new, beautiful home! The awesome thing about this duplex is that its a corner lot and this is a shot from the main road - our front door is off this road, and you can see our garage -but for our neighbours to get into their house, they have to go around the corner, so it doesn't feel like we are connected, and it doesn't look like cookie cutter houses! This picture is just of our side - the window above the garage is our room, and the window above the big main windows is Q's room. The spare room is around the corner and you can't see the window. Both us and Q have perfect, gorgeous ocean view (as does our living room!).

View from one of our bedroom windows

After we had tons of help all weekend long, we were all moved in and lots was put away by Saturday evening! This was us Saturday night, in our kitchen which was all set up and ready to be lived in! Isn't it beautiful!? Granite countertops and so cozy... I love this space. We just need to get stools for under the island for Q to climb up onto and sit at, because she likes to help!

She LOVES the new house! She is constantly talking on her little fake cell phone, calling different people and saying "Yep! New house!" So cute! She also likes to lay in my bed and snuggle way down into my blankets.

Out riding her bike at the new house! This neighbourhood is so nice, and really friendly so far. There is a great flat space at the top of the hill where she can ride around and there is no traffic since its a dead end. So perfect for a small person! She has had a major growth spurt lately - we figured she was growing because she's been sleeping a lot, naps being 2-3 hours long and still sleeping solidly at nighttime. And sure enough, she's grown almost an inch and a bit in the past few weeks! She is so tall and towers over other 2 year olds at this point. Funny how they change so much - she goes from being the smallest to the tallest, and I'm sure it will go the other way again at some point! But she is petite and lead and very strong, which makes her solid. I love watching her grow.

The bike is still a bit hard for her to ride because she can't sit on the seat all the way back and push herself. But she is getting better and she really likes it! Its good for her balance

Mary called and asked if we wanted to go for a walk, and that her and Ady would come out here. She knows that I am worried about feeling isolated and lonely in a new town, so she was being her amazing self in making sure I knew that our friendship would stay the same, without really having to say it. So they came out and we walked along the boardwalk - so so so gorgeous! It was a beautiful morning

These little best friends are just SO stinkin cute together. Adalee now gets so excited to see Quinny and they will hug and giggle. It's fun watching Ady tell Q no when she doesn't want to do something and to watch their relationship really grow and develop. Love these girls.

Running towards each other. I love toddlers

I am continually blessed by this girl and her family and their friendship. It always amazes me how God knew I would need a friend, a real deep friend who I could do life with, and that He provided that.

So, now we live in Crofton and so far so good! It's really not far from both Chemainus and Crofton, and it doesn't add anytime on Jon's commute to camp. All good things! The hardest part for me really was leaving Chemainus (which is so silly because if we lived in a bigger city, the drive from Chemainus to Crofton would just be like driving across town, 10 minutes away). But Chemainus just felt so much like "home" is where I wanted to stay.. so its been quite a great journey for my heart in the past few weeks! I surrendered my desire to stay in that town, and I realized that being that attached to a place is not necessarily a healthy thing. While its great (and essential often times!) to really love your community, I want to love the Lord more. And that means being open to where He is leading and to go where I am called. I know that the Valley will more than likely not be our home forever because there deep desires that Jon and I both have that would eventually take us away, and I want to open to the call and to go where I am needed. For now, that is in Crofton and I am grateful for that! Its a cute town and we are looking forward to really setting down some roots! This was our eighth move in 6 years of being married... so many moves!! We are excited about this more permanent one :) So feel free to call and invite yourselves over - I would love to show you my home and to cook for you in my new kitchen! Homes need to be filled with people and love!