Moving?

We've made brief mention of moving previously, so I figured I'd set the record straight as far as we know right now. Jenn and I are very happy with the house in which we are living. It has all the room that we need, the bedrooms are great, the kitchen is a good size, the fenced-in back yard is awesome, the work bench is great, our bathroom is awful but we can work on it over time, our deck is fun to use in the summer, and the location is very convenient for our ultimate trifecta of work/grocery shopping/church.

Our current house does need some continued work. We've pulled a ton of wallpaper and done a bunch of painting. The kitchen floor is really bad with several holes in the linoleum, our bathroom is a logistical nightmare: no door to the bathroom, the toilet is literally out in the open, the vanities are about 6-12 inches lower than a comfortable level, the shower conjures up images of Stony Lake (really small, for those not familiar with Stony Lake), and the front landscaping needs work.

So why consider moving? With interest rates as low as they are, and with this being a buyer's market, we've decided to see what might be available to us. We're looking for a house that can have an extra bedroom for our out-of-town guests and have a kitchen that Jenn has in mind. We're also looking for a neighborhood with nice sidewalks for us to use as a family. As it stands now, we have the luxury of both not having to move and of having a home that is an ideal starter home for Hudson. If there's a family that is looking to get into the Hudson school system without having to break the bank, they couldn't do much better than our house. So why not gather information?

Jenn's been looking into homes that are in the Woodridge/Northampton section of Cuyahoga Falls. This would keep us close to church, close to a grocery store, and very close to the clinic (<5 minute drive). You know how Jenn gets when it comes to research? She's all over it in the most thorough way, so if there's a house that looks like it could be for us, she'll find it. Joe Grecco, our realtor, and Aaron Barnhardt, our lender, have been fabulous to work with in terms of expanding our options and giving us good advice. Both are Christians who share a similar vision and philosophy when it comes to family, finances and faith.

One of the things that we struggle with is being content. It's so easy to always want more and to not be happy with what the LORD has given to us. Jenn and I have been blessed beyond what we could have imagined a few years ago. It's a daily struggle walking the line between a) being content with what we have (a very nice house) and b) being responsible for our family and being as the best stewards with what we have as we can be. So if we write to you with a new return address, you won't be taken by surprise. But if we have Lincoln's high school graduation party at our current home, you'll know that we gathered lots of information and determined that our current situation was best.