Confessions of a Move-a-holic

Since the year 1988, I have moved at least every three to four years. The first time it was to Indiana, then in 1992 to Central Illinois. In 1996, I moved to be near my first teaching job. In 1997 I moved to an apartment near Chicago. In 1998 I moved up north to be closer to my teaching job. In 2000, I moved into a duplex with my husband when we got married. In 2001 Cody arrived, and we decided we wanted to be homeowners. So, in 2002, we bought our first condo. One year later, we bought our first house.

It was a bit of a fixer-upper. But it was the best deal for the money and we thought it would be great for just the three of us. We moved here in 2004 and by 2005 I was pregnant with baby #2. We've been here three years. I love this house. It's about 100 years old. It's charming and we love the neighbors and so many things about it. We've made many changes and have had fun making it truly "ours." But all of a sudden, I'm itching to move again.

I don't know if it's a thing with my personality or what. I am always trying to figure out how to rearrange my house. I start getting antsy and I need to make a change. I have dreams of a bigger home, with a family room AND living room. A fireplace. An eat in kitchen AND a dining room. I would love for the boys to each have their own room. A place for me to teach AND a play room. A true master bedroom with our own bathroom. I would love to host family get togethers, birthday parties, and social gatherings without feeling like everyone is cramped together with no room to move. (I love to entertain!) All that aside, I have learned to be content because that's what God calls me to and because I know that Godliness+Contentment=Great Gain.

We live in a VERY expensive area and homes are not cheap. They're cheaper right now, but we are not in a position to move into something larger. We won't do it until we truly feel we can afford it. We're not house poor right now and we don't ever want to be. Our taxes are manageable and I am able to work a handful of hours here at home each week without feeling like I "should" be working more. I also realize that this current season in my life calls me home while my boys are still young. Maybe someday down the road I'll go back to work full-time and then we could maybe talk about that house we've been wishing for.

All of this is to say (yes, I do have a point) that I am getting antsy again. But not to move. Just to rearrange. I need to re-work a couple of rooms. Maybe even paint a room or add an accent wall. I need to rid out, freecycle, re-organize, and possibly rearrange. It's much cheaper than buying a new house and it hardly costs a thing (maybe just a gallon or two of paint).

So if you don't see me for awhile, just know that I am working on a few projects here and there. My intention is to use the month of November to get organized before the holidays arrive. I need to restore some order around here so that I feel better and make the house more user-friendly. I have no idea if I'll get anything really significant accomplished (it's hard to do much of anything besides just the necessities of life with a busy toddler around), but I'm going to make it my goal to try!

I'll see you soon!