Best laid plans...

I figured since I'm reading Steinbeck, I could use his same inspiration for my title.

I don't know about you, but just when think I have everything all planned out- large or small- I am reminded that I am not in charge. Someone with much higher power knows what's best for me. I seriously am reminded of that so often! Now I recognize it much more quickly and see the Divine intervention that it is.

I hope I don't jinx us here, but I think it is safe to say out loud that our house is under contract again. We briefly took it off the market for a few days to let it reset on the MLS with a new price. (During that time I had about 20 calls from other realtors trying to get me to sign with them. Poachers.)

Within a few days of re-listing, we had a bunch of showings and two offers right off the bat. We are now under contract, with a back-up handy. The same day, we found out that we got the house in Saratoga Springs that we put an offer on the week before. It isn't the house we were aiming for originally, but it is in the same neighborhood & ward. We tried to find every way imaginable to get our "dream" house there, but it was a little more than we felt we could responsibly afford. Short of selling organs, we dreamed up all sorts of ways to make some extra money. We try to live within our means and have been so blessed as we try to do this, and we were blessed to find a beautiful, well-maintained home in the same area. The bummer is that it is a short sale in the beginning of the process, which means it will be months before we can get in. I think the banks are so lame. Hello- willing buyer with money! Why drag it out so long? I can see if there isn't a buyer ready, but WE ARE RIGHT HERE!!!

Anyway, we'll see how the next few months play out, but we are so blessed! Even though things don't always go quite how I plan (like today, for instance) we are doing well. My day today was shot to a million pieces by kids that came home sick from school in two shifts, but I'm so glad I'm able to be here with them. I did get to mow the lawn since Jenna was inside with the younger kids. It all works out somehow.

We are excited for the next chapter in our lives. We will miss the people here terribly, but there's more out there for us. We want certain things for our kids that we feel we will find in Saratoga Springs. My sweet farm boy needs more open space, too! Everything worked out so quickly and all at once, that we are sure this is part of the Lord's plan for us. It will be great, whatever IT is!