update!

we've had quite a few people ask about if we've found a place to live, and what our plans are...so I'll just kinda put this up to update everyone at once :)

we changed out minds AGAIN about where we want to live, based on Jon's job, his commute time, what we truly want & feel is best for our little family....and have landed once again on wanting to stay in Seattle. WHEW. I know, it seems like we can't make up our minds! We do feel a sense of peace about this decision, and have changed our housing search this past month to trying to find a place near where we're at now (staying where we're at is not an option for us).

I'll keep it simple and say that the Seattle rental market is a complete madhouse at this current time. Terms like "feeding frenzy" come to mind, when trying to explain what it's like to find an apartment. Basically, there are way too many people looking for apartments, than there are actual apartments available. We have been feverishly searching and walking through places, only to be turned away, or passed over for people without pets, or taking half a day to think about something only to lose our opportunity... many people are actually signing leases without ever having seen the place, the panic to rent being that high. I can't tell you how many apts we have called about, and walked through. The number is so great.

what a nightmare, seriously. Our window to find a place for August came and went in the last few weeks, as most places now aren't available until September.

Enter: our sweet family. Kristen & Ryan have opened up the upstairs of their house to us for as long as we need to find a place that we aren't rushed into, and it has been our saving grace and peace of mind. We are going ahead with a plan to move most of our things into storage here in Seattle, and bring a few suitcases & lots of baby things down to Enumclaw until we are able to find a place back up in Seattle.

And we have not only come to terms with this idea, we are genuinely looking forward to this! I know it sounds counter-intuitive to the "american dream" to not have your own place right off the bat, or a baby room all set up by this point. But I am so overcome with gratitude that God has given us such great family, and a place to go for the time being...I am excited to spend a month at Kristen's house with a new little baby! It's gonna be an adventure!

And yes, it will only be about a month that we spend there, because we did find a place to call our own this last saturday! It's a great condo, about two minutes down the road from where we're at now, and we are really excited about it. The beginning of september will be our moving date for that.

So the timeline is such: movers are taking our stuff to storage & we head down to enumclaw this coming saturday, baby will come whenever the heck he wants to, my family comes out in mid-august (wahoo!), the month will pass in a haze of sleepless nights and getting used to mommyhood, then movers will bring our stuff OUT of storage into our new place, and life will continue from there. busy enough for you? me neither....maybe I should get a second job, or plan a gala or something :)

God has really given us a great sense of peace throughout all of this. We have so much to be thankful for!! We may not have our own place right away, but we have a place to go! That has never been in question, and we do not take that fact lightly or with a sour attitude. We have amazing family who will do anything to help us out during this time, and I feel so blessed. Furthermore, I could not have dreamed of an easier or less-complicated pregnancy. I'm guessing God knew our housing situation was going to come down to the wire, and he's allowed me to carry a child that has let me get out & around, and pack & lift, free of any problems or pain or glitches...how amazing! I'm 11 days before my due date, and I'm running around just fine...able to get things squared away before the craziness hits. We havent had a sweltering hot summer this year, and I am infinitely thankful for it. I know it's made all the world of difference in the ease I'm able to get around.

I could go on about all the ways God has showered us with blessings in this season of life, but I'd really like to end this with encouraging you to see your life in this way: circumstances do not bring about happiness, or at least lasting happiness. We think we know what would make us happy, but so often we get what we want, and still feel unsatisfied! Try this week to reflect on how God does show his love to you in so many ways, even though they might not be the ways we are praying for or striving for. God is constantly reaching out to you, and giving you the gifts He knows you actually need...instead of what you think you need. Real happiness comes from being aware of those gifts, and accepting God's unconventional love.

just my two cents.

I leave you with a beautiful view we had at Seward Park yesterday morning. God painted that, can you believe it?