This weekend we went down to Exeter for our second trip of house hunting. What an emotional rollercoaster. We were so excited that we found some friends to watch both our girls and I worked hard all week to ween our little baby girl from breast feeding to bottle (eew sorry for all those boobie/milky grossed out people, I won't speak of it again).
We zoomed down there and made great time. We had three houses to see originally but one totally called and said they had shown it and it had rented. BUMMER! But we remain hopeful. We got a viewing last min on a house we weren't sure we wanted to see but because we had time in our day we thought "why not"
Once we arrived in exeter... wow... there was a massive car accident somewhere plus combined with it being Friday afternoon meant traffic was a beast. We have come to dislike almost every estate agents we speak to as they all say they are "for the customer" when clearly they just want the easy customer that has money....
Because we want to live in a house and share it as two small families we get to look at 1 out of 5 houses that are available.... and the ones we have been viewing just aren't going to work for us. Either the parking is horrendous or the kitchens are crazy small or the living areas is wickedly cramped, or the garden is non-existent. My husband and I spend most of the time diving back (and honestly driving around that day) arguing about what wouldn't or wouldn't work. We have the pressure not only of choosing a house for ourselves but also choosing a house for our sister's family to live in too.
Almost every house I walked in all I could see was the potential and all my husband could see was its short comings. By the time we argued to a compromise we would decide it wasn't for us. The last house we looked at again was on that Roydans Estate. We love it there so much, but the house we looked at was great for the bedroom lay out but the living space downstairs and parking was just too much of a compromise.
We sulked back to Colchester wishing that our house hunt had ended but feeling like this was just the beginning. We have to be moving in little over two weeks and we don't have any house to go to. We called our sister and brother-in-law and after chatting we all decided waiting .. even if it meant packing up our current houses and putting everything in storage and living with friends and family for a bit, would be better than taking up a tenancy for a house that just wouldn't work for us.
My husband and I decided to spend all day Saturday praying... well we set the alarms on our phones to go off ever hour and we would just shoot up quick prayers to God. Not necessarily that he would "hear our prayers and give us what we want" but to ready our hearts for whatever the future holds.
We all feel oddly calm. Oddly peaceful. We want a house to share more than anything but so many people have sent us message this week reminding to "wait on God, move in his time, not to rush, to wait of the right thing." We are confident we must wait, but it all seems so cloudy and hazy as to what our future will hold.
A few people have asked if we have messaged churches to ask if they had any help or support they could give. It seems like such a long shot sense we have no links or connection to them, but I gave it a try and messaged around to some churches, My husband reminded me of the church we had seen was running in a community centre on our favourite estate Roydans Estate. Its called Trinity Church and I love everything I am reading about it. How a group of Christians has purposefully moved out to this new estate to just let people know about Jesus! I said to my husband... this Roydan Estate seems to have EVERYTHING we are wanting and praying for... ACCEPT A HOUSE!
Ready our hearts God... Ready our hearts for whatever the future holds and may our faith stay strong in you!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Monday, May 1, 2017
Rental Rat Race!
We headed down to Exeter/ the area this weekend to look for a house to rent. A little update is that our sister and brother-in-law have gotten jobs that are going to start the same time as my husbands and so we are looking to rent a big 4/5 bedroom house together.
we thought it would be fairly easy, find a big house, put down the deposit and rent it.
However, it is turning out not that easy. First off, about half (if not more) of the big houses listed for rent in Exeter/the area do not accept sharers of any kind. What a shame! with the world the way it is now and how hard it is to find places to live families working together to live and share the stresses of life is becoming more essential. Yet another hurdle to get over.
So out of a list of 7 houses we were able to see 3 of them. The first house we saw was on Roydans Estate. I couldn't recommend this area of Exeter anymore. We instantly fell in love with it. There is a train station, local parks, community centre (which runs an array of children/work out/ church/community groups), there is a shopping complex across the busy main road that has a big superstore (tesco), pet shops, furniture stores, fast-food (pizza hut/KFC!). We loved the house that we saw and put our referencing offer in straight away. Ex of Exeter Estate agents were absolutely brilliant. We had a guy named Ian show us around the house and he was very personable, honest and friendly. Unfortunately another family also loved our "most amazing house ever" find and we were passed over for their less complicated situation. This was totally understandable, but wow did it feel like a kick to our guts! We had been watching that house when it was listed as more expensive, then the week we went down to look at houses it dropped in price to our spend range, then they didn't have space to show us and then a space opened up. The lay out couldn't have been more perfect to host our families, it was set up so beautifully for our families... we even thought because the family that lived there had relocated to another country that they would sympathise with our story and go for us... hahah but sadly the world doesn't work that way.
We looked at two other properties (one right outside exeter near Ide) but even though it said it was only 3-4 miles from exeter it felt AGES away and there wasn't really anything happening there.... I can't see that working.
THEN we went down to Dawlish and WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE. The town/community felt family friendly, beautiful and possible. The train station is LITERALLY on the sea, there are loads of little coffee shops, tea rooms, fish and chips and small quirky shops... I liked it... I liked it more than I thought. They have such a beautiful little brooke that runs through the centre of the downtown and there are lights set up, a little duck sanctuary, ice cream shops a little community theatre! The vibe was definitely more exciting and liveable than I thought it would be. The house we saw there would work... but it felt very tired and there were a few things that just made it feel not right.
We found out while we were sitting on the grassy green in Dawlish that we didn't get accepted on our first house of choice and it did put a bit of a sour perspective on things. I seriously almost cried. I just want a home. Something we all could be proud of and happy in and settled in. We were so sure the Roydan Estate house was THE ONE!
We spend the 5 hour drive back to Essex just talking and talking and talking this move to death! What will we do now. We only have 4 more weeks. Maybe living together won't be as easy as we thought! why is it so hard to find a house for us to live in? how long can we go on with out a plan? We talked it over loads with my husbands parents. They have lots of wise experience moving and that helped to calm our nerves and emotions.
After talking with them we decided that we really need to priorities my husband and brother in laws jobs and being in a place that will make them settling into their work as smooth as possible. And also making sure that we stick to our guns and get a home that will have the space we need.
When we got back to Colchester, Essex we sat on our couch after wrestling our two babies to bed, we were exhausted. Our creativity and fight for making this move fun and exciting was at an all time low. But some how we managed to get out our phones, make a new list of houses we maybe could see, write a list of ideal characters our rental property would have and a list of things we would compromise on.
We took deep breaths, we prayed again and we planned our next trip to Exeter sometime next week or the week after. Money is running out, time is running short..... wow moving has a way a stretching us!
we thought it would be fairly easy, find a big house, put down the deposit and rent it.
However, it is turning out not that easy. First off, about half (if not more) of the big houses listed for rent in Exeter/the area do not accept sharers of any kind. What a shame! with the world the way it is now and how hard it is to find places to live families working together to live and share the stresses of life is becoming more essential. Yet another hurdle to get over.
So out of a list of 7 houses we were able to see 3 of them. The first house we saw was on Roydans Estate. I couldn't recommend this area of Exeter anymore. We instantly fell in love with it. There is a train station, local parks, community centre (which runs an array of children/work out/ church/community groups), there is a shopping complex across the busy main road that has a big superstore (tesco), pet shops, furniture stores, fast-food (pizza hut/KFC!). We loved the house that we saw and put our referencing offer in straight away. Ex of Exeter Estate agents were absolutely brilliant. We had a guy named Ian show us around the house and he was very personable, honest and friendly. Unfortunately another family also loved our "most amazing house ever" find and we were passed over for their less complicated situation. This was totally understandable, but wow did it feel like a kick to our guts! We had been watching that house when it was listed as more expensive, then the week we went down to look at houses it dropped in price to our spend range, then they didn't have space to show us and then a space opened up. The lay out couldn't have been more perfect to host our families, it was set up so beautifully for our families... we even thought because the family that lived there had relocated to another country that they would sympathise with our story and go for us... hahah but sadly the world doesn't work that way.
We looked at two other properties (one right outside exeter near Ide) but even though it said it was only 3-4 miles from exeter it felt AGES away and there wasn't really anything happening there.... I can't see that working.
THEN we went down to Dawlish and WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE. The town/community felt family friendly, beautiful and possible. The train station is LITERALLY on the sea, there are loads of little coffee shops, tea rooms, fish and chips and small quirky shops... I liked it... I liked it more than I thought. They have such a beautiful little brooke that runs through the centre of the downtown and there are lights set up, a little duck sanctuary, ice cream shops a little community theatre! The vibe was definitely more exciting and liveable than I thought it would be. The house we saw there would work... but it felt very tired and there were a few things that just made it feel not right.
We found out while we were sitting on the grassy green in Dawlish that we didn't get accepted on our first house of choice and it did put a bit of a sour perspective on things. I seriously almost cried. I just want a home. Something we all could be proud of and happy in and settled in. We were so sure the Roydan Estate house was THE ONE!
We spend the 5 hour drive back to Essex just talking and talking and talking this move to death! What will we do now. We only have 4 more weeks. Maybe living together won't be as easy as we thought! why is it so hard to find a house for us to live in? how long can we go on with out a plan? We talked it over loads with my husbands parents. They have lots of wise experience moving and that helped to calm our nerves and emotions.
After talking with them we decided that we really need to priorities my husband and brother in laws jobs and being in a place that will make them settling into their work as smooth as possible. And also making sure that we stick to our guns and get a home that will have the space we need.
When we got back to Colchester, Essex we sat on our couch after wrestling our two babies to bed, we were exhausted. Our creativity and fight for making this move fun and exciting was at an all time low. But some how we managed to get out our phones, make a new list of houses we maybe could see, write a list of ideal characters our rental property would have and a list of things we would compromise on.
We took deep breaths, we prayed again and we planned our next trip to Exeter sometime next week or the week after. Money is running out, time is running short..... wow moving has a way a stretching us!
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Finding a place to call HOME
The hunt continues...
we are trying to find a house to rent and wow is it not easy. The expense of moving, the unknown of the area and the ever changing rental market is making for an anxious and stressful move... hahah maybe this is just the new feelings and emotions of adulthood.
We officially know that Steve's job is in Exeter so we are wanting to live either in the city or with in 10 miles. From all our contacts that know the area because are saying driving into the city is a bit of nightmare so if we aren't going to live in the city then living near a train station would be good incase we get fed up with the commute.
I'm also really being picky about wanting to have a back garden for the girls to play in and off road parking. We have a budget of not spending more that £850 on rent and that would be a big push for us. We are struggling to find the right place. And to throw a spanner in the works, steve's sister and brother in law are still wanting to move as well and are currently waiting to hear back from a job they interviewed for. If they get this job (which also is in Exeter!) then we could all rent a big house together... if not we will start this adventure on our own. We are still really hopeful we could do this altogether... but we are in limbo at the moment.
We are currently looking at houses to in the north of Exeter, Dawlish and Exmouth and all the places in-between. I'm semi starting to lean more near the beach (Dawlish or Exmouth) just because I've never lived somewhere like that and THAT is what this adventure is all about. I've been looking at children centres', preschools', cafes, hotels and things to do in these places and just keep trying to picture what I would like to spend my time doing with the girls... I just want to keep things simple, local and fun. The Hunt continues...
I have looked into ideas for moving:
1. a local moving company moves us
2. Steve or I renting a van but the biggest one he can get is a luton (which wouldn't fit all our stuff)
3. rent a 7 tonne truck and get an older friend or Steve's dad to drive it down for us as their license will allow this, where our new license only lets us rent the luton van
So I checked out the options:
Option 1: we looked into three companies in colchester and all quotes us over £1000... the lowest being £1,200 and the highest being £1,700... this is totally out of our budget, even though they provided packing boxes and men to help move, which would have been awesome.
Option 2: The cost on this is averaging about £100 a day or £400 for the week. If we rented it of the week we could just do multiple trips, but then we also have to consider we would spend about £100 in petrol each way. We probably would have to make 3 trips so that almost £600 in petrol (maybe £400 if we do it in 2 trips) then plus the truck rental.... we are looking at between £800-£1,000... if we do it on the lower end of this budget we at least are saving £400 from option number one. downsides is that it would TAKE FOREVER to move us and be lot of trips back and forth. hmmm
Option 3: This is about £150 a day or £600 for the week. We have had offers from a couple friends that could drive this beast down for us and also would drive it back. Steve said he could follow in our car with a car load of things and then even stay down at our new place (where ever that be) the first night to set up the girls beds and our bed, then come back for us (maybe we could stay at steve's parents or at my best friend maz here in colchester). We definitely could fit everything into this truck, so the move would all happen on one day and keep the cost minimal. This way we could rent a truck maybe even for a day £150 and pay about £150-£200 in petrol... so we are looking about maybe £350 to£450.
OPTION 3 WINS! it will be a bit more complicated having to work our moving day around when people are free and will be relying on lots of favours from friends and family... but that is the only way we are going to be able to afford this move!
At least now we know HOW we will move... WHEN we move is still undecided. We have 6 weeks until we need to be there. We are just keeping our prayer simple "Thy will be done" and trusting that God has ALWAYS provided what is best for us in the time we need... but steve and I will also confess that our anxiety levels are mounting.
we are trying to find a house to rent and wow is it not easy. The expense of moving, the unknown of the area and the ever changing rental market is making for an anxious and stressful move... hahah maybe this is just the new feelings and emotions of adulthood.
We officially know that Steve's job is in Exeter so we are wanting to live either in the city or with in 10 miles. From all our contacts that know the area because are saying driving into the city is a bit of nightmare so if we aren't going to live in the city then living near a train station would be good incase we get fed up with the commute.
I'm also really being picky about wanting to have a back garden for the girls to play in and off road parking. We have a budget of not spending more that £850 on rent and that would be a big push for us. We are struggling to find the right place. And to throw a spanner in the works, steve's sister and brother in law are still wanting to move as well and are currently waiting to hear back from a job they interviewed for. If they get this job (which also is in Exeter!) then we could all rent a big house together... if not we will start this adventure on our own. We are still really hopeful we could do this altogether... but we are in limbo at the moment.
We are currently looking at houses to in the north of Exeter, Dawlish and Exmouth and all the places in-between. I'm semi starting to lean more near the beach (Dawlish or Exmouth) just because I've never lived somewhere like that and THAT is what this adventure is all about. I've been looking at children centres', preschools', cafes, hotels and things to do in these places and just keep trying to picture what I would like to spend my time doing with the girls... I just want to keep things simple, local and fun. The Hunt continues...
I have looked into ideas for moving:
1. a local moving company moves us
2. Steve or I renting a van but the biggest one he can get is a luton (which wouldn't fit all our stuff)
3. rent a 7 tonne truck and get an older friend or Steve's dad to drive it down for us as their license will allow this, where our new license only lets us rent the luton van
So I checked out the options:
Option 1: we looked into three companies in colchester and all quotes us over £1000... the lowest being £1,200 and the highest being £1,700... this is totally out of our budget, even though they provided packing boxes and men to help move, which would have been awesome.
Option 2: The cost on this is averaging about £100 a day or £400 for the week. If we rented it of the week we could just do multiple trips, but then we also have to consider we would spend about £100 in petrol each way. We probably would have to make 3 trips so that almost £600 in petrol (maybe £400 if we do it in 2 trips) then plus the truck rental.... we are looking at between £800-£1,000... if we do it on the lower end of this budget we at least are saving £400 from option number one. downsides is that it would TAKE FOREVER to move us and be lot of trips back and forth. hmmm
Option 3: This is about £150 a day or £600 for the week. We have had offers from a couple friends that could drive this beast down for us and also would drive it back. Steve said he could follow in our car with a car load of things and then even stay down at our new place (where ever that be) the first night to set up the girls beds and our bed, then come back for us (maybe we could stay at steve's parents or at my best friend maz here in colchester). We definitely could fit everything into this truck, so the move would all happen on one day and keep the cost minimal. This way we could rent a truck maybe even for a day £150 and pay about £150-£200 in petrol... so we are looking about maybe £350 to£450.
OPTION 3 WINS! it will be a bit more complicated having to work our moving day around when people are free and will be relying on lots of favours from friends and family... but that is the only way we are going to be able to afford this move!
At least now we know HOW we will move... WHEN we move is still undecided. We have 6 weeks until we need to be there. We are just keeping our prayer simple "Thy will be done" and trusting that God has ALWAYS provided what is best for us in the time we need... but steve and I will also confess that our anxiety levels are mounting.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Why the SouthWest?
My husband and I have been dreaming of moving to the Southwest for over a year now. It's crazy how having a family of two small girls (2 years and 5 months) and needing to make sure we can provide for them has ridiculously slowed down our ability to dive into adventures. Less then 5 years ago when I wanted to do something new I need only pack a back and buy a ticket... but now its a slow process of MAKING A PLAN.
So we have about 4 to 6 months before we would like to be moving to the Southwest. We love everything we are hearing about this area of England ... cfbc nc nn gn g g hhgfrhwfd ..... sorry about that... my little girl saw mommy doing something "extra important" on the computer and wanted to help... "just one more mummy"
bxgxbbabg ggggggggx z ... Ok that is enough from her and a sign I need to wrap up..
But I just wanted to start documenting our little adventure Southwest by keeping this blog as record of all the ups and downs of moving our family from one place to another... specifically from the East of England to the Southwest.
Loads of people keep asking us Why? Why would we want to make this great big move to a whole new place with two little kids when we already have a good life established for ourselves right where we are now?
Both my husband and I would say mainly "For the Adventure". We felt like we wanted to go on an adventure together and moving our family to the Southwest would be just that.... we also LOVE what we are hearing about the Southwest. I am a native born American and my husband, though he was born in the Southwest, mainly grew up in Essex. We have travelled, just a bit, in the Southwest and we love the beaches, campgrounds, community and friendliness we meet. We never have met anyone from the Southwest that doesn't have something good to say about the area.
Grant it, we won't be a stones throw away from London like we are now... but there is something really exciting about moving to the Southwest. We really want to buy a home and the housing prices seem a lot more in our price range there. We also love the idea of maybe growing more of our own food and love the natural, fresh vibe we get when we are down there. It really feels like it will be possible for us to build and make a lovely home for our family.
We also would love our kids to be adventurous and outdoorsy... which again we feel if we are around places where they can go camping or surfing or diving or horse back riding that they will have easier access to get into these things (if they so desire).
I need to be near to an international airport, for the ease of my international family coming to visit and also for the comfort :) Exeter Airport and Bristol Airport are just as near to us now as Heathrow our main international airport.
All in all this blog is going to be a written documentary of what it takes to move our family and also the grand experience of settling into the new place and how we come to call the Southwest home. I'm looking to post tips for moving, money saving ideas, points of interest in the Southwest, homes and neighbourhoods I like in the southwest, how I go about job hunting and the lessons I learn along the way.
I feel excited to really be proud of where we come from, I feel inspired to make the Southwest the base of where we grow our family, I look forward to the adventure of discovering great spaces and places in the southwest and I am thrilled to add some of what we are passionate about into the area.
Back when Steve (my hubby) and I were dating long distance (he was in Colchester, Essex, England and I was in Seattle, Washington USA) we used to love taking pictures of sunsets and sending them to each other via email and social media saying cheesy things like "I can't wait to catch this sunset with you" "it will be so good to get bored watching the sunset with you" or "this sunset is for you"... it became out little thing... a way of saying to each other how we loved being together and we were both dreaming and hoping great things for our future together. So, it seemed fit to call this little space of the internet after our love for catching sunsets and giving them to each other as we continue to dream new adventures for our family.
So we have about 4 to 6 months before we would like to be moving to the Southwest. We love everything we are hearing about this area of England ... cfbc nc nn gn g g hhgfrhwfd ..... sorry about that... my little girl saw mommy doing something "extra important" on the computer and wanted to help... "just one more mummy"
bxgxbbabg ggggggggx z ... Ok that is enough from her and a sign I need to wrap up..
But I just wanted to start documenting our little adventure Southwest by keeping this blog as record of all the ups and downs of moving our family from one place to another... specifically from the East of England to the Southwest.
Loads of people keep asking us Why? Why would we want to make this great big move to a whole new place with two little kids when we already have a good life established for ourselves right where we are now?
Both my husband and I would say mainly "For the Adventure". We felt like we wanted to go on an adventure together and moving our family to the Southwest would be just that.... we also LOVE what we are hearing about the Southwest. I am a native born American and my husband, though he was born in the Southwest, mainly grew up in Essex. We have travelled, just a bit, in the Southwest and we love the beaches, campgrounds, community and friendliness we meet. We never have met anyone from the Southwest that doesn't have something good to say about the area.
Grant it, we won't be a stones throw away from London like we are now... but there is something really exciting about moving to the Southwest. We really want to buy a home and the housing prices seem a lot more in our price range there. We also love the idea of maybe growing more of our own food and love the natural, fresh vibe we get when we are down there. It really feels like it will be possible for us to build and make a lovely home for our family.
We also would love our kids to be adventurous and outdoorsy... which again we feel if we are around places where they can go camping or surfing or diving or horse back riding that they will have easier access to get into these things (if they so desire).
I need to be near to an international airport, for the ease of my international family coming to visit and also for the comfort :) Exeter Airport and Bristol Airport are just as near to us now as Heathrow our main international airport.
All in all this blog is going to be a written documentary of what it takes to move our family and also the grand experience of settling into the new place and how we come to call the Southwest home. I'm looking to post tips for moving, money saving ideas, points of interest in the Southwest, homes and neighbourhoods I like in the southwest, how I go about job hunting and the lessons I learn along the way.
I feel excited to really be proud of where we come from, I feel inspired to make the Southwest the base of where we grow our family, I look forward to the adventure of discovering great spaces and places in the southwest and I am thrilled to add some of what we are passionate about into the area.
Back when Steve (my hubby) and I were dating long distance (he was in Colchester, Essex, England and I was in Seattle, Washington USA) we used to love taking pictures of sunsets and sending them to each other via email and social media saying cheesy things like "I can't wait to catch this sunset with you" "it will be so good to get bored watching the sunset with you" or "this sunset is for you"... it became out little thing... a way of saying to each other how we loved being together and we were both dreaming and hoping great things for our future together. So, it seemed fit to call this little space of the internet after our love for catching sunsets and giving them to each other as we continue to dream new adventures for our family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)