Well, it has been a while. I'm not gonna sugar-coat it though. This month has been tough.
So here is the short version.
For those of you who may not already know, Peter and I have been contemplating moving back to Tehachapi, CA for several months now. His dad is retiring and Peter, who has been working there remotely since we left, has had the opportunity to take it over. If you didn't know this, don't feel left out. We haven't wanted to share this with people until we had made a final decision.
This has been a very difficult choice. We love it here in Utah, our kids are happy and we are all quite settled in. The schools are great, we love our ward, it is beautiful . . . you get it. But financially we have a good business in California. We'll just say if I had a dollar for every hour we have spent in agonizing debate over this I'd be able to buy myself something pretty nice.
We settled ourselves into the idea of it. We told the kids to prepare to leave. We killed ourselves fixing all things broken in the house, installed a new light fixture, repainted the living room and bath room--basically gutted the house. Hauled stuff to storage, staged every room, touched up paint and got the house ready to show. I almost collapsed with exhaustion. Peter left for CA a few days before the virtual tour and some women in the ward came in and saved my life by helping me clean the bathrooms, move furniture, touch up paint, make beds--whatever I hadn't been able to do over the preceding 9 days of hell. Friday morning the photographer came, did the pics, realtor puts the sign up in the lawn. No one is happy.
Saturday morning I have a big yard sale. I've never had one before because Peter thinks they are trashy. But he wasn't here so, you know.
Saturday night we talked and realized we just couldn't do it. It just didn't feel right.
Peter got home Wednesday and pulled the sign out of the lawn.
I'm pretty sure our neighbors (ie ward members) think we are nuts. I don't really blame them.
We just got everything back out of storage on Monday and are still unpacking boxes.
But heh, my house looks really good. My friends think we should all pretend to be selling our houses once in a while. It is very motivating.
So that is where it stands. There just isn't a perfect answer for us right now.
Pics at the bottom of blog.
4 comments:
Wow, that's dramatic. Yeah... I don't know. I think I would stay in Utah too, but that's just me.
Girl I totally understand!! Thats a huge decision! And how often do we look around our staged beautifully fixed house and think why aren't we staying in this house? So good choice and now it's cleaned out and fixed!! I'd love to go back to CAli though!
Your house looks super awesome! That would be hard to leave. I'm glad you guys have received your answer and that you get to stay where you wanted :) We lost our renters and after going back and forth we have decided to move back to our house in good ol' T-town. We are sad to leave our friends, ward, school, etc here but it will be nice to be in a house again (I don't think we will know what to do with all that space!) I'm glad you are all back to normal over there :) Enjoy the Summer!
No kidding, it's been a tough month for you. It is so hard to choose when money/financial future is a big part of the decision. Tehachapi still holds some appeal for me too, but I think it is the nostalgia, more than actual desire to raise my family there. Of course, all my family is in Utah now, so that makes it easier for me. Well, enjoy your fixed up house!
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