Dec
4
2008
4
2008
A House Without Wheels
Filed under: Life Updates, My Story
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven. –Ecclesiastes 3:1
Here it is…the long-awaited “real” update on what we are up to. In October, I announced that we were going to be parked for awhile in Bozeman. We love Bozeman and all it offers, and we are delighted at being here. Planting roots feels really, really good after being on the road for 18 months. We have loved every minute of it…and wouldn’t give that time back for anything. But it was for a season…and now it’s time for a new season. Learning that we were going to have another baby was a great motivator to settle down, of course, but even when I was 8 weeks along, we still had plans to continue traveling until the spring. But by then, I was really having a hard time traveling with nausea and all the joys that the first trimester brings (side note: tummy photo at 15 weeks here).
For some of you, our decision to move back to Bozeman may seem like it was made in an instant, but in reality, it was pondered over since we left here in July of 2007. When people around the country would ask us where we would eventually settle down, our answer never strayed from “Bozeman, of course!”. We left our hearts in Montana, and we knew God had put that in us for a reason.
So, after arranging for a place to park (and live in) the RV in Bozeman through several God-aligned circumstances, we made the long trek West. Our hearts were instantly at peace when we arrived on Oct. 17…and they still are. We have jumped right back into our church…Matt is playing on the worship team, I am co-leading a Beth Moore study, and we are helping with the small group ministry. And of course, we have frequented our favorite local restaurants and coffee shops that we missed so dearly! 
We quickly realized that living in a parked RV is a bit more challenging than living in a moving one ☺ You don’t have the built-in requirement of cleaning from top to bottom every 3 days so you can drive away, so things tend to pile up and the walls begin to close in. Combine that with the fact that I was really sick during the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy (and not physically able to clean all day, etc), and it’s a recipe for insanity. We had originally planned to stay in the RV until a month before the baby was born, but plans change.
After several weeks of searching, we found an adorable little house close to downtown…just ½ block from our favorite park. It also happens to be 3 doors down from a neat family that we hung out with a little bit when we last lived here. We moved in on the 1st of December and have met the neighbors just to the south…and get this, she wants to do “city chickens” with me in the spring Yay! We’re going to combine a part of our backyard to make a chicken run/coop. Oh. My. Goodness. Giddy I am, I tell ya. I’ve always wanted chickens…for fresh eggs, to watch their antics, and to teach Bella about them! Turns out there are several other families in our neighborhood with chickens. I love these people!
The owner has agreed to let us replace all of the flooring and paint all the walls, at her expense (it was VERY worn). That might seem like a nightmare to some, but for those of you who have been around this blog for awhile, you know we love it and we’re up to the challenge ☺ We started the remodel as soon as we moved in and we love it so far. We’ll be able to make it our own little home…one that we are planning on staying in for awhile! There is a wood burning stove in the living room, open floor plan, and 2 BR. Even though it’s a freestanding house (not duplex/apt), it’s still just over 800 square feet. With a little garden plot and shed in the backyard, it’s the perfect size for our family. And yes…I will, of course, be posting before and after photos of the inside. But it won’t be for a few months I would guess.
As for the RV, it’s going on to a new owner who will love and cherish it just like we did ☺. We are in the final phases of selling it to a wonderful couple who will use it for their own kind of tour. I’ll be sure to share more details on that later. We have also sold our little veggie car (it did not like to start up in the Montana cold!) and we’re now the owners of a used minivan. I could not be happier. I love that thing!
Matt is starting his own handyman business, and is also snow plowing this winter. I will continue to work for my parents from home (helping to run the administrative side of their business) and will be doing some photography as well.
We are just thrilled to be here…every morning when we wake up, Matt and I look at each other and smile…so content and ready for change. We’re looking forward to meeting new friends, spending time with family, and establishing a consistent rhythm of life. Bella is super excited to start taking gymnastics and figure skating lessons…and to go to library story time twice a week. But most importantly, she has what she has often asked for…”a house without wheels”.
We will not soon forget all of the talented, amazing people we met during our life on the road. We still keep in touch with so many of you daily and we are forever changed by the special moments we shared. We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see our country and enjoy the freedom of travel. But now…our hearts are aching to plug into a community and settle down. For everything there is a season…and we’re looking forward with hopeful anticipation to see what God has planned for us here.
Posted by Sara @ 12:28 am | Leave a Comment
6
2008
So glad you are happy! And what a cute little house. Chris and I felt the same way when our “tour” was finished, although we weren’t gone nearly as long. It is nice to get plugged back into a community. Can’t wait to read about the rest of the tour and your new adventures in Bozeman.
7
2008
Sara, I’m so excited for you guys. You sound so happy, so content, so blessed! How wonderful! Your house is so cute and sounds like such a fantastic location! Can’t wait to see more pictures!
Mariah
PS I’ve been reading up on chickens too!
7
2008
Thanks so much for sharing with us! I’m happy for your family
8
2008
Oh, wow, Sara, what a cute little house that is. I can’t wait to see what you are going to do with it! And yes, chickens really belong to such a house, maybe also a little vegetable garden?
You are a blessed woman!
Annemarie (the Netherlands)
9
2008
Hi Sara!
Wow – awesome about your little house! And so conveniently located too with friends nearby! I’m sure you will just love it, and all the lessons and experiences you had on the road will be with you for a lifetime, in a good way. I’m sure with your eye, your new little home will be as cozy and colorful as anything and a wonderful, love-filled space for your new little one on the way. Can’t wait to see pictures after you’ve fixed things up too. Blessings from San Francisco – Cara
10
2008
Can’t WAIT to see the pictures of the re-model. I have loved every one of your homes.
10
2008
I also am anxious to see your before/after pics of your cute house! I’m so happy for you for how your life is going, congrats on everything and thanks for sharing, it’s so fun to read.
10
2008
Beautiful post. I look forward to hearing about the next part of your journey. (Side note: Are you really going to make us wait a few MONTHS before we get to see before-and-after pics? MONTHS?! Say it isn’t so!)
11
2008
I am so happy for you.
12
2008
that’s wonderful – congrats! you sound very happy.
Bozeman has always been on my want-to-visit-or-live-someday list, and I always get excited when I read your posts about it. It makes me realize that I really would love it there.
12
2008
That’s wonderful, it sounds like everything is working out just as it’s supposed to. Congrats on your pregnancy and your new home (it’s cute!). I have been following your blog for many months and always find inspiration here.
To a new season!
13
2008
How wonderfully happy I am for you!
I have been following your story for a little while and love to hear about your lovley “growing” family.
Have a great Christmas.
Suzy ~
15
2008
Oh I can’t wait for photos. I first came across you when the photos of your lovely (teeny) appartment were linked from Eyes of Wonder – your style is just superb.
Course, I’m disappointed you and the RV won’t be making it over to UK to visit, but hey, if you ever want to camp out :0)
17
2008
Congratulations, Sara, on this new season in your life! New home, new rootedness, new babe… Many blessings to you and yours this sacred season.
1
2009
Hi Sara,
What an adorable little house! It will be fun to watch what you do to make it yours.
Question – you and your family have moved from owning a house, to renting an apartment & house, to owning an RV, and now back to renting… is it not better to build equity in a home than to pay rent?
1
2009
Hi Kelly…
I’m not anti-homeownership at all. I’m just not wanting to spend that kind of money, and we love this area too much to move to a community with a smaller cost of living.
But that would be something we’ve talked about.
Great question. In some cases, yes. However, we’ve made a conscious decision to be mobile instead of stable. Owning a home certainly ties one down…and not only that, it’s almost impossible for us to buy a house in Bozeman with the average home selling at $400,000+. We would have to work much, much harder to own a home, and that’s just not a lifestyle we aspire to. If it was possible to own a home and not have to work as much, I would
Ideally, we’d love to build a straw bale or have a yurt on some cheap land…to live mortgage free. We have a whole lifetime to figure it out
6
2009
just HAD to pop in and say congrats! i have checked in with the tour now and then and watched with hope that i would someday be a fulltimer, even if only temporarily! we had some challenging circumstances this past year and were sort of homeless most of the year and have just started to settle in to a small 2 bedroom apartment in dallas, and my 8 yo dd is SO excited to be starting ice skating and gymnastics lessons this month! when i read that your daughter is doing those too, i just had to say hi and happy settling! and thank you for being such an inspiration!
9
2009
This is the 1st time I have read your blog, I follow Kevin Gianni’s blog, and he left a link to yours on yesterday’s post, so I had to come check it out. Glad you like it here in Bozeman. Congrats on settling, and the new baby. Sure Kevin and Annmarie are going to enjoy the new (to them) RV.
Love in Christ, and Blessings!
Bridey
Bozeman, MT
22
2011
Blogging isn’t a priority when you have little ones to enjoy. Savor the time you have, because it’s so short.
I missed how Bella hurt her arm. Did she have fall at pony camp?
13
2011
Your blogs good reading. I am going to share it with my friends on facebook.
Building a chicken coop really is a straight-forward situation when there\\\\\\\’s a wide variety of blueprints and kits on hand. Whatever way you do it, it\\\\\\\’s a terrific activity in so many ways. Eggs fresh from the hens, along with the enjoyment that happens through experiencing a sense of being at- one- with- nature and self-sufficiency.