Our "Big" News - Kinda Like Quick Sand

Don’t Blink. Cause if you do, I promise you’ll miss something. That’s the way it is with us anyhow. Part of the fun in being in this family is that you never really know what is going to happen next. I don’t guarantee very much, but I do guarantee that our lives are never boring. There is always another project, another trip or another something….you fill in the blank. Things kind of just have a way of happening with us. And when they happen, they happen fast. It’s kind of like stepping in quick sand: you don’t realize that you’re in it until it’s up to your chest…and by then it’s too late. This is no exception.

It all started about six or seven months ago while we were visiting my parents. Kathy made an off the cuff comment to my dad “Have you ever thought about selling your trailer and moving into a house?” (Note: My parents a full-time RVers). It seemed innocent enough at the time. My dad responded by simply saying “Nahh”. The next day my dad calls me at work and says “You know Ron I got to thinking about what Kathy asked me. She’s right we need to sell this place and move into a house closer to town. So I called a realtor and have put my place up for sale.” We talk about them listing their house and I then I ask him “So where are you going to move to?” He thinks for a moment and says “I dunno we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” I don’t think too much of it and move on.

Fast Forward to late August of this year, just a couple of days before the Labor Day weekend. My dad calls me again “Hey Son, you’ll never guess what happened today?” I think the worst. He continues by saying “Well, we sold our place today. A guy came by, looked at it and said he would take it. He didn’t even bicker with me on the price. We close on October 15th.” He’s excited, I’m excited and then I ask the same question I asked several months earlier “So where are you going to move to?” There’s a brief pause and I notice a slight hitch in his voice “Well…you’re mom and I have been discussing that and we want to talk to you and Kathy about that.” Uh-oh now I’m scared. I immediately think: they’re moving in with us. I brace myself as my dad continues “You know how we’ve always teased you about moving into your house?” Here it comes, I can feel it. “Well…we want to move into your house.” It's official: I just crapped my pants. Before I begin the clean up process, I think "What does he mean exactly?" Before I can ask he says “What I mean is, we want to buy your house and then you and Kathy can buy a new house. I’m serious Ron, your mom and I want to move into your house. ” I’m stunned, shocked and confused. I somehow manage an “OK…." Hey wait a minute, my house isn’t for sale! I like my house, I haven’t even thought about moving. I don’t need or want a new house; I’m perfectly happy where I’m at. Why would I want to disrupt my life like this? A new house have you seen how much those things cost?

I immediately call my wife and tell her “It’s all your fault!” She’s instinctively replies “No, it’s not!” I start my whining and say “Why did you have to say anything?” I can sense that her blood pressure is starting to rise and she says “What in the world are you talking about?” I explain to her that my parents have sold their place and want to buy ours. “See, I told you that it’s all your fault! Why can’t you learn to keep your big mou...” Whoa big fella! You better stop right there if you know what’s good for you. I catch myself before I cause any serious damage. My wife and I start laughing about it and then we say we need to discuss and pray about it. We decide to talk to my parents about it while we’re all at Mexico Beach over the Labor Day weekend. Labor Day weekend comes and my dad and I start to discuss it. I can tell he is serious because he is telling me all the things he is going to do to our house once he moves in. I take these pieces of information that I’ve gleaned from my dad back to my wife. She in turn has questions and concerns that I in turn take back to my dad. This process continues most of the weekend and until everyone is comfortable and a deal is made. It's settled: We are going to sell our house to my parents and we will buy another house.

We start the hunt for a new house but there is nothing to be found. We then start to talk to builders but that doesn't pan out. This is looking like it going to take quite awhile. Disappointment is just about ready to set in….Ok, I'll stop and spare you the details, but after much searching we have found a house - out of the blue. A new one that has just finished being built, it's actually very nice. We close on it Monday, November 1st - yes, that's this Monday. The movers come to pick up stuff on Wednesday, November 3rd and yes, that's one week from today. We have started packing a room every night since we have returned from our cruise. Tonight, the dining room. We've had a lot going on with getting ready for the close and preparing for the move - which is why I haven't updated the blog too much lately. Our telephone, cable TV and internet service are going to be disconnected this Saturday, October 30th. Our new phone and internet won't be connected until Friday, November 5th. So if we don't update the blog, you'll know it's because we are moving. I'll try to get a post or two in before we move to let you know how it's going. I still need to post about the cruise too. I'm so far behind and so much has happened that I can't even think of where to start.

So there you have it, our "BIG" news, we've sold our house, are buying a new house and we move next week. Now this not may big news for many of you but it is for us it's huge. I've waited to post this because there were some people we wanted to tell this to instead of having them read it on our blog. We've been in our house for twelve years and had no want or desire to buy another house, yet alone a new one. Buying a new house was the furtherest thing from our mind two months ago. But like I said, this is how things happen with us. Unexpected and Fast…Kinda Like Quick Sand.