I never thought I’d be writing this post. Not now. Not this soon. But after only three years of living in and loving our beautiful Southern Colonial style home, the home that made all our lovelier belongings (mostly those from my mom) exclaim, “This is where we were always meant to be!,” and made my husband and I walk around sighing over all that we’d been blessed with, knowing that we didn’t deserve a lick of it.
“We are moving.”
Yes, writing those two words surprises even me.
The decision to move is a long story of chance encounters, conversations with various and assorted peoples, weighing of pros and cons, asking God to show us the way, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam. And now, after months of talking about the possibilities, our house is on the market.
I’m going to tell you the story as briefly as I can, but before I talk, let me show you some pictures of our home:
These are some old listing pictures of our home before we moved in (sorry, I couldn’t access them all).
For those who haven’t seen my home, and the changes we made after moving in, here are links to a few posts I did along the way as we painted and placed our own home decor:
If you’ve come to know my style at all you know that I am not a minimalist, but I had to become one for staging, and I must admit that I rather like it.
These are the current MLS listing photos that show how she looks after five long weeks of staging, i.e., removing half of our home decor so people can see beyond our style and imagine the possibilities . . .
Staging courtesy of my good friend Leslie Hoyt of www.hellohomeingreenville.com and www.hellohome.us.
In my last post I promised to come back with news of what I’ve been up to, along with some pretty pictures, and I do believe our grand ol’ Southern gal is feeling prettier than she’s ever felt before.
You can scroll down to the end now or you can read below the long, long story behind the decision to move.
- Last November Mr. OTN had surgery on one of his feet to correct a problem that he’s suffered with for years. They felt that if one foot was successful they’d do the other. It wasn’t. He lives with pain in his feet on a daily basis, and though he doesn’t complain much his feet feel miserable most of the time. He’s been to multiple docs, tried multiple remedies, received healing prayer a number of times, etc., all to no avail. We’re not giving up on an answer but during the time after surgery, when he had to navigate the stairs, we seriously began thinking about the possibility of moving to a single story home.
- Spring came and with it the many day trips out on our boat to visit various lakes in the area. Each time we would be reminded of lake living in the Pacific Northwest and miss it terribly. The lake, not the Pacific Northwest. We HEART South Carolina.
- Ever since moving to South Carolina we’ve carried the dream of one day living on the lake again. We thought this would be after retirement, as none of the lakes we visited were close enough for hubby to commute.
- We had a guest speaker at church one Sunday, a Pastor from another church, whom gregarious Mr. OTN connected with immediately and soon we were hearing about this Pastor’s house on nearby Lyman Lake. Only 30 minutes from downtown Greenville and the best kept secret around! Yeah, maybe we’d check it out someday.
- One day, when we were out on the most desirable lake in the entire SOUTH, Lake Keowee, we started dreaming of retiring there.
- We talked to a couple who were lounging in the lake near their dock and they told us about the community they’d just built their dream home in. They said they’d waited five years to finally get there. Mr. OTN told them that was our plan, to wait four or five years and retire at the lake. The couple went on to tell us that though they’d just moved in, they were going to have to sell their home because they’d both just been diagnosed with cancer.
- Their story made me sad, and led me to thinking about the possibility of moving even before retirement. One never knows what tomorrow might bring. Perhaps we could rent a room in town for Mr. OTN to sleep in when he’s on his 7-days straight shift.
- Alas, the thought of living half time with the hubs, 7 days on, 7 days off, wasn’t so appealing. We value our time together, even when he’s on an 84 hour work week and I don’t get to see him much.
- More looking on more lakes until the day we drove over to Lyman Lake on a whim and walked through an open house.
- The house was NOT us. It was about the same price as our current home is valued at but so much less home. The layout, the quality, the style . . . NO.
- The Realtor was really nice, and soon she was talking to us about some land that was to be developed on the lake by a local builder. A small neighborhood, consisting of four 1/2 acre lots on the lake. Intriguing.
- We toured some of the other homes for sale around the lake but found nothing of interest to us.
- Curious, we met with the builder and his wife and talked, then toured a few of the homes he’s built. We were impressed. We thought that we couldn’t possibly get the things we wanted on our budget though (Note: hubby’s budget is higher than my budget and we had to meet somewhere in the middle).
- We visited Pastor Steve (the guest speaking Pastor) and his wife Becky’s home and, as it turned out, it was built by the same builder. We were liking his quality of workmanship more and more.
- Still trying to make our decision, I was invited to join a group of lake ladies for Bible study at the lake (35 minutes from our current home). Not totally certain but hopeful that we’d eventually be living at the lake I said, “Yes.”
- We took plans into the builder on a few different occasions, but each time it turned out that they were far more expensive to build than we could afford (Mr. OTN’s fondness for fancy rooflines and gables is a killer). To have a lake house we were going to have to lower our expectations.
- We finally decided that if we wanted to live at the lake we were going to have to find a set of plans we could learn to “live with.” Not ideal but, as they say, “Ya’ can’t always get whatcha’ want.”
- 8-23-17, after too much time thinking about lake property, I wrote this in my journal: “I’m so tired Lord . . . As we go to meet with the builder again today I pray that we will either feel like we have a plan we can move forward with, within our budget, or feel closure. I’m ready to be done with the time spent obsessing on this. Lord, LET US BE a testimony of Your great love and mercy.”
- The very next day, 8-24-17, I wrote this in my journal: “We met with the builder again and went out to the lot with him, walking all the way down to the water [quite a feat as we had to navigate through branches with giant spider webs]. Something very strange happened yesterday. After two other meetings, where it felt like we were going to have to cut way back on our expectations, he came out with a plan (one he had planned to build for himself) that was perfect. He also said it will be within our budget.” Only God.
- The question came next, “When do we need to put our house on the market?”
- “Now,” was the answer.
Then came the five weeks of
1. Removing everything in our home that the stager said must go, as well as anything we didn’t need in the next 6 months.
2. Painting and repairing items from the inspector’s list
3. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.
4. Refreshing the yard by taking out fading plants, bringing in some Fall foliage, spreading cedar mulch in the flower bed and long pine needles in all the other beds.
5. Leaving for a long weekend to rest our tired bodies while the stager put the finishing touches on our home and the photographer came to give our Southern lady her first professional photo shoot! Oh how she SHONE!
And today, my home is perfect. Almost perfect anyway, and waiting for the next family who will love her well.
I will actually miss this home and neighborhood (we have the BEST neighbors) quite a bit. As I stood in the yard looking up at the guest room windows tears came to my eyes at the thought of the many people who have come and stayed in those rooms during the short three years we’ve been here. Does that tell you what’s most precious to me when it comes to a home? It is the people who will come and share it with us.
Our lake home will be different, a Craftsman style, and she will be beautiful in a whole ‘nother way. I’ll have the chance to pick my own finishes and there will even be some extra special things about her that we don’t have here. I am quite excited as you can imagine! And my guess is that her setting on the lake will make her even more inviting to guests from near and far.
So now the wait. The wait for the perfect buyer. The wait for the new home to start taking shape (she was just approved for a permit this past week). The wait to see what God has in store for us next as we try to imagine decorating and living in a home we’ve never even seen. CRAZY!
I hope you’ll come along with me on the journey of, “What’s next?” We have no idea of the time frame, building, selling, moving – once or twice, but trust that God has prepared the way before us and we are more than ready to step into the adventure.
Blessings,
P.S. I’m already loving the ladies-of-the-lake and I’ve only been to two Bible studies with them. Isn’t God good to give us community before we ever move?
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday, WriterWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
Sherry says
Patti, I am so excited for you! Enjoy this special time in your life…you deserve it.
Patti says
Thank you so much Sherry. We are dreaming, and planning, and Pinning like mad. I know this will be a very special place to live. BTW, we have the perfect spot for the cherub painting and we’ll also have a guest room with a lake view. The offer of a place to stay in the Greenville area stands. 😉
Sharon H says
I couldn’t imagine what was going on to cause you to leave this place you’ve come to love so much, and I didn’t want to ask, so I was hoping you would post about it. I’m sorry you two had to go through such an ordeal to get through to this point, and I really pray that it will easier from now on. Especially with finding the right buyer! My heart goes out to you both, especially Mr. OTN with the physical pain. Whoever said these were the Golden Years, hadn’t lived through them yet! I’m excited for your next journey, Patti. Looking forward to following you as you find your way to the lake!
Love and blessings my friend
Patti says
Ahhh, thank you Sharon. Believe me when I say that I would never be offended by questions from you. And UGH, the Golden Years can be challenging indeed! I keep believing that something will help with Kelly’s foot pain because we have a whole lot of livin’ to do. Especially on the lake! Remember that a room is always waiting for you here if you come to the area to visit.
Michele Morin says
You’ve worked so hard in getting your home to its beautiful present state! Good for you, and thanks for sharing the story!
Candy says
Many Blessings to you and your new adventure in life God has waiting for you.
Patti says
Thanks Candy 🙂
debbieputman says
Patti, praying God directs your steps as you make your plans.
Patti says
I appreciate those prayers Debbie. I definitely want to be on the right path!
Marlene Stephenson says
So glad for you that everything is going fairly smooth, my prayers are with you, and am excited to see what God will do.
Patti says
Thank you my friend. I’m excited to see what God might do as well. 😉
PJ says
A Craftsman house on a lake, how neat is that? I will look forward to watching the progress and praying Mr OTN has some healing in his feet. Also will pray your home sells soon. Blessings to you both.
Patti says
Thank you so much PJ. The prayers are greatly appreciated. I would love to see the hubs light on his feet again! HUGS!
Joanie McLaughlin says
Patti: I’m so glad you are happy living in South Carolina as that was a HUGE move. Can’t wait to see your lake home. It’s great you are already getting to know neighbors through the ladies’ Bible study. Am sad to hear of your hubby’s foot pain, however. I assume you are going to build a single-level home and that, at least, will make his life a little easier. Joanie
Patti says
Thanks Joanie! It’s so great that before our home even begins to be built I have this group of wonderful ladies that I’m getting to know in the area. God is so good. Our home plan will be one-level living but we will have an unfinished walk-out basement (our builder’s idea) for storage and a workshop for the hubs. We’ve already thought ahead to all the things that folks of an older age might need, like a paved pathway down to the dock, as we really hope this will be our last move. One never knows what’s next though!
Stacey says
Patti, I’m happy for you!! You are going to love living in the house that you build. It’s just different than redoing or even moving into a brand new house that someone else made the choices for. It’s all you!!
I had lunch yesterday with Becky Mullowney and she sure bragged about your sweet hospitality. I wasn’t surprised at all. 🙂
Patti says
Aw, thank you Stacey! It’s crazy all the decisions we have before us as we plan this new home. I’m really looking forward to choosing my own finishes and adding some special touches, but we’ve already realized that our list of wants is longer than our budget allows (Kelly does hope to retire soon :). We feel so blessed to be on our way back to the lake life though and we know that with the builder we’ve chosen it will be wonderful.
What fun that you had lunch with Becky! She has a sweet, sweet spirit doesn’t she? Did she get to see your fabulous home? Maybe one day I’ll take Becky up on the offer of a guest room and you’ll give us the grand tour.
Blessings friend.
Anne says
I am so happy for you and Kelly! I LOVE your style and color palet. I know the lake house will be just as lovely. Please promise the lake house’s front door will be a similar shade of blue as the door you painted for this grand lady!
Patti says
Thank you so much Anne. I would have the exact same door color in a minute but I guess it will depend on what color our house is. So many decisions to make. 😉
Kathryn Griffin says
Patti, I’m so excited for you! I know you will miss your grand Southern house, but you will make the Craftsman just as beautiful! Jesus loves boats, so lake life is perfect for you!! Looking forward to seeing the new house and all of the plans you have for her! Hugs and Love, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Patti says
Haha! Yes, Jesus does love boats! You make me smile Kathryn. Thank you friend.
Jen Lawrence says
I’m excited for the next stage in your journey. The Lake House will be splendid. xo
Patti says
The water calls. You understand this. Thanks so much Jen 🙂
Robin says
WOW! What a great new chapter in your life! I’m happy for you!!!
Patti says
It will be an adventure for sure Robin. Sometimes life is a surprise.
Jann Olson says
Patti, I love your home and think it will sell fast! Wishing you the best with your next adventure. I would definitely have to clear out some of my décor if we ever decide to sell. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Patti says
Thank you Jann. Hugs back at ya’!
Mary-The Boondocks Blog says
Patti I did not recognize your home at all. Especially the dining room which I had come to love. Wow, if it takes a move to declutter like that then we should all think we are moving and go ahead and get rid of a lot of our stuff. Your home is so beautiful and I know it was a hard decision for you to want to move but I’m sure you will be very happy with your new home. Wishing you the best of luck!
Patti says
Thank you so much Mary. My dining room was my favorite room in the house! As I keep coming across pictures I’ve taken of my home I think I will probably end up decorating in much the same way I did here. A little less clutter perhaps. 😉
Newham Repairs says
What a beautiful home.. I am in love with the sleeping porch. Good luck with everything. 🙂
Patti says
Thank you 🙂
bluecottonmemory says
What an exciting adventure! Your home is beautiful! Wishing you much blessing in your new home! We’re wanting to build again on acreage – with the dining room as the heart of the home. I’m trusting God in that adventure!
Patti says
Building is an adventure for sure, and one I never thought we’d tackle. Only last Spring, when a friend suggested the idea to me, I answered, “Oh no, we’ll never build a home.” And how exciting for you to be dreaming of building on acreage. God is a great adventure maker isn’t He?
Sherry says
Your home will sell rapidly. It is beautiful! May God bless you in your new arrangements. Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home.
Patti says
Thank you Sherry 🙂