minivan diva: A Change of Pace

We were at a major crossroad last summer. After selling our home in San Clemente and renting for 2 years, we needed to make a major decision.

As we were contemplating our decisions, we knew one thing: we wanted our next move to be somewhat permanent. You see, in 10 years of marriage we had moved 8 times. Sometimes there were 2 moves in one year! We wanted to move somewhere where we could put down roots. We didn’t want to move our kids from school to school and from neighborhood to neighborhood. We desired to have a “home” for our children-a place of familiarity and stability.

We thought we were headed to Portland. Kevin works in software sales and was given the flexibility to move anywhere where his company has an office. However, within a week of Kevin heading up there to look for homes, we found a house in Bonsall, which is close to where we both grew up and owned our 1st home. When we moved from the area to San Clemente (Orange County) we swore we’d never move back. Except, God has a sense of humor and usually demonstrates that our plans don’t pan out…even when they are really good plans because His plans are better…much better.

There are days when we all miss San Clemente. We miss the sandy beaches and variety of parks. We miss the conveniences of living in the suburbs. We miss our friends a ton. Mostly, we miss living near my family. The boys have such a special relationship with them and we loved just being able to drop in for visits.

However, here’s the thing. When we give something up, we gain something in return. So instead of focusing on what we’ve lost by our move, we are focusing on all that we’ve gained. It’s a choice and one that we’re benefitting from making.

Let me share with you a few of our gains:

Walks up a country dirt road to visit our neighborhood horses.