The Times They Are A Changin

So let's back up a year or so ago. 

Danae and I had this unspoken tug on our hearts to consider the possibility of making a move. We didn't know how, and we didn't know where. But, we realized that God had placed us in McKinney for a reason. McKinney, TX was Money Magazine's #1 place to live in American in 2014. Huge corporations and industries had set up shop nearby, resulting in homes being placed on the market and sold overnight (no exaggeration there.) They just could not build the houses fast enough.

We bought our first home in October 2010 and decided in October 2015 that we would put our home on the market and see where God would lead us. Our main goal was twofold. First and foremost, we wanted to pay down debt. The vast majority of our debt is my student loans. (Side note: it's a dangerous/expensive slope to enter the college world without any clear direction or final destination in mind.) Secondly, I was hoping to find a closer commute to work. 

Since it was such a seller's market in McKinney, we knew we would not be able to sell our home and find something in the same area while still making any kind of profit. So, goal #2 seemed like it was an attainable goal. We realized living in McKinney was out of the question, so we set our sights on  other areas a bit closer to my work. My normal daily commute was about 40-45 minutes each way depending on traffic. I was blessed to work a 6-3pm shift Monday through Friday, so I was able to miss out on some of that fantastic Texas rush-hour traffic. Ultimately, I was hoping to cut that commute at least in half. 

Some good friends of ours (who just so happened to be realtors) suggested to us that if we were serious about wanting to make a move, we needed to put our house on the market around the same time we were looking to purchase. Since houses were selling so quickly, we needed to be able to make a strong offer on a home that couldn't be contingent on us selling ours. This in itself was a bit daunting. Imagine putting your house on the market before having a place in which to move. Also, Danae was 7 months pregnant at the time (she suggested I include that little bit of info after proofreading this post).

We ended up looking in different area for about three or four weeks before finally putting our house on the market. We had a couple offers and had committed to making a final decision over the weekend. We still had not found a house! Although I was still optimistic in a couple strong contenders, Danae was not feeling the same. We decided to table our search for the moment and pull back a bit until we both agreed it was the right time. 

Isn't that how it works sometimes? You feel drawn towards something, but it's not quiiiiite the best time to pursue it.  

Fast forward to the beginning of this year. 

Danae and I both were still feeling very strongly that we needed to sell our house. And for the sake of not turning this post into a novel, I'll say that we had many things fall into place for us that allowed us to put our house back on the market in March this year. In one weekend we had 23 viewings and about 6 or 7 solid offers on our home before our realtor started screening any offers that weren't above our asking price. 

Our family landed in the Nashville area to start the next chapter of our lives. This area is a great location that puts us closer to our family in both Pennsylvania and Missouri. The cost of living is much cheaper in this state, and it has a solid job market. Since Kevin and Colleen primarily work from home as well as host events for Family Life, they were actually able to move to TN before we did. It was a bit longer of a process for us having two kiddos in the house. 

Kevin and Colleen also extended an amazing opportunity for our family. So that we wouldn't be rushed into buying a home before getting a solid chance to learn our new area, they proposed that we live with them for a while so that we could get settled in. The home they bought has a basement that is currently being transformed into an apartment that they will stay in while Danae, the boys, and I will have the upstairs. Now we are able to continue our journey to become debt free, while getting a good feel for the new area in which we live. 

We are so excited to see what God has in store for us and the boys in the years to come.

Remington Michael

Well hello there again. As I mentioned in my previous snippet from yesterday, our family spawned another tiny human. And once again, the Mears male seed is strong. 

Remington Michael was born on January 19th. (Funny side story)...I had to pick up a prescription for him at the pharmacy a couple days ago, and one of the questions they always ask for the person you're picking up a prescription for, "And what's the date of birth?"

...

Complete deer in the headlights moment. I couldn't remember! I was so sure they would never believe I was the father. But luckily I had guessed correctly. I'm sure they were one button away from dialing CPS on me.

Anyways, back to this strapping young lad. Would you just look at those eyes?? #fuggehdaboutit

Pretty handsome young man right? Looks NOTHING like me. And to tell the truth, he's completely different from his big brother in most, if not all, physical aspects. 

Emerson has a light complexion with bright blue eyes and quite the baby face (even at 2). Remi on the other hand (yes we call him Remi for short) has a dark complexion, dark brown eyes, and some pretty rugged features including the Green trademarked cleft chin. 

It's amazing to see the differences in their looks alone. I'm anxious to see the differences between them as they grow older. 

Growing up with my two younger brothers, we all shared some similar physical features. We all heard those comments growing up, "You're a Mears boy aren't you?", "Are you one of Steve's boys?", "You look just like your brother". 

Over time, we definitely grew into our own unique identity. Only time will tell how these two will develop and grow. I can only hope that they stay close together throughout the years to come.  

A New Season

8 months...

It's been 8 months since my last blog. Sorry about that. Perhaps I've got a lot of things to write about now that I've sat on my hands for so long. Or maybe my hands have just fallen asleep. Most likely the latter. 

Either way, my family has had a TON of things going on since last year and it does offer some great things to talk about. A lot of changes. And oddly enough, most of them large changes. I'm really anxious to write it all down on this wonderful digital paper thing.

But for now I'll just bid you adieu and throw a little teaser for the next post. It will be all about baby # dos. 

WHAT?! 

That's right, we had another kiddo to add to the ol' homestead. 

Stay frosty out there till we meet again.