A Cariad Life

Selling a house is not for the faint of heart, especially when you’re living in the house (with a dog and a teenager!) The showings, the open houses, and the being ready to vacate at the drop of a hat or when an agent shows up with their clients 20 minutes early for the appointment…all of it was a bit stressful!

 Thankfully, it only lasted for 10 days. I’ll start by saying the market in late July/early August 2022 is not the market that we have had for the last two years (the one with no inventory and multiple offers $150K over asking)—the economy, inflation, and higher inventory were beginning to show their impact. We were fortunate to still have 7 showings and several interested parties. In the end, we got a cash offer at just below our asking price and our house is sold and we move out by August 29. Wow! This is the first step in our transition to France—selling our house with no contract on a B&B yet in France, feels a bit like our foundation is gone, but then I step back and realize—we’re building something; there is value in fully appreciating and taking each step in its own time; and we are moving to owning our own space outright (making our own cash offer). It’s pretty exciting!

So…Caleb, our youngest, moves into his university dorm and starts his freshman year on August 25 and we move out August 26-28, so the cleaners can come in on August 29 and turn over the keys to the new owner. From now until then, we are giving away almost everything we own (except for a few keepsakes we will have in a small storage room and the six suitcases we will take to France!) Throughout this process, I have developed a new relationship with possessions—in short, very few things are that important. I’ve begun to see clearly what is really important to me and what can be replaced—the important is really not that much and can easily fit into a suitcase, a small storage unit, or in none of those places. There is something very freeing about letting it all go…

You may be wondering what happens on August 28? Where are you going? Through a really unbelievable and miraculous set of circumstances, I have been asked to be a strategic consultant for a local non-profit for the next six months (even as we are in France by then) that allows me to work entirely remotely. A portion of the compensation for this role is a house on the water about 30 minutes from Bainbridge Island where we live now. Not only is this house coming at just the right time as our house has just sold, I will also earn additional income, and Darrell and I will live there for the next 2 months (to keep an eye on Caleb as he starts school), and we can start the months’ long purchasing process for the B&B. We plan to head to SC at the beginning of November, but this sweet space will be a bit of a respite and great transition for us (and Coco) until we get to the next leg.

I’m intent on seeing each leg of this journey as an exciting part of the entire adventure—considering the lessons I am supposed to learn each way. This is one of the first…what material things are really important? How might those things be a blessing to others? How might those things that we hold onto so tightly (and constantly accrue) be actually holding us back from some really amazing adventures? By the way, in 25 years of marriage, Darrell and I have never had to the opportunity to live on the water…