Another Move


the boys had just eaten loads of frozen berries, if you're wondering why their mouthes look blue. :)

It all started with a news article last Fall about a builder downtown doing very small, modern homes. The article mentioned something about the homes being for minimalists who would rather spend the weekend exploring the city than doing yard work. Devin and I were both like, "yes, that's us". We've both disliked the notion that as you get older and make more money, you acquire more stuff and have a big house. Stuff actually stresses me out, so the fact that we're downsizing makes me happy. Also, neither of us grew up in diverse areas/families/churches. We want that to be different for our kids, both racially and socioeconomically. So with these things in mind, we started discussing what we wanted for our family's future and began exploring various options over the last 7 months.

We never intended to be suburb people. We loved our 'sort-of-urban' neighborhood when we lived in Fort Wayne. We planned to live in a more urban setting when we moved to Indy, but it just didn't happen, for lots of reasons, but mainly our timeline to find a house, our price range, etc, landed us is in Fishers. Also, I'll be the first to admit that I was interested in testing it out. There were things that sounded really nice about an attached garage, larger space, extremely low crime rate, and a neighborhood pool. In a lot of ways, I'm glad we gave it a try or I would have always wondered if there was something we were missing by foregoing the suburban life so many are drawn to.

We haven't necessarily been unhappy in our current situation, actually we love our home and have wonderful neighbors, but we have continued to not be able to see ourselves here long-term. There was/is just too much about our house, location, neighborhood, church, etc that just doesn't quite fit who we are at our core. I don't think we have unrealistic expectations of finding the perfect life, but just knew that we needed to attempt a situation that we could see ourselves in longer term. Whatever long-term means for our generation, right? :)

When a couple of Devin's co-workers / friends told him about a new development on the west side of downtown we started looking into it and loved so much about it. Just a month later we signed papers to build there as part of the creation of a new neighborhood within a struggling neighborhood. We're actually building along with 3 other couples (and a couple people we don't know) who we will also go to church with and be in community with. The community aspect was a huge piece that was missing in other options we explored.

We sold our current house in less than two days and will have to be out in June. In the meantime, we are renting until the new house is ready. It will be an interesting year!

I know that this new life we're heading into is going to have challenges and some definite inconveniences. But I have to keep coming back to the fact that this is something Devin and I have been on the same page about and feel called to. Adventure and a huge step of faith!





8 comments:

Linda said...

I have been waiting for this post!:) It will be an eventful year for sure and we're happy to come along and watch it transpire!

sarah.flyingkites said...

wow! I loved hearing the backstory on this! So cool. I also love how you will be moving next to people you know. Thanks for sharing -- you are such a great writer.

smw said...

I cannot wait to see pics!! Exciting and big!!

leah said...

super excited for you guys - love how God has aligned you both so well. can't wait to see what He has you for you in this!

Eric & Marissa Bahler said...

So exciting. I love a good move, and have a similar philosophy for our kids' childhood and lifestyle. Have you ever read from shannanmartinwrites.com? She moved into a struggling neighborhood in IN from their "dream house" with 3 young kiddos as a desire to neighbor intentionally. I also loved her book, Falling Free, and always enjoy her writing.

emilykate said...

Marissa, you probably won't see this but thanks for the recommendation! I've heard of that book, but didn't know much about the author. Sounds like a great read!

Ashton said...

Sounds like a great fit for you guys and love the philosophy!

T and M said...

This was fun to read the backstory after texting a bit! About 8 years ago we found a community close to Lake Michigan that sounds very similar (except less urban) and we've wanted a home like that since then. Trent is convinced our local area needs a neighborhood like that but we are not the ones with the capital to start it ( :
So we will be enjoying hearing about your adventures!
@Marissa I also loved falling free!