February 3, 2026
It’s getting real around here!
March 1 was our target date for putting our house on the market, with the goal of selling and moving out by the end of May. But, since March 1 is a Sunday, we are aiming for February 26 or 27, which means we have just over three weeks until go time.
We are currently immersed in painting walls and going through closets. A few days ago, I packed most of Kate’s things, which had been shoved into every nook and cranny of her bedroom closet, into these handy bags and stacked them on a shelf in the garage.
Between dorm essentials, childhood memories, and too many clothes and shoes to count, I don’t know what she wants to keep, so she will have to go through it when she gets home from her mission in six weeks. (Although it is tempting, I have learned my lesson about getting rid of things that do not belong to me – another story for another day.)
Also, she gets home in SIX WEEKS, which will go by in a flash!
Nothing tells you how much stuff you have collected like getting your home of 13 years ready to sell. And, since we are literally starting over in every way, my plan is to get rid of as much stuff as possible.
We have informed the kids that we will only take one large bin of stuff for each of them to Missouri. If it does not fit in the bin, it does not come with us. Carson is the only exception because he has (mostly) decided to leave on his mission after he turns 18 in September, rather than attending a year of college first.
I suppose we can keep his stuff for him while he is gone, even if it takes more than one bin. But nothing else is safe.
With a new house that is essentially a blank slate, I am not planning to take any of my home decorations. Most of the furniture will not make the cut. Anything I have not used within a reasonable period will be donated or tossed. (“Just in case” is not a good enough reason for me to drag clutter across the country.)
Greg has even joined the purging party, which is a BIG deal. (He’s definitely the sentimental one in this relationship.) He rehomed most of his Christmas lights and handmade yard decorations because we will not have the space for them, which was SO hard, but I’m proud of him.
With all of this moving prep, I came dangerously close to repeating the Great Breakdown of 2025 a few days ago. We still don’t have closure on our timeline because Greg’s AZ practice hasn’t yet hired his replacement. They are talking to a potential candidate, but she has some concerns and has not yet signed the letter of intent. We have no idea if she will. (Which means Greg could be working part-time here and part-time in MO until the end of August, which is definitely not ideal.)
Meanwhile, selling a house is always stressful, and all the “what ifs” are blasting in my mind like a foghorn:
What if, by some miracle, the house is under contract within the first week? We will welcome Kate home to her old room for a few days before moving to who knows where until Carson graduates in May.
What if it does not sell right away? We will need to have it ready to show to potential buyers at all times. (Welcome home, Kate! Now, please unpack all your things and keep your room spotless. And, by the way, you need to go through the ten huge moving bags and boxes of your stuff in the garage ASAP, so we know what to do with them.)
And Carson, you must make sure your room and bathroom are completely clean every morning before you leave for school, just in case someone wants to look at the house while you’re away. (He leaves at 6:10 am. If you have teenagers, you understand the struggle.) And about that graduation party you want to host… sorry, we can’t plan it because we have no idea what house we will be living in then.
Basically, I feel bad about putting Kate in this position as soon as she walks off the plane from her mission. It is hard enough to adjust to post-mission life when everything at home is calm and ordinary.
And I feel bad that the last few months of Carson’s high school experience will be marked by uncertainty rather than stability. (Although he does recognize and appreciate the fact that, no matter what happens, he will stay at the same high school until after graduation.)
At this point, I have more questions than answers. But the one thing I do know is that God’s plan for us involves moving to Missouri. And, because I know that, I can trust that everything else will eventually fall into place.
The timing will work out.
The kids will be OK.
And all things will work together for our good.
I have long loved this anonymous quote that is so applicable to my life right now:
When you come to the end of everything you know, and the next step is into the darkness of the great unknown, you must believe one of two things: either you will step onto firm ground, or you will be taught to fly.
Some days, the ground does not feel very firm, but I do believe the Lord is teaching me to fly, even though the process is uncomfortable. He’s got me, so I’ve got this.
But I sure do look forward to the day when all the pieces of this confusing puzzle will fit together. Until then, we will take it one day at a time.
If you need me, I will be painting walls and cleaning out closets.
**Read the rest of this journaling series here
