Downsizing!

Old                                                             New
2200 Square feet                                        850 Square feet
Large kitchen w/Island                               Small boxed in kitchen but lots of storage
3 bedrooms                                                2 bedrooms
2 full baths with garden tub                        2 baths no tub in second bath
3 + acres                                                    small patio
sounds of coyotes and animals at night      sounds of neighbors/highway
quiet peaceful days                                    sounds of lawn maintence/children
skies full of stars                                       1 star, nope that's an airplane
mice and bugs everywhere outside            1 spider so far,routine bug sprays
awful carpet and linoleum                          decent carpet and linoleum
laundry room                                              laundry facility on premises
huge master walk-in closet                         small master closet
45 minute drive to work                             5 minute drive to work

Okay I can go on and on about how we are downsizing. Is this list pros or cons? It may look like cons but mostly it is pros. How do you say that down sizing is good? Let me tell you. 2200 square feet may sound like a dream, but if you don't like cleaning it can be a nightmare. It took so much energy to keep that place clean that by the time my guests came over I was too exhausted to really enjoy them. The large kitchen I will miss, the island was nice, but it collected clutter like crazy. The cabinet and pantry were huge but with the constant mice problem we had to wash everything and put all food in containers. 3 bedrooms are a lot to maintain, but I always felt guilty that no one was staying in the third bedroom. Now when guest come to stay the night they have to sleep on a pull out couch but at least they won't over stay their welcome that way. LOL, ok joking about that one. I do love having guests and I wish that I could give them 5 star service when they come but then they wouldn't be visiting me. Okay the garden tub would be something that I would miss except the trailer didn't have a big enough water tank to even fill 1/4th of that tub. I don't know about you but I don't like taking cold bubble baths. 3+ acres? How is this a dream come true when you have a toddler and your husband is always working? Not to mention the lawn mower that was always needing a part or maintained. Now the sounds of the coyotes was so special and Piper would howl back at them. But we always had to worry about what the dogs were going to get into and chase after. I also was so lazy with the dogs, just letting them free and not walking with them, here I have to get out and walk them and pick up after them. It helps me be healthier. Quiet peaceful days with no one coming to my door allowed me to nap with Joslyn and enjoy the quiet moments. But it was awful lonely sometimes especially for this codependent. Skies full of stars will always be better than skies full of smog, but John and I will get to cherish the moments we will go camping and seek out the stars. He is already planning our first big star-filled vacation. In the country there were bugs everywhere you looked. We did our best to keep them out of the house, but I will never forget the days that the dogs would bring home the mice or gophers or moles. Sometime skunks and dead possums. At least their is a better preventative here for pests, I hate mice!!!! The first and almost only complaint I had about the trailer right away was the awful carpet and flooring. The carpet was very old and shaggy. I had purchased some cheap rugs to try and cover it as much as possible. The shag carpet is the worst to have in the country due to the stickers and cockaburrs (SP?). Every one of them stuck into it and stayed there. The carpet in the new place isnt new, we wanted a discounted rate due to the dogs. But it is decent and I haven't found one cockaburr! Having a washer and dryer in your house is very convienent, but I didn't do laundry all the time. I usually let it pile up and waited til the last minute. But it was good for sick days when you had to wash something right then like your daughter throws up on something, its good to wash it asap. But here John and I take turns doing laundry and watching the little one. If I get to do laundry then it is some time without my daughter, and if John does it then I don't have to, win win!!! There is nothing good about losing a closet the size of a room. Nuff said! 40 more minutes of daddy time!

I am not telling you these things to put down our old house, every minute there was a blessing from God. The people in Chickasha will always have a special place in my heart. They took my broken insecure heart and filled in the broken pieces with parts of their hearts. But I believe that God has lessons in every situation and place that you are. This new place is a new chance to grow into the person that God wants me to be. A new chance to meet and witness to new people. A new chance to grow into a new ministry. A new chance to have new adventures. A new chance to become a better wife and mother. Here's to new experiences and new adventures.

Closing thoughts: Can downsizing in your life leave room in your heart and schedule to do more for God?