The Never Ending Story...Continued...

Where to begin?

Well, with much disappointment, we got some news yesterday that changed our plans with the old farm house.

As I stood in the living room talking to the owner, a few things came up that hadn't in previous conversation. Namely the fact that the property is set to be sold on an as-of-yet undetermined date, but likely within the next 6 months to a year.

I had decided that I could get past the shortcomings of the house itself in exchange for the setting and the savings, but I can't come to terms with the idea of uprooting my family AGAIN as soon as 6 months from now.

Which got me thinking...how many places have we seen as a family. So, here for your enjoyment-slash-scrutinizing; the list of Shepherd households from the date Sarah and I got married:

March 2005 - Sarah moved into my apartment after my wedding
April 2005 - Sarah and I lived a short stint at my mom's in preparation for moving to Georgia
May 2005 - Powder Springs, GA: a small 3 bedroom house that had ants living in the joist space between the basement and the main floor (if you left a crumb on the carpet, it was consumed by ants within minutes)
October 2005 - Canton, GA: a new build for a good price. 4 bedrooms on a tiny lot (measured approximately 8 feet from my back door to the drop-off that was the property line)
August 2006 - Canton, GA: small, 2 bedroom, second floor apartment where I eventually got about a dozen teenagers arrested for throwing a loud, drunk, pot-smoking party above me....every weekend
August 2007 - After living at a residence for a FULL YEAR, we decided to head back to Texas so I could go back to school and so our boys could get to know my side of the family...we lived at mom's while I looked for a job and a place to live
September 2007 - Greeville, TX: a quaint little 3 bedroom house on historic Park Street
March 2008 - Back to Georgia...stayed with Sarah's dad and stepmom while we looked for our own place...yet again
April 2008 - Woodstock, GA: moved into a two bedroom apartment where Sarah and I slept on the sofa-bed in the living room because the boys' sleeping patterns were so different
October 2008 - Woodstock, GA: moved into our current third floor, 3 bedroom apartment so we could have our own room and to get away from all the creeps that hung out outside our front windows almost every night

Man...after actually writing that down for the first time, I finally realize how pathetic it is. I've grown so weary of moving over and over and over...and now I understand why.

As Sarah and I search out our next place, I can only hope that it will be with some kind of permanence and security where my boys can grow up and grow accustomed to the place. The smell of the grass, unique to our neighborhood. The curves of the road (I remember growing up that, if I fell asleep in the car ride home, I would sometimes wake up because even my body developed a sort of memory of the dips, curves, and speed patterns as we approached our driveway). The creaks in that particular floor space. That they would be able to find their way around the house even when the lights are out because they've walked the path so often that it's become second nature.

And so it goes. The never ending search for permanence begins with the next new thing...