Summertime Fun

We have had such a full summer! It was so fun, but the end came so quick.
A highlight was a trip to the bay area and Lake Tahoe. While in Concord during the first part of our trip, we were able to attend the annual Switzer Family Cream Can party. The kids spent a lot of time in the pool at Mimi and Papa's house.

Caleb tried some lemonade...

And the next day it was off to Lake Tahoe. Mom and Mike spoiled us by renting a house to stay in along with my sister Megan and my brother David and his family.

The kids loved playing with Aunt Megan

Caleb and his cousin Kolton enjoyed lots of play time together, with the occasional parent intervention to encourage sharing.

We ate ice cream, because that is what Vanoli's do

 We also did some exploring around Lake Tahoe on foot,

By horseback,

 

And by bike

We also went by raft and floated down the Truckee River. I don't have any pictures of that since I opted not to bring my nice camera in a boat with my toddler, bad combination. It was such a relaxing ride that Caleb slept on a pile of life jackets for about half of it.

Even though it will still be a long drive to get there, I am looking forward to being a little closer to Lake Tahoe once we move. It is a special place that holds so many special memories for me, from childhood ski trips and sledding, to our honeymoon. I love being able to share that beauty with our kids. 

Moving Update

I realized I haven't written anything about our upcoming move since first announcing it in June. So in case you haven't heard yet, here's what has been happening.

At the end of June we put our house on the market. We listed on a Thursday, and by the following Tuesday we had two very good offers of the same price (just below our listing price), and one was cash. After some back and forth over the terms, we accepted the cash offer. We are in escrow now and it is set to close next week! Part of our agreement is that we will rent back from the buyers through the end of September. Chris' last day working at the church is September 15, so that will give us time to move without feeling rushed (at least I hope!).

Escrow has not been without it's hoops and hurdles to jump through and over, as I'm sure anyone who has bought or sold can attest to. A word of advice, do not stay at your house when your home inspection is done, have your realtor be there instead. It's way too stressful to listen to someone pick apart your house, down to the location of carpet tack strips. It's especially awkward if the buyers are at your house during the entire 2 1/2 hour inspection, hanging out at your kitchen table. 

One of the hoops: Chris had to cut a hole in our ceiling to prove there was no water damage, in a location that is not even close to any plumbing fixtures.

Just this last Wednesday we had an issue come up over the termite inspection and repair estimate, a week before the close of escrow. To complicate things our realtor was out of town and out of contact on a backpacking trip. When he came back into cell phone range on Thursday afternoon I think he was hit with a barrage of emails, voicemails, and text messages. By Friday afternoon he was able to have things straightened out we are still waiting to hear that everything is ok on the buyer's end.

Another word of advice, make sure you have a highly skilled, amazing realtor. Our realtor Tim Hughes has been so helpful through the process, keeping us informed and really being our advocate. I would highly recommend him if anyone in the area is looking for a realtor. 

Looking forward, we are on the search for a place to live in Atascadero. So if anyone knows of a 3 bedroom house for rent in the area please let us know! The rental prices seem a little high right now, so we are praying and trusting God to bring us the right place at the right time.

Chris is seriously considering opening up a painting business again, but hoping to mostly do the faux plaster like he did in our house. He has sold several Bronco Boxes over the last few months and we are hoping that will continue as well. I have been putting together a resume and am looking for part time architectural work. 

Please keep us in your prayers. Our big prayer requests right now are for the close of escrow this week and a place to live in Atascadero. Thank you for following along with us on the journey!