So I have big news... Miguel and I moved across town to Matamoros Street last week. We are living in the area of town called San Felipe and are about 10 minutes drive from CVE now instead of 15-20 minutes.
The move happened quickly. (A little too quickly if you ask my over-analyzing mind which likes lots of time to process and make decisions.) :) We saw the house on a Facebook page with houses for rent. It had only been posted for an hour or so when we called the owner and went to see it. The entire time we were there, he was getting calls about the house, so we knew we would have to make a fast decision if we wanted to rent it. The house was well taken care of and a good price for the size, conditions, and location. So we decided to move!
Here is a photo of our new home on Matamoros Street.
It is about the same size inside as our previous house, but we are excited for the extra outdoor space and so is Balto!
The front yard.
I was able to transplant the bugambilias we planted for my birthday, but I don't have a picture of the yard since the transplant. The plants you see in the photo are another bugambilia the owners planted and a rose bush.
On the left side of the house there is a gated space for the water heater, gas tank, and potentially a wash machine.
This is stepping through the front door into the living room and...
turning to the left into the kitchen. I am so excited about my kitchen as it is three times the size of the one I had before and has so much cupboard space!
This is looking from the kitchen back into the living room. We are thankful for two mini splits, one in the living room and one in our bedroom which will provide air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.
Looking down the hallway to the back door.
The bathroom, first door on the left.
Our bedroom on the right.
The guest bedroom on the left.
And a small bathroom connected to the guest bedroom which interestingly doesn't have a sink. We'll have to see what we come up with for that! :)
To the right of the house there is a rolling gate and the cars can drive in and park on the cement. We are thankful for the secure fence all around so Balto can run free.
There is a nice space behind the house as well. And we are thankful for a solid roof over our heads. There have been a few rains in the last week (maybe an early start of the Monsoon season?), and no drips! :)
Here are a few pictures of our house after the move.
And so we said goodbye to our little house on Mision San Diego.
It will always hold so many wonderful memories!
As I contemplated the move, I realized that what I will miss the most is my neighbors and the neighborhood.
One of our neighbors has a granddaughter who goes to Colegio Verdad y Vida school at CVE and had offered to rent us a house he was fixing up. I went to tell him that we had found a different house closer to CVE and as we chatted I said, "I'm just sad I'm going to lose you as neighbors!" He reminded me that I'm not losing my old neighbors and I'll actually have the opportunity to meet more people. It was really a helpful thought for me. Instead of thinking of all the people from my neighborhood I won't see all the time anymore, I can be excited to meet more people from Magdalena. The more places I live and the more people I meet, the more people I will have a connection with!
Our old neighborhood has a soccer field where I would go on walks and as I thought about how I was going to miss walking there, I started to ponder all the routes I've walked to process and pray ever since I was a pre-teen.
- When I was 10-12 years old living here in Magdalena, I would walk through the brush at the back of the CVE property singing and praying and thinking. When I first understood that I needed to give my life to Christ, that is where I knelt and prayed, by the horse stable on one of my rambles.
- After moving back to Illinois, I would walk around the pond on our property or sometimes down the road to the creek. That route heard about my dad's battle with cancer, all of my teenage struggles, and about my decision to go to Mexico for the summer when I was 19!
- After moving back to CVE, I had a route down the paths around and through the fields and cow pastures. This route I took intentionally when I was overwhelmed with the stresses of parenting. I walked it in the view of the Big Mountain (see post "How I love this Place!" April 13, 2018) as I wrestled with the decision of marriage!
- The soccer field by our first house on Mision San Diego with it's big mulberry tree has been that place for me for the last year and a half. It's heard about the joys and struggles of my first year of marriage and has been my place to get outside on weekends during quarantine.
At first glance, it's just a big dusty lot. But it has a view of the mountains,...
the back of a hotel ;), the back of a factory ;), and hidden in the left corner of this picture is the big mulberry tree I mentioned.
As I think about all this, I just wonder, "Where will be the next place I find to walk and talk with God?" And I feel excited!
So finally, a little poem to brighten your day and a note of thanks for listening to my ponderings!
Held by His Hand
Heaven is close tonight.
Blessings are clear.
Jesus is first enthroned.
Love conquers fear.
Hope is in quickening flight.
Selfishness dies.
Tears come with fervent prayer,
Pleadings and sighs,
Knowing that I am naught,
And He is all,
Honored, unworthy to be,
Chosen and called.
Wishing for life to pause,
But God has a plan.
What He reveals must be lived
Held by His hand.
Written November 2014
