Getting settled

Well, we did it. Our first military move as a family. It all happened very quickly, Nick came home from Iraq and 4 days later the packers arrived to box up all our worldly goods. Then just a few days after that, we jumped into a fully loaded SUV (with all our household belongings that we didn't want the movers to pack) and drove. And drove. And drove. It was a long trip, but we made it! We're here! And now we're trying to get settled in a new place.
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Moving to a new home in an unfamiliar place can sometimes feel overwhelming. There have been lots of little stressors already: a VERY competitive rental market, two boys with the stomach flu, sharing one vehicle, and living in the tight quarters of a hotel room for an extended period of time. But all in all, its quite exciting. Its an adventure and a challenge. Its fun to see another part of the country, a part that is green and lush, with lots water (rivers, lakes, creeks etc) and that moves at a slower pace. The town that we're in is quite small, and most definitely a military town (there are soldiers EVERYWHERE!!) There are military discounts everywhere as well, and lots of friendly faces. It'll be fun to explore the area and meet new people.
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Since arriving Monday night, Nick has spent most of his time on post. So far its mostly inprocessing, but he's also getting into the swing of things with his new job. His new job entails all sorts of things that we haven't encountered in a long time (including homework, classwork, and a regimented schedule-- when's the last time Nick worked 8-5pm??????). My main project has been keeping the boys out of trouble and finding housing. And what a chore that has been, the latter part I mean. :) I spent almost all day Tuesday calling different property management companies, landlords, and realtors. I think I made close to 50 phone calls, but was only able to schedule 2 showings for rental homes. Yes, only TWO!! And both those showings were for homes that had lots of other people scheduled to see the homes as well. Most of the places I called had just rented their last unit, or had 6 showings lined up in front of me. I left my name and number with everyone, and didn't receive a single call back. Many people were very rude, and expressed resentment over the volume of calls they received about their rental. As a property manager myself, I can't imagine being upset with lots of calls!!! So... after that rather daunting experience, I moved to plan B, and called our bank to see if they'd finance another home loan.
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Although we got the pre-approval on a home loan, the whole housing situation was a bit discouraging... It seemed that there was a big rental market, with lots of homes available, and lots of eager landlords. So renting seemed like a no brainer. Also, we'll only be here a year, so spending the time and money on another home isn't that appealing. I feel really anxious and doubtful about the whole thing! Ach!! Our plan to rent seems very unhopeful, and the back-up plan of buying makes me a little uneasy as well. To increase the pressure to figure something out quickly, the hotel that we are staying in is also unable to extend our stay, and every other hotel in the area (including Army Lodging) is booked!! Can you believe it?? Also, we can't get our household goods delivered until we have an address, so we're living out of suitcases, and eating out every night while we find housing. So yeah, everything is up in the air, and not looking so good. I'm so glad that it hit me that I was not bringing this issue before the Lord in prayer, and even worse, was relying on my own strength and business savvy to make things work. It was such a relief to give this to our heavenly father and to remember that he knows our every need!!
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The Lord, in his mercy, answered our prayers right away. Today I got calls from both landlords who showed us their homes yesterday and they wanted US to rent their homes!! I guess having kids made us seem like more reliable and steady tenants. How amazing is that?? To be singled out of the huge group of tenants, and selected to rent their homes??? Wow!! And this even after Isaiah had thrown up on the front door step of the second house we looked at!! (thats another story for you...) Maybe they felt sorry for us, or sorry for me!! But either way, the Lord answered prayer in an incredible and speedy way.
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So now we just need to decide. Or rather, I need Nick to get a cell phone so that I can talk to him during the day so that he knows that the Lord answered our prayers and that we have to CHOOSE between two great homes. Yes, Nick doesn't know that both homes are giving us green lights!
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The boys are sleeping and hopefully recovering from the stomach bug. Thanks for all your prayers!!