After moving to South Ogden, we decided we really liked the area, but the house was just too big. It was big, and it was expensive. We missed our little North Ogden house that was just the right size for all of us. We also missed the people in North Ogden. Everyone was so nice up there. Where we were in South Ogden, people were "nice", but we really never seemed to get to know anyone very well. People were difficult to get to know. Basically, we didn't love it, so it wasn't worth the price to us. Why spend so much money on something we didn't absolutely love? So, we decided to put our South Ogden house up for sale and look for something to build. There were a few lots we looked at, but in order to keep the kids in the same school and not move them again, we decided that once we sold our house, we would buy a lot in Washington Terrace. Shawn and I both felt really good about the decision to put the house up for sale.
It took awhile to sell our house. And showing it was a nightmare. It took such a long time to clean, and with three messy kids it was nearly impossible to keep it looking just right to show. We were finally able to sell it to a family who had just moved here from Canada - the Muhammads. The Muhammads were quite particular about the house, and made us fix what seemed like a million things before they moved in, but it was worth it! After we sold the house, Shawn and I both had a huge sense of relief. I felt so free! We were free! We could live anywhere we wanted! It was such an exciting feeling!
Because we wanted to build, we needed to find a place to rent for awhile. We had originally found a house to rent in Washington Terrace that was perfect! It had enough bedrooms, was redone inside, and had a ton of storage space. As I got out of my car to walk through it for the first time, I had the distinct thought come into my mind to "check the sex offender registry." I thought, "Hmmm. That's weird. Okay, I'll do it when I get home." I walked through the house, showed Shawn around, and we decided it was just right for us. But then I went home, checked the address of the rental on the sex offender registry, and there were FIVE sex offenders within a few houses away from that rental. I about died. It made me sick. They were not petty sex crimes, either. Big ones. I know I was prompted to check that registry, because we would have moved into that rental without question. After that experience, we were able to find a nice little rental home near Shawn's friend Dustin Hawkins on Crestwood Drive in South Ogden. It is about 500 yards from the Ogden Athletic Club. The pictures looked a little bleak on the website, but when we walked through, we realized it had been almost 100% refinished inside! It was perfect! It was also in the kids' school district, so we wouldn't have to deal with boundary exceptions. It was such a blessing. I'm so grateful for promptings that help us to keep our family safe!!
Now that everything was going to plan, we decided to buy the lot in Washington Terrace. However, much to our surprise, we could not get a loan! Ever since the housing market crash in 2007-2008, property loans are now nearly next to impossible to get - especially for a self-employed person! Which is Shawn! We were so discouraged. Shawn even made up a song called "Stuck on Crestwood." We would sing it every time we realized our dream of building our own house was going down in flames. As we would sing it we would laugh. Personally, I kinda like being "stuck on Crestwood". The size of house is just fine; we all have just enough space. I also like the location. Anyway, we were able to beg, borrow, and steal to get enough money to purchase the lot in Washington Terrace without utilizing a bank loan. I feel really blessed that we had the help and managed to do that. Now we are working on picking out a house plan and figuring out what we want to build. We do not anything too big or out of control. Just something that is easy to afford and allows us to spend money on travel and other things we enjoy doing. We have really learned a lot!
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