How Our Downsizing Adventure Began

2009: Life was "normal" in the Rieke house.


 I was adjusting to the fact that my last baby was graduating and leaving for college in the fall, and Jed was planning on staying in Lynchburg for the summer. Our life was really changing. Dave describes us empty nesters--two beebees rattling around in a tin can. 


The economy had us thinking about hard times, and Dave taught a Sunday school class on finances. My fleeting thought was communicated to Dave, "I believe we could sell our house and buy something small and then we wouldn't have a mortgage payment. That would be so liberating." But of course it was just a thought.


 I loved our house on Woodstock so much that I didn't require going away for a vacation. It was perfect just sitting around our pool sipping a drink, listening to music with my Dave. I felt so content. We had been remodeling our home so we had a large great room which was nice for large groups, but the seed had been planted in Dave's mind and it grew out of control in a few short days. 


On April 6, 2009, the day before my birthday! he announced we were selling and wanted to buy this great little "fixer upper" he had found in the neighborhood nearby, but we had to move fast. 


Fast is not the word. I was dizzy with the prospect and speed at which decisions were being made. Out with the clutter (and stuff I still can't find), paint this, plaster that, sand and clean and clean. Then the financing and signing documents, and the amount of people that visited our house. Sometimes 4 showings a day, which meant cleaning continuously. 


We had a small problem. We had to buy the Baden house immediately without getting to sell our Woodstock house first. We had been turned down 3 times, so I knew that was the Lord's way of showing us his will for our life. 

Right? 

Dave signed the papers anyway. We were going to go to jail! What an absurd thing to do! 

Needless to say, I had a hard time sleeping with all this commotion and crazy life style.