Selling Your House: A Journey Amidst Chaos

Selling your house is never a smooth ride. But doing it while juggling work, planning a wedding, raising teenagers, and preparing for a year-long sailing adventure? That’s a whole different level of chaos.

The Challenges of Selling

We knew getting the house ready to sell would be a monumental task. It involved decluttering, deep cleaning, and hiding all signs of daily life. Not only that, but we were also selling things as we went and getting rid of most of everything we owned!

But nothing could have prepared us for the whirlwind of showings that followed. Every day, we lived in a “staged” version of our home, trying to keep it spotless while waiting for showings to "pop up."

Some nights, just as we were about to sit down for dinner—kids at the table, food plated—a showing would occur with only minutes’ notice. Cue the scramble: toss the dishes in the dishwasher, run the vacuum, grab the dog, and pile into the car.

We'd drive around trying to find somewhere to eat with the kids and Maddie, our golden retriever. We hoped that this might finally be the showing that would turn into an offer. But showing after showing came and went. No bites. Just stress and a creeping sense of disappointment.

Staying Positive

We kept the dream alive by focusing on the reason behind it all: the boat. Our future home on the water fueled our motivation.

Then—finally—a bright spot appeared. We connected with a seller in St. Martin and had a video call tour of a catamaran that felt like it was meant for us. It checked all the boxes.

However, there was a catch. They needed an offer immediately, or they'd be setting sail across the Atlantic back to France. With boats being harder to find this time of year—and us really trying to stay in the Grenada region—we were desperate to make it work.

We’re still waiting to hear from our broker to find out if the boat’s still in the Caribbean or if we’ve missed it. Fingers crossed.

A Surprising Turn of Events

Amid the stress and uncertainty, something amazing happened.

We sold!

After just a week and a half on the market, we received an offer we were happy with. Best of all, the conditions were lifted just two days later. The wave of relief was instant. We could breathe again.

And just in time for our next big milestone.

We got married!

On Saturday, we celebrated a small private ceremony in Stephen’s parents’ backyard along the Elbow River. We were surrounded by our kids, close friends, and family as we said our vows. The weather was perfect, the river sparkled, and the entire day felt like a deep exhale after months of holding our breath.

Everything was beautiful, simple, and joyful. Exactly what we needed.

Embracing the Future

Now, the house is sold, and the wedding is behind us. We are turning our full focus to the boat hunt. The dream is finally feeling real. We’re almost there.

As we embark on this new chapter, the phrase "embracing the chaos" resonates more than ever. Life may have thrown challenges our way, but each obstacle has only made our journey richer and more memorable.

Our adventure awaits, and we can't wait to see where it leads us next.