Chapter 2.

Photo by: Bobby Ewing

Well. We've officially moved out.

This marks the start of the next chapter of life for the HaoleBrownies. Its been in the works for a while, but now it's here. Our house is empty and we've handed over the keys.

This whole thing came about in September of last year. Ramsey and I had been doing a lot of housesitting since we got married, so much so that there were some months that we were hardly ever home! Like 25 out of 30 days in a month we were staying at someone else's home (and lets get serious, eating out of their fridge too!) Which was all fine and dandy, but at the same time, we were still paying rent at our place. For those of you who know the housing market in Hawaii, it was quite a bit! As in $1,500 per month quite a bit! 

It's funny how God slowly starts to drop you hints when there's change on the horizon. Ever since we started housesitting, people kept telling us, "You should turn this into a business!" or things like "You guys should do this full time!" At first, we'd just laugh along and agree, "Oh yeah, haha, that's a great idea!" .....thinking, yeah, haha, okay, someday, maybe never. But eventually we really started to consider it.

Then, out of the blue, Ramsey was talking with his mom, and SHE mentioned it to us and said, "You guys should just have a room at our place to keep your stuff and stay with us if you need somewhere to crash in between your housesitting jobs. Then you don't have to keep paying rent at a place you're never at!"

Now the wheels really started to turn.

Another big piece of all of this is that Ramsey and I have quite a bit of debt from our student loans. As in about $67,000. We're paying the minimums, but aren't really able to get ahead, because living expenses in Hawaii are super high. It's not like we're living paycheck to paycheck, but pretty much breaking even between our income and our bills, loans and rent. To completely pay off our student loans is in the YEARS category. Like we can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel! So taking what we used to pay in rent every month and throwing it at our debt would be a game changer. Going from 7-10+ years to pay it off to maybe 1-2 years! 

But could we really do this? How could we really make this work? Moving in with family after being married a year and independent for so long? Housesitting full time all over the island? Giving up our home to essentially live out of a suitcase for the next who-knows-how-many-years? Hmmm...

After months of prayer, lots of wise counsel, persistent housesitting requests and God continuing to reveal His master plan to us, it became a reality.

I'll never forget how God spoke to me that we were going to move. We we're housesitting at this beautiful Holy-Spirit filled house in Kailua. It was pouring rain outside and I was sitting under the eve of the house watching the rain and talking with God. I asked Him, "God if you want us to move and start housesitting full time, I need you to make it crystal clear to me." Instantly, the rain stopped, the sun came out and He whispered to me, "I'm making it crystal clear for you."

My eyes flooded with tears, tears of joy and sad tears too. It was like the rain stopped falling from the sky and was now falling down my face. Waterfall crying. Have you ever had that? Like you didn't know you how you could possibly have so many tears and it seems like they won't ever stop pouring out? All the while you're smiling and half-laughing and crying at the same time? I think that's when you know it's God. I was so thankful for the 'crystal clear' direction that I had asked for. I was excited for what God had in store for us. (I mean you can't be too bummed when God tells you exactly what to do and you know that if you follow through, its gonna be amazing.) But I was still a little sad. Sad to say goodbye to my home, to a place I had lived in for the past three years. This place that held so many wonderful memories, housed so many of my closest friends and roommates, and was where Ramsey and I had enjoyed our first year of marital bliss. I honestly think I was most sad about moving because my best friend Melissa lives right next door. I mean your best friend is your neighbor! You can hang out ALL the time! How awesome is that?! And now we're gonna move?

Okay God, I trust you.

So that was at the end of last year. Since then, we've been selling stuff, giving things away and have made about 17 trips to GoodWill. The process has was actually really great, and even fun! It felt so good to downsize and to pass on things we didn't really need or want. I honestly think it would be good to move every few years or so just to get rid of stuff! You really get to examine what you hold dear. I mean, if you're willing to go through the trouble of packing it, it must be important or special or something that you really love. Ramsey even got good at it too! He was throwing stuff out of the closet left and right! We'd joke whenever one of us would pull another thing out off the hangers onto the Give-Away Pile:

"I got rid of another work shirt! ...100 points for Ramsey!"

"Well, I gave away four dresses.... those are easily worth 500 points a piece!!"

"Not even! Okay, well then I'm giving away two pairs of shoes! ...7 BILLION POINTS!!"

Haha, whatever works, right? 

We are so excited for what God has in store for us and are thrilled to spend more time with Ramsey's family. Not to mention the places we'll be staying at! And the best part, is that it's God. When you're doing what He planned for you, there's not a better place in the world to be. We're trusting Him to create opportunities to stay in people's homes and to knock our debt out of the park! (Or as Ramsey would say,"Shredding our debt, like the waves at Kewalos." LOL) 

Here we go!! ​​