Changes are Coming for Lost & Found!

I have to confess . . . I’ve been avoiding writing this post!

I have put it off and put it off and put it off, for maybe about a month now!

I’m not really sure why; I think maybe there’s just so much to communicate that it feels overwhelming.

I’m not quite sure how to put it down into words!

But today is THE DAY and I’m making myself sit down right now and type this out.

Our family is moving out of Texas.

Ok, that wasn’t so hard!

Explaining the past 2 years that have led us to this though, that’s where it gets a bit more complicated.

If you’ve followed along with me for a few years now, you know that we’ve been in a season of transition as a family, one that centered around my husband’s job as a pastor at our local church.

In August of 2017, we learned by the upcoming December, he would need to leave that position that he had held for 9 years.

It was a difficult transition, kind of our choice, but also kind of not our choice . . . really too hard to explain and messy to get into.  

We were pretty certain that by December, he would be able to find a new pastoring position and we would likely move to wherever that new job would be.

December came and went though, with no new job. 

And so did the next January, February, March, April, May and so on–all the way up until this point today.

There were leads along the way, positions that he was really close to taking, and several times it looked like that long-awaited move was finally going to happen.

But then right before the deal would close, it would fall apart and we were back to just being here.

It was truly an emotional rollercoaster–all those months thinking this big thing was “about” to happen, but then it never actually happening. 

Wondering how much longer we were really going to be here, and asking all of the questions that came along with that:

• Should I renew my leases at my retail shops?
• Should we sign our kids up for this sports team?
• Should we think about getting our house ready to sell?

It’s really hard living in this in-between place.

But after a while, we got better at it 🙂

We went ahead with plans and just decided to make the most of each day we had before us.

I worked really hard over the past two years to grow Lost & Found, both locally and online, because for a season it was our only source of family income. 

And I am so grateful for the lifeline it provided for us while we worked to get back up on our feet. 

To all of you who support this little venture of mine–whether through purchasing furniture, ordering paint, shopping with my locally, or just reading this blog–I have a HUGE heartfelt “Thank You” to say!

And I am so glad to let you know that today, our family is in a very good place!

In the middle of last year, my husband was able to start his own business where he offers marketing consulting and website building (you can see it at ClarityAlwaysWins.com), and it’s really taken off!

He loves what he does and it has become a great, stable source of income for our family.

As this spring rolled around though, we started to ask ourselves if Texas still needed to be our family home. 

If he can work from wherever he wants, and I could possibly move Lost & Found and take it somewhere new, is there someplace else we would rather be?

We have been here for 11 years now, and for 9 of those 11 years, it was truly home.

But once this transition started 2 years ago, the foundation of our life here started to crack and crumble. 

Support systems we once had didn’t exist anymore. 

Friendships changed or moved away, we struggled to keep up with the pace of running 2 businesses out of a too-small house, even our kids felt a little lost in the shuffle.

So in March, when the opportunity came to move to a place that did feel like home, we decided to take it 🙂

Brad (my husband) was invited to come to work part-time at a church in the Northwest Arkansas area–the same church where his family attends and where many old friends of ours live and attend as well.

In fact, the other guys on staff at the church are old colleagues of ours from work we did before we moved to Texas, 11 years ago.

They needed some additional help with a variety of things and asked Brad to step in.

We are thrilled to be able to serve in a church community again and work alongside some people that are dear, old friends.

Also, Brad can keep running his business, since work at the church will only be part-time. It’s like the best of both worlds!

What makes this even better is that this is where my husband is from, and where his family still lives. 

So yes, we’re going to live by Grandma, aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins.

In 15 years of being married, we have never lived in the same town as family.

Now we will be a little over 1 mile from my brother-in-law’s house!

My kids are soooooo excited and I am as well.

So Northwest Arkansas, here we come!

It really looks like THIS is the thing–the point we have been moving towards for 2 years now. I had no idea it would lead us here, but everything is falling into place.

Our house here sold in less than 48 hours with a cash offer–crazy!

Just a few days ago, we put an offer on a house up in Arkansas, and against all odds it was accepted (the seller had another offer, better than ours, that was also cash–but she picked us because she knew our family would love the house and yard). 

As we speak, I am on the hunt for a new retail space for Lost & Found, and we’ve already found 2 incredible options!

My kids will be going to school with their cousins, and we already have many old friends in the area, along with a new church, waiting for us. 

It really does feel like we’re headed home.

So, what does that mean for this blog and for Lost & Found?

Well, I will be moving out of my 2 local retail shops on May 22nd and 23rd.

It will definitely be bittersweet to leave those locations!

All of my furniture and decor items in both spaces is currently 20% off, so there’s the chance to grab a great deal!

I will be taking Fusion and MMS Milk Paint with me, and will be the new Northwest Arkansas area retailer for both lines!

My big hope (and plan) is to open up my own studio space where I can paint furniture and be there in person for customers who come to buy paint. 

I have loved being in booth spaces, but I think I’m at the place where I’m ready to strike out on my own–I’ll keep you posted!

STILL SELLING ONLINE
I will still be selling paint online as well!

There will be a few days at the end of the month where I won’t be able to ship as we physically move from one house to the next, but I’ll let you know about those in advance.

I’ll also have a bunch of new projects to blog about as we work on making our new house “home.”

I absolutely love the location (it sits on an acre lot in a 1-street neighborhood outside of town), but I’m not in love with the style of the house on the inside.

I see lots of painting in my future!

Texas has been good to us as a family, and so good to Lost & Found.

We’ve been in business here for 7 years, so it will be hard to say goodbye.

But I know, without any doubt, that this is the step we need to take as a family.  And I really believe great things are around the corner.

Thank you so much for following along with me on this journey and for being a part of this community.

You are appreciated so much! I’ll keep you updated as we go along–if you’re a local customer and have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me and ask!