This is my crew and I (my husband, Kern, kids Jordan, Cruz, Lisa and our 4th doing flips in my belly as we speak. We moved to Los Angeles on faith. No place to live, not knowing where to live, and just the unknowing of how our lives would change living on the West Coast. Kern and I are both from the good ole' Midwest so moving to L.A. seemed like a big jump. So many reasonable thoughts of what I call the "enemy" or "thief of joy" came running through my head. What if we can't afford to live there? What if it doesn't work out? If he leaves his job, what will happen? How can we sell our house here in the Midwest?
OUR HOME IN OHIO
Our situation before our move was living in a great home in Columbus, OH. Kern had a great job in Marketing with a big Fortune 500 company. We just bought our dream home a year ago and we were good. I always put a bug in Kern's ear for us to move to L.A. because all my 3 siblings were there. And I longed to be close to family again, especially having 3 kids. I just wanted to be around family and wanted help with the kids. We easily would spend $100 just to go around the corner to the movies (dinner not included). It was exhausting. After non stop annoyance in my hubby's ear about moving to Cali, he started looking for opportunities there. A great private baby company reached out to him and the hiring process moved fast! After 1 week, they wanted to fly him out to Los Angeles to interview. I was thinking, "whoa, this is moving a little too fast for me!" It was right before Thanksgiving leading into the holiday season and I started to feel a little uncomfortable at the idea of actually moving there. He went for the interview and called me saying "they offered me the job!" That was when my excitement turned into fear. I instantly thought, "OK, pump the brakes. I don't want to go. I was just messing around. I'm comfortable here." Kern felt so strong about the move and said that all this is God led and He knows God is leading us to California. We put the house on the market and barely had any calls for people to see the house. Our mortgage was over $3000 a month and in my mind was like "there's no way we can afford to live in California (one of the riches places to live in the country and pay over $3000 mortgage here in Ohio!!!" Kern kept assuring me all things will work together.)
Dec 5th 2014
My mother, my 11 month old daughter and I went to Cali to look for a place to live. I set up a realtor to show us homes in areas where the school district was good for our 6 year old son. Everyplace the realtor showed us was 1000sq ft and nothing was less than $3000/month. I was nervous! It's 5 of us and we have to live in a 1000sq ft home paying over $3000/month. This is no bueno! Kern's job was set to start the beginning of the year- less than a month away and we have no place to stay. I felt defeated. I spent this money to fly my mom and I out here to find a place to live and I came back to Ohio mission unsuccessful. Part of me wanted to tell Kern to turn down the job and let's just stay in our comfort zone but something in me came alive that said "God will work everything out...just move by faith!" I kept looking up homes in L.A. and I was looking at homes that were multi-million dollar homes. If I were to move, this is where I want to be type homes. Kern would look at me like I was crazy. I found a great home with lots of space, a nice size backyard with a basketball court. It was something like $12,000/month. I showed Kern and told him I want a home like that. He looked at the picture and said, "oooook, we can't afford that!" and I was said, "dream BIG! Put it to existence and it will happen!" I knew that place was too expensive at the time but time is always evolving. What is one situation one day is different the next. I was putting pictures in my mind of what I wanted to come into existence in my life. I also was kicking fear in the butt by thinking so big that fear had to leave my mind.
Jan 1 2015
My daughter and I came ahead of Kern and the boys by a few days to find a place to live. I was determined. Baby Lisa and I came here with our house still for sale with no offers but it was no time to look back. We made the leap. Kern quit his job in Ohio and accepted the job here in L.A. set to start Jan 12th. Baby Lisa and I was exhausted looking for homes after the second day but we couldn't stop. After days of no luck, my older sister who was ready to vacate us soon pulled up a new listing for a home that was 5 mins from Kern's job with a basketball court and a pool. It was even better than the home I was admiring on the internet. It was listed 20 mins before and I called immediately. It was in a great location, great school system, we even negotiated the price. They accepted our offer.
OUR HOME HERE IN LA
Jan 5 2015
Kern and the boys arrive to L.A. and as soon as they stepped on L.A. soil we got an offer on the house in Ohio and closed on the house Feb 5th. God is so amazing! It was God lead. I've learned when you pray for things or events to happen in your life and that door opens, walk through it, and know that God is holding your hand leading you even if you don't physically see his hand....know he is there. All you have to do is ask, seek and the door will open. Its up to you to RECEIVE! I was on the border of not receiving what I had been longing for so long, which was to be in L.A. and close to my family but I countered that fear by being so bold that fear had to go! Be bold today and ask for something that you want in your life, seek it out, and be prepared to RECEIVE it!!!