I would like a nice house

So, in NC Andrew and I skipped the starter home and bought a home we felt like we could be in for a long time.  Our house was nice and big and fit our family great.  It did not have all the bells and whistles of some homes but it had everything and more that we wanted.

Now, fast forward to CA where the cost of living is astronomical and houses are old and a lot of them need so much work that we would actually have to consider doing remodeling in a house we bought while we rented another home.

So, the other day I was taking a walk w/ the 3 kids and we were talking about houses and I was like wouldn't you guys rather live in a house like our friends in NC that is big and nice and has a pool instead of living out here where they are expensive and not as nice.  And they said to me "We had rather live here because this is where our friends are."

Then it hit me, what am I teaching my children.  That the size and the amenities of a house makes it a good home.  That I value bigger and better over friends.

Now, please don't get me wrong, NC has the best friends I have ever had in my life so a huge part of my reason I want to move back is to be with them so it is not just about the nice, big house that we can afford there.  But I realized I need to make sure I am teaching my kids the right values and for them their friends are in CA and so this is where they want to be.  They don't care that our bathrooms are so small and that our outlets don't have 3 prongs.  They just care that they can go next door and play w/ their friends.  I hadn't even realized the lesson I was teaching my kids.

So, now I will not try and convince them we should move b/c of housing prices b/c I don't want to be teaching them a wrong lesson.

Yes, I would still like a nice house but I'll just nag Andrew about that when they are not around :)

And I will trust that God has a plan for us and that one day we will own a house and will make it our home and we will surround ourselves with the love of God, each other and friends.