I feel like life has given me a nice huge basket of lemons lately. Brad has lived in our house for 2.5 weeks and that's it. We were here for a week unpacking and then moved my mom out of her apartment and in with us and helped her get unpacked. We then took a family vacation and were back for a day and then boom, he was gone. He was due back on Oct. 17 but we knew he would probably have to stay a little longer and in our minds, that was till the very beginning of November. Last week, someone left a basket of lemons on my doorstep. OK. So not really a basket but that's what it felt like. We got the news that Brad is in a unique situation and nothing can be altered about what he needs to do. Since he came from a school (where he was not flying and thus not current in his qualifications) he is a different category and has to do everything by the textbook. Originally they told him he could come back in January. Brad pushed for a different date so now we are praying that they can push him through very fast and that he can leave San Diego by Dec. 18 and it will take him 4 days to drive back here so hopefully we can celebrate Christmas together.
So what did I do with my lemons? I threw some of the against the wall and pouted for the evening. The next day I told the boys the news. I then threw out most of my lemons. When Brad told me the news there was no reason at all to be upset. He was upset. He was frustrated. He wants to be home with his family. I quickly realized that while I wanted to complain and be upset, there was no use for that. I vented to a friend for a bit via text messages and that was my throwing a few lemons at a wall. I then bagged up the rest of the lemons and threw them away. I don't wanted rotten lemons. So now we trudge on. I'm not sure why God has made a 2.5 month training take 4.5 (we are praying for not longer than that) knowing that Brad will start work-ups soon and then he has a 9 month deployment. At times I feel like Satan is trying to knock on the door to our house and is seeing if we can handle everything he throws at us and I pray that we can handle it. That God will provide our family with the strength to handle the times apart that we have coming up.
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
6/19 - God broke our swing set!!!
So I just found a FB site for the Prattville area that is like Craig's list. It's like a virtual yard sale all the time. It's awesome. I wish I would have found it months ago. Anyway, I'm trying to get rid of some of the baby stuff we have before we move. I was posting pictures of a few items I was selling and saw people posting ISO. I thought that was a brand name at first. :) Apparently it stands for 'in search of' and just after one of my posts appeared on the page, there was a post that said, "Still ISO a swing set." Brad and I decided to sell our swing set even though we just got it because we are at a rental and it would probably break in the process of moving. That said, I just commented on her post and said, "I've got one I'm going to post tomorrow." She responded back right away so I sent her a picture of it and she said she wanted it. I could tell she was very excited. The plan was for her to pick it up the next night (Tuesday).
She came over on Tuesday, paid the $100 (we bought it for $300 and then Brad and his dad spent about 8 hrs building it all) which is a good deal. She had a friend come over with a truck and Brad helped disassemble the playset into 3 pieces. We got it into the mans truck and they left. It was really great talking with this woman who had her 1 yr daughter with her. They were both so sweet. Her daughter was loving playing on the swing set while we were waiting for her friend to come and help take it apart. She also mentioned how her daughter wasn't sleeping through the night and I told her about a great book that saved my life when Aiden was 9 months old. I went to the bedroom when she left and found the book I wanted on the bookshelf. I tried to run out to give it to her but they were already down the street. I was sad because I thought the book would really help her but assumed that God wanted me to meet up with at some other point before we left.
I got a FB message later that night. The playset never made it to her house. It fell off the truck mid-way to her house. My heart instantly broke when I read that. This single military mom just spent $100 for lumber parts. Brad and I instantly knew that we had to go to her place and try and help fix it. So here is my take on the situation: God broke the swingset. He let it fall off because He wanted to make sure we were able to visit again :)
We showed up today at 1:00pm to see what we could do. Brad was relieved that the 1x6 beam that held the swings and trapeze bar was still intact. We worked on it for 2.5 hrs and got it almost all put together!!!! The woman got a few pieces a lumber which Brad used for various parts of the playset. It was great to just chat with her and talk about kids and the problems that come along with them. She is such a sweet woman. Brad did a great job of re-using wood, making new holes, and reattaching parts. Overall, the Lord has created a soft spot in my heart for this woman. I can so relate to her and being a single mom (Brad was gone so much during the first 4 yrs) and then just the obstacles with kids (getting them to listen, sleeping through the night, eating, etc) and how to overcome them. We were even able to relate about my 'Prattville experience.'
There was one thing that we couldn't fix on the swing set so Brad is going to get the right-size bolt and we will go back and finish up the bench. It was such a blessing to be able to help this lovely woman and her little girl. We left and she was so grateful yet we were so happy too. It was a blessing to us that she was so grateful and excited. It was a great day. I was totally spent from being in the hot sun though so I picked up the boys and pretty much let them watch an hr of TV because I was too exhausted to do anything else.
God's timing is so .... amazing. I need to remember that.
She came over on Tuesday, paid the $100 (we bought it for $300 and then Brad and his dad spent about 8 hrs building it all) which is a good deal. She had a friend come over with a truck and Brad helped disassemble the playset into 3 pieces. We got it into the mans truck and they left. It was really great talking with this woman who had her 1 yr daughter with her. They were both so sweet. Her daughter was loving playing on the swing set while we were waiting for her friend to come and help take it apart. She also mentioned how her daughter wasn't sleeping through the night and I told her about a great book that saved my life when Aiden was 9 months old. I went to the bedroom when she left and found the book I wanted on the bookshelf. I tried to run out to give it to her but they were already down the street. I was sad because I thought the book would really help her but assumed that God wanted me to meet up with at some other point before we left.
I got a FB message later that night. The playset never made it to her house. It fell off the truck mid-way to her house. My heart instantly broke when I read that. This single military mom just spent $100 for lumber parts. Brad and I instantly knew that we had to go to her place and try and help fix it. So here is my take on the situation: God broke the swingset. He let it fall off because He wanted to make sure we were able to visit again :)
We showed up today at 1:00pm to see what we could do. Brad was relieved that the 1x6 beam that held the swings and trapeze bar was still intact. We worked on it for 2.5 hrs and got it almost all put together!!!! The woman got a few pieces a lumber which Brad used for various parts of the playset. It was great to just chat with her and talk about kids and the problems that come along with them. She is such a sweet woman. Brad did a great job of re-using wood, making new holes, and reattaching parts. Overall, the Lord has created a soft spot in my heart for this woman. I can so relate to her and being a single mom (Brad was gone so much during the first 4 yrs) and then just the obstacles with kids (getting them to listen, sleeping through the night, eating, etc) and how to overcome them. We were even able to relate about my 'Prattville experience.'
There was one thing that we couldn't fix on the swing set so Brad is going to get the right-size bolt and we will go back and finish up the bench. It was such a blessing to be able to help this lovely woman and her little girl. We left and she was so grateful yet we were so happy too. It was a blessing to us that she was so grateful and excited. It was a great day. I was totally spent from being in the hot sun though so I picked up the boys and pretty much let them watch an hr of TV because I was too exhausted to do anything else.
God's timing is so .... amazing. I need to remember that.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
6/12 - Prattville, AL - Analysis Part 2
I had no idea that my 'Analysis of Prattville' blog would be so .... read. I can see the number of people who read our family blog posts (I can't see who has read my posts, just that it was read). My comment on our Prattville experience has been read about 5-6 times more than a typical blog post. I've had a few people message me and/or talk to me in person about my post. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone. I was talking to a local realtor here the other day and he said the most perfect statement to describe what I've been feeling and have not been able to adequately put into words. The people in Prattville, AL are super nice and willing to help but they keep you at an "arm's length." That's it. That describes it most appropriately.
What a God moment. As I am typing this entry, I get a notification on my phone that someone has added something to a comment I made on a Facebook post of a friend. She had stated a few or so ago that she was sad that a good friend was moving away and I commented that people like me/us (who are forced to move quite often) are so thankful for people like her who take the risk to become friends. My friend commented on her original post and said "I vowed I would not make any new friends that would not be staying here permanently." I can relate to that statement and way of thinking so much. Here is the problem though, when you are the one that moves all the time, that means you end up having no close friends. You may have 1 or 2 people that you can easily catch up with because you were once good friends but the lack of frequent face-to-face friend interactions can take its toll. It can be so isolating and lonely. My friend ended her comment with "my new motto is to love each person for the amount of time that God places them in my path." I love it and that is something I need to embrace and work on.
I can remind myself every now and then that God has us moving to a place for a reason and He will put people in our paths for a reason. I have learned with this rotation that sometimes those experiences are for difficult lessons but I also know that we cannot grow without the lessons. I am still unsure why certain things have happened since I've been here but I have learned this:
1. It is so important to treat everyone with the same heart - a heart of love - regardless of if they want this and/or "deserve" it. God commands us to. It has taught me alot about love. If it were not for my boys watching all of this, I would never be able to change the way that I have. God may have used this as an example and also to teach me what it really means to still show love even when I feel I have fleshly reasons not to love.
So Prattville, will take the vow that my friend and I are both taking? Will you try and accept, embrace, and love each person for the amount of time God has brought them here? As my friend said, God blessed her for embracing that friendship. Please open up your inner circle and your heart and truly become a friend.
What a God moment. As I am typing this entry, I get a notification on my phone that someone has added something to a comment I made on a Facebook post of a friend. She had stated a few or so ago that she was sad that a good friend was moving away and I commented that people like me/us (who are forced to move quite often) are so thankful for people like her who take the risk to become friends. My friend commented on her original post and said "I vowed I would not make any new friends that would not be staying here permanently." I can relate to that statement and way of thinking so much. Here is the problem though, when you are the one that moves all the time, that means you end up having no close friends. You may have 1 or 2 people that you can easily catch up with because you were once good friends but the lack of frequent face-to-face friend interactions can take its toll. It can be so isolating and lonely. My friend ended her comment with "my new motto is to love each person for the amount of time that God places them in my path." I love it and that is something I need to embrace and work on.
I can remind myself every now and then that God has us moving to a place for a reason and He will put people in our paths for a reason. I have learned with this rotation that sometimes those experiences are for difficult lessons but I also know that we cannot grow without the lessons. I am still unsure why certain things have happened since I've been here but I have learned this:
1. It is so important to treat everyone with the same heart - a heart of love - regardless of if they want this and/or "deserve" it. God commands us to. It has taught me alot about love. If it were not for my boys watching all of this, I would never be able to change the way that I have. God may have used this as an example and also to teach me what it really means to still show love even when I feel I have fleshly reasons not to love.
So Prattville, will take the vow that my friend and I are both taking? Will you try and accept, embrace, and love each person for the amount of time God has brought them here? As my friend said, God blessed her for embracing that friendship. Please open up your inner circle and your heart and truly become a friend.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
5/9 - God is .......
What word would you use to fill in the blank for the Title of this blog. God is .....
A week ago I would have said God is absent or not listening. Despite my prayers, it seems that my health has continued to decline and we have yet to get any answers. In fact, on Monday, I spent half the day in the ER because my abdomen was so painful, swollen, and hard and it hurt to move. It also felt like I just stuffed my face when I had not. After suffering through a month with severe and often re-occuring migraines (which medicine did not relieve) and ulcerative colitis becoming a huge problem, I thought I was due for a break. Well, a horrible month combined with 6-9 months of such severe fatigue (and no answers or explanations) which was preceded by almost back-to-back deployments with small children, one having special needs and the other requiring another set of tubes the day after daddy deployed, sub-par health for me since having the kids, and still trying to work some, life has been just hard. I've been feeling lately like God isn't hearing any of my prayers. I know that is not true and I can definitely see God's hand over our lives the last couple years but I still wonder, "God, why bless me with these children and then not even give me the energy to be able to take care of them?" God got me through 2 very difficult and problem-laden pregnancies, the first 2-3 yrs of both of the boys lives were filled with medical problems and now .... they are finally healthy and now I unable to take care of them because my body isn't functioning right. It just doesn't seem right. I had a friend I did gymnastics with and her mom was suffering from a serious medical condition and I always felt so bad for her because I felt like her life was so limited because her mom was so sick and it prevented her from doing so many things. I don't want to be that mom. So, I've really been bothered lately about our current situation and me so desperately wanting to be in a better state of health. So back to the ER, they took an x-ray and said it was fine. They did blood work and my liver enzymes were crazy high. They told me I just had a strained muscle in my stomach (darn cross-fit workouts) and to go see a gastrointestinal (GI) doctor. As you may recall, my sleep study needs to be re-done because they failed to take me (or tell me) to discontinue a medication that can significantly alter the results of the sleep study. My sleep study was scheduled for monday night. I made a call to my GI doctor and they could see me on Tuesday morning or Thursday morning. Tuesday morning I am supposed to be at the sleep clinic and I was planning on going to Florida to house hunt on Wed-Fri so that wouldn't work. My stomach has been so painful (which is why I was at the ER; well that and thanks to how the military system works - "we have no appointments but you might have internal bleeding so go to the ER"). My husband and I decided we should put off the sleep study and go to the GI dr because my stomach has been so bad that it's even affecting my sleep. Well, it gets more complicated. I've been off my ADHD meds now for a week so that it won't mess up the study and that has been challenging. I'm more tired (if that is possible) and don't get near as much work done because I can't focus. I went to the GI doctor and he changed my meds and we will re-assess in 2 weeks. Please pray these new meds work and bring me some relief.
OK. Back to God. Needless to say, I keep telling myself that any day now my health will start getting better and then this happens this week. I was so devastated and really doubting if God was hearing my pleas for better health. He blessed me with a family and now I can't even take care of them.
Brad and I did lots of on-line searching earlier this week for houses. I made a list (excel spreadsheet with columns for everything you can imagine) and then we finally narrowed it down the top 10. We made a Top 3 list and then I had the next 5 listings that we were interested in. There was 1 house that I found on military by owner 2 (the others were found on realtor.com) weeks ago and he wanted to see the pictures so I logged on. An awesome looking house popped up as the first listing and I had not seen it before. It turns out, this new listing was by Oakleaf (where we used to live and loved it). Based on the description given on-line and the pictures, it seemed like a great fit for our needs (my mother is moving in with us so we were looking for something with a guest suite). The problem? It was listed at $100 over what we have planned and decided on for a monthly rent. I really liked and somehow had the nerve to e-mail the owners and ask if they would consider taking $100. They said yes so I set up to see the house on Wed evening at 5:00pm and this was one of our top 3. I found a really nice realtor who was going to show me the properties on Thursday and I planned to sign papers for something and then leave for AL on Thursday morning. One of the other Top 3 houses was also on military by owner and I set up a time to see that place on Thursday late morning. It seemed like I had a good plan ... right?
Side note: The boys and I go to the library on Tuesday to get some new books and I wanted to get a book on CD so I wound't get bored and fall asleep on my drive. I never listened to the one I checked out before and returned so I was just gonna get that one. For some crazy reason (OK God-ordained event) I can't find it. I'm trying to quickly search because the library is about to close and I have both boys with me. I randomly see this Beth Moore Get out of that Pit book on tape. We are in Prattville, AL in the only library which happens to be fairly small considering what we are used to. Seems random they have this book on CD but I grab it. I like Beth Moore and there is no doubt I feel like I'm in a pit.
Well, 2 hours in to my 6.5 hour drive, I get a call from the realtor saying an emergency has come up and she is so sorry but cannot show me any places. Um. Should I just turn around? At this moment, I'm driving to Fl to see 2 houses if she can't help me. Oh my. God - what are you doing? This is a disaster. Part of me started to panic ... but part of me was at peace. I knew that God would find us a place to live but logically, it makes no sense to drive 7 hrs to see 2 houses and I should probably turn around.
With about 2 hours to spare, I insert the Beth Moore book on CD. Fabulous. It's speaking right to me. I'm trying to take notes as I drive (I don't recommend that). God is talking to me and telling me, "I hear you Amy but I'm still working on your journey. I haven't forgotten about you. Yes you have been through a lot but there is a purpose for it all." I know that .... but I needed to hear it the way Beth Moore presented it. I start realizing and thinking that maybe that is true - God hasn't forgotten about me. I need to regain my strength in Him.
I get in town and drive immediately to this house which is now within our budget although I'm about 10-15 minutes. I apologize and then quickly fall in love with this amazing and beautiful house. The more he shows it to me, the more I don't want to leave and the more I feel God patting me on the back and reminding me He will take care and provide for us. The owner probably thought I was crazy because I was diagraming the entire house out. I don't know why. I've never done that before. It was an amazing house. So perfect for our needs right now. Perfect! The entire time he is showing me the house I'm thinking how odd it is that you could take out that family and put my family in there and it seems many things would probably stay the same. This is the home to 3 little boys about the age of mine. He shows me the garage and I see the bikes and jogging stroller. I feel right at home! :) The owner shows me the entire house and seems so very nice. He's not rushing me out and letting me try to draw things on my paper. I am in love with this house. So I'm done viewing the house and am looking at my paper. He says, "do you have any questions?" Oh yeah. I was so distracted by being late (I don't like being late for appointments but I should have known trying to make an appt based on a 6.5 hr drive wasn't a great idea) and was so awe-struck from the awesome house that I didn't ask a question that I should have asked before even looking at the house. "Do you accept pets?" [Crickets, crickets ... look of wanting to say "no" on owners face ... my heart sinking...] We talked about it and left it that he would talk with his wife. I had such mixed feelings. I totally understand that as a homeowner, I despise renters who come in with animals and mess up the place. However, I am not that kind of homeowner or renter but there is no way that I can probably convince him of that and I understand (unfortunately for us). I just prayed as I drove away and then promptly called my husband to tell him about the awesome house I just saw that we probably can't rent.
As I am getting to Sue's house (where I am staying), I get a call from the owner of the house I just saw telling me he and his wife have discussed the pet issue [my heart was sinking because his voice was not sounding like the rest of his sentence would be words I wanted to hear] and they would be okay if we did a deposit. Amazing! I'm on cloud 9 but getting a massive migraine. I draw out floor plans on graph paper and take pictures and send them to Brad. I'm excited but Brad and I agree to see our other top 2 because they also seemed like a very good fit.
I saw the other 2 properties this morning. The one smelled of pet urine (see renters like that give renters like us a bad reputation) and had massive, massive carpet stains everywhere even though the carpets were professionally cleaned yesterday. God made that an easy decision. No to that house. Off to the other of our Top 3. Nice area. OK house. Sufficient but not perfect. It was a done deal. The house we saw last night is literally a perfect fit for us.
So how amazing is that. God ordained a series of events which, at first glance, seemed bad. I didn't need that real estate agent that I thought I did. Not only that, the people that we are going to rent from seem like fabulous people. The husband is the one who showed me the house. I got to meet the wife today while I was filling out the application and signing the lease. I wish they weren't moving kinda (although I LOVE their house) because I think our families would get along great. They seem to be great people and it makes the effort that Brad and I (and the boys) put into being good renters seem more important. I don't know how to explain it. We take very good care of the houses we live in whether it is ours or not. We believe in treating everything, whether it's ours or not, with respect and care and I guess it's kind of neat to finally have someone that can appreciate that.
God is so good. He does take care of His children and this was a great experience to see and feel that again. I need to get back to grading since this is the last week of classes for my students. I'm excited for the summer break of teaching and SUPER excited about our new place to call home. I'll write more about the house later but the experience to be able to call it our house for 2 years has been amazing.
A week ago I would have said God is absent or not listening. Despite my prayers, it seems that my health has continued to decline and we have yet to get any answers. In fact, on Monday, I spent half the day in the ER because my abdomen was so painful, swollen, and hard and it hurt to move. It also felt like I just stuffed my face when I had not. After suffering through a month with severe and often re-occuring migraines (which medicine did not relieve) and ulcerative colitis becoming a huge problem, I thought I was due for a break. Well, a horrible month combined with 6-9 months of such severe fatigue (and no answers or explanations) which was preceded by almost back-to-back deployments with small children, one having special needs and the other requiring another set of tubes the day after daddy deployed, sub-par health for me since having the kids, and still trying to work some, life has been just hard. I've been feeling lately like God isn't hearing any of my prayers. I know that is not true and I can definitely see God's hand over our lives the last couple years but I still wonder, "God, why bless me with these children and then not even give me the energy to be able to take care of them?" God got me through 2 very difficult and problem-laden pregnancies, the first 2-3 yrs of both of the boys lives were filled with medical problems and now .... they are finally healthy and now I unable to take care of them because my body isn't functioning right. It just doesn't seem right. I had a friend I did gymnastics with and her mom was suffering from a serious medical condition and I always felt so bad for her because I felt like her life was so limited because her mom was so sick and it prevented her from doing so many things. I don't want to be that mom. So, I've really been bothered lately about our current situation and me so desperately wanting to be in a better state of health. So back to the ER, they took an x-ray and said it was fine. They did blood work and my liver enzymes were crazy high. They told me I just had a strained muscle in my stomach (darn cross-fit workouts) and to go see a gastrointestinal (GI) doctor. As you may recall, my sleep study needs to be re-done because they failed to take me (or tell me) to discontinue a medication that can significantly alter the results of the sleep study. My sleep study was scheduled for monday night. I made a call to my GI doctor and they could see me on Tuesday morning or Thursday morning. Tuesday morning I am supposed to be at the sleep clinic and I was planning on going to Florida to house hunt on Wed-Fri so that wouldn't work. My stomach has been so painful (which is why I was at the ER; well that and thanks to how the military system works - "we have no appointments but you might have internal bleeding so go to the ER"). My husband and I decided we should put off the sleep study and go to the GI dr because my stomach has been so bad that it's even affecting my sleep. Well, it gets more complicated. I've been off my ADHD meds now for a week so that it won't mess up the study and that has been challenging. I'm more tired (if that is possible) and don't get near as much work done because I can't focus. I went to the GI doctor and he changed my meds and we will re-assess in 2 weeks. Please pray these new meds work and bring me some relief.
OK. Back to God. Needless to say, I keep telling myself that any day now my health will start getting better and then this happens this week. I was so devastated and really doubting if God was hearing my pleas for better health. He blessed me with a family and now I can't even take care of them.
Brad and I did lots of on-line searching earlier this week for houses. I made a list (excel spreadsheet with columns for everything you can imagine) and then we finally narrowed it down the top 10. We made a Top 3 list and then I had the next 5 listings that we were interested in. There was 1 house that I found on military by owner 2 (the others were found on realtor.com) weeks ago and he wanted to see the pictures so I logged on. An awesome looking house popped up as the first listing and I had not seen it before. It turns out, this new listing was by Oakleaf (where we used to live and loved it). Based on the description given on-line and the pictures, it seemed like a great fit for our needs (my mother is moving in with us so we were looking for something with a guest suite). The problem? It was listed at $100 over what we have planned and decided on for a monthly rent. I really liked and somehow had the nerve to e-mail the owners and ask if they would consider taking $100. They said yes so I set up to see the house on Wed evening at 5:00pm and this was one of our top 3. I found a really nice realtor who was going to show me the properties on Thursday and I planned to sign papers for something and then leave for AL on Thursday morning. One of the other Top 3 houses was also on military by owner and I set up a time to see that place on Thursday late morning. It seemed like I had a good plan ... right?
Side note: The boys and I go to the library on Tuesday to get some new books and I wanted to get a book on CD so I wound't get bored and fall asleep on my drive. I never listened to the one I checked out before and returned so I was just gonna get that one. For some crazy reason (OK God-ordained event) I can't find it. I'm trying to quickly search because the library is about to close and I have both boys with me. I randomly see this Beth Moore Get out of that Pit book on tape. We are in Prattville, AL in the only library which happens to be fairly small considering what we are used to. Seems random they have this book on CD but I grab it. I like Beth Moore and there is no doubt I feel like I'm in a pit.
Well, 2 hours in to my 6.5 hour drive, I get a call from the realtor saying an emergency has come up and she is so sorry but cannot show me any places. Um. Should I just turn around? At this moment, I'm driving to Fl to see 2 houses if she can't help me. Oh my. God - what are you doing? This is a disaster. Part of me started to panic ... but part of me was at peace. I knew that God would find us a place to live but logically, it makes no sense to drive 7 hrs to see 2 houses and I should probably turn around.
With about 2 hours to spare, I insert the Beth Moore book on CD. Fabulous. It's speaking right to me. I'm trying to take notes as I drive (I don't recommend that). God is talking to me and telling me, "I hear you Amy but I'm still working on your journey. I haven't forgotten about you. Yes you have been through a lot but there is a purpose for it all." I know that .... but I needed to hear it the way Beth Moore presented it. I start realizing and thinking that maybe that is true - God hasn't forgotten about me. I need to regain my strength in Him.
I get in town and drive immediately to this house which is now within our budget although I'm about 10-15 minutes. I apologize and then quickly fall in love with this amazing and beautiful house. The more he shows it to me, the more I don't want to leave and the more I feel God patting me on the back and reminding me He will take care and provide for us. The owner probably thought I was crazy because I was diagraming the entire house out. I don't know why. I've never done that before. It was an amazing house. So perfect for our needs right now. Perfect! The entire time he is showing me the house I'm thinking how odd it is that you could take out that family and put my family in there and it seems many things would probably stay the same. This is the home to 3 little boys about the age of mine. He shows me the garage and I see the bikes and jogging stroller. I feel right at home! :) The owner shows me the entire house and seems so very nice. He's not rushing me out and letting me try to draw things on my paper. I am in love with this house. So I'm done viewing the house and am looking at my paper. He says, "do you have any questions?" Oh yeah. I was so distracted by being late (I don't like being late for appointments but I should have known trying to make an appt based on a 6.5 hr drive wasn't a great idea) and was so awe-struck from the awesome house that I didn't ask a question that I should have asked before even looking at the house. "Do you accept pets?" [Crickets, crickets ... look of wanting to say "no" on owners face ... my heart sinking...] We talked about it and left it that he would talk with his wife. I had such mixed feelings. I totally understand that as a homeowner, I despise renters who come in with animals and mess up the place. However, I am not that kind of homeowner or renter but there is no way that I can probably convince him of that and I understand (unfortunately for us). I just prayed as I drove away and then promptly called my husband to tell him about the awesome house I just saw that we probably can't rent.
As I am getting to Sue's house (where I am staying), I get a call from the owner of the house I just saw telling me he and his wife have discussed the pet issue [my heart was sinking because his voice was not sounding like the rest of his sentence would be words I wanted to hear] and they would be okay if we did a deposit. Amazing! I'm on cloud 9 but getting a massive migraine. I draw out floor plans on graph paper and take pictures and send them to Brad. I'm excited but Brad and I agree to see our other top 2 because they also seemed like a very good fit.
I saw the other 2 properties this morning. The one smelled of pet urine (see renters like that give renters like us a bad reputation) and had massive, massive carpet stains everywhere even though the carpets were professionally cleaned yesterday. God made that an easy decision. No to that house. Off to the other of our Top 3. Nice area. OK house. Sufficient but not perfect. It was a done deal. The house we saw last night is literally a perfect fit for us.
So how amazing is that. God ordained a series of events which, at first glance, seemed bad. I didn't need that real estate agent that I thought I did. Not only that, the people that we are going to rent from seem like fabulous people. The husband is the one who showed me the house. I got to meet the wife today while I was filling out the application and signing the lease. I wish they weren't moving kinda (although I LOVE their house) because I think our families would get along great. They seem to be great people and it makes the effort that Brad and I (and the boys) put into being good renters seem more important. I don't know how to explain it. We take very good care of the houses we live in whether it is ours or not. We believe in treating everything, whether it's ours or not, with respect and care and I guess it's kind of neat to finally have someone that can appreciate that.
God is so good. He does take care of His children and this was a great experience to see and feel that again. I need to get back to grading since this is the last week of classes for my students. I'm excited for the summer break of teaching and SUPER excited about our new place to call home. I'll write more about the house later but the experience to be able to call it our house for 2 years has been amazing.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
9/13 - Mowing the yard
So this might be a boring post for some of you but I felt like I needed to post it. I was mowing the yard last week and was dreading mowing it. Our yard is huge and we even have a self-propelled mower which is pretty new ... but our yard is huge. Did I mention we have a huge yard? Anyway, I started mowing the front yard and a few minutes into the mow, God really spoke to me. Rather than being annoyed I have a huge yard to mow, I should be really thankful I have a huge yard to mow. I should be grateful for a yard, and a house, and a mower, and a body that works and can push the mower. My dreaded mowing turned in to an hour of talking with God and being grateful for all the things I do have. We are so blessed and fortunate to have what we do and while sometimes it might seem like a curse or we focus on the negative aspects of things, all things can be a blessing depending on how you look at it. Thank you God for providing for us!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
10/5 - God
Although I missed sunday school 2 weeks since I was in the hospital, I learned that the challenge we were given was to use social media to talk to people about God. Some of you may be rolling your eyes and are about to click the the screen closed BUT .... I love homework so here is my contribution.
I was raised respecting God. My freshman year in college I re-dedicated myself to follow Him. Apparently Satan laughed at me because 1.5 yr after doing that, my life completely changed. I was begging God everyday to help me and give me strength and everyday was feeling I was one step farther away from being loved by God. For years, I was miserable (it may not have appeared that way to many) but He kept me alive. I eventually gave up hope that God was there and would ever answer any prayers so I just stopped praying.
When Brad and I moved to MD 4 years ago, we started attending church. It was good. We really wanted to raise our family in the church. I loved our church and the relationships I had with people within the church were much better than I had every experienced before. I started praying again but assumed my prayers would fall on deaf ears. I was doing the "things" that I should be to convey I was a christian but my heart was still very scarred from my experience in college.
We moved to Florida last year and God ordained a friendship that would forever change my life. For the first time, I understood that God didn't leave me and abandon me like I thought, but that the idols I was worshipping were consuming me and I failed to realize God was actually still there, just waiting for me to turn to Him. Wow. This thought has turned my world of God upside down. God has had my number on speed dial for the past few months and I am often scared to pick up the phone when He calls. He is challenging me everyday within the various studies I am involved in (Bible Study Fellowship, Sunday school, and the study of Not A Fan (awesome book)). Here is what I know:
1. I don't know God and His love the way I want
2. I've had lots of experiences in my life that I wonder why they have happened
3. I know that God is working on my heart and wants to change it; I just have to let Him (very scary)
4. God is going to use my past experiences for Him. Not today, probably not tomorrow, but when God has prepared me for it, I know it will be amazing and I am excited
The Not A Fan study I am doing asked me last week to sign over all my possession, skills, and identities to God. Can you do that? If you gave your house and car away and all the things you think you know, would you be okay? It's one thing to think we trust God and that He is in control but it's another to BELIEVE it. I don't want to be a fan of God; I want to be a follower. What's the difference? Commitment!
I was raised respecting God. My freshman year in college I re-dedicated myself to follow Him. Apparently Satan laughed at me because 1.5 yr after doing that, my life completely changed. I was begging God everyday to help me and give me strength and everyday was feeling I was one step farther away from being loved by God. For years, I was miserable (it may not have appeared that way to many) but He kept me alive. I eventually gave up hope that God was there and would ever answer any prayers so I just stopped praying.
When Brad and I moved to MD 4 years ago, we started attending church. It was good. We really wanted to raise our family in the church. I loved our church and the relationships I had with people within the church were much better than I had every experienced before. I started praying again but assumed my prayers would fall on deaf ears. I was doing the "things" that I should be to convey I was a christian but my heart was still very scarred from my experience in college.
We moved to Florida last year and God ordained a friendship that would forever change my life. For the first time, I understood that God didn't leave me and abandon me like I thought, but that the idols I was worshipping were consuming me and I failed to realize God was actually still there, just waiting for me to turn to Him. Wow. This thought has turned my world of God upside down. God has had my number on speed dial for the past few months and I am often scared to pick up the phone when He calls. He is challenging me everyday within the various studies I am involved in (Bible Study Fellowship, Sunday school, and the study of Not A Fan (awesome book)). Here is what I know:
1. I don't know God and His love the way I want
2. I've had lots of experiences in my life that I wonder why they have happened
3. I know that God is working on my heart and wants to change it; I just have to let Him (very scary)
4. God is going to use my past experiences for Him. Not today, probably not tomorrow, but when God has prepared me for it, I know it will be amazing and I am excited
The Not A Fan study I am doing asked me last week to sign over all my possession, skills, and identities to God. Can you do that? If you gave your house and car away and all the things you think you know, would you be okay? It's one thing to think we trust God and that He is in control but it's another to BELIEVE it. I don't want to be a fan of God; I want to be a follower. What's the difference? Commitment!
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