We are here. The couple-of-year journey to find our long-term home is complete. We're under contract to buy a house in Fort Collins, Colorado. Jeremy has a great new job, I have my same job, the boys are getting settled into preschool, and we're deciding between some very good church options. God is good to us.
This song speaks to me on so many levels. Please take a moment to listen. It fits our journey perfectly. It has been one of sorrow, loss, frustration, hope, joy, hurt, exuberance, gratefulness, peace, and so many other emotions. There was adversity in us getting here. But we feel so good about our destination, and we've grown from the journey. I don't want to over-spiritualize this, but as the song says, I feel like the Lord said "I'm gonna make this place your home".
Oh yeah, and I'm 40.
Enjoy (after the required advertisement, of course)
HOME by Philip Phillips:
Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
If you put something on Facebook, does that make it real?
I just posted this on Facebook, which I guess makes our announcement "official":
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Getting caught up
I don't know why, but I feel like the "proper" thing to do on a blog is to have entries be in chronological order of the events in my life. So, for example, I've needed to post the conclusion to our Colorado trip back in September but haven't done it. In the meantime there are lots of things I've wanted to write about but haven't done it, because I had that one other blog post hanging out there. Silly, right? So, I'm releasing myself of that burden right now, and I'm skipping to whatever I feel like writing about.
There. Freedom.
So, I'll start today with an email that I sent to my dear friends in The Posse. It captures "where we are" right now (edited to remove personal Posse stuff and to be appropriate for all readers.)Then you'll be caught up. Wow, that was easy!
Here's the email:
Hi Posse,
I
am loooooong overdue in emailing all of you. You've all been on my mind
but it has just seemed daunting to sit down and try to type a letter to
you. But here I finally am!
Our
big news first: we are moving to Colorado! It might seem like a sudden
decision to you, but in truth it has been a long journey to get here.
Jeremy and I have known for a while that we would not live in Texas in
the long run, but with my mom's health in question we weren't focusing
on timing. Now that she's gone, we feel a freedom to move on,
even though it means leaving my dad and my sisters and their families.
For a whole host of reasons, we are both confident this will be a very
good move for us, and we plan to make Colorado our home for the long
haul. We visited the Fort Collins/Loveland area back in late September
and Jeremy interviewed for a job in the OR at a hospital there.
We
put our house on the market just a little over 2 weeks ago, and we are
praising God because we got an offer and are under contract! We are a
bit stunned that it happened so quickly, but
that's our God and we are taking it as confirmation that we're on the
right path. We'll close the 3rd week of January, and we'll be off to
Colorado in February!
We're
taking some time to have fun in January. We'll go on a 5 day cruise out
of Galveston, just the two of us, and then we're headed to Oregon with
the 4 of us to visit Jeremy's family for 2 weeks.
Westin
is turning 4 on Friday and he's becoming such a big boy. Camden is a
fully talking 2 and a half year old and they are getting to be really
fun. We can't wait to explore the Colorado foothills and mountains with
our little men.
This has been a really hard season of life over
the past year or so, and I think I could probably have been diagnosed as
clinically depressed. We are SO ready to get back into a good church
community, as that has been totally lacking here in Texas for us. I
desperately need godly women in my life. We're ready to have friends
that we can do life with that share our same values and also appreciate
the outdoors. We're ready for cooler weather, beautiful scenery, closer
amenities, and the list goes on. The ONLY sad part is moving away from
my family. But I have a peace about it, as does my husband. He has been a
gentle, loving leader during this time of decision making, and he has
been a great comfort to me during my mom's funeral and in the months of
grieving since then.
I love all of you!
Joey
Monday, November 5, 2012
Colorado part III
And now... the next installment of our all-important, perhaps life-changing trip to Colorado.
If you remember, we left off with our wonderful hike in the mountains, where I had a wardrobe malfunction (not THAT kind of malfunction, thank you very much!) My trusty Lowa hiking shoes, which I'd had pretty much since I met Jeremy, fell apart on me before we really got started. I had no idea they were in bad shape.... that should tell you the sad story of how often (or rather NOT often) they got used. It was quickly apparent that they would not only do me no good, but they would do me harm. So, who to the rescue but our precious LouAnn?? She just happened to have her Chaco sandals with her. How fortuitous!
Yes, they were too big, and yes I felt like I had flippers on for part of they hike, but they got the job done and by the end of the 4 or 5 miles or so they felt almost, dare I say.... normal!
One of the really crazy things that happened on the trail is that Jeremy and I ran into someone we knew! What are the odds, right?? Her parents worked at the ranch when we lived there in 2000 - 2002. It was a fun surprise.
Stay tuned for Part 4... or IV.... of our Colorado extravaganza.
If you remember, we left off with our wonderful hike in the mountains, where I had a wardrobe malfunction (not THAT kind of malfunction, thank you very much!) My trusty Lowa hiking shoes, which I'd had pretty much since I met Jeremy, fell apart on me before we really got started. I had no idea they were in bad shape.... that should tell you the sad story of how often (or rather NOT often) they got used. It was quickly apparent that they would not only do me no good, but they would do me harm. So, who to the rescue but our precious LouAnn?? She just happened to have her Chaco sandals with her. How fortuitous!
Yes, they were too big, and yes I felt like I had flippers on for part of they hike, but they got the job done and by the end of the 4 or 5 miles or so they felt almost, dare I say.... normal!
 | |
| Lou Ann's Chacos saved the day! |
 |
| Lou carrying my old hiking shoes. |
 |
| The hiking crew |
Stay tuned for Part 4... or IV.... of our Colorado extravaganza.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Colorado Part II
After Jeremy's interview at Medical Center of the Rockies ("MCR" if you want to be cool), we wanted to debrief a bit and let him tell me all about it. So, what better place to sit and talk but a brewpub? Jeremy had previously looked up breweries in the Fort Collins and Loveland area, and there happened to be one just a few miles away from the hospital. So off we went to sample some local beer and to talk. The name of the brewery was Grimm Brothers, and we enjoyed it.
When we were done, we headed off to Boulder to meet our friends. It was quite a trip down memory lane to drive through Longmont and go right past our old church, and then head into Boulder where we lived for nearly 2 years. It was all so familiar to us, yet it had been 9 years since we'd moved away.
We met our dear friend Lou Ann and some of her friends, and then our friends Erik and Jessica met us at a cool restaurant called Salt in downtown Boulder. It was a lovely evening, except for the fact that I was as tired as I have been in a long, long time and could barely keep my head in the game. I think everyone felt sorry for me. For some reason Jeremy was just fine, but man I was longing for a bed.
 | ||
| Buddies! Jeremy and Erik |
 | ||
| Silly Lou |
 |
| Exhibit A: Not conducive to hiking.... |
| We spent the night at Lou's house and it felt soooo good to sleep in! I don't think we got up until 9am. Then it was off to breakfast in Boulder at one of our favorite places, Le Peep. Very nostalgic for us. After that, we headed into the mountain for a hike near Lost Lake. It was a gorgeous day and a great hike, except for one small detail. My hiking shoes literally fell apart on me! Please see exhibit A. This should NOT happen. Stay tuned for the next installment of our Colorado adventure. |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Colorado part I
In late September, Jeremy and I went on a much needed weekend getaway to Colorado. My sister Sharon graciously agreed to come to our house to stay with our little monkeys, so off we went to visit the state where Jeremy and I met and got married.
Not sure what we were thinking, but we (meaning I) booked a 6am flight out of San Antonio. Which meant we needed to be at the airport by 5am. Which meant we needed to leave our house by 3:45am. Which meant we had to wake up at 2:50am. Which meant we were ridiculously tired the entire day! But we made it, and it was a great weekend.
We landed in Denver at 10am and rented a car and headed directly to Loveland, CO. The airport was so familiar to me, and in a strange way, seemed like my "home" airport even though I haven't lived in Colorado for 9 years. I kind of forgot how in-the-middle-of-nowhere it was, but was also surprised to see how much has grown up around it. Loveland was only about 45-50 minutes away and it seemed like a hop, skip, and a jump.
Why were we in Loveland, you ask? Good question. I'll share a little secret with you.... my husband interviewed for a job at a hospital there! It's called Medical Center of the Rockies, and it's a gorgeous 5-year old facility with 8 operating rooms. Here's a picture I took of the hospital right after I dropped Jeremy off for his interview:
He was blown away by the people he met, the quality of the equipment and the rooms, and the general mentality of the hospital system. He walked away from the interview and told me it would be an honor if he got a job offer from them. Quite honestly, it has been hard to go back to his current job, now that he knows what else is out there.
The interview itself was somewhat of a step of faith, because we're not officially ready to move just yet. And the manager that he interviewed with knew that, and was still willing to meet with him. Jeremy told them that we'd be looking at early next year at the soonest, and they understood. But for us, finding a job is a very large piece of the moving puzzle, as we don't feel like it would be wise to just pick up our family and move without knowing what kind of employment is available. It ended up being a huge relief to us, knowing that the area we're interested in for a bunch of reasons ALSO happens to have a fantastic hospital system.
I'll have to save the rest of our Colorado trip for my next post, so stay tuned!
Not sure what we were thinking, but we (meaning I) booked a 6am flight out of San Antonio. Which meant we needed to be at the airport by 5am. Which meant we needed to leave our house by 3:45am. Which meant we had to wake up at 2:50am. Which meant we were ridiculously tired the entire day! But we made it, and it was a great weekend.
We landed in Denver at 10am and rented a car and headed directly to Loveland, CO. The airport was so familiar to me, and in a strange way, seemed like my "home" airport even though I haven't lived in Colorado for 9 years. I kind of forgot how in-the-middle-of-nowhere it was, but was also surprised to see how much has grown up around it. Loveland was only about 45-50 minutes away and it seemed like a hop, skip, and a jump.
Why were we in Loveland, you ask? Good question. I'll share a little secret with you.... my husband interviewed for a job at a hospital there! It's called Medical Center of the Rockies, and it's a gorgeous 5-year old facility with 8 operating rooms. Here's a picture I took of the hospital right after I dropped Jeremy off for his interview:
He was blown away by the people he met, the quality of the equipment and the rooms, and the general mentality of the hospital system. He walked away from the interview and told me it would be an honor if he got a job offer from them. Quite honestly, it has been hard to go back to his current job, now that he knows what else is out there.
The interview itself was somewhat of a step of faith, because we're not officially ready to move just yet. And the manager that he interviewed with knew that, and was still willing to meet with him. Jeremy told them that we'd be looking at early next year at the soonest, and they understood. But for us, finding a job is a very large piece of the moving puzzle, as we don't feel like it would be wise to just pick up our family and move without knowing what kind of employment is available. It ended up being a huge relief to us, knowing that the area we're interested in for a bunch of reasons ALSO happens to have a fantastic hospital system.
I'll have to save the rest of our Colorado trip for my next post, so stay tuned!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Dreaming up a life
Maybe one of the "perks" of approaching 40 is that my husband and I are very serious about determining exactly what we want from the rest of our lives. We know for sure that we desire to do the Lord's will and follow His principles for our lives. But we both firmly believe that the exact what/where/why/how is left up to US. God is not a puppet master, telling us to "live here, do that, be this", etc. (And yes, you can find instances in the Bible where God did in fact tell one of His children to do something specific, but there are many more guiding principles that would indicate that He is ultimately more interested in our hearts than our location/vocation.) Perhaps you disagree, and that's okay. Jeremy and I are carving out a life for ourselves that we believe will honor God while bringing us joy on earth, and we feel pretty good about that.
So... what do we want for our lives, other than to honor God and to raise our children to do the same?
- Live in an area of beauty, where we can look at God's creation and be filled with awe.
- Play in said creation, whether it's walking, hiking, biking, climbing, sitting, eating, drinking etc.
- Be a part of a Christ-centered church where we can grow, learn, serve, and find friends that want the same.
- Live in a community of people that love the outdoors, and where bike trails, parks, etc. are a norm.
- Have friends that share the same values as we do (God, outdoors, etc.) and want to band together and "do life".
- Have men invest in our boys that love God and share our values, so that when our influence wanes, theirs is steady.
- Weather that is cold but not miserable in the winters, and warm but not unbearably hot in the summers. Light snow is good; humidity and heat are bad.
- A city that is large enough to have all the amenities that we desire, but small enough that it still feels like a "town".
- An area where music, culture, food, outdoors, and God can all be welcome and appreciated.
- Relative accessibility to our families, so that they can visit us and we can visit them without excessive cost (this is a TOUGH one).
Does that list sound unrealistic? Who knows. I do think that we've identified an area that fits our general criteria, though it shall remain nameless for now. And trust me, we've researched/discussed/dreamed of MANY places in the past few years. To potentially be narrowing it down is pretty exciting. We are praying and talking LOTS about our future.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Howdy Y'all!
I promise I've never said "howdy y'all" in my entire life, nor has any of my family or Texas friends (that I know of). But hey... I'm a Texan once again, so I'd better brush up on the colloquialisms. I think my favorite is "I'm fixin' to....". I know I used to say this when I lived in Texas 10 years ago, but somewhere along the way it dropped out of my vocabulary. On Friday, I heard it again for the first time and couldn't help but smile. I was setting up a bank account here in Fredericksburg, and one of the bankers told her colleagues she was fixin' to leave for the day. Gotta love it!
So... we're here. The past month has been somewhat of a blur. When Westin and I landed in Houston on September 23rd, I think I was as tired as I've ever been - INCLUDING just after giving birth to Westin! I was out of it for about 2 days. And somewhat emotional. My sweet sisters got the brunt of it. I was near tears for the first 4 or 5 days I was in Texas. At my sister Julie's church the first Sunday I was here, I literally had to leave the worship service because I was crying so hard. I was just sad that I wasn't at my own church, and sad that I might not ever be there again. And I'm sure being pregnant, tired, and hormonal didn't help things either. :-)
I got to spend about 5 days with my sisters and their kids in Houston. Jennie drove down from Dallas with her 2 boys, and all the cousins were together for a full 4 days. It was quite a zoo, and not for the faint-hearted, but it was wonderful. 6 boys under the age of 5 is exhausting, not to mention LOUD. But so many fun memories were made, and I caught a glimpse of the good times to come. Unfortunately, at least half of the boys got sick, my son included. I've never seen poor little Westin so puny and snotty. Jeremy showed up 5 days after I arrived in Houston, and it was great to see him. Life is just better with my husband around me! Julie and Daron were saints and let Jeremy and I escape for one night without Westin. We got a hotel in downtown Houston, and I spent my first night away from our little guy. It was SO needed.
Left to right: Back row - Reid (3), Cade (5). Middle row - Cooper (21 months), Landry (2). Back row - Luke (5 months), Westin (10 months).
And in March, we're adding yet another BOY to the mix! I found out the gender of our baby just a few days ago. What fun these cousins will have as they grow up together.
After leaving Houston, we made the 3 and a half hour trip down to my parents' house in Rockport, where we spent one full week with them. Westin got to know his grandparents, and we had a great time with them.
And finally, 2 weeks after I arrived in Texas, we made our way to our new hometown of Frederickburg. I honestly can't believe we get to live here. It is such a quaint, scenic, and very friendly town. It's in the heart of what's called the Texas Hill Country, and it is gorgeous. We've been to 3 restaurants to far, and they've all been fantastic. There are a dozen or so wineries within a few miles of us, hiking and rock climbing within 20 minutes, and it's clear that this is a cycling mecca in Texas. Does that sound like us or what???
This morning Westin and I kissed Jeremy goodbye and sent him off to his first official day of work as an RN. Our new lives have begun.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Loading Day
Today is THE day... the day we load up our worldly belongings and put them on a trailer. We're beginning to say goodbye to North Carolina.
Sunday was a surprisingly emotional day for me. I honestly didn't see it coming, but I wept at church. It all started during the very last song before the service ended (gee thanks, Stephen!). It was a very powerful song, and I just started to be overwhelmed and sad that we are leaving this amazing church community. I have never been part of such a Jesus-seeking, down-to-earth, people-loving community of people before. It's powerful stuff. We had decided at the start of the service to seek out the pastors to say goodbye, but at the end of the service when my emotions were so raw, I sort of just wanted to run out of the building and not come back. I knew that I'd be a mess saying goodbye, and indeed I was. Fortunately, everyone was very gracious and sweet with my tears.
Now we're just tired and ready to have this over with. Westin has woken up at 5am the past 3 mornings... not sure what that's about, but we haven't enjoyed it. Oh well. Maybe it was a good thing today, as it got us up and at 'em earlier than we would have thought (hence, blogging at 7am while he's down for his first nap and before I get heavy into the crazy day ahead).
My next post will most likely be from Texas!
Goodbye, North Carolina. We have loved you, and we will miss you.
Sunday was a surprisingly emotional day for me. I honestly didn't see it coming, but I wept at church. It all started during the very last song before the service ended (gee thanks, Stephen!). It was a very powerful song, and I just started to be overwhelmed and sad that we are leaving this amazing church community. I have never been part of such a Jesus-seeking, down-to-earth, people-loving community of people before. It's powerful stuff. We had decided at the start of the service to seek out the pastors to say goodbye, but at the end of the service when my emotions were so raw, I sort of just wanted to run out of the building and not come back. I knew that I'd be a mess saying goodbye, and indeed I was. Fortunately, everyone was very gracious and sweet with my tears.
Now we're just tired and ready to have this over with. Westin has woken up at 5am the past 3 mornings... not sure what that's about, but we haven't enjoyed it. Oh well. Maybe it was a good thing today, as it got us up and at 'em earlier than we would have thought (hence, blogging at 7am while he's down for his first nap and before I get heavy into the crazy day ahead).
My next post will most likely be from Texas!
Goodbye, North Carolina. We have loved you, and we will miss you.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Packing
It's Sunday morning and we are t-i-r-e-d (it doesn't help that Westin decided to wake up at 5:30am this morning - what the heck???). We've been neck deep in packing since Tuesday morning. Fortunately, we got off to a great start when 3 angels named Christine, Becky, and Pat graced our home and spent 3 hours kicking some serious packing butt. They helped a TON, and they got me motivated to continue on. Then, yesterday (Saturday) my dear friend Stephanie came over and we knocked out a whole bunch more. She is a workhorse which is so good for me! So really, all that's left is the garage (Jeremy's job), Westin's room (my job) and some last minute things. We are very pleased with the position we're in. The moving trailer gets here Tuesday morning. We hope to start loading shortly after lunch on Tuesday.
(AND WE HOPE TO HAVE LOTS OF HELP, FOR THOSE LOCAL FRIENDS WHO ARE READING THIS!) :-)
Westin did his best to help us pack, as you can tell from the pictures below.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Texas bound
Man, oh man have we been busy.
Lots to be grateful for:
- We sold our house, and are closing October 6th.
- Jeremy got an RN position at Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, TX and starts October 12.
- We sold a car and bought another one in a week's time, and were able to get an older but very nice SUV that we paid cash for.
- We have a healthy baby growing inside me that is due March 14th.
- Westin is 9 months old and is the most precious thing.
- We got to spend a week in Oregon with Jeremy's family.
- We'll get to spend a week and a half in Texas with my family before Jeremy starts his job.
- We had a going-away party given in our honor last weekend with a lot of our church friends that was very sweet.
Now it's all about packing. Yuck. My least favorite part of moving.
I haven't spent a lot of time dwelling on the fact that we're moving away from a place we'd grown to love over the past 6 years. There are so many memories here... of friends, of adventures, of milestones, of growth. I'm sure when I allow myself to really stop and feel all of it there will be some tears, but not right now. I'm all business at the moment.
We're out of here on September 23rd. That's a mere 8 days away. I better go pack......
Lots to be grateful for:
- We sold our house, and are closing October 6th.
- Jeremy got an RN position at Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, TX and starts October 12.
- We sold a car and bought another one in a week's time, and were able to get an older but very nice SUV that we paid cash for.
- We have a healthy baby growing inside me that is due March 14th.
- Westin is 9 months old and is the most precious thing.
- We got to spend a week in Oregon with Jeremy's family.
- We'll get to spend a week and a half in Texas with my family before Jeremy starts his job.
- We had a going-away party given in our honor last weekend with a lot of our church friends that was very sweet.
Now it's all about packing. Yuck. My least favorite part of moving.
I haven't spent a lot of time dwelling on the fact that we're moving away from a place we'd grown to love over the past 6 years. There are so many memories here... of friends, of adventures, of milestones, of growth. I'm sure when I allow myself to really stop and feel all of it there will be some tears, but not right now. I'm all business at the moment.
We're out of here on September 23rd. That's a mere 8 days away. I better go pack......
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Lots
What a difference a week can make!
Since last Friday, we've had 4 showings, and 2 more are scheduled for today and Saturday. One of them is a second showing, which is encouraging! From our feedback, at least 2 buyers are interested in the property. I think we finally have found the right price range, which is exciting.
But wait... there's more! As I type this, Jeremy is on an airplane, flying to San Antonio, Texas. Last Friday he applied to several hospitals, one of them being Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is a little town of about 10,000 people, sort of equi-distant from both San Antonio and Austin. It's in a beautiful part of the state, and is just a really neat area. Well... on Friday afternoon, he got a call from them, and they asked if they could fly him out for an interview today! (He said yes, in case you're wondering.) So, he's on the plane now and will interview this afternoon and fly back tomorrow evening. So exciting!
But wait... there's still more! Within the past 2 weeks, we sold my car (the Mitsubishi Galant) and bought a new one (an Infiniti Qx4). Gotta love Craigslist. We sold our car and found our next car on that site. We needed something bigger, so we bought a 2001 SUV with only 62,000 miles on it. I love it, even though I labored over the color. (If you're on Facebook and want some entertainment, go to my page and read all the comments regarding the survey I took about whether or not to buy it even if I didn't love the color.) It has worked out beautifully, and I really do love it now, color and all!
But wait... there's EVEN more! One of the main reasons we got a bigger car is because Baby #2 is on the way! I'm due March 14th, and I am very happy and excited. So far I'm feeling just fine. I've been pretty tired, but that's really the only symptom I have. We've had 2 doctor's appointments so far, and things are looking great. I'll have another ultrasound on September 14th. Westin and Baby #2 will be 15 months apart. My sisters and I are really close in age too, and they are my best friends, so I'm hoping that will be the case with these two as well.
Lots going on... and lots to pray for if you're so inclined. Thanks!
Since last Friday, we've had 4 showings, and 2 more are scheduled for today and Saturday. One of them is a second showing, which is encouraging! From our feedback, at least 2 buyers are interested in the property. I think we finally have found the right price range, which is exciting.
But wait... there's more! As I type this, Jeremy is on an airplane, flying to San Antonio, Texas. Last Friday he applied to several hospitals, one of them being Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is a little town of about 10,000 people, sort of equi-distant from both San Antonio and Austin. It's in a beautiful part of the state, and is just a really neat area. Well... on Friday afternoon, he got a call from them, and they asked if they could fly him out for an interview today! (He said yes, in case you're wondering.) So, he's on the plane now and will interview this afternoon and fly back tomorrow evening. So exciting!
But wait... there's still more! Within the past 2 weeks, we sold my car (the Mitsubishi Galant) and bought a new one (an Infiniti Qx4). Gotta love Craigslist. We sold our car and found our next car on that site. We needed something bigger, so we bought a 2001 SUV with only 62,000 miles on it. I love it, even though I labored over the color. (If you're on Facebook and want some entertainment, go to my page and read all the comments regarding the survey I took about whether or not to buy it even if I didn't love the color.) It has worked out beautifully, and I really do love it now, color and all!
But wait... there's EVEN more! One of the main reasons we got a bigger car is because Baby #2 is on the way! I'm due March 14th, and I am very happy and excited. So far I'm feeling just fine. I've been pretty tired, but that's really the only symptom I have. We've had 2 doctor's appointments so far, and things are looking great. I'll have another ultrasound on September 14th. Westin and Baby #2 will be 15 months apart. My sisters and I are really close in age too, and they are my best friends, so I'm hoping that will be the case with these two as well.
Lots going on... and lots to pray for if you're so inclined. Thanks!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Praise
Most of you already know this, but Jeremy took the NCLEX on August 10th, which is the national boards exam for his RN license, and PASSED!
After you take the test, you have to wait 48 hours and then go online and pay $7.95 to get the results. He could check it around 10am on the 12th. That morning, we went out to breakfast so Jeremy wouldn't have to be sitting there thinking about it. It was a nice distraction. Once we got home, Westin immediately went down for a nap. Then Jeremy got nervous and didn't want to check the results himself, so I checked it for him while he sat on the floor with his back to the wall and his head between his knees. I saw the result and said "Congratulations, Jeremy Hansen, RN!". And the dam opened! We both cried... it was a moment of beautiful release. Jeremy has spent 4 long years getting to this point, and now it's official. We praised God, hugged, cried for a bit, and then Jeremy was exhausted the rest of the day (understandably so!).
I couldn't be prouder of my husband. Now the house selling and job searching intensity has been raised, and we're going to get very serious about both. We already dropped the price on our house a significant amount, so we hope that will draw in some lookers (and a buyer). Thanks for your continued prayers!
After you take the test, you have to wait 48 hours and then go online and pay $7.95 to get the results. He could check it around 10am on the 12th. That morning, we went out to breakfast so Jeremy wouldn't have to be sitting there thinking about it. It was a nice distraction. Once we got home, Westin immediately went down for a nap. Then Jeremy got nervous and didn't want to check the results himself, so I checked it for him while he sat on the floor with his back to the wall and his head between his knees. I saw the result and said "Congratulations, Jeremy Hansen, RN!". And the dam opened! We both cried... it was a moment of beautiful release. Jeremy has spent 4 long years getting to this point, and now it's official. We praised God, hugged, cried for a bit, and then Jeremy was exhausted the rest of the day (understandably so!).
I couldn't be prouder of my husband. Now the house selling and job searching intensity has been raised, and we're going to get very serious about both. We already dropped the price on our house a significant amount, so we hope that will draw in some lookers (and a buyer). Thanks for your continued prayers!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Waiting...
Our house has been on the market for almost 7 weeks now. In those 7 weeks, we've had 8 showings. Of the 8 showings, 5 gave feedback afterward. Of those 5, 4 said the exact same thing: they didn't like our floor plan. Ouch. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that, but it's what I feared would be the trouble with selling our home. We have a split level home, which means when you walk in the front door, you step onto a landing and you either go upstairs to the living room, dining, room, kitchen, laundry, and master bedroom, or you go downstairs to the additional bedrooms and bathroom. We've come to really appreciate the floor plan, but of course not everyone is like us. So, we're waiting for just the right buyers, and in the meantime, we're going to do some painting and change up some colors to see if that helps. Oh, and we'll drop the price a good bit too.
In light of all the uncertainty about our house selling, I thought I'd answer some of the most common questions we're getting asked and clear up any confusion.
Question: When do you plan on moving to Texas?
Answer: We don't know.
Question: What will you do if Jeremy gets a job in Texas but your house hasn't sold yet?
Answer: We don't know.
Question: If your house doesn't sell, will you just decide to stay here in NC for a while longer?
Answer: We don't know.
Question: Would you consider renting out your house?
Answer: We don't know.
Hopefully that helps you understand exactly where we are with our move. Clear as mud, right? :-)
In light of all the uncertainty about our house selling, I thought I'd answer some of the most common questions we're getting asked and clear up any confusion.
Question: When do you plan on moving to Texas?
Answer: We don't know.
Question: What will you do if Jeremy gets a job in Texas but your house hasn't sold yet?
Answer: We don't know.
Question: If your house doesn't sell, will you just decide to stay here in NC for a while longer?
Answer: We don't know.
Question: Would you consider renting out your house?
Answer: We don't know.
Hopefully that helps you understand exactly where we are with our move. Clear as mud, right? :-)
Monday, June 22, 2009
It's ON!
As of today, our house is officially on the market.
Here is a link to the page on Realtor.com:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/804-Bristol-Blue-Street_Apex_NC_27502_1110338585
We are weary, to say the least. We feel like we've been non-stop with house projects for weeks and weeks. We're hoping to go away for a couple days next week to rest and recuperate.
We'd appreciate your prayers for our home... that just the right buyers would find us, and that it would sell quickly. Thanks!
Here is a link to the page on Realtor.com:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/804-Bristol-Blue-Street_Apex_NC_27502_1110338585
We are weary, to say the least. We feel like we've been non-stop with house projects for weeks and weeks. We're hoping to go away for a couple days next week to rest and recuperate.
We'd appreciate your prayers for our home... that just the right buyers would find us, and that it would sell quickly. Thanks!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
More projects galore
Just when we think we're getting close to being "ready" to put our house on the market, we come up with other things to do. I'm sure some people would say we don't need to do half the things we're doing, but we figure if we do as much as we possibly can, our home will hopefully sell faster. If we spend an extra $1,000 on projects, but it sells in one month rather than 3, we've come out ahead in our book.
As I mentioned before, it's rather sad that our house will be so nice and we won't get to enjoy it. I can't believe we haven't done some of these things before.
Here's a list of the improvements we've made (the ones that I can remember at the moment):
Outside:
-Turned an ugly eyesore on the side of our house into a flower bed with a retaining wall -Pressure washed the entire house
-Replaced our doorbell
-Mulched the entire front and back yard
-Planted flowers
-Hired a lawn company to fertilize the yard regularly
-Replaced the top railing on our back deck -Stained the back deck
-Paint our shutters black (haven't done this one just yet)
Inside:
-Replaced thermostat with a newer digital one
-Stained all of the cabinets - kitchen and bathrooms
-Painted the master bath and the guest bath
-Installed hardware on every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen and bathrooms
-Replaced all doorknobs on the main level
-Replaced 3 light fixtures with newer, more modern ones -Replaced entry way chandelier with a modern one
-Put tile in all 3 bathrooms (it's actually vinyl tile, but it amazingly looks exactly like tile) -Replaced the master back huge mirror with 2 stylish, modern ones
-Replacing downstairs carpet (will be installed sometime next week. We did the upstairs last summer.)
We're also getting a small storage place nearby to "declutter" our home.
So, if you know of anyone looking to buy a very well cared for 1700 sf home in a fantastic Apex location with a relatively big back yard, please spread the word. And if you're so inclined, please pray that we can sell quickly!
As I mentioned before, it's rather sad that our house will be so nice and we won't get to enjoy it. I can't believe we haven't done some of these things before.
Here's a list of the improvements we've made (the ones that I can remember at the moment):
Outside:
-Turned an ugly eyesore on the side of our house into a flower bed with a retaining wall -Pressure washed the entire house
-Replaced our doorbell
-Mulched the entire front and back yard
-Planted flowers
-Hired a lawn company to fertilize the yard regularly
-Replaced the top railing on our back deck -Stained the back deck
-Paint our shutters black (haven't done this one just yet)
Inside:
-Replaced thermostat with a newer digital one
-Stained all of the cabinets - kitchen and bathrooms
-Painted the master bath and the guest bath
-Installed hardware on every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen and bathrooms
-Replaced all doorknobs on the main level
-Replaced 3 light fixtures with newer, more modern ones -Replaced entry way chandelier with a modern one
-Put tile in all 3 bathrooms (it's actually vinyl tile, but it amazingly looks exactly like tile) -Replaced the master back huge mirror with 2 stylish, modern ones
-Replacing downstairs carpet (will be installed sometime next week. We did the upstairs last summer.)
We're also getting a small storage place nearby to "declutter" our home.
So, if you know of anyone looking to buy a very well cared for 1700 sf home in a fantastic Apex location with a relatively big back yard, please spread the word. And if you're so inclined, please pray that we can sell quickly!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Projects Galore
We're right in the thick of trying to get our house ready to sell. For those of you who have asked if it's "official" that we're moving... here is our prepared answer: We are making plans as though we are moving to Austin, and unless we encounter some kind of roadblock, we are moving. We have truly been praying and seeking God's will in this matter, and for now we feel like we have the green light to go ahead with moving. In the bible, the apostle Paul made plans to go into a couple of places (Asia and Bythinia) and the Holy Spirit wouldn't let them (Acts 16). I don't know exactly what that all means, but it at least tells me that Paul made plans, moved forward, and then when the doors closed and he was stopped, he changed his course and concluded God's will was moving in a different direction. This is how Jeremy and I plan to proceed.
We've talked to to some realtors, and now we need to officially decide who we're going to use. It is a really tough decision. I've been fortunate, as a mortgage broker, to work with many good realtors through the years, and it's hard to pick "the one" we want to use to list our home. We've narrowed it down to 2 realtors, and they are both pretty equal in experience, in price, in personality/temperament, and in likability. We might just have to flip a coin to decide who to use. :-)
It's a bummer that we're getting our house looking so good just in time to move, but I guess that's the nature of selling a home. Here are some before and after pictures of the awesome transformation of the side of our house. It has been ugly
for many years, and Jeremy did a fantastic job of building a retaining wall and turning it into a flower bed. I will be planting some bushes there soon.
We've talked to to some realtors, and now we need to officially decide who we're going to use. It is a really tough decision. I've been fortunate, as a mortgage broker, to work with many good realtors through the years, and it's hard to pick "the one" we want to use to list our home. We've narrowed it down to 2 realtors, and they are both pretty equal in experience, in price, in personality/temperament, and in likability. We might just have to flip a coin to decide who to use. :-)
It's a bummer that we're getting our house looking so good just in time to move, but I guess that's the nature of selling a home. Here are some before and after pictures of the awesome transformation of the side of our house. It has been ugly
for many years, and Jeremy did a fantastic job of building a retaining wall and turning it into a flower bed. I will be planting some bushes there soon.
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