I know, I know, But Bear With Me!

It's the last day of the second week of camp, and we move tomorrow. The craziness is far from over. I'm hoping to be back to my normal daily blogging in two weeks. So I hope you can bear with me through this time of excitement and turmoil. Just to give you a brief update as it is 6:40 and I have to get the kids up and leave for camp in 20 minutes. Yikes. I feel the pressure.

We start packing the truck tomorrow at 4:00 pm at our current house on Cranberry. So if you're not busy, come on over and lend us a hand. We'll return it to you and fill it with a few slices of pizza and a beer or two. On Sunday, the truck (generously provided by my SWF Clare's boyfriend Mat) leaves Cranberry and head to the new home on Hubner in Catonsville. If you're better at unloading than loading, you can meet us there at 9:30 am. Don't worry, you're hands and belly won't walk away empty handed here either. You know I always feed people...it's my thing.

It's so weird to think that I'll be living in a whole new house in an entirely different part of this area. I can't say I ever saw that coming, but I didn't think I'd be pregnant this summer either. Funny how God's plans aren't always ours, but somehow it all works out. I might be exhausted (and in bed by 9 most nights), but I'm making it and having a blast doing it. Camp is awesome. I wish I could share the experience with you all. I can share one story from yesterday. Picture this: I'm wearing my typical Director uniform: polo shirt & denim shorts (maternity of course). I'm driving around on the golf cart breaking down parts of camp we're not using anymore for the rest of the day. And the oldest kids are on the Upper Fields playing with buckets full of water. While Lauren, Aaron and I are chasing Geese away with the cart, the kids are attempting to douse us with water...to no avail of course. They are no match for Hillary on a golf cart, but I did feel bad for not giving them a fair chance, so I decide to drive through the field and take a chance at getting a little wet. The first three kids offered nothing but a little splash. I'm thinking this is great. They're having a blast and I'm not getting...BAM, Nick (AKA Scooter) gets a direct hit and we're soaked. Yep, denim and a heavy polo simply dripping wet. I'm just glad there was no chaffing. Yuk! But the kids thought it was great and that was the point, right?

Really have to go now, Owen's sitting here begging for a snack. Of course when you ask him what he wants for a snack, he just says "SSNNNNACCKK." Not helpful at all!

Crazyville is in the House

I would so love a moment to sit back and write a million different stories of what has occured over the past couple weeks, but time simply won't allow it. As we round the corner towards the end of the first week of camp, and have passed the 2 week mark until the move, my free time has dwindled to near nothing. Add a pregnancy to the above list, and you get one crazy lady. But it's all temporary, and there will come a time to breathe.

Camp is awesome. There was a moment the other day, as I was making my way down to the fields for the end of the day activity, when I saw campers playing soccer and flashed back four years in my mind to the day I first envisioned camp. To see it come full circle is nothing short of a mind-blowing event. What a blessing.

On the home front, our current house didn't quite appraise. It came in $6,000 less than our sale price. It sucks, totally, but what are you going to do. In the long run, it's a $20 a month difference. So pray the interest rates drop a little so we can make up that difference. Everything is else is set to go off without a hitch in less than 2 weeks. We're even, hoperfully, going to be able to move in to the new house next weekend, a few day early, which will be extremely helpful considering most of the people we know work during the week.

Baby is doing well and growing like a champ. I went in Tuesday for a normal check up and was sad when she said we were just going to listen to the heartrate. Bummer, no sonogram. But baby wasn't cooperating and she couldn't find the heartrate, so we got to take a peek anyways. Baby was chilling with her arm up around the head and feet curled up towards her torso. So cute. I think it kind of looked like a girl, but that's just wishful thinking. I'll be making an appointment for the big sonogram in the next day or so for August. I'm hoping to be able to get it in while Mom's here. How fun would that be? Pray towards that end.

Totally have to go now, or I'm going to be late for camp.

Lost Between the Fog & The Ray of Light

I'm not really sure if I'm lost or if I'm found. It's simply been a crazy last few weeks. Forget the drama of house shopping, I've also been preparing for camp which starts MONDAY. This is the last day of staff training. (By the way, our staff rocks.) Today we'll be doing much of the set up for camp itself, which did I mention, starts MONDAY. I'm not sure that has set in yet. At the same time, I'm making preparations to sell a house and buy another house. We did the inspection on the new house on Tuesday, and most is good, no major issues. I, of course, went to the inspection, and spent the entire time talking with Amanda, the homeowner. Can I just say that I love this couple? They too are believers and that alone excites me. To put our two stories together, sounds more like one.

I can't write long this morning, because I slept in til 6:30, and I need to leave in 30 minutes or so. But I wanted to give you all an update of sorts, and ask you to pray for the start of camp.

We're OFFICIALLY UNDER CONTRACT

Enough Said!

Waiting for the Paperwork...

Our offer, give or take a few thousand, was accepted. We're just waiting for the signed contracts to come through. There will be no chicken counting until I, or maybe Stephanie, have those contracts in my hands. The good news is that it's a fair price for as much as we're getting and in the neighborhood we want, and we will be able to move in a few days early, so there will be no sleeping on the side of the road for a night or two.

By the way, if there are any of you available to help us move on July 20th (Sunday) and maybe some of your with more flexible schedules that could do the 21st, we'll take it. Just mark your calendars...assuming of course that I get to count my chickens. I bet you're all wondering how many chickens are in fact in my basket.

Up For Grabs!

We have a toddler picnic table that needs to go. It's in decent shape, but needs a good cleaning. I'm offering it up to my friends before I put it on Freecyle. By the way, it's free! We also have 2 wood stool with black covers, but they need to be recovered...free! I have a bunch of stuff going to Goodwill, so if you're thinking about these things and want to check out the rest, you're welcome to sift through and take what you want.

FOR SALE:
TV Armoire: made by Broyhill, good shape: $60
Desk w/hutch, 2 file drawers: $30
Small Black Chair, great for accents: $2
Pampered Chef Colander & Bowl Set, w/lids, it was just replaced with a new style & I don't need 2 sets: $6
Set of 4 blue wine glasses: $4
Vintage Coffee Urn/Perculator, needs plug in cord: $8
Real Crystal Vase: $3

I have more, but it's early and I can't think right now. Don't forget to read the post below about the new home prospect.

Not Counting My Chickens Yet...

But I'm hoping that the third times a charm. After our hot and sticky moving sale yesterday, we loaded up the cars (Wes & Katy were with us) and went hunting, for a house that is. There were 5 homes on the list, and Steph saved the one I favored the most for last. I'm glad she did. In my mind, despite the small exterior and less than perfect pictures, the Hubner House as I call it was our best option. It advertised 5 bedrooms and 3 baths, .2 acres, and fully renovated, but the big kicker is that it's literally right around the corner from the Glenmore House. Let me just say that the first three houses we saw were just not at all what we were looking for, the fourth was better but required some work (we all know how much I like the work), and then we got to Hubner. Now I'm telling you, the exterior of the home does nothing to sell help it sell. It seems tiny, but once you walk in, the space opens up entirely. Again, the entire second floor is a master suite, only this time, it has a walk in closet that's larger than what we have now (opposite of the Glenmore house). The bathroom has twin sinks, the coolest tile work ever and a step-in jacuzzi tub/shower combo with multiple shower heads. On the main level, there's a nice sized living room, two fairly large bedrooms for the kids and a full bathroom between them. There's lots of closet space in both room and the hallway. The dining room is open to the kitchen which was redone with white cabinets, wood counter tops, and all black appliances. From here you can walk out to the enclosed sun room, that opens up to a very large fully-fenced in backyard. It's perfect for entertaining and hosting playgroup. But I'm not done. Downstairs you'll find a fully finished, and finished well, basement including an amazing bar area with fridge, a large rec/play room, 2 full bedrooms and a bathroom. Really the only unfinished part of the house is the utility room right off the stairs. So it's clear to see how quickly I fell in love with this house. We put in the offer last night.

So what were my worries going in? It's still occupied. Would they be able to get out by the 22nd? They haven't come down much on the price? Would they be able to budge at all?

Well, it just so happens that the wife was there with her 3 kids. Okay so have you ever seen the old comparison between our presidents, Lincoln & Carter? This is similar, without the whole gunshot to the head thing. Her kids are 5,3, & 1 (the same distance apart that mine with be). Their dog's name is Reece. Coincidence? Maybe! But here's the kicker. A year ago, they put an offer on the very same Glenmore house that we did, it was accepted, and then reneged on. I think we might just be kindred spirits. As to the money issue. They actually had a contract on the house, and were supposed to be moving out this past weekend. It fell through because the buyer's lost their financing. So not only can they get out by the 22nd, there in a better place to negotiate a little (hopefully).

As much as I like this house, I'm desperately trying to not count my chickens before they hatch. But if we do one day call this place home, I can see why God allowed Glenmore to fall through. The Hubner house is bigger, 2400 finished sq, with a larger lot. It's fully fenced and has not only a 4th bedroom, but also a 5th. So, please start dialing up to our heavenly Father on our behalf. We should know something today on tomorrow.

Here's the link to the house.

Thanks-

Moving Sale Tomorrow...

Not sure where we're moving yet, but we're definitely moving somewhere. It might be under a bridge somewhere, but we can't stay here, so Katy and I are gearing up for a day of fun selling off all our extra stuff.

We'll have furniture, baby & toddler items, a toddler outdoor picnic table, household decor, kitchen stuff, Stair Baskets, Plate Racks, baskets, etc... So if you're not busy, come check us out.

3344 Cranberry S, Laurel, 20724
Saturday, June 28th from 8 am - 12 pm!

And Then She Mourned...

Not a person, but a place. The house we thought we'd call home was given to another family by a sleazy businessman. As promised, the man was the owner of Catonsville Contracting in Catonsville, MD. It's not that the man does shoddy work, at least not at first glance, but his ethics leave little to be desired. At the end of it all, there were no mistakes, just lying, manipulation, and down right deceitfulness.

Though I am sad, because I loved the house, I have to believe that God has something else for us...something that is a better fit for us as a family. Please join us in prayer for we are under 30 days from settlement on our house here in Laurel, and the pickings are slim for houses in the area we want to live. Pray that God would lead us to right house for our family and in a timely manner so that we don't have to move into temporary housing.

I'd write more, but Katy and Wes will be here soon, dinner is in the oven, and the kids are breaking down. Thank you for your support and prayer. I can honestly say I need it.

I Don't Want to Talk About It...But I Will

You know the saying, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch?" I suppose it applies here too. What we thought was a done deal, might not be. It turns out that before signing the contract on the new house, the owner got another offer, similar to ours but with no contingency to sell. Fourteen and a half hours ago, I was flying high, and now I'm lost in a fog. He was supposed to get back with Stephanie by 5:00 pm yesterday, but didn't, and Steph can't seem to get a hold of him. So here I am back in the unknown, only this time, I've already mentally moved into this house and I'm absolutely in love with it. My heart is saddened and confused, but it's not all a complete loss.

You won't hear full out ranting from me, though if the deal goes sour, I will let you know the name of the contracting group that owns the house...as a fair warning. But for now, let's focus on the good.

Before Neil and I got married, we dated, and while we were dating, we broke up for a few months. It was during that break up, one night in December, that God convicted my heart. I had never asked God if I could have Neil, so I did, and thankfully, He said "Yes." There is much more to that story, but I think the moral of it is that I tend to leap through doors without first checking to see if there open. On one of Owen's shows, "The Upside Down Show," they go through a bunch of doors and some voice from nowhere will always remind them to knock first. My tendency is to storm through the door without knocking, without asking for permission. So it's not about God opening and closing doors and windows, I think it's more about how we walk through them, whether or not we acknowledge His authority in the situation. I'm not saying that we're being punished, or even that God is slamming this door in our faces because we didn't knock. If that were true, then God wouldn't be a God of grace. As well, I'm not saying that because we've realized our lack of dependence on Him that we're going to get the house, despite this other offer. What I am saying is that regardless of what happens, Neil and I have entered into a place we've never been before in our marriage, a place where we place our dependence on God together. I've been praying for this for 7 years, and if I have to lose my dream house to get it, then so be it. Granted, I'll be extremely sad if that phone rings and Steph tells us we lost the house, but the spiritual relationship with my husband is way more important. Last night, for the second time in two weeks, we prayed together, and for the first time, I saw Neil as the "spiritual" leader in our family. He's always been a strong leader, but struggled with revealing his very personal and intimate relationship with God to me. But last night he encouraged me and lifted me up. He didn't run from my strong personality and stubborn disposition. He embraced me, pursued me, and loved me. Together we asked God if we could have this house, much like the night I asked Him if I could have Neil. I just hope the answer is the same.

Now what this seller, who's selling buy owner, did was dishonest and cheap, but I'm choosing to believe that it was unintentional and not malicious. I'm choosing to believe that he simply didn't know the rules of the game, and we're praying that he'll do the right thing. He verbally agreed to our contract and should have sent the contracts right over, taken the house of MLS, and been done with it. But instead he sent the contracts over to Mister Lister to look them over, kept the house on MLS, showed the house, and allowed another couple to make an offer.

I ask that each and every one of you join us in prayer, for the seller to realize what the right thing to do is and do it, for God to continue to work in our marriage finding dependence in Him, and for God's will to be done in this situation. Also pray for peace in our hearts that whatever happens, God will take care of us. If we lose the house, pray that God will lead us to another one, maybe even a better one, and that we wouldn't have to move our family into temporary housing.

With a sad but almost peaceful heart (I'm getting there)...

And to my friends out there who are wondering why I haven't called you...I just wasn't ready to talk to anyone last night, and you're all asleep right now.