I found a link on Brandi's blog, Living Freely, that led me to Katie. I can't wait to sit and read Katie's blog from the beginning! Thank you Brandi!
PS... Brandi, thank you for the links to the article about the Bergens, about Tom Davis and his article 'Why Christians S**k'.
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Dream...
After publishing my last post and updating everyone on our current events, I thought I would be able to relax for the rest of the evening. Boy was I wrong. You see, I made statements in that post that bothered me for the rest of the evening. When we move into the new house, we will have two extra bedrooms and two bonus rooms. (One of the bonus rooms is big enough to be a bedroom but does not have a closet, the other bonus room is just big enough for a book case and two bean bags.) The statements that were bothering me were those I made regarding Cam's 'man room' and my craft room. There are already two sheds and a greenhouse on the property, and plenty of room to remodel/update the sheds. I would love to put the hobbies outside in these sheds, including the 'man room' if Cam is agreeable, and use the bedrooms for their intended purpose.
I have wanted to adopt since grade school; international, domestic, fost adopt or any combination there of. Working with Beth really brought this desire back to the forefront for me. So, all evening I was bothered by the fact that I did not express my desire to use the bedrooms to grow our family. It bothered me to the point of not being able to go to sleep last night. I had to write down my thoughts in order to allow my conscious mind to let the issue go and allow me to get some sleep.
During that sleep, I had the most vivid dream I have had in a very long time... I dreamed I was somewhere on the continent of Africa. I was either visiting or working at an orphanage. During the dream, I had the impression there was a civil war going on in the region, and I was assisting with gathering the children to either relocate, or shelter in place. The most vivid part of the dream was watching each child wander out of a small grove of trees, one at a time. A small, handsome boy, wearing only shorts...a beautiful girl, toddling toward me in a worn sun dress... As each child came to me, I wrapped my arms around them, whispering tender words to ease their individual fright, and carried them, one by one, into the building. The dream continued for some time, until I finally woke, with a deeper sense of purpose.
For the past couple of months, I have been praying for guidance. Along with that guidance, I have been praying for the patience and wisdom (that is not really the word I am looking for) to see the path God has chosen for my family and I, and the sense to follow that path without allowing my stubborn independence to distract me from His plan.
For right now I will leave you with this..."Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds." (Luke 12:24). I love reading that line over and over, along with "Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well." (Luke 12:29-31).
I have wanted to adopt since grade school; international, domestic, fost adopt or any combination there of. Working with Beth really brought this desire back to the forefront for me. So, all evening I was bothered by the fact that I did not express my desire to use the bedrooms to grow our family. It bothered me to the point of not being able to go to sleep last night. I had to write down my thoughts in order to allow my conscious mind to let the issue go and allow me to get some sleep.
During that sleep, I had the most vivid dream I have had in a very long time... I dreamed I was somewhere on the continent of Africa. I was either visiting or working at an orphanage. During the dream, I had the impression there was a civil war going on in the region, and I was assisting with gathering the children to either relocate, or shelter in place. The most vivid part of the dream was watching each child wander out of a small grove of trees, one at a time. A small, handsome boy, wearing only shorts...a beautiful girl, toddling toward me in a worn sun dress... As each child came to me, I wrapped my arms around them, whispering tender words to ease their individual fright, and carried them, one by one, into the building. The dream continued for some time, until I finally woke, with a deeper sense of purpose.
For the past couple of months, I have been praying for guidance. Along with that guidance, I have been praying for the patience and wisdom (that is not really the word I am looking for) to see the path God has chosen for my family and I, and the sense to follow that path without allowing my stubborn independence to distract me from His plan.
For right now I will leave you with this..."Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds." (Luke 12:24). I love reading that line over and over, along with "Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well." (Luke 12:29-31).
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Offer accepted!!!
I sit here in shock, trying hard to focus on something, anything. I can't believe we have made it to this point. Let me go back a ways...
Back in May, I found a foreclosure listing for houses in Paradise. On that list, I located a home that sounded absolutely perfect for my family; 6 bedrooms, 2 bonus rooms and .67 acres, plenty of room to live and grow. After contacting our real estate agent, Carol, we went to see the house.
Cam and I were both immediately drawn to this house. Although there is currently no garage on the property, there is definately room for one. We will have enough room for each of the girls to have their own rooms; Brianne wants black walls with white splatter and a black light, Jocelyn wants a 'Hannah Montana' room, and Claire will be happy to be able to play in her own space. Cam can have his 'man room'; somewhere between
and 
.
I will be able to have my 'craft' room, and someday I will have an outdoor kitchen for my canning
(the summers are WAY to hot for canning, but the product is much prettier if the fruit is not frozen.)
Anyway, I am rambling on.... When we decided to seriously look into buying this house, I prayed for guidance. I prayed the Lord would lead me in the direction that would be best for our family. (I also asked for assistance in keeping my eyes open to the path.)We made an offer on the house last Wednesday. On Sunday, while driving to Monterey for a week of vacation, I received a call from my sister Julie. Carol was looking for us with information about the house. I called Carol back just as we were entering Marysville. The Bank (seller) had come back with a counter offer, $10,000 less than their reduced asking price, but still $16,000 more than we had offered. After stopping in the parking lot of Carl's Jr. to talk it over with Cam and my Mom, I called Carol and told her we would take the house. (I was SOOOO nervous I thought I was going to by physically ill!) Being a Sunday, we were unable to reach our lender with the infomation, soooo, first thing Monday morning, I was on the phone againg with Carol, and Ari (our mortage broker). After much discussion, and the shock of the new monthly payment, we decided to make a counter offer on the Bank's counter offer. On Wednesday, we offered $5,000 more than our original offer, $11,000 less than the banks offer. Well, today we recieved a call from Carol...... The Bank accepted our offer!!!!!! It will be a mad dash weekend to get proof of funds statements for Carol so she can be ready to move on the offer first thing Monday morning!!!!! I still cannot believe we have finally made it to this point! Pray for us! More later!
Back in May, I found a foreclosure listing for houses in Paradise. On that list, I located a home that sounded absolutely perfect for my family; 6 bedrooms, 2 bonus rooms and .67 acres, plenty of room to live and grow. After contacting our real estate agent, Carol, we went to see the house.
Cam and I were both immediately drawn to this house. Although there is currently no garage on the property, there is definately room for one. We will have enough room for each of the girls to have their own rooms; Brianne wants black walls with white splatter and a black light, Jocelyn wants a 'Hannah Montana' room, and Claire will be happy to be able to play in her own space. Cam can have his 'man room'; somewhere between 
and 
.I will be able to have my 'craft' room, and someday I will have an outdoor kitchen for my canning
(the summers are WAY to hot for canning, but the product is much prettier if the fruit is not frozen.)Anyway, I am rambling on.... When we decided to seriously look into buying this house, I prayed for guidance. I prayed the Lord would lead me in the direction that would be best for our family. (I also asked for assistance in keeping my eyes open to the path.)We made an offer on the house last Wednesday. On Sunday, while driving to Monterey for a week of vacation, I received a call from my sister Julie. Carol was looking for us with information about the house. I called Carol back just as we were entering Marysville. The Bank (seller) had come back with a counter offer, $10,000 less than their reduced asking price, but still $16,000 more than we had offered. After stopping in the parking lot of Carl's Jr. to talk it over with Cam and my Mom, I called Carol and told her we would take the house. (I was SOOOO nervous I thought I was going to by physically ill!) Being a Sunday, we were unable to reach our lender with the infomation, soooo, first thing Monday morning, I was on the phone againg with Carol, and Ari (our mortage broker). After much discussion, and the shock of the new monthly payment, we decided to make a counter offer on the Bank's counter offer. On Wednesday, we offered $5,000 more than our original offer, $11,000 less than the banks offer. Well, today we recieved a call from Carol...... The Bank accepted our offer!!!!!! It will be a mad dash weekend to get proof of funds statements for Carol so she can be ready to move on the offer first thing Monday morning!!!!! I still cannot believe we have finally made it to this point! Pray for us! More later!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Gotta go faster...
I just got a call from Beth, who wanted to congratulate me on having our offer accepted on the house we are looking to buy... Except the text she received was not from me. :(( We have not put our offer in yet, because my organization needs a major overhaul. I mean, how in the world am I able to get our taxes done, have all the copies of the actual taxes, but not be able to find the W-2's that were used to produce said paperwork? The last bit of paperwork needed by the lender to produce our pre-approval letter in order to make our offer!! It is SO frustrating! So...Cam ordered a new copy of his W-2 on Friday, it came in the mail today, and I will pick up a new copy of my W-2 tomorrow and promptly fax copies of all 2006 and 2007 W-2's to Jill, our lending officer.
I spoke with Carol, our realtor, last Thursday. The house we have our eye on is still on the market... Yeah!!! So, 'To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace'...I wish it would hurry up and get here so I could pick up my copy of my W-2 and fax it all to Jill! Patience, patience, practice patience.
Claire and Cam on the swings at Terry Ashe Park, between fires. She's not even two yet and already quite the swinger!
I spoke with Carol, our realtor, last Thursday. The house we have our eye on is still on the market... Yeah!!! So, 'To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace'...I wish it would hurry up and get here so I could pick up my copy of my W-2 and fax it all to Jill! Patience, patience, practice patience.
Claire and Cam on the swings at Terry Ashe Park, between fires. She's not even two yet and already quite the swinger!
Shop till they drop!
Have you ever spent so much time in one store that you begin to call the employees by first name? {It would have been worse had the employees called us by first name. I guess 4.5 hours is not enough time to move to a first name basis with customers.} Cam, my Mom and I have been working hard to get our current home into selling condition. In order to do that, we needed supplies. Lots of supplies! So, 4.5 hours in Home Depot and $1300 later, we should have all the supplies we need to finish the house.
Claire fell asleep while sitting atop a five gallon bucket of paint, thanks to Jocelyn who was rubbing Claire's back
Since the Home Depot trip, we have put down new vinyl flooring, tiled above the shower and painted the whole spa room; put down new vinyl flooring in the kitchen, moved the old refrigerator out and the new one in (and repaired to tear in the NEW vinyl floor!), installed a new dishwasher, and hauled numerous boxes and furniture items to storage. We are getting the job done, and getting tired. We still have the vinyl flooring to put down in the hall bathroom, tile above the bathtub, paint all the rooms except the spa room (after getting the pink flowered wall paper, that came with the house, off the wall in the girls bedroom), put down the tile or vinyl in the entryway, shampoo all the carpets and clean the brick above the fireplace. When all of that is done, the inside of the house will be done and ready to stage. Outside, I still have projects also. Before the fires started in Butte County, I was working on putting up a retaining wall along the front of the property. Now, with all the smoke in the air, the 400 gray retaining wall blocks sit patiently in the front yard. Beside the grey blocks are 75 red blocks I will be using to put the front walkway back together. (I got ahead of myself and took apart the old walkway before the supplies arrived and before the second round of fires hit. Since the destruction of the front walk, you have to walk through the fine, red Paradise dirt to get to and from the front deck. Hence the red dust on my black work shoes.) When the smoke finally clears, and the air quality is no longer over 250 (hazardous to all age groups), I will again work on the walk way, then the retaining wall. Until then.....
Claire fell asleep while sitting atop a five gallon bucket of paint, thanks to Jocelyn who was rubbing Claire's back
Since the Home Depot trip, we have put down new vinyl flooring, tiled above the shower and painted the whole spa room; put down new vinyl flooring in the kitchen, moved the old refrigerator out and the new one in (and repaired to tear in the NEW vinyl floor!), installed a new dishwasher, and hauled numerous boxes and furniture items to storage. We are getting the job done, and getting tired. We still have the vinyl flooring to put down in the hall bathroom, tile above the bathtub, paint all the rooms except the spa room (after getting the pink flowered wall paper, that came with the house, off the wall in the girls bedroom), put down the tile or vinyl in the entryway, shampoo all the carpets and clean the brick above the fireplace. When all of that is done, the inside of the house will be done and ready to stage. Outside, I still have projects also. Before the fires started in Butte County, I was working on putting up a retaining wall along the front of the property. Now, with all the smoke in the air, the 400 gray retaining wall blocks sit patiently in the front yard. Beside the grey blocks are 75 red blocks I will be using to put the front walkway back together. (I got ahead of myself and took apart the old walkway before the supplies arrived and before the second round of fires hit. Since the destruction of the front walk, you have to walk through the fine, red Paradise dirt to get to and from the front deck. Hence the red dust on my black work shoes.) When the smoke finally clears, and the air quality is no longer over 250 (hazardous to all age groups), I will again work on the walk way, then the retaining wall. Until then.....
Monday, June 23, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
News from around the world.....
Humboldt Fire threatens Paradise!
Have you ever had the thought 'Wow, this is just like in the movies!'? The last few days have been that way for me. Try as I might, something always came up when I wanted to go down the hill to Chico and look at flooring. Wednesday thru Saturday that 'something' was the Humboldt Fire. On Wednesday, my Mom and I had been to all three flooring stores in Paradise, when I was called in to work to help out. Thursday I was called in again. I was able to hang on to my one day off, Friday. (Jeri felt to guilty to call me in.) Then it was back to work for the start of my regular work week on Saturday. (Not that I mind being called in during an emergency. Other than with my family, there is no place I would rather to be if I had to be up here on the ridge, than right in the thick of the information; to be able to pass on the updates to my family) By Monday night, the fire was totally contained...
5 days
1,000's evacuated
23,344 acres burned
74 homes destroyed
20 more damaged
DC10 bomber (the only one in the United States)
2500 firefighters (THANK YOU!!)
over 50 law enforcement officers from outside agencies (THANK YOU!!)
$11.5 million to fight
$16.3 million in damages
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME TO HELP DURING THE FIRE. The fire is out, with minimal damage to the Town of Paradise as a whole. Though not all of it's employees were so lucky. Linda G., one of our beloved Community Service Officers, lost her house in the fire. Linda Q, one of our beloved Fire Secretaries, also lost her house in the fire.
DC10 helping to fight the fire...the only DC10 supertanker used for fire fighting, in the United States!
A break and some much needed rest.
News from Hawaii!!
While we were facing evacuation, Brianne was sunning herself in Hawaii. The only picture she sent me was this one...
It's to bad she had to go all the way to Hawaii to learn to respect the scalding hot frijoles!
News from Ethiopia!!
Beth and Garrett received a referral for two beautiful little girls! I am SO happy for you two! We can't wait to meet your beautiful daughters!
Have you ever had the thought 'Wow, this is just like in the movies!'? The last few days have been that way for me. Try as I might, something always came up when I wanted to go down the hill to Chico and look at flooring. Wednesday thru Saturday that 'something' was the Humboldt Fire. On Wednesday, my Mom and I had been to all three flooring stores in Paradise, when I was called in to work to help out. Thursday I was called in again. I was able to hang on to my one day off, Friday. (Jeri felt to guilty to call me in.) Then it was back to work for the start of my regular work week on Saturday. (Not that I mind being called in during an emergency. Other than with my family, there is no place I would rather to be if I had to be up here on the ridge, than right in the thick of the information; to be able to pass on the updates to my family) By Monday night, the fire was totally contained...
5 days
1,000's evacuated
23,344 acres burned
74 homes destroyed
20 more damaged
DC10 bomber (the only one in the United States)
2500 firefighters (THANK YOU!!)
over 50 law enforcement officers from outside agencies (THANK YOU!!)
$11.5 million to fight
$16.3 million in damages
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME TO HELP DURING THE FIRE. The fire is out, with minimal damage to the Town of Paradise as a whole. Though not all of it's employees were so lucky. Linda G., one of our beloved Community Service Officers, lost her house in the fire. Linda Q, one of our beloved Fire Secretaries, also lost her house in the fire.
DC10 helping to fight the fire...the only DC10 supertanker used for fire fighting, in the United States!
A break and some much needed rest.
News from Hawaii!!
While we were facing evacuation, Brianne was sunning herself in Hawaii. The only picture she sent me was this one...
It's to bad she had to go all the way to Hawaii to learn to respect the scalding hot frijoles!
News from Ethiopia!!
Beth and Garrett received a referral for two beautiful little girls! I am SO happy for you two! We can't wait to meet your beautiful daughters!
Monday, June 2, 2008
15 places in the US kids should see (according to Budget Travel):
Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz ($12, vehicles $25, kids 15 and younger free)
Ellis Island Museum and the Statue of Liberty (free guided tours, audio tour $6)
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Va. ($37, kids 6-17 $18)
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. (free)
Niagara Falls, N.Y. (free)
Gettysburg, Pa. (free)
The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas (free)
USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (free)
Monticello, Va. (tours from $15, kids over 6 $8, free for children 5 and under)
Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Fla. ($60 for kids, $71 for 10 and older)
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis ($12, $8.50 kids) {Also highly worthwhile: Alabama's Birmingham Civil Rights Institute ($10, kids free) and Cincinnati's National Underground Railroad Freedom Center ($12, $8 kids)}
Redwood National Park, Calif. (free)
Ground Zero, New York City ($10 suggested donation)
Freedom Trail, Boston ($12, kids $6)
Independence Hall, Philadelphia (free but tickets for timed tours are required from March 1 to December 31)
Let the vacation planning begin!
Ellis Island Museum and the Statue of Liberty (free guided tours, audio tour $6)
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Va. ($37, kids 6-17 $18)
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. (free)
Niagara Falls, N.Y. (free)
Gettysburg, Pa. (free)
The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas (free)
USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (free)
Monticello, Va. (tours from $15, kids over 6 $8, free for children 5 and under)
Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Fla. ($60 for kids, $71 for 10 and older)
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis ($12, $8.50 kids) {Also highly worthwhile: Alabama's Birmingham Civil Rights Institute ($10, kids free) and Cincinnati's National Underground Railroad Freedom Center ($12, $8 kids)}
Redwood National Park, Calif. (free)
Ground Zero, New York City ($10 suggested donation)
Freedom Trail, Boston ($12, kids $6)
Independence Hall, Philadelphia (free but tickets for timed tours are required from March 1 to December 31)
Let the vacation planning begin!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Getting ready to sell!
I have been so worried about jinxing our plans, that I have not wanted to tell to many people about them. I have decided if I want what is best for my family, I have to relinquish control to a higher power, and trust the Lord to provide the path. (I pray He helps me to keep my eyes open to see his path.) So here I am, telling all of you ... we are getting our house ready to sell. There, I said it.
Cam and I have found a house we REALLY like, with enough room for us now and in the future. (6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two bonus rooms, some fruit trees already planted, and plenty of room for a vegetable garden!) We are working hard to make the dream of owning this house, into a reality. One of the MANY projects on the way to getting our current house ready to sell, is finishing the retaining wall I started across the front yard.
Gavin and Cam are working on the wall while Brianne and Claire supervise from the shade. (It may look like dirt in front of the wall, but it's actually the asphalt lined gutter, a perfect base for my wall.) I'll try to keep you posted on our progress!
Cam and I have found a house we REALLY like, with enough room for us now and in the future. (6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two bonus rooms, some fruit trees already planted, and plenty of room for a vegetable garden!) We are working hard to make the dream of owning this house, into a reality. One of the MANY projects on the way to getting our current house ready to sell, is finishing the retaining wall I started across the front yard.
Gavin and Cam are working on the wall while Brianne and Claire supervise from the shade. (It may look like dirt in front of the wall, but it's actually the asphalt lined gutter, a perfect base for my wall.) I'll try to keep you posted on our progress!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)