Good News Times Two

First of all...

WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!

It took 71 days from pre-approval to closing, but it is FINISHED!

Second, take a peek at the ticker!  Yesterday, it said we needed $3,370 for our homestudy fees.  Today, I spoke with another homestudy agency, and our initial fees to go through their agency would be $1,500.  (We'll still have an additional $870 on top of the initial amount, but it will be due later.)  Our fundraising goal just got a LOT smaller and, even factoring in the additional amount, we'll save $1000!!!

We're in the middle of our Saint Patty's Day Giveaway, and there will be TWO WINNERS, so don't forget to give and share for your entries!

Waiting on God's Timing

I was hoping to write a post last Friday (actually I've been waiting to write that particular post since the end of January) but, for whatever reason, things are just not moving as I planned.

I was going to write about how excited we are to have our names on the Deed of Trust, after a 22-month start-to-finish process of selling our last home, moving into our new home, and finally closing on our new home.  But that is not the point of today's post.

The Cliff's Notes version of the story is that we put our home on the market in May 2010, had a contract in August 2010, missed the closing date for September, October, and November, and closed on the sale of our home at the VERY end of December 2010.  From September to December, we were having to constantly extend our rate lock-in, because our buyers' loan took so long to go through.

By the time our buyers did get approval, our lock-in had expired, and we were not able to get in touch with the lender to extend the lock-in in time.  So we moved into our home, with a seller-financed mortgage, We were on hold for a year, in order to show payments to the same lender for twelve months.

We began the purchase process again in December 2011, and got our pre-approval back on December 27, 2011, exactly one year from the day we moved in.  30 days until closing turned into 60 days, and "definitely by Friday" turned into "should be Monday".  The emotional roller coaster we rode from August to December 2010, and now from December 2011 to March 2012 has been difficult.  I've been frustrated, I've cried, I've wanted to give up.

And that's what I had to do.  I had to give up relying on myself (or the bank) when I should be relying on God.  If I'm being honest (and I am), one of my biggest flaws is depending on MY plan, and having a hard time accepting GOD'S plan when I think mine sounds better.

How does this relate to our adoption?  I can look at timelines all I want to, try and figure out when we'll be traveling, and when we'll be bringing our daughter home, but none of that carries any weight.  The timing will be in God's hand, as it always is, and I am learning to accept that through our struggles with buying our home.

Resolutions, Part 1

I've always believed New Years' resolutions were pointless, for many reasons.  Typically, we set ourselves up to fail.  Resolutions are either too abstract or too rigid.  Here's my favorite resolution for the abstract crowd:  "I want to lose weight."  Wishful thinking, at best.  My dad has a crude saying, but it's true: "Wish in one hand, crap in the other, and see which one gets full first." Without any plan at all, we'll spin our wheels, try this and that with no consistency, and never see results.

And for the rigid crowd, are you really going to expect perfection from yourself every day for the next 365 or 366 days?  You resolve to start something you have never done, or have never done with any consistency, and the first time you slip, you give up.  Don't worry, I'm preaching to the choir here.  I WILL read my Bible for an hour every day, I will not EVER eat dessert again.

We can't do it!  By either of those two extremes, we set ourselves up to fail.  Well, not this year friends.  I haven't made resolutions in the past, and I don't intend for my first year to be a flop!  Scott and I have been talking about our goals for the coming year for several months, and some of them are going to change throughout the year.  Some of them are not such a big deal, nothing life-changing, just our plan for the year.  Others, I'm terrified to announce, because we don't know completely where we're headed, and if my mother reads this post, she'll freak out.  Freak. Out. 

Here's the easy stuff, things I love to plan for.  I make terrible "resolutions", I guess, because it's more of a to-do list.

HOME
Touch up paint in E's room - January
Finish painting A's room - January
Build wall/install door for S's room - February
Paint S's room - February
Sandblast/paint S's bed - February
Add flower beds to the front yard - March/April
Add furniture/plants to kids' deck - April/May
Paint our bedroom - June
(More to come on home plans, but we thought half a year was plenty, for starters.)

HIKING
Fairystone/Mines - March
Wild Oak Trail - April/May (depending on weather, 3-day backpacking trip)

Mt. Rogers/AT Hike - early June (depending on the rhododendron blooms)
Dragon's Tooth - July
Cold Mountain/Mt. Pleasant Loops - August
Rock Castle Gorge - September
SB6K Peaks - Clingman's Dome and Mt. Collins
Print Photos from each hike to hang in office

TO BE CONTINUED...