For the majority of 2014 I worked at a family practice office ( my first job ) and while it was challenging it was also rewarding. I was challenged to "separate my beliefs from my medical practice" and God gave me the strength to stand up and say no, knowing it could cost me my job and yet He protected me. He grew me to love my patients more than I thought I could ever love "strangers" and allowed me to love and care for and share with many. My last day was November 15th and on that day God gave me the grace of having many patients who I had seen previously who God allowed me to see. I didn't tell them it was my last day and yet the day was filled with people thanking me for taking good care of them, for telling me how valuable I am as a provider to them and letting me see some that I worried about that they were improving. It was great and both perfect and sad at the same time. Even if you are ready for the next adventure God will have you on, goodbyes are never fun.
In 2014 I was confirmed in the catholic church. You can read my conversion story here.
I made new friends, got decent at quilting, and being started being actively pro-life. While I always thought babies were adorable, I never prayed so much for the unborn as I did this year. I'm sure many more things happened but these were some of the more notable. 2014 isn't over and I'm sure there is more fun to come as God can do a lot in a short amount of time.
Now for another adventure to add to the 2014 list of notables and firsts.
Right now our home that we have been renting is in boxes and shambles. Seriously. Don't come over if you want to see a tidy home, but your welcome if you want to help pack. I am currently surrounded by boxes.
October 25th Paul and I went to go look for a place to live. We drove around and met with someone who had offered to help, but he wanted us to build a house. Building was not in our time frame and I didn't want to buy a house so looked and found that we had no good options for our price range with a dog in a safe neighborhood so we went home. I was frustrated but knew God would provide.
A little internet research and we found a place that my husband went to look at. I couldn't go because I had to work, but I trusted him. He liked the house and the neighborhood, we applied, got approved and sent in the deposit. All was settled and I felt better. Then we get an email saying they needed our lease to start November 15 rather than December 1, even though we had been clear on wanting to start on December 1st from the beginning. 15 days difference but we said no thanks and we got our deposit back. Friends note this e-mail came after we were already in our minds moving into this house. If you know me the fact I agreed to live somewhere I had no seen was amazing but nonetheless this e-mail changed everything. Later we learned it wasn't the best area for us to live in. God saved us from a poorly built house in a not so great area despite it looking pretty.
November 5th Paul and I went to find a home to live in. We were determined. We had some places written down, some appointments made and our friend Kevin agreed to help us out as he knew the area. We got in the car and he showed us around town, talked about some rentals and said he wanted to show us a house to buy. Again, I did not want to buy a house and was frustrated as no one was listening to me.
We pulled in the neighborhood and it was beautiful. The houses were nice and it wasn't super crowded as it is a newer development. We got to walk down to the house for sale, and learned it was a brand new home built for the parade of homes and now it was on the market. It had a lot of upgrades in it due to the nature of how it was built. We walked through but I wasn't buying a home.
As I looked around I noticed so many beautiful touches and details. It was as though the home was made with me in mind. The layout, the details, the kitchen, the space. It was beautiful and the price was reasonable. We talked about the benefits of buying a home and a lot of other details and Paul and I decided to walk down and look at the home one more time. I called a friend who knew a lot about real-estate from her husband and she gave us lots of good tips and things to ask. We asked and the answers were good but we were still unsure. On the ride home Paul and I talked and we decided to put in an offer. The application was filled out, the offer was accepted and a whirlwind began on November 8th. We wanted to close on the house November 25th if possible. It was never promised but we hoped. For those who do not know... that's a REALLY short time table, especially if you aren't buying the home in cash but we knew God could do it.
The bank approved our loan and the paperwork was moving and we still were unsure if we were closing on the 25th. Friday the 21st we got a call in the afternoon saying we couldn't close due to the appraiser needing to use another house for comparison and that house wasn't closed yet and so there was no way. I said okay and signed the "at or before December 1st" paper. It was sad but I trusted God had a reason and I was going to trust no matter what that He would lead us.
Personally, I was stressed about the move and for Paul and I the number 25 has been a true testament that God is involved. It's not a lucky number and we don't try and make it happen but it and butterflies seem to show up and each time they do it is always for comfort for us. God used them while we were on the path to marriage, and throughout parts of our lives. It's hard to explain but we appreciate the personal way God comforts us.
I particularly needed comfort in the whirlwind of that weekend and so I prayed. I drew circles around the 25th in prayer and asked Gods will to be done but if He could use that as a comfort for me it would be greatly appreciated. On the 24th I called and was told, we don't think it will happen we need 5 different things to happen...(insert bank and real-estate verbiage that I don't understand). Okay was all I could say and the woman on the phone told me God had a plan and it would all work out accordingly. THANK GOD that He putting Christians in all sorts of businesses. I needed to hear that from a stranger.
So we went to bed on the 24th, woke up on the 25th and I went to mass. I had thankfully been able to go to daily mass since I quit my job and it has been so amazing for my soul. We sang that morning about how God had a plan and it was comforting to me. It hit me that the date was 11-25-14. meaning the month and year together 11-14 together made 25. I counted mass as my comfort on the 25th and set up my home owners insurance and met with a friend. Got a little Christmas shopping done and then went home to clean. I called at noon and was told that they weren't sure if we could close on the 25th.
In my bathroom scrubbing the sink I just surrendered the whole thing to God saying I wouldn't call again or worry but I would just trust Him. My phone rang: "Anita get in your car and come close your new home." AHHHH!!!!!
Picked up my husband from work, drove and closed our brand new home. Sitting at the table we are told it was the builders 25th year in business. We finished the paperwork at 5:25 pm and we had no idea it was that time until I picked up my phone. We went out to dinner with Kevin and can I just say Bang Bang shrimp is probably one of my favorite things. We had never been to Bonefish Grille and this was amazing. Kevin shared it was day 25 of no alcohol and that I had encouraged him to give it up. Without even knowing it he was fasting and we were thankful.
After dinner we went to our new home, which by the way is a new build and doesn't show up on GPS. What did we do before GPS? That made for a fun adventure but a few houses on the street do show up so that makes it easy.
We had some fun in the rain outside and then taking pictures and setting up our Christmas tree...because everyone moves the Christmas tree in before anything else right? We are still figuring out how we want to celebrate the season of Advent and Christmas with our family but for now we only have lights and it might stay that way until Christmas.
We won't be moving in for another few days but I can't wait to be home.
So here's to adding another thing to 2014. We are homeowners of our very first home. Can't wait to introduce Gracie Lou, the sweetest labradoodle to her new home. She's excited to move.
<3
Anita
Sweet Lord what a Blessing. This is such an encouraging read. I hope you have fun in your new home, especially during Advent!
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