The Week (And a Half) In Review

I was gonna post a week in review earlier this week but events took a turn and my mind was on anything but my blog. You'll soon understand why.

Last week I kicked my job search into overdrive, knowing that J was no longer employed at the company he'd been working at for over 25 years. I knew that, even if he had another job getting paid more, he would want to do everything possible to cut my alimony payments. I prayed and asked others to pray with me and for me. I was especially moved by the pastor of the church we're now attending, who reached out and asked for my resume in case he knew of any openings anywhere. Tuesday I had a virtual interview with a local company. It was unlike anything I'd done in the past; there were assessment tests, but also recording myself on video answering questions on different customer service scenarios. I recorded myself as best I could and sent it in. I also applied to several other companies over the next couple of days, though I didn't hear from any of them.  

My daughter started feeling sick around the weekend. She's been working at a preschool over the summer and is scheduled to start teaching elementary art and Spanish this school year. One of the children in the preschool was clearly sick. The mom said he'd tested positive for Covid but was asymptomatic. Within days half the faculty was sick as well as several children, and my daughter tested positive. A couple of days later her husband began feeling the symptoms and also tested positive. It was breaking my heart because they both felt terrible, but she was especially affected with coughing fits and was starting to have trouble breathing.

My son-in-law works for a doctor who advised them both to get the antibody infusion. Saturday they went to the local hospital for it, and by Sunday my son-in-law was a bit better, but my daughter was not. Her oxygen levels were low. Monday morning he took her to the hospital where she was quickly admitted. My poor son-in-law called me in tears. She hadn't slept because of all the coughing, and now because he tested positive he wasn't allowed inside the hospital. I was heartbroken as well; driving down was futile because they put her in isolation so no one can be with her, and I couldn't stay with him because he's Covid positive. I waited a couple of hours while they ran tests and x-rays. The dreaded news came later that morning: she had pneumonia. 

I began texting and emailing everyone I could think of that would pray for her. Churches, bible study groups, friends, family, all my prayer warriors were put on high alert. The hospital immediately started her on antibiotics and oxygen; thankfully she didn't have to be intubated. By God's grace her fever was gone by the next day, and while she is still in the hospital receiving treatment she seems to be getting better by the day. The infectious disease doctor gave her a good prognosis. She doesn't have anymore Covid symptoms; if it weren't for the pneumonia she'd be cleared to go home. I know it'll be a long road to recovery but I'm trusting God to bring complete healing.

In the meantime, E and I went and got our first vaccine on Sunday. I know it's controversial, and I believe each person needs to individually decide if the vaccine is right for them. We got it because my daughter begged us to, and I didn't want her stressing over it. I'll say this, my arm was in pain for days. Man I hate getting shots :-(.

With all that was going on I had trouble focusing on anything else, but I got a call from the company that had done the virtual interview. They wanted to interview me in person. I went in on Wednesday and again had several assessments along with the interview. I was glad that the company is only 15 minutes from my house. The interview seemed to go well, and the interviewer told me he'd give me an answer by next Friday since there were several others he needed to interview. The very next morning I received a call with a job offer.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I'd been applying for jobs for months whenever we were living in the townhouse and I only got one interview. I knew right away they weren't interested. It was like God didn't want me to get settled there because He had other plans for me. I've now been in Central Florida for 3 months and I've landed a full-time job that's not only close to home, it's currently remote, so I won't even have to leave my house. The company will provide whatever equipment I need to do the work from home until they're ready to come back to the office. 

Even in the difficult, trying circumstances of life, God shows me that He is good. When I'm in need, He provides. When I'm hurting, He comforts and reassures. He puts people in my life that stand in the gap for me. I say as King David said, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4). I can be secure in His love because He is always faithful. If you're reading this, I hope you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don't, I hope you will reach out to Him now. He is waiting, and He is good.

A Quick Update

It's been almost a week now, but yes, we made it and we are moved in! I didn't have internet for a few days, and then it was unloading the pods and getting everything into the house while my son finished three college classes, so it's been a whirlwind of activity in our new house. I'll be updating slowly - there's still much to be done but now that my son is done with the semester and the pods are empty I can work at a slightly slower pace. 

We are so happy in our new home and neighborhood! God has been gracious to us and has provided over abundantly. Can't wait to share all the moving and decorating that's been going on!

 

Week In Review

The saying "Never a dull moment" certainly described this past week. 

Monday was a pretty good day. My back was feeling much better, and I was able to go grocery shopping and get some errands done. My daughter, who hadn't been feeling too well, stayed home from work. The previous week she'd had a stomach bug which no one else in the family caught, so it might well have been food poisoning, but now she had a stuffy nose and sinus congestion. Not unusual for this time of year; it's pollen season in Florida and allergies are running rampant. Others at her job were also sick so she wasn't entirely sure it was just allergies so she decided to stay home. She hadn't slept very well either, thanks to all the congestion. We all figured some rest would do her good.

Tuesday morning she was still all stuffed up and still hadn't slept more than a couple of hours. She decided a trip to the minute clinic was in order; Mucinex didn't seem to be enough. Since she works at a school she also went to get tested for Covid just to be safe. The week before, with the stomach bug, she'd gotten tested twice and both times tested negative. The doctor at the minute clinic told her she had a lot of fluid in her ears and nasal passages, common with bad allergies. He prescribed Zyrtec along with the Mucinex and a round of antibiotics to kill any bacteria that could cause infection. Then she got both the rapid and PCR tests for Covid and came home. About an hour later she got the rapid test result: Positive. Can y'all say panic?! I hate to admit it, but my first thought was, "I'm closing in 10 days, we can't get Covid!" I know I should have been worried for her first, but the truth is she didn't have fever, loss of taste, breathing issues (other than her nose was stuffed up), all her symptoms indicated a simple head cold, not a pandemic virus. The only reason she got tested was because she works at a school. If she'd worked anywhere else she wouldn't have bothered because she'd tested negative twice just a few days earlier. 

Within a couple of hours she got a call from the health department to take down her information. Since she'd also gotten the PCR test which, according to the CDC, is a more accurate test, she asked if it was possible for the PCR to come back negative. "No", she was told, "you can get a false negative but not a false positive. If you got a positive result it's because there's something there and the test detected it." So the quarantining began. We all stayed far from each other, she stayed in her bedroom with a mask, and the three of us went to get tested. All our tests came back negative, praise the Lord. She called her boss, while I emailed my realtor. We prepared for whatever might come.

Wednesday I went back to our old neighborhood - not the one we just moved out of, the previous one. My son has his favorite barber there, and I wanted to go see some friends and the new sanctuary that our church recently inaugurated. I had coffee with my best friend and realtor, then went by our old house to see our neighbor and catch up. It was such a nice day, but the Covid thing was always on the back of my mind. I was praying that my daughter's next test would come back negative even though she'd been told it was unlikely. I also prayed that neither my son E nor I would catch it.

Thursday morning I awoke to glorious news: her PCR test did in fact come back negative. Praise Jesus! I was over the moon thrilled! She was more confused than anything. She called the health department and asked how it was possible that she'd gotten a positive rapid result but a negative PCR. They told her the PCR was the more accurate test, so if it came back negative then the first test was a false positive. She argued that she'd been told she couldn't get a false positive, but this person told her that information was incorrect. Then she spoke to a doctor who said she should get tested again because one of the tests was wrong and the PCR might be the false negative. Honestly, I don't think anyone really knows what's right and what's wrong. By Thursday she was feeling 95% back to normal thanks to the meds the minute clinic doctor had given her. I'm still of the opinion it wasn't Covid; it was a head cold or really bad allergies, and either way it's gone. She's back to her old self, none of us has gotten anything, and we are just thankful that God spared us. Can we still catch the virus? Of course. But I don't dwell on that. We are happy and healthy and for that I'm grateful.

The next few days were project days. I wanted to help my son-in-law out with some to-do's before I left. Thursday and Friday we worked on the laundry room refresh that I posted about last week. Then Sunday I helped him put up window blinds in the dining room. They'd had some old vertical blinds that had yellowed with age and didn't look good at all. The new bright white blinds not only look better, they make the whole room look bigger and brighter. I'm so happy I could do this for them. They've been so good to us, it was the least I could do.

This week is the big week. Lord willing, we close on our house on Friday. I have a virtual walk-thru scheduled for 9:00 am. Since I won't have a mortgage, I can sign all the documents online and send them in via email. Within an hour I can be done and on my way to our new house. My, how times have changed! It's so much easier now to do things, what with the internet and all. I'm not gonna lie, I'm excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time. Excited to be moving in to a new house; nervous because I'm a planner and I keep going over everything, trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row; and sad because I know how much I'm gonna miss my daughter and it hurts my heart that she won't be a 3 minute drive away. This move is bittersweet for that reason, but I know God has a plan and a purpose for everything, and that He works all things together for good for those who love Him. I'm resting in that knowledge and praising him along the way. 

The Week In Review

I usually do my weekly reviews on Sundays, but I'm sorta stuck at home today. I figured out the pain in my lower back, which radiates down my leg, is actually sciatica. I've had this before, whenever I was pregnant but after that as well. It's always gone away on its own so I'm not overly concerned. I just have to take it easy so the swelling of the muscles goes down and I can go back to normal. And it's really important that I get my mobility and strength back, because my realtor emailed me some good news this week. 

The reason we haven't moved into our house is because the sellers are building a new home, and they can't move into their home until it's completed. They requested extra time, and we agreed to give them until April 23rd. The problem is that new builds aren't predictable. Weather, materials, inspections, anything can cause a delay. They were told their house would be ready by the second or third week of April, but what if there were glitches? The sellers are trying to save money so going to a hotel with three kids, two dogs and a cat would be very expensive. We agreed that if they stayed in the house longer than the 23rd they would have to pay $100 per day, but we've already been in my daughter's house for a month, plus we've been sleeping here since late January. There's also the rental charges on the Pod containers to take into consideration. I was hoping and praying that they would be out of the house on time so we wouldn't have to wait any longer.

My realtor is so amazing. She has been in contact with the seller's agent on a weekly basis and keeping me in the loop. This week she emailed me a copy of a text she received from the seller's agent, saying that the sellers are on schedule to be out of the house a couple of days prior to closing, and they'd have the house and floors professionally cleaned before then as well! Thank You Jesus!! If all goes well (and I realize something can always come up) we will be able to close and move in on the 23rd, which is now less than two weeks away! Y'all, I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again, LOL! Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to my daughter and son-in-law for taking us in, and thankful to God that He has provided for us. But I'm ready to start the next chapter of our lives in our new house, in our new city, getting to know the new area and seeing what God has in store.

So even though my week has been spent resting and not doing much of anything, I feel it has been productive. I've made a meal plan for the first couple of weeks in the new house, along with a shopping list. The refrigerator is scheduled to be delivered the day after we move in; once it's in we can buy groceries and stock the house with food. I also have a list of things I want to buy prior to the move. The nearest Costco is almost an hour away from our new house, so I won't be going there as often as I do now. There are certain items that I always get at Costco because they've got the best prices: facial tissues, toilet paper, allergy medicine, and a few other items. I've got two moving checklists going, one of things that have to be taken care of before the move, and one for immediately after. Next week I'll be setting up utilities so that nothing gets cut off whenever we move in. After that there's updating all my accounts with the new address. I'm a list lover so being able to sit down and get that organized and done gives me peace of mind.

I've had mixed emotions this past month. It still saddens me that I moved out of my townhouse, not because I didn't like it there, but because I was driven out by a stalker. I don't wish that on anyone. At the same time, I'm excited about the move, the new house, decorating, all that fun stuff. It's change, it's learning to accept change, and looking at it with the right perspective. 

Oh, The Goodness of God

Nothing in this life is perfect. Whenever you buy a house, there are concessions to be made. The house I'm purchasing has many of the things my son and I were looking for. It's got 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large living area that is open to the kitchen, the dining room is right off the kitchen and is more like a breakfast room than a formal dining room (which we prefer), there's a two car garage and lots of space between houses. I could see us enjoying this space that's neither too big nor too small. 

There were a couple of things that we had to consider, though. The current owners of the house stipulated in the listing that they intended to keep their refrigerator, along with their washer and dryer. The sellers are building a new home. They're a family of five with three little ones (one recently adopted), two very large Great Danes and a kitty cat. This house is too small for them now, so they need a bigger space, and they are understandably trying to save money wherever they can. But so am I. Purchasing a new refrigerator, washer, and dryer (plus other items that I will need) is a huge expense, so I offered a lower price than what they were asking, and they agreed. Wonderful! Except now I was gonna have to buy appliances in a market where there's lots of items on backorder due to the pandemic. I didn't want to wait to put my order in for these items; the refrigerator is especially important, since I need to store food as soon as we move in. So, I began scanning stores for deals.

I decided to check out Lowes and Home Depot. Both stores have good selections, good prices, and are near the new house as well as my current digs. I went online and compared what they offered, and it seemed like Home Depot had slightly better prices. Add to that the fact that Home Depot is closer to my daughter's house, and I was ready to place my order.

I went to the store to take a look at the appliances in person. It's one thing to see pictures on the internet; I prefer to take a good look inside and out as well as open and close doors and drawers myself. In speaking to the associate, I was told I could place an order for delivery in a month or more, but they couldn't take an order for delivery so far away. I would have to do it online. That seems odd to me; why is it I can place an order online with Home Depot to deliver to an address in Central Florida but the store can't? He said my only other option was to place my order at a store near my new home, but I didn't want to wait till I moved to get that done, so I told him I'd place the order online whenever I got home.

Before doing so, I thought I should check Lowe's again so I could verify that Home Depot had the better deal. Armed with brand names and model numbers, I looked up pricing, delivery options, and stock. I found one of the refrigerators I'd seen at Home Depot on the Lowe's website for $100 less; that was a pleasant surprise. The washer and dryer were each $1 cheaper on Home Depot's website; not too impressive. And then I saw it. How it had escaped me before I don't even know. It was right there, in plain sight.

Lowe's is offering a Buy More, Save More discount on their website (it's also available in stores) for certain appliances. These include all the appliances I needed to order. The more you buy, the higher the savings, up to $500! To verify, I went ahead and made an order on Home Depot's website as well as Lowe's website. Sure enough, by ordering from Lowe's I would save at least $500. Not only that, but I could order from Lowe's through Rakuten (formerly Ebates) and get 1% cash back - not a ton of money but every little bit helps. Home Depot didn't offer any discounts. At all. 

With tax and accessories, my Lowe's order came to $2,345.50. The same order from Home Depot was $2,800 before taxes and accessories. Y'all, that is a big difference! I believe God spared me of that. I was at Home Depot ready to place my order. I wouldn't have gone back to check pricing again once my order was placed. I only did it because I was gonna have to order online anyway. I know some people will think it's just a coincidence, maybe a lucky break, but I believe God intervened so that I wouldn't be able to place my order in the store. 

Whenever you place your life and your future in God's hands, He shows up in miraculous ways. It may seem insignificant to some people; after all, it's $500. Big deal. But to me it is a big deal. It reminds me that He is there for me, taking care of even the smallest details. I can trust Him with everything because in everything, He is faithful.

While I'm Waiting

I named my blog Accepting Change for a reason. I don't like change. There's something about things staying the same, in the familiar, even when those things aren't the best. There's a saying in Spanish, Mejor es malo conocido que bueno por conocer. Translation: Better an evil I know than something good I don't. I grew up with this mentality and it's been a difficult one to break. I guess that's why God brings me to these places of change. It teaches me to trust the unknown to Him.

I'm not gonna lie, there have been some sad moments, some anxious moments, some boring moments... Sadness because I was so excited whenever we first moved into our little coach house, happy as we started to get acclimated to our new environment, overjoyed at being in such a nice place and so close to my daughter, only to have everything fall to pieces through no fault of my own. I read the nine page police report the officer gave me a week before we moved out. It was then I realized my neighbor had called the police on me within a few days of us moving in. My son-in-law's parents had a media cabinet of mine that hadn't fit into the Pod container, and they were dropping it off. Unbeknownst to us, they parked the neighbor's driveway. Rather than knock on our door and ask that we move the car, he called the police! I could not believe it. The police never came because my son-in-law noticed where his parents had parked and he told them to move the car right away. He noticed the man on the phone but nothing was said. From that moment this neighbor decided he didn't like me, and his dislike turned to hate. All because of a meaningless mistake.

I didn't think about anxiety whenever I left my house. I figured, once I'm gone everything will go back to normal. Then I heard my daughter's neighbors. My daughter and son-in-law live in a villa that is attached to another villa on one side. Normally it's very quiet; the folks next door leave for work and there isn't a sound from them the entire day. Even at night they're fairly quiet, but I can hear the television set in the room adjacent to mine. A few nights ago they were in the bedroom watching a TV show that was obviously very funny because I could hear laughter. It was after 10:00 pm and I was in bed. Truth be told, it wasn't that loud. Under normal circumstances I could have easily fallen asleep. Instead, I was wide awake till after midnight because every sound seemed louder than it actually was. It was clear to me that the damage done by my neighbor's harassment is still fresh in my mind. 

Then there's the boredom aspect. This is my daughter's house. She's in charge. I hate sitting around and not doing anything, so I started cleaning up for her. She was not too happy. I think she took my helping as criticism of her cleaning abilities. That, of course, was never my intention. She takes very good care of her home, and my only desire was to give her a hand to show my gratitude for them taking us in. My son-in-law, bless his heart, loves that I clean up so he doesn't have to, LOL. But my daughter made it clear that she wanted me to stop. I cried at the thought that I'm becoming a burden to my kids. My daughter came over the next day and said she understood that I'm bored, so she set some parameters. It allows me to help but only in certain areas. It's better than nothing. This week my daughter and son-in-law are at Disney, since it's spring break. I get to stay home with my grand-dog taking care of him and the house. I dream of all the things I want to do in my new home, knowing it will be at least a month before we're there. 

What do I do in the meantime? I pray for those around me. I pray for my kids, my friends, the sellers of what will be my new home, the buyer of my previous home, even my neighbor. I make lists (because I love lists) and I make sure I've taken care of all the little details of moving, like canceling services I'm not using. The sellers are taking their refrigerator and their washer and dryer, so I've been looking at new appliances. I'll more than likely have to purchase them before I move, since a lot of items are on backorder. I will also need a garage door opener because they never put one in. Then there's the outdoor stuff that I got rid of whenever I moved out of my house: lawn mower, weed eater, pressure washer, those sorts of things. I'm also considering whether or not I'm going to paint. The walls throughout the entire house are gray. My son loves it; I'm not a fan. Not that there's anything wrong with gray, but I like warm colors. All my furniture and decor looks best in creamy whites and beiges, not grays. I'll see how everything looks once it's in the house, then I'll decide. I've painted many times before, so it's not something I shy away from. On the contrary, I love me a project - it keeps me busy, and I need the exercise!

Last Thursday I noticed schools were letting out early. Whenever I looked at the school calendar, I saw that spring break was starting the next day. That was just five days after I closed on the sale of my home. I realized that God had planned it so I would be gone before spring break started, and I praised Him because I knew if I'd been in the house while school was out, the neighbor would be hounding me daily. It made the waiting a whole lot easier. 

Waiting is hard, y'all. I can sit here and dwell on the waiting, or I can find peace in being thankful. I choose gratitude.

It's Never Easy...

Last Friday we received the news that we were clear to close. My realtor scheduled us to go to the title company right after the walk-thru Monday morning at 9:00. It seemed like everything was moving along like clockwork. Until the clock hit a glitch.

Originally the buyer had offered $5,000 above asking price. I thought that was odd, since there were no other offers on the table. Then I realized it was a technique he used to insure that I would accept his offer and no one else's. Once the inspection came in, he used it to drop the price down by $7,500. Since the new price was what I had anticipated the house to sell for, I accepted with the understanding that this would be the final sale price regardless of what the appraisal came in at. He accepted as well. The appraisal came in $5,000 below asking price, and the buyer agreed to bring $2,500 to closing. Well, sort of...

I think his realtor wanted to make sure she got commission for the original price her client had offered. To do this, she wrote up the new offer as his full offer with a seller credit of $7,500. My realtor told her this probably wouldn't be accepted by the lender, since it was $10,000 above the appraisal price, but his realtor insisted it had been done this way before successfully. Still, my realtor asked his realtor to verify with the lender so it wouldn't delay any paperwork. She finally agreed to, and found out my realtor was right. The lender would not accept this higher price as the selling price, credit or no credit. Another addendum was added to the contract where the buyer and I signed off on the final sales price and his realtor sent this in to the lender. Now everything was correct. Or was it?

I'm so thankful for my realtor. She received the settlement statement and went through it with a fine tooth comb. It didn't take long for her to find two mistakes: a charge from the HOA that should not have been there, and a credit for $7,500 that was never removed. She tried calling the buyer's agent but it was two hours before she finally got a hold of her. By then it was late in the afternoon and there wasn't a whole lot that could be done.

I didn't find out about this till Sunday afternoon. My realtor texted me to let me know there was a delay because, according to the buyer's realtor, "something happened with the loan." There needed to be revisions done, and she didn't know how long it would take, but we could still go ahead with the walk through on Monday morning. I was more than a little upset because I knew my realtor had told her from the start that what she was doing wouldn't work. 

Monday morning I was up bright and early, despite Daylight Savings Time. I couldn't sleep is more like it. I woke up before 6:00 am. I met the buyer and his realtor at my house at 9:00 and the walk through took less than 30 minutes. They looked around and saw that I'd left everything clean, which they were very thankful for, but other than the air conditioner and the hurricane shutters, they didn't really check anything else. I turned over the keys to his realtor, showed him where the mailbox is, and we left. At this point we still didn't know when the closing would take place.

Thankfully my realtor is on top of things. She emailed the title company trying to get an update. I guess she lit a fire under them because not long after she got the new settlement statement. She forwarded it to me so we could go over it, and what did I find? Two errors. They were charging me a ridiculous amount of money for some letters from the HOA, and they were also charging me March dues that had already been paid. This time I emailed the title company asking for an explanation. Within two minutes I got an email with a corrected statement. Y'all, if we hadn't checked this, I would have been out $555 that would have gone in the title company's pocket! It reinforced what I've always been taught, read everything carefully before signing anything! 

Once we'd looked everything over and agreed that it was correct, we scheduled my signing for 3:00 pm. As the seller, my paperwork is much less and quicker to sign. I got to the title company and the buyer was there, already getting his documents signed. I went in, and was out in about half an hour. The buyer was still there and probably had another 30-60 minutes left before he was done. But finally, all the papers were signed, and my house has a new owner. Hallelujah! I'm so thankful to God for getting me out of that painful and stressful situation. It's like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders.

I have to admit, it's bittersweet. I really did like that house a lot. I like the floor plan, I loved how I decorated it, I enjoyed the neighborhood and the location...it was just one person that made it impossible to live there any longer. My prayer now is twofold. I pray the neighbor receives the help he needs. He is clearly disturbed mentally and needs attention, for his sake and for the sake of those around him. My second prayer is that he doesn't cause anymore trouble for the neighbors, especially the gentleman who just bought my home. I believe he will leave the new owner alone because he's a bully but he's also a coward (as one officer told me), but that doesn't mean he won't harass someone else. 

And now, I wait. I won't close on my new home until mid to late April. God is teaching me patience in this season, and I'm willing to learn. 

Another Update - We Are Clear To Close!

We're one step closer to the home sale finish line! It has been a crazy busy week, but God has gone above and beyond everything I could have even imagined. He is so good, y'all!

On Wednesday we finished loading the first Pod container. Whenever they called to let me know they'd be picking it up the next day, I asked about the second Pod. The woman looked it up, then said, "You ordered an 8' Pod, but we don't have any available. We'll have to give you a 16' Pod and charge you for the 8' one instead." I was floored. I had ordered an 8' Pod because a 16' was more expensive and I wanted to save some money. To do this, I had planned to sell a few furniture pieces that wouldn't have fit in the smaller container. I listed three items on OfferUp: my futon, a nightstand, and a media cabinet. None of them sold. I got offers, but even after I accepted them no one showed up. I was then going to donate them to the church. I asked for someone to contact me; no one did. So whenever the Pod company said they were giving me a larger container for the price of a smaller one, I knew I'd be able to take everything with me and still have room to spare. My realtor was so happy for me! She kept telling me not to get rid of anything, to figure out a way to take it so I wouldn't have to buy anything whenever we got to the new house. Now it was possible! 

Thursday we got the second container, and my son and I got to work. We loaded everything we could on our own, leaving only four larger pieces of heavy furniture: his desk (which is a corner desk so it comes in two pieces), my chest of drawers and the media cabinet. I called several people to see who could help us get the last items into the Pod but I couldn't find anyone. Meanwhile the buyer was at my house with an interior designer/contractor. He has plans to remove the wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room. It was something I would have done if I'd remodeled the place, but I imagine the previous owner didn't have the money to do a major remodel so she just changed out the cabinets and put in new appliances. This gentleman is going all out, and I'm sure the unit will look beautiful once he's done. It meant one thing for me: I didn't have to do a deep cleaning of the empty house, since construction will begin right after closing and before he even moves in. Less work for me!

Friday I went to vacuum, spot mop and do some light cleaning. The balcony was still being worked on and I'm so thankful. We all agree the balcony looked 100 times better with the tiles but there's nothing we can do. The buyer is very understanding. I texted the young man who'd helped us load the first container and asked if he was available to help with just these four pieces. E and I would do the rest. It was a last ditch effort, otherwise my son-in-law said he would help, but he wasn't feeling well. He'd eaten something that hadn't agreed with him and he spent the night tossing his cookies. Thankfully our church volunteer said he could come by just to help carry the items down but then he'd have to leave for an appointment. I was so extremely grateful! I told him if he helped carry everything down we'd take care of the rest. 

It was all completed in about half an hour. The house is empty, the Pod is filled, and that afternoon my realtor called to tell me we are clear to close Monday morning! Hallelujah, thank You Jesus! Yes it's been a lot of work, yes my body is still sore from all the moving and cleaning, but my heart is happy knowing my God has been beside me the whole time, and He's still with me now. Praise Him through Whom all blessings flow!

Update - Praising God

In Luke 17 we read about the 10 lepers who asked Jesus for healing. Jesus didn't appear to do anything; He simply told them to go present themselves to the priest. All 10 went to the priest in faith, and all 10 were healed because of their faith. But only one of the men came back to give thanks and praise God for his healing. This disappointed Jesus, because gratitude is so important to God. We should be thankful for His blessings. In that spirit, I want to give praise to God for the past few days and for how He has blessed me over and over. 

The Pod container was delivered on Monday morning, and my son E and I got to work loading it with boxes. Here in South Florida the weather had been hot and humid for days, but Monday was cooler, breezy and pleasant. I think the high for the day was in the low 70's. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, keeping us protected while we worked. I was so thankful that God gave us such a pretty day so we wouldn't be overtired. 

The next day a volunteer from the church came to help us move the bigger pieces of furniture. He wasn't just any volunteer either; this guy is a weight training coach. He is one strong dude! He literally lifted the sides of our sectional over his head and carried them downstairs and into the container. Let me just say, those things are super heavy! We had that container loaded to the brim in less than three hours! Not only was he a hard worker, but his attitude was so encouraging. Here we had a young guy lifting furniture, loading a truck, and smiling the whole time. I thanked him multiple times, and all he would say was, "I'm happy to serve." I had several offers to come the next day to help some more, but it wasn't even needed. The container was full!

(And the garage was empty, LOL!)

I got the results of both the home inspection and termite inspection for the new house on Tuesday. Both were good reports! No termites or evidence of termites, and the items marked by the inspector were minor. Of course it's a newer house so that helps, but just because it's a newer house doesn't mean it won't have problems. It's true there's no perfect house, but I thank God there's nothing major that can't be easily fixed.

I put a few items up for sale on OfferUp, specifically the couch/futon, a nightstand and a media cabinet. I'd ordered two Pods because I knew we wouldn't be able to fit everything into one. I chose one large and one small because they are pricey to rent and I'm gonna have to keep them in storage for longer than I'd anticipated. Today when the company called to confirm pick up of the loaded container, I asked when they'd deliver the second one, since it's supposed to come in the same day. The lady checked, then said, "Oh, you ordered an 8' container, but we don't have any available. We're gonna have to give you a 16' container and charge you for an 8 foot." I couldn't believe it! None of the items I'd posted on OfferUp got sold, and I didn't know what I'd do with them. Now they'll all fit in the container with room to spare! I don't believe in coincidence. This has to be a God thing.

The only thing that was concerning me this week was the work on the balcony. They'd taken the tiles off but hadn't done anything else, and the balcony looked rough. I emailed asking when the work would be done, but all I got was "soon." Even my realtor emailed and said the buyer didn't want to close on the house until the work was done. I prayed that God would take care of this. Sure enough, today they were grinding the patio smooth! I don't know how far they got, since I only stopped by for a moment to pick up a few things and left, but I'm hoping the work is complete, since tomorrow the buyer is coming to do the walk thru.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day. The first container will be picked up between 7:30 and 8:00 am. Then the walk thru is at 11:00 am. Meanwhile we have to get as much of the remaining furniture into the garage so we can load it up and be done with that. Then I have to give the place a good cleaning, since I don't like turning over the house with it being a filthy mess. Each day we are one step closer, and each day I praise God for walking me through this difficult season. God is so good y'all! I will shout it from the rooftops, 

Our God is Greater,

Our God is Stronger,

God You are Higher than any other,

Our God is healer,

Awesome in Power Our God, Our God!

The Week In Review

 Every time I've moved I've said the same thing: this is the last time I'm gonna do this. I hate packing, I hate the mess, I hate the work, and I don't want to do it again. Famous last words.

Guess what I've been doing all this week? That's right, packing. My house is filled with boxes. It's the kind of chaos that feels overwhelming and gives me anxiety. At the same time, I'm filled with hope for what God has in store for us in Central Florida, and that's what keeps me going even though I'm exhausted.

This is what you see whenever you first come up the stairs to my house. I took down all the decor from the walls except for the large clock, so I can see the time. I emptied out the bookshelf, then put some of the boxes in the cubbies for two reasons; 1 - to get them off the floor and out of the living room, and 2 - to see how well they fit. My plan is to fill the spaces with boxes once it's in the Pod container, so we can use every bit of space that we can. There's a lot of boxes and furniture to load, and we have to use the space to our best advantage.

Since I moved those boxes the living room doesn't look near as bad. I could barely get in and out of the living room thanks to all the boxes on the floor. This gives me a better idea of how it'll fit into the Pod.

Boxes in walkways, boxes on counters...

Boxes and bags and rolled up rugs in the dining room. The dining room table is leaning up against the mirrored wall, legs removed so it takes up less space as well. The bags are filled with throw blankets and pillows. I like using throw pillows to decorate, since it's an easy way to change up a look. I didn't realize how many I'd accumulated till I started packing them up. And here I thought I didn't have more than a few. 

I actually have two Pod containers coming, a large one and a small one. The small one will be the last to be loaded and the first to be unloaded. It'll contain all of our essentials: the beds, bedroom furniture, bathroom and kitchen necessities, things we need right away. I'm keeping these items in the master bedroom so they don't get loaded onto the first Pod.

The kitchen cabinets have been emptied out, and on top of the counters I've just got the toaster oven and some cleaning supplies. The cookie sheet is old and will not be making the trip. The pantry has some food items but those will be going to my daughter's house.

I've confirmed the first Pod for tomorrow, when we will start loading boxes from the garage and inside the house. Then Tuesday we'll have church volunteers helping us load the heavy furniture. I can't begin to express what a blessing it is to have this kind of help. My son E and I could never get this done on our own. 

The tiles came off the balcony. I was sorry to see them go, especially when the workmen confirmed what I already knew: the tiles were not the cause of the leaks in the neighbor's unit. It was a structural issue. I could tell just from the look of the slab whenever they removed the tiles. No cracks, no water damage, nothing to indicate any seepage of water anywhere.

Now the workers have to come back to smooth out the concrete so it doesn't look like this. I've emailed the management letting them know they have this week to get the work done before we close on the sale of my home.

My neighbor was in an uproar whenever he saw the men working on my balcony. He made all kinds of noises all weekend long, then stayed home from work on Monday just so he could slam doors, bang on the walls, throw things, play loud music and television, and make a general nuisance of himself. I emailed the management to let them know what was going on so they could tell him the work was being done for his benefit, not mine. He calmed down a little after that, but the noise hasn't stopped entirely. It's affecting my health in a negative way. I feel my anxiety rise whenever he starts with his ruckus. Add to that my allergies and asthma, and I can't wait to get out of here.

I have to remind myself constantly that, no matter how bad my circumstances seem, I have a lot to be thankful for. I was able to sell my home in just two days. I have my daughter who has opened her home to us so we don't have to pay for a hotel or a short term rental. We have food, clothing, and help from our church family. God has provided just as He always has. He is so good! It reminds me that I have nothing to fear because my God goes before me. He has a plan and a purpose for all this, and will use it for His glory. 

The Week In Review

I know I always say this, but this week really was a whirlwind. From day one it has been non-stop, and I won't lie, anxiety starts to creep in whenever I feel overwhelmed. Thankfully, God is with me every step of the way, calming my heart as He guides me and answers my prayers.

Let's start with last Sunday, February 21. We set out for Orlando because it was close to both my son and daughter-in-law, and not too far from where we were going to look at houses. We left home at 1:00 pm and arrived at our hotel at around 4:30 pm. We were pretty tired at that point, since we'd gotten up early and driven straight up, so we just stayed in the hotel. I'd made pizza for lunch and brought whatever was left over so we had that for dinner, then went to bed early because we were going to see the first house at 9:30 am. At around 4:00 am my Ring doorbell app went off. As I suspected, my neighbor had called in a noise complaint. This is the third time he calls the police complaining about noise whenever there's no one in the house, and I've figured out why he does it. We haven't slept in our house since January 26. We come to the house during the day, then leave around 10:00 pm and sleep at my daughter's house. He can hear the garage door open and close because my garage is attached to and directly in front of his unit. Whenever he doesn't hear the garage door open and close, he assumes it's because I'm still at home, so to annoy me he calls in a false report to the police. Little does he know that I turn around and call the police, letting them know that no one is home. Rather than hurting me, he ends up hurting himself because it cements the fact that he's lying just to be spiteful. I let the police know that we wouldn't be home till Wednesday so they could keep an eye out.

We were out bright and early Monday morning since my daughter-in-law was joining us for the day. I was so happy she agreed to come; we had some fun and good bonding moments. Day one we were in Lake County, a beautiful area of Central Florida where the town of Mount Dora is located. Most of the state of Florida is flatland, but Mount Dora is famous for having lots of hills (the Mount in the name is a bit of an exaggeration, LOL). I could just drive through there everyday to see all the natural beauty. We saw five homes, but the first one was the one that stole my heart. It was perfectly situated, not too big but not small, on a nice piece of land with a firepit in the back, very well maintained and nicely decorated. After seeing all the houses I decided to act fast and put an offer on this house. Sadly, I wasn't fast enough. The owner, who was also the realtor, really wanted to accept my offer, but she'd already countered an early offer and they accepted. I was so heartbroken! But then I remembered that God is the one choosing my house, not me. If this wasn't the one for us, I'd wait until He pointed me in the right direction.

And He did just that. The next day we were in Volusia County and we saw six different houses. Some were definite no's, some were maybe's, but one stood out from the crowd. Both my son E and my daughter-in-law raved over and over about the house, and while I still liked the one we lost more, I had to admit this house was not only super cute but fit our needs entirely. It was built in 2014 so it's very new, yet the neighborhood is established. That was something I had to consider whenever we looked at new construction; brand new homes have all the bells and whistles, but you can't find out anything about the neighborhood, and after my experience here I don't want to take any chances. This house is about 1500 square feet, slightly smaller than where we live now but laid out so well that the rooms are actually bigger. There's no formal dining or living room which is fine with me; we had both in our old house and they rarely got used. With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two car garage with plenty of storage, and a quarter of an acre of land (to keep the neighbors close but not too close), it was all we needed and then some. The only issue I had was the smell. The owners have two very large Great Danes plus a cat, and the house smells of animals. Like, kitty litter. Whenever I mentioned it to my realtor, she said we could ask them to do a professional cleaning of the house, especially the floors since they're all tile and the grout looked pretty dirty. I decided to go ahead with an offer and see if they'd accept my terms. 

There was one bigger issue, though. The owners of this house are having a house built. They have 3 small children along with all the pets, and they are bursting at the seams. Their new house is set to be completed by the second or third week of April. This would mean us staying with my daughter for over a month. So we negotiated terms and dates. I gave them two options: we could drop the price by $1,000 and they would have to be out of the house no later than April 23, or we could close on the 23rd and then do a lease back whereas they pay me $100/day for every day they stay in the house after the 23rd, and they have to be out no later than May 1. They decided to go with both. The price was dropped, they agreed to pay if they have to stay, and Thursday afternoon the contract was signed. Y'all, we are buying a house in Central Florida that is actually cheaper than what I paid for the condo where I'm living now! This is definitely God working His miracles as only He can! I'm so thankful for His provision!

We came back home Wednesday afternoon, and we've been packing ever since. The church graciously provided over 20 boxes for us to use which was an immense blessing.

These have already been filled up and I still need more, so I ordered some off of Amazon. So far I've boxed up all my home decor so the house looks bare. Next I'll be packing up the kitchen and bathrooms. Then next week the pods arrive. I've asked for help from the church to load up the pods as well. This church has some of the most generous and giving people on the planet, and I'm so thankful for each and every one of them. 

The tile removal began on Friday. After letting the association know that my lawyer would be only to happy to sue, the board voted to pay for the removal. That was a huge relief; I didn't want the tiles taken out, so of course I didn't want to pay to have it done. I was sure any damage to the man downstairs was not because of my tiles but they were insistent. So the tiles are gone, and over half of the grout and mortar is gone too. This is what it looks like.

Absolutely nowhere is there any sign of water damage, cracks, or anywhere that water could have leaked to the unit downstairs. I'm positive that any water coming into his house is from his kitchen bay window and not my balcony or my tiles, but there's nothing I can do at this point. The tiles are gone. They'll be coming back to finish the work this week and I'll be one step closer to leaving.

Having to do all this moving work is stressful, not to mention tiring. It's also bittersweet; I really do like this house, the community, the city...it's just the one neighbor that has ruined it so bad that I can't stay here anymore. But I know that God has a plan, and this was just a stepping stone on my way to wherever it is that He's prepared for me (Jeremiah 29:11). The countdown has begun!

House Update

Good morning y'all! So much has been going on I didn't realize I hadn't posted any of it. Let me try and backtrack so I can remember everything from the past couple of weeks.

Inspection was done quickly. Contract was signed on Friday January 29 and the inspection was the following Tuesday. The inspector took about two hours. The report was ready by Friday, and most of the things on the report were minor. The only troubling issue was the possibility of mold. Now, it's not uncommon to find some amounts of mold in older homes here in Florida, due to the heat and humidity. But it still made me weary. My realtor had already explained to me that, more than likely, the appraisal wouldn't be coming in at the higher price the buyer offered. He'd offered a higher price to secure that no one else would get the house, then he would find ways to negotiate it down. We both felt that's what he was doing with now. 

He ordered a mold inspection report, stating that his mother had mold in her house and it had turned into a major problem that he wanted to avoid. This inspection was done on Tuesday February 9. We got the results yesterday. Yes, there's small amounts of mold, but not black mold which would be a real problem. He said he also found some water damage though no current leaks. So it wasn't the best news, but it wasn't the worst either.

At the same time this was going on, I was going back and forth with the association. There are tiles on my balcony that, according to the association, are not allowed and are causing leaks in the unit downstairs, where my harassing neighbor lives. They want me to have them removed at my expense. I told them if they need to remove them they can but at their own expense. I've read and reviewed the bylaws and nowhere does it state that tiles are not allowed on balconies. Whenever I bought my home the tiles were already there; the previous owner put them in. It got pretty ugly on Monday when the association emailed me stating that would I please let them take out the tiles, so as to appease the neighbor. I was so angry I could scream! They have ignored my complaints but now want me to have work done to "appease" my abuser?! I felt disrespected and insulted, and I let them know it. Then they told me if I didn't do it the new buyer would have to. Now I also felt threatened and let them know that too!

I spoke to my realtor about it, and she said she would handle it. We agreed to offer the buyer a credit towards doing whatever he wanted to do on the balcony in the future, but that the tiles would have to come out to do repairs in the neighbor's home. This was the day before the mold report came in. So the buyer, using this to his advantage, asked for a pretty big price reduction, that at first had me sick to my stomach. But as I sat down and looked at the numbers, I realized that his new offer was within the parameters that we'd hoped to sell the home for anyway. It's probably what the house will appraise for, so I'm not out any money. My realtor and I agreed that we would accept his counter-offer on the condition that this price would hold firm regardless of what the appraisal comes in at. In other words, if the appraisal comes in $1000 less than his offer, he can't ask for a price adjustment, and likewise if it come in higher I can't ask for more money. I feel like this is fair and I'm hoping he will accept.

If you read my last post you know about the stalking and harassment I've been enduring from my neighbor. Just yesterday I spoke to the officer in charge of my case. I was happy to hear that the neighbor had indeed been served the noise violation though, as I told him, the noise hasn't fully stopped. It's not as loud or as frequent but he still plays his music and tv loud enough for me to hear. The only difference is that I'm not always there to hear it. I told him that since the day of the last episode I no longer sleep in my home. He sounded sad to hear it but I also told him my home is under contract and I plan to leave the area. He wanted to know if he should close the case but I said no. Until everything is complete I want to keep open the option to file charges against him; if for any reason my home doesn't sell, I don't want to continue sleeping in my daughter's house. I hope it doesn't come to that but if it's necessary I will do whatever I have to in order to keep myself and my son safe.

We haven't gone to Central Florida yet. My son E is finishing up an economics class this coming week, and if the buyer accepts our terms on the house sale then God willing we will be heading up next weekend. This weekend we're staying at my daughter's house. She and her husband are spending the long weekend at Disney World and we get to dog sit for her in her house. It's like our own little vacation!  The appraisal is scheduled for Wednesday morning; once that's done, I can begin packing in earnest. I've already reserved the pod containers so I have to be ready when the day comes, which will be in less than a month. 

All this has caused lots of anxiety. Between the harassment, stalking, selling, prepping, inspections...it all takes a toll. I've lost 15 pounds in the last 6 months without even trying. I'm praying that the Lord would give me peace help me to stay strong. I know He is in control and that I'm not alone in this. I will trust in my God, for He holds the future in His hands.

 

The Week In Review

It's February 1st and I'm still trying to recuperate from last week. Hold on tight. It's a doozy.

Monday January 25 my realtor came over and took pictures of the house. We had a nice visit; she hadn't been back to the house in a year. I became a bit sad as she was complimenting everything I'd done to the house. I've decorated and made my house a cozy home and it seemed unfair that I should have to leave it through no fault of my own. I actually started to question if this was the right decision.

Tuesday morning my neighbor got up at 6:00 am and turned on the news. It wasn't extremely loud, just loud enough that I knew it was on. Suddenly, at 7:04 am, he turned the volume up full blast. I could hear CBS News blasting in my bedroom, hallway, kitchen, all the way into my living room. Then I heard his garage door. I was livid. I immediately called the police and reported what was going on. I got dressed quickly, then when I walked out into the living room I heard music. Not only was the tv on full blast but he also left his stereo on with a rap song on repeat. The song he was playing was absolutely vile; there were F-bombs being thrown left and right, and as my son said that wasn't even the worst of it. I went to his next door neighbor and asked her if she could hear the noise, and she confirmed that it could be heard in her house as well. I was so angry I was shaking.

The police officer arrived about 30 minutes later. He couldn't believe the music was coming from the neighbor's house downstairs. He acknowledged that the music and television were beyond loud. I then showed him the Facebook message he sent me where he threatened to report me to child protective services because I was abusing my autistic son. E was standing behind him, and the officer asked him his name. Whenever the officer asked if he was autistic, it was noticeable by my son's face that it upset him. He quickly answered, "No sir, I am not." The police officer looked perplexed and went to his patrol car to look up the history on this gentleman. Next thing I knew there were two more patrol cars and police were in my home listening to all the noise and asking questions about the harassment that has been going on since I moved here.

After two hours the police told me they wanted to go to the school where my neighbor works and serve him with a noise violation, but the principal of the school refused to have them do this while children were present. They explained that all they could do was give him a citation (which is $35) unless I wanted to file charges for stalking. At this point I was in tears. I was so upset and confused. I told them I'd speak to my lawyer and see what he recommended. 

I could tell the officers wanted me to file charges; one of them said if I did he'd arrest my neighbor immediately and most likely he'd be suspended from his job. Sounds like the best scenario, right?  Not according to my attorney. What he explained to me is this: first off, there have been 44 complaints between my neighbor and myself in the last five months - 26 of those from me - and yet only now were they ready to issue the first citation. This citation could make the neighbor leave me alone, but more than likely it would make him mad. He's already shown himself to be vindictive and evil, so there's no telling what he might do if he is arrested and loses his job. He also explained that it was not likely that the judge would issue a restraining order since this neighbor can't be kicked out of his home. There would be an order for him to stay away from me, but would he abide by it? There's already an order for him to stay off my property, but it hasn't stopped him from harassing and stalking me. My attorney's advise was simple: Get out. Use the money I would have spent on court fees and get a nice air BNB and stay away. I've spent that night and every night since at my daughter's house.

 Here's what really convinced me that I need to leave this place. The officers told me they would wait for my neighbor in the school parking lot and serve him the citation there. At 2:30 pm I see three patrol cars in front of my house; clearly they hadn't gone to the school. They waited about a half hour and he didn't show up. About 5 - 10 minutes later, I was in my son's room talking to him when I glanced out the window and saw my neighbor walking into his house. His car wasn't there. I ran and called the police to report that he'd finally come home on foot, either leaving his car somewhere or after having been dropped off. We could hear him slamming doors left and right in his house. Before the police could arrive, he left and walked away. I'm sure he parked his car in another area of the community in a guest spot. He has cameras all around his house, so he probably sat in his car waiting for the police to leave so he could come back. He left with a messenger bag and didn't turn any of the noise off. 

Wednesday E and I came back to the house and I realized he was home. At 12:30 he started playing music, though not so loud as he'd done before. I imagine he didn't go to work because he feared the police were gonna look for him there. I called the police and let them know he was home and playing music so they could add it to the existing police report. Did they come to serve him with the citation? No. To this day I don't know if they've been able to make contact with him. I feel let down because the abuse has been going on for so long and everyone knows about it but he continues to get away with it. Anyway, I began packing things like decor that I don't use on a regular basis, when my realtor called to let me know she had a couple of showings already scheduled. The listing had gone live late Tuesday night so to have showings that fast got my hopes up. Both were scheduled for the next day.

Thursday afternoon my realtor called again. She was coming over earlier because now she had three showings. She lives about 45 minutes away from me so she tried to get all the showings back to back; this, she says, also helps get people who are interested to move quickly. I got the house ready and left her here to do her work. Thanks to my Ring video doorbell I could see the people who were coming to view the house, and I prayed God would send a man to buy my house. I don't want to sell to a woman; I don't wish this harassment and abuse on anyone. The last gentleman who came seemed very interested. After his realtor left he asked if he could take another look at the house. He asked my realtor not to show the house to anyone else because he was very interested. She told him she doesn't work like that; until she has something in writing she is obligated to continue to show the house. We both believed he was the most likely candidate to put in an offer.

Friday at 8:30 am I got the call from my realtor. Just by the sound of her voice I knew it was good, but I didn't know how good. I got an offer above asking price! That was totally unexpected! I see God's hand all over this. Everything I asked for He did, then went above and beyond to show me that nothing is impossible for Him. I signed the paperwork Friday night. We are now officially under contract.

The buyer has seven days to do the inspection so I'm anticipating that will be done this week. In the next couple of weeks I'm gonna have to head up to Central Florida to start looking at homes as well. Part of me is excited but another part of me is getting anxious about the whirlwind that is coming. Homes in Central Florida are being snatched up quick. As a cash buyer I have an advantage, but my cash is limited and homes start to get more expensive as sellers see more movement. I have faith that God will open the right doors for me and I trust in His timing. My problem is that I like to take things slow and think things through; I may not have a lot of time to do that. But we shall see. As the song says, 

"I've seen You move, 

You move the mountains, 

and I believe I'll see You do it again." 

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

Welcome to 2021! A new year has begun with hope and promise. Expectations for this new year are high. Yet, does a new year mean the end of a bad year and the beginning of a good one?

The year 2020 has been a struggle for the entire world. COVID-19, coronavirus, pandemic...words we wish would go away once and for all. Folks are expecting a vaccine to fix the problem, but will it? Only time will tell if this virus or one of its strains will finally disappear into oblivion and be nothing more than a mention in history books, or if the situation will worsen and wearing masks becomes the "new normal" (I hate that phrase). 

The 2020 hurricane season is over - thank God! This season has been called "hyperactive" for a reason. There were 25 named storms, nine of which were hurricanes, 10 storms hitting the U.S., five just in Louisiana. I've prayed year after year for protection from the storms, but never had I wanted a hurricane season to end like this past year's. Yes, it's finally over, but what will 2021 bring?

And let's not forget the 2020 elections. You know what? Never mind. Let's forget it. 

Personally, there have been painful moments as well. The passing of my ex-husband's younger brother, then his mother just two months later, has been devastating. His sister's double mastectomy was a shock as well, though thankfully she is recovering well, physically anyway. Emotionally she's a wreck, understandably.

The biggest and most pressing issue in my life right now is the decision I have to make regarding my home situation. My neighbor's harassment has hit an all-time high. He called the police on me five times in the month of December (that I know of); one of those times he told the police he heard gunshots in my house. Gunshots?!?! Really?!?! The lies he tells are off the charts. My only comfort is that the police in our city don't believe him. They've told me the complaints have been shown to be unfounded, which is a huge relief.

I also had to call the police on him five times this past month. One of the times he was banging on my front door like he wanted to knock it off its hinges. He was ordered to stay off my property for 90 days, but that hasn't stopped the incessant noise. These last two weeks have been horrible. As a school teacher (yes, he's an elementary school teacher) he's off from work, so he has lots of time to make a nuisance of himself. Calling the police on me, playing excessively loud music and television, pounding on the walls, and revving his motorcycle in the garage, causing our walls to shake. He often will just go into the garage to rev the motor on his car or motorcycle without actually going anywhere. 

Wednesday he started playing his rock music at 10:25 am, and played it on and off for hours. By 2:30 I was sick of it. I stepped outside and realized I could hear it across the street. I called the police. They tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't answer his door. Instead, he raised the volume on the music. Finally he did turn it off when he saw the police weren't giving up, to my great relief. Of course, that relief wasn't going to last.

New Year's Eve I planned to stay home. I'm not a party person anymore; just give me a peaceful night at home and I'm happy. At 3:00 the music started up again. I tried to ignore it but it was too loud. I turned on my air purifier to see if I could mask the sound; it wasn't working. I ran the clothes dryer and could still hear it. Even the vacuum cleaner didn't mask the noise. Then at 5:14 he went into his garage and began revving his motor. To our shock he took off, leaving the music blaring so loud my floors and walls were shaking. I lost it. I called the police in tears and told them what was going on. The officer has been to my house multiple times so he knows the situation. He waited around for my neighbor, but when he spotted the officer he took off. I know the officer went after him, but I don't know if he was able to catch up with him at any point. I was a wreck; I called my daughter and asked if we could go to her house. My son-in-law not only told me to come, he said I didn't even need to call. We are always welcome at their house. God has blessed me with the best son-in-law I could ask for. We stayed at their house till almost 1:00 am. My daughter wanted me to stay over but God has not given me a spirit of fear. I came home.

I have tried so many ways to get this problem resolved, but I feel like doors continue to be slammed in my face. I don't know if I should fight this, or sell my home and leave. My son wants the latter, but after living here only one year, I would lose a considerable amount of money. There's no way my little townhouse has appreciated enough for me to sell and make a profit; I can't say I'd break even in such a short time. But my son tells me we aren't safe here, and I'm starting to think he might be right. 

Today I spoke to my best friend and realtor. I hadn't told her what was going on because I didn't want her to feel bad knowing she's the one that helped me buy this property, but I needed to vent. I'm convinced God sent her to encourage me. She's a spitfire, is what she is. She is gonna call our attorney next week and the three of us will brainstorm what can be done. I say our attorney because we all went to the same church years ago, and we both have used him in the past. I had emailed him earlier to get advise but he was busy with a court case and said he'd get back to me. She said that's not good enough, and we will speak to him. This way I hope to get a clearer answer from the Lord, whether I should stay here or sell. If I sell, I'd have to move out of South Florida. It's gotten way too expensive to live here. My oldest son lives in Central Florida, and I would head up that way. It's not what my daughter wants to hear, though. She depends on me so much and likes that we are close by. It doesn't make my decision any easier. Ultimately I want to do God's will and not my own. I'm seeking Him for the answers I crave.

God extended His grace to me today. The neighbor played his music on and off all day, but I was able to keep busy and ignore it. I noticed that he turned on his vacuum cleaner and left it running in his entryway or garage (not sure which), thinking it would bother me. It didn't. I only realized what he was doing because I had to get storage containers from my garage to put away the Christmas decor and I heard it then. He was also blasting his television in his bedroom, but I closed my bedroom door and couldn't hear it. 

If there's one thing this situation has taught me, it's to depend on God even more. In my own strength I can't handle this; I would've lost my mind by now. "The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him." (Exodus 15:2). This verse is my reminder each and every day that I have to put my trust in Jesus who redeems me, in my Father who comforts me. I know God will provide a way where there is no way. I don't have to figure this life out on my own, and for that I can be truly thankful. I'm ready for you 2021. Well, my God is ready, and that's enough for me.

Simply Sunday

Today I did something I don't normally do.  Something completely out of character for me.  Today I went to church in pants.

I should clarify that I'm not against women wearing pants to church.  I don't believe that women wearing pants are any less spiritual than women in dresses or skirts.  I just prefer going to church in a dress.  It was ingrained in my head as a child that one should always look their absolute best when going to church because that's where you worship God, and God deserves our very best.  My best clothes are dresses and skirts; well, actually, most of my clothes are dresses and skirts.  I have a few capris that I wear around the house or to go exercise, and a couple of jeans that I wear when we go to concerts, but for the most part I wear dresses and skirts most everywhere.  Today, however, it was cold outside.  Fifty-two degrees with a cold breeze blowing.  I know, for the rest of the country that's summer weather, but when you've had temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80's and all of a sudden they drop down to the low 50's, you feel it.  When I let the dog out, I felt it for sure.  I'd looked through my clothes last night and had chosen a dress to wear, but I was not about to wear anything that didn't protect me from the cold.  Thankfully, I do have a couple pairs of dress pants left over from my work days.  These pants are probably 8 years old but they are my favorites.  A couple of years after I'd stopped working, I gave almost all my dress pants to Goodwill because they were sitting in my closet and never getting used.  Some didn't even fit me anymore, but most were just taking up space.  I kept two pairs of dress pants: a navy blue pair, and the ones I wore today.  They are a dark tan with a very light burgundy and gold pinstripe.  Both pants are neutrals, so I can wear them with anything, but most importantly, if I need to go somewhere dressy and it's cold out, I have something nice to wear.  I paired the pants with a brown long-sleeved button down shirt, and a beige argyle sweater over it.  I also wore a very, very old pair of brown pumps.  I've loved those shoes for years, but after wearing them today I realized I'd kept them way too long.  They were falling apart on the inside, making them extremely uncomfortable.  Once I got home, they went into the trash.  They weren't even good enough to donate.  It was a shame, since the rest of the outfit looked great.  Those shoes were a fail.

My makeup turned out so nice!  I decided to wear the new warm colors I'd gotten from Bare Minerals because they were neutrals, making them perfect for the outfit.  The colors were on point!  It was a very soft look, totally appropriate for daytime.  This could become my go to look for everyday.  It was that pretty.

Church service was absolutely beautiful.  Pastor spoke on the importance of prayer, then called up several people in our church who are sick, to anoint them with oil and pray over them.  One was a young girl who had been in my Awana group.  Today is her 13th birthday.  She has been battling leukemia since last summer.  The cancer is in remission, but she's still having to go through the treatment protocol.  She is doing her last chemo this month, then must go in for maintenance for several months.  We have been praying for her daily, and it was a joy to see her with her family in church today.  This child has been talking to her doctors, nurses, and other patients in the hospital about her faith and hope in Jesus.  She is such an inspiration!  We also prayed for one of the boy's Awana leaders who has terminal cancer.  This man loves The Lord and serves Him with such passion.  He is a great husband, wonderful father, devout servant...it's a privilege to pray for people like him.  There were many others that were prayed for, and the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt so strongly that I could not contain the tears.  When I think that this world holds over 7 billion people, yet God hears each and every one of our prayers, it fills my heart with such comfort and joy, that I cannot express it.  We serve an awesome God!

I started my study of Daniel for this week - chapter 2, the first 12 verses.  It's one of my favorite sections of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  I've studied this before in church, but I'm really enjoying Beth Moore's breakdown.  She is such an incredible bible teacher!  Definitely my favorite Christian author.

Other than that, it's been a quiet sort of day.  I did a couple of loads of laundry; one is still in the dryer.  Tomorrow the new school semester starts up, so it'll be a busy day.  I am once again thankful that God has seen fit to allow me to homeschool my son.  I cannot thank Him enough for His unending love and grace.  God has been, and continues to be, so good to me.  How I wish the entire world would appreciate His goodness!

That's all for this installment of Life At My House ;-).  Have a blessed evening folks.

It's My Birthday!!

The day is here!  I awoke this morning feeling...a day older.  And another day thankful.  I have so much to be thankful for!  God has been good to me.  I'm thankful for each day, for each year, and for each moment.  Today, I praise Him for one more year of life and health.

I got up early today (as I usually do) and began to get ready for church.  My daughter was awake and packing up her car - she plays guitar with the youth ministry band and had to be at church early for practice.  She was the first to wish me a happy birthday and give me my present:  she knows how much I'd been wanting to see the Disney movie Saving Mr. Banks, and she got me the DVD.  I love Tom Hanks, he is such an amazing actor, and I saw previews of him playing Mr. Walt Disney in this movie.  He is a genius!  I can't wait to watch the movie later on.  Underneath the movie I could see a gift card, but she said it was from her little brother who was still asleep, so I decided to wait till he got up to take a look at it.  I made breakfast and got myself a cup of coffee, then woke up my youngest son.  I didn't want to wake up my oldest son R; he had pulled a double shift at work the day before and I wanted to let him sleep in.  He got up early anyway, and gave me a big birthday hug.  That made my day right there!  His younger brother finally got up and they gave me my gifts.  My son E gave me a $25 gift card from my favorite cosmetic store, Ulta.  Woohoo!! My oldest son got me a great recipe book:  Taste Of Home Christmas Recipes.  I love recipe books, and this one has lots of desserts which means lots of goodies for our tummies!  It made me so happy to see how well my babies know me :-).

I got to Sunday school before anyone else, so I started up the coffee and set everything up.  People started streaming in, and one of the ladies whom I've known for years (her daughter was my daughter's college roommate) wished me a happy birthday.  I thought that was so sweet.  Then as our teacher was taking prayer requests, she mentioned to the whole class that it was my birthday - it caught me off guard, but everyone was wishing me a happy birthday, and at the end of the class they prayed for a special blessing for me on my day.  That really made my heart sing!

The sermon on the prodigal son was on point - I left feeling so loved by my God, who loves me and calls me His own even when I try to go off on my own, thinking I know better than anyone.  Pastor Ray once again preached the word with truth and accuracy.  I'm so thankful for our pastor!

After church we came home and waited for my daughter so we could decide where to go out to eat.  We always go out either for lunch, dinner, or "linner" on my birthday, and I was trying to decide where to go.  I felt like having Mexican food, so I chose a Mexican restaurant that's in an outdoor mall just north of us.  My daughter came home and we all hopped in the car and headed over, only to find the place packed inside and out, and no parking anywhere.  That was going to be a long wait, and it was already 3:00.  We drove over to the main street and looked at different places to eat.  My son R spotted Buffalo Wild Wings, and we all perked up.  We are chicken wing lovers, no doubt about it.  I still felt like Mexican but I would happily have wings, so we turned in there.  Again, the place looked like it was packed, but they got us seated right away.  Once we were sitting, I was quickly reminded how much I hate football.  There were television screens everywhere, with multiple games going on, and everyone focused on the Dolphin game.  The noise was over-the-top, but with it being a Sunday, and a football Sunday at that, I knew if we left we'd run into the same thing no matter where we went, so we stayed.  I anticipated slow service but it was the absolute contrary.  We were seated right away, our order was taken, and the food came quickly.  I ordered - get this - fish tacos!  Yes, I wanted Mexican and I got it!  My younger kids got a big platter of wings which they shared, and R had chicken tenders with enormous onion rings.  Once it was clear that the Dolphins were gonna lose, the place quieted down and we had a really nice time.  My oldest son graciously paid for the entire meal.  I was so thankful to be able to have my babies with me to celebrate my birthday.

Coincidentally (or not), Ulta was on the same street as Buffalo Wild Wings - isn't that perfect? ;-)  And my boys didn't complain - there's a Barnes and Noble in the same shopping center, so while my daughter and I went cosmetics shopping, they went to look at and purchase books.  I already knew what I wanted from Ulta:  cosmetic brushes.  Some of my brushes I've had for years, and especially my blush brush is rough against my skin from washing it so much.  I was hoping to get the Real Techniques core collection since I've heard such great things about it and my daughter has their powder brush which she loves.  When we walked into the store, the first thing that caught my eye was a Bare Minerals blush and brush set that I'd seen advertised on a youtube video, and I ran to get it.  It's a full size loose powder blush in Strawberry Cream with a mini blush brush for $10!  The regular price for just the blush is $19, so I knew I wanted that beautiful pink blush!  My daughter was looking at the BareSkin serum foundation, trying to decide what color she wanted.  I have this foundation in Bare Natural, which is a neutral color.  She has used it before, but she mistakenly thought I had Bare Nude.  As she was picking different colors to look at, I pulled the Bare Nude and asked if she wanted to try that one.  Her answer:  "You've already seen me in the Nude."  What was even funnier was that she didn't realize what she'd said till I told her, "I haven't seen you in the nude in a long time."  We laughed so much!  After trying out different tones one of the sales ladies came over and helped her pick the right color for her:  Bare Ivory.  It matched her neck nicely, and helped cover the redness in her cheeks.  After that she went to look at hair products and I went in search of my brushes.  I was so disappointed to find they didn't have any more core collection brushes :-(.  I should mention, the store was pretty busy and there was a long line at the registers the whole time we were there, so I wasn't surprised they were running out of merchandise.  'Tis the season to be shopping :P.  I did find the eye brush set - I wanted new eye brushes as well, and it was the last one.  Since they didn't have the core collection I decided to just get the blush brush.  Yes, the blush I was purchasing had a blush brush, but it's a mini.  It's nice for travel or to have in my purse, but I like a big fluffy brush for blush, and this one was $8.99 which is a great deal.  I had gotten a 20% off coupon from Ulta in the mail, and with that and the gift card, I was able to get everything I wanted for $6.35.  Now that's what I call a great deal!

The trip home was nice, chatting and listening to the Duck Dynasty Christmas CD my kids gave me last year.  We pulled into the driveway, and I remembered we still haven't fixed our Christmas lights.  It was already dark so that wasn't going to happen today.  Hopefully I can get that done tomorrow.  Our house looks so sad and dark compared to the other houses on our block.

I'm gonna relax the rest of this evening, watch a movie, and enjoy what's left of my birthday.  I am so blessed, and have so much to be thankful for.  My life isn't perfect by any means; but I am loved by my God, by my family, and by my friends.  And if you have Jesus, you already have everything you need.  All the rest is bonus.  Have a good night.