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.