Josh and I have been going through the grueling and mostly stressful process of trying to buy a house this summer. We started the process in June and are now just finishing up! We have long dreamt of our own house, a place where we can paint the walls and settle down enough to keep the same address for more than a year. Adding to our anticipation for our "own" place is the fact that we haven't unpacked our bags since we left McMinnville in March! It will be such a dream to put clothes in a closet, sleep in our own bed, and to give Grace her own special space again! I have learned a lot from the process of buying a house.
1. Don't throw away important papers
2. If you need something from someone at a loan company, and you're on the phone trying to get it, be nice and be persistent, and call every single day until you get what you need or they'll forget you even have a loan with them :)
3. Work with people you trust
4. Focus on loving your spouse extra during the process because it's hard to be loving under so much stress!
5. Know that God knows better than you, and that having your own house is not what life is about!
About a week before we found out our loan info had been approved, I realized that although having a house would be absolutely wonderful, it would not change anything about my marriage, my relationship with my daughter, or keep me from living the life that God wants me to live.
Friends and family, thanks for all your prayers and advice; we can't wait to have you over!!
Here are some pics of our new place!