Roger was waiting to pick me up at the airport. I flew directly into the airport that he flies out of, so that was really neat. It was so good to see him again, and I remembered all the reasons I miss him so much! We stopped for coffee, and then we headed up to Stockton Springs to see Josh and Hannah. They graciously opened up our home to us, and it was nice to stay with family for a few days.
On Monday we drove out to see the house that we have an offer on...and that's when the train derailed! I wasn't in love with the house, although in all the pictures I had seen, it looked perfect! However, something was off about the house. I can't even explain it, but something did not feel right to me. I think I was expecting a nice, clean, tidy house since that's what the pictures made me feel it would be like. But the house needed a deep cleaning, lots of fresh paint, and a few other things that I didn't care for. There really isn't anything wrong with the house, per se, but something did not feel right. Since our realtor was unavailable to show us the house, we had a different realtor walk us through the home. I did not say anything at the time, but Roger could tell I wasn't in love. Roger and I were unable to really discuss the house at the moment though, as I was spending time with my sister that afternoon.
Hannah and I had a wonderful time together. We spent time visiting Augusta, and I enjoyed visiting with her. God had a perfect plan in bringing us to Maine, and allowing it to be at the same time that Hannah and Josh are in Maine. We are definitely looking forward to spending time with them.
On Monday night, Roger and I discussed the house for hours! He's been looking for five weeks now, and he knows exactly what's available. I haven't been looking at all...except at pictures...and I wasn't thrilled with the house. There is nothing about it that can't be fixed, but I'm just not sure how much effort I want to put into it. Unfortunately, our realtor was out of town with his daughter, so our communication with him was limited. Roger did call and talk to him and expressed some of our concerns.
Tuesday morning was spent driving around the country side driving past the houses that Roger has already visited. There are definite limitations to what our budget will allow us to buy! If the yard was nice, the house was a mess; if the house was nice, the yard was a wreck. Is there a happy medium out here?! After a couple of hours of doing that, we were both stressed and our blood pressure was rising. We decided to have lunch and take a break. Because of Roger's job, he has connections in the flying world of Maine. This worked out well for us as we went to the airport to see about getting on a flight out to the island of Vinalhaven. There was a plane available to take us out there, so we hopped aboard and took the ten minute flight out there. It was a breathtakingly beautiful flight, and I loved seeing the places that Roger flies into. The airport is on the far side of the island, so we had about a three mile walk into town. It was a beautiful walk, and it would be a great place to take the kids. We walked thru the downtown of Vinalhaven, and then someone stopped us. Because Roger's work delivers mail on the island, there was someone from the airport there. They asked how we were planning on getting back to the mainland. Roger replied that we were planning on buying tickets to take the ferry back across. However, since the mail had come over on the ferry that morning in the airport vehicle, it needed to get back to the mainland. This worked out perfectly for us as one person could ride back fin the mail van for free, and we only needed to buy one ferry ticket...sweet! So, we rode the ferry back to the mainland, delivered the empty mail boxes to the post office, and went back to the airport. I'm telling you, it's a different world up here!
After the ferry ride, there was a brief rainstorm. On the way back from the airport, we saw a beautiful rainbow. It was just another reminder that God is with us every single step of the way. It was pretty amazing!
Roger's boss had given Roger some money to take me on a nice date while I was here. We decided to take Hannah and Josh to supper with us, and we ate at a delicious little restaurant in downtown Belfast. We enjoyed great company, delicious food, and made a memory. It was a good afternoon/evening after a rather stressful morning!
Wednesday was spent driving by more houses, reviewing our options, and trying to figure out if we were going to try to get out of our contract, or if this is really the house God has for us. We called our realtor, and I called my friend, Jenn. Jenn had been our realtor when we sold our house in Wisconsin. She was an amazing realtor, and I realized again what a special blessing it was to have her as our realtor! She offered a few suggestions, and we put together a plan of action. On thing that Roger and I agreed on was the fact that we had two very different pairs of eyes looking at the same house! Roger was looking at it through eyes that have looked at 22 other houses in the area. He's thinking, "Wow! Compared to all the others, this one is great!" I'm looking at it saying, "Is this all our money will buy?" Do you see the problem?
Our realtor came back into town on Wednesday night. We had thought about trying to change my plane ticket; but since we are still in a contract with house number one, and we have looked at the options of houses available, we decided that I would come back to Wisconsin as planned.
We met with our realtor on Thursday morning. We discussed the house in great depth, our options, and he showed us another home that came on the market. After much prayer and many, many, conversations, we are going ahead with the home inspection. Once that is done, we will submit any request asking them to fix some things and trying to renegotiate the price. If they agree, then we've found our house; and if not, then we keep looking. This is a huge step of faith simply because we have no idea what they are going to do. Can I be happy with this house? Absolutely! I don't think it's a house where God answered my prayers and did "exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think", but God doesn't have to answer all my prayers the way that I think He should. I feel like we are in the story of Gideon where he throws out the fleece before the Lord, and then waits on God's direction. Here we are...waiting!
So, while it was wonderful to see my husband, and have face-to-face conversations, it was a long four days. It was mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausting on both of us. We are making decisions that wil impact our entire family. God has shown Himself strong every step of this journey, and I'm clinging to the fact that He has a perfect plan in all of this. God allowed so many details to come together for Roge to get this particular job in Maine, and I have truly been blessed to look back at all that God has done. I know He is not finished yet!
In other news, Travis will be having dental surgery on Tuesday. The dentist office called, while I was in Maine,and said that they had a cancellation. Because of the state of his teeth, and the anxiety he's been having over this upcoming event, I do believe this is another instance of God's perfect timing in our lives. I'm thankful that my mom was able to take Travis to his appointment for his pre-surgery physical! My parents were real troopers in keeping the kids while I was away, taking Travis to his appointment, and keeping up with the schoolwork. I am very thankful for them. Both Travis and I will be glad to get this behind us, even though Tuesday will be a long day!
Wyatt turned seven while I was away. His birthday was on Wednesday, and it was hard for me to miss it. I'm thankful that my wonderful friend, Gretchen, took my kids, made a cake for Wyatt, and helped him celebrate his special day. My parents took the kids out for supper the night before, but they were all excited to go to their friends house. These kids are growing so incredibly fast, and I feel like every time I blink, something is changing! I am looking forward to having a birthday celebration with Wyatt simply because it doesn't seem like he is seven yet, and maybe a birthday party will help convince me!
So, that's where we are at with our housing situation. To review please read the following:
1) I am still in Wisconsin with the kids.
2) Roger is in Maine working his job.
3) Yes, we are still happily married, and we plan to keep it that way.
4) Yes, I do miss my husband. I miss him more that words can say. Just because I do the right things, smile, and say the right words, does not mean that I am fine. But I can promise....God's grace is sufficient.
5) Someday this will all be behind us. And yes, God does have a house for us!
Thank you for your love and prayers, Sarah
