I had pretty much decided in early December that things were going really well. I always ask myself if what I'm doing is something that God is using, and I really felt like the answer to that was clearly that He was. So, I waited for my yearly review at work to determine how my company was viewing me as an employee. When the time came I was blown away by how well they had perceived all the time and effort I had put into the company over the last year, so I knew that this was where I was supposed to stay.
I started looking for a house in mid-January. I had originally hoped to find a fixer-upper that I could spend a couple years putting money into then sell it when the time was right, but I wasn't having any luck. I changed my thought process a little and decided I could possibly invest in property instead and just live cheaply while I allowed my savings to develop into something that could afford a house to start a family in. I ended up finding the house below and the owner has accepted my offer!
It's a double-wide home on a permanent foundation, so the only thing that shows from the exterior is the low roof pitch. It's on a half-acre lot a block from the marsh bordering the ocean, and two blocks from a kayak landing where I can walk my kayak to go on weekend adventures! It's north of the city, so I'm hoping it'll be a little quieter and a lot more peaceful than where I'm at now. It has 4 bedrooms, so I hope to rent a couple out in order to have some community in the house, but it'll be great to have some help with the bills too!
My closing date is set for March 31, so as long as I get financing and an acceptable inspection, I'll be moving into this baby in a little over a month! I hope to set aside one room as a guest room, so please come visit. I'll even cook a meal or two!
Life in the office has been pretty crazy over the last six months and a lot of changes have happened, but I'm feeling more and more comfortable with the jobs I'm given and the responsibilities that have fallen onto me. My work load increases and decreases depending on the week, which initially stressed me out, but now I get pretty close to throwing a party for myself on the quiet weeks!
I'm hoping to start taking bigger steps toward starting up work through A Helping Hand once I'm in the house. I had prayed about where to start and have a specific neighborhood I've been praying over for a couple weeks now. Once I'm settled into the house, I'll start distributing some marketing materials and hopefully picking up a few side jobs until I can provide enough work to hand it over to someone else.
I also started dating this really great girl named Laura! She loves Jesus with everything she is and she loves adventure almost as much as I do! I'll tell you more later though. She may end up being the topic of the next blog if she keeps impressing me the way she has been.
The number one prayer request: Pray about coming to visit me in my new house!
Love you all!
