Blessings in our lives

What a whirl wind of a month it has been. Changes are happening so quickly that as I now have a little time to sit and reflect, I am able to recognize the many blessings that have come with these changes. About a month and a half ago Josh and I decided that it was time to start looking for a house. He finally had graduated and had been offered a full time status with his company. Just the thing we were waiting on! So, our search began. I don't know how many homes we went and saw, but there were plenty. Some we loved, so we did not. As we began our search, Mom and Dad were trying very diligently to help us. One of their rental properties that I manage was in the process of getting ready for new tenants. They had offered to us to buy this home from them for what they bought it for several years ago. This offer was pending on how it would affect them tax wise. After the tenants left, we went in and measured out where our furniture would go and thought it would work. Meanwhile, we had continued looking at other homes and had found a home in Draper that I was in love with. I wanted to move to Draper, and Josh wasn't sure what to do, although he was leaning towards the place in Sandy, the rental. So, we started our fasting and praying. One night Josh laid awake sick at the idea of moving to the Draper home. As he started to think about the Sandy home he laid there awake completely excited about it. In the morning when he told me this I was kind of bummed, but decided I needed to go with his inspiration. We called Mom and Dad and told them we would like to take them up on their offer to buy the Sandy home. Come to find out, Dad had talked to the tax guy, and this was no longer an option. We were kind of frustrated, but yet, I was excited. This meant we could make an offer on the Draper home! So we did, just to have the seller counter back at a price we could not afford. So, the search once again began. We found another home in the same neighborhood of Draper that would work for our family as well. So, again, we made an offer on this home. We were told that the seller was going to accept our offer, but he was out of town at the time. The two agents made some verbal agreements that would work for both us and the seller, and although we did not have a signed contract, things started to roll. The appraiser was sent out to the home, the title was being transferred, a closing date was set, etc. Meanwhile, I am trying to get the Sandy home ready for new renters. I showed the home to at least a dozen different people. I took twice as many calls and emails and have very positive feedback from those that had seen it. Yet, for some reason, no one was faxing me an application. So...back to our home. A couple of days after the verbal agreements had started, Uncle Chuck, (and our agent) found out that the seller of our home had hired a realtor and not told his property management company that he was selling the home. So, as the realtor was trying to sell the home, the management company had rented the home. Their was not a signed contract on either side, but the management company had taken a deposit from someone to rent the place and cashed it. He was concerned about being double contracted, but assured us he was going to sell the place as soon as he helped the renters find another place. After a week of this, he finally decided that he was not going to sell to us and rented the place anyways. Josh got the phone call with the news and when he told me I was very frustrated. Again...we have to start looking. However, before I went to bed that night I was very much at ease, and as I was laying down the thought came to me that we needed to go to the Sandy home and "house sit" for a couple of years and start to pay off some of our student loans. I said this to Josh and he said it sounded like a good idea, but it had not been offered by Mom and Dad. Mom happened to be in town during all of this and the next day I went and picked her up to start our outings for the day. She asked how I slept and I told her just fine. I was okay with the whole thing. She then told me that she and Dad had been talking and they had a few ideas going that she would talk to me about later. I pushed her to tell me knowing that Dad still had to agree to them. She then stated that she was back to the Sandy home. As she explained to me that after speaking to their financial advisor earlier that week some things had changed for them, she thought we needed to "house sit" for a couple of years and pay off student loans. I sat their crying as my heart raced and told her I had come up with the same thoughts the night before. Dad had given it some thought and said he felt it could work as well. I talked to Josh that night, and we started moving in the next day.

As frustrating as it was to have two homes not go thru on the sale, there is a reason for everything even if we can not see it right away. We feel so much better knowing that we are going to be able to get out debt, and secure a better down payment for a home in the future. The promptings of the spirit are real. The answers come in the Lord's time, not ours. As I sat there and cried I knew this was the answer to our prayers. We are so grateful for the generosity of Mom and Dad in allowing us to take care of their home for a few years until we can purchase our own. We are so excited to be moving. Josh has started painting and already has the garage filled with his tools. Trenton has picked out his room and has been saying all along that he wanted to move to the "Sandy Ridge" house. We have met many of our neighbors, most of them being in the ward. In fact, we have already met the bishop and both his councilors, as well as the relief society president. They are urging us to start attending the new ward, even though we are not moved in yet. I think we are going to do this. Trenton has already met a couple of little boys his age, one living right next door. I know this is where we are meant to be for the next couple of years. We are so excited for this change in our lives, and so grateful for the answer to our many tearful prayers. The gospel is true, and the voice of the Lord is still and small. How grateful I am to have heard it and recognized it as an answer!