Whelp, it's official! We live in Texas. This blog post could prove to be pretty long so, stick with me!
First, I would like to start off by explaining why I left Facebook. I know a lot of people supported me in doing that, but, it was still a difficult decision. I have had Facebook since the beginning of time...well, pretty much since Facebook's time (2004ish) That's almost 10 years people. I have had Facebook for nearly 10 years. wow. It had become a part of my daily life and routine. If I was bored, I would check facebook, if I had a minute to spare, I would check Facebook. I really feel like it had me started to take time with real people for granted. I mean, hey, I could ALWAYS catch up with them on Facebook. Another reason, I got a PHONE CALL from a dear friend from high school that heard through the grapevine that I was moving. She wanted to meet up before I left. She doesn't have facebook so we soley keep up by going out to see each other face-to-face. I really started to get the feeling that a lot of the people that I called "friends" just assumed that they could keep up with me on Facebook, eliminating the need to call me or see me. I don't fly like that people. Linnea Olson knows how much it drives me crazy that she will answer a text but not a phone call! (she answers my phone calls from time to time even though it pains her!!! It must be because she loves me so much.) It's the same with Facebook. It drives me crazy that people don't take the time to call one another any more. So, I decided to drop off Facebook and the people that really care will still find a way to contact me. All ya'll are welcome here whenever you want! (once we are no longer homeless!)
A lot of people have been asking where we are living and what our plans are here. We have some really AMAZINGLY GREAT friends here in Houston whom have generously opened their home and allowed us to live with them. Kathryn and Victor are a beautiful couple that we were blessed enough to meet during our time in Mexico. Kathryn was a missionary there for a long time and married a Mexican man named Victor. They moved back to the states when things started to get rough down in Mexico. It's super awesome because Victor is learning English but gets tired of practicing and tells me I need to practice my Spanish so we switch languages. It's a bilingual household and I love every second of it!!! Plus, they eat ice cream every night. It's pretty great. :)
Currently, Evan and I are trying to buy another house here but have run into several snags. I do believe that the Lord has led us here, things have gone too smoothly for the most part, but it has definitely been a challenge. It has tested our faith, our relationship, and our belief in ourselves but has made us so much stronger.
Our house in Sullivan sold in 24 days for sale by owner. We were blessed; and then, things started going wrong! Some electrical issues showed up in the inspection which caused the realtor and an electrician to get under the house and find mold....that was black...Due to his legal obligation, he informed us and the buyer of the organic substance. The buyer freaked, I freaked, and the tension got hot. I had ServPro come estimate it which turned into a huge expense. Then I insisted on having it tested to be sure that it was in fact black mold (stachybotrys)... turns out it's just penicillin (very common) but still going to be a large expense and sets us back in the closing of our house. Keep in mind, I dealt with all this while Evan was living in Houston and was unable to help me....that means I was down crawling around in the crawl space and doing all the things he would normally do....ick.
The market here in Houston is a lot different than Illinois. Houses sell in days, not months. If you find a house you like, you better put an offer in on it before you leave because chances are, if you wait until you get home, it will be sold. We put an offer in on a house, offered $5,000 less than asking price and asked for closing costs. The next day they got an offer for full asking price with no closing....needless to say, our offer got tossed into the wind. Now, we are back at square one. It's frustrating.
As far as what we are doing....Evan is working at the University of Houston as a Systems Analyst. He pretty much makes sure nothing breaks and then when it does, he notifies the right people. He monitors all the systems for the University...and because he gets free tuition, we are taking ideas on what he should get his PhD in! :) I am working for an awesome company in Houston too! I am going to be taking over for a gal in the HR department at Recon Remedial Construction that is about to go on maternity leave. I have only been there two days but I LOVE it. The hope is that there will be a full time position for me when she comes back from leave. We shall see!!!
As I write this, I realize how long it is and how RANDOM it is....I apologize. I have been thinking about all the stuff I need to write for about 3 weeks....It's just now getting done because I don't feel like doing my homework!
I think this is probably long enough for now. I will write about the move down here (and tips for a cross country move...WHAT NOT TO DO!!!) and a few other things...
Don't worry about us, folks! It's 80+ degrees and life is good. These Texans keep talking about the cool weather coming (70s....) haha They have NO IDEA what cool weather means. I just laugh when they say that.
Stay tuned for more...and for a few pictures!!!
