House Hold-Up

Ok, so to bring you all up to date, we've kind of hit a snag with the whole house-buying thing. We still have no indication from Countrywide (who owns the house currently) of a time-line for closing. We expected to close last Thursday, but the misplaced form holding us up still has not been found.

This isn't something that should keep us from buying the house, it's just delaying it indefinitely. I'm starting to get nervous, because I feel my carefully worked out move-in schedule starting to fall down around my ears. Getting delayed by a few weeks may not seem like that big a deal, but every weekend we get pushed back puts us that much closer to Brian's exams. And he already has enough to deal with. So I'd really appreciate your prayers.

Just because

New House Pics

We went out to our house this morning and did a little prep work on the floors. While Brian and Damon were working hard, I picked out paint colors and took pictures. And because I know you out-of town folks are eager to see our house, here they are. Only, I have to warn you, it looks pretty rough right now. Nothing that some good wood refinishing and helpful friends wielding paint rollers can't fix, though.


Our den:
Our kitchen:
Unfortunately, the ceramic tile floors are rather pinkish (why?) and the counters are a gray speckle. But we have lots of counter space and I like the white cabinets.

This is going to be Jonathan's room. Maybe the one room we don't have to repaint, huh? Seriously, I don't know why this seemed like a good idea:


And the second/hall/Jonathan's/guest bath: I think pink must have been the only color they made 4x4 ceramic tile in during the 50s. Oh well.

So, there it is. It's starting to seem more real but at times it still seems pretty crazy. Please keep praying for us as we're balancing all this stuff right now.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask for prayer in one specific area. We expected to close this past Thursday, but due to un-filed paperwork on the other side of this transaction, we have not been able to close. I'd really like to close early this week, as we have a lot that needs to be done before we plan to move in just under three weeks. Thanks!

Box Count

I think the following numbers are correct:

I have a total of 50 boxes packed so far.

34 of these boxes are full of books. Heehee.

My prediction all along has been that 1/2 of the boxes we pack up to move will be book boxes. Looks like we're well on our way. Especially considering I haven't even touched Brian's history books yet.

Did I mention we'll be needing strong arms and backs in a few weeks...

Don't Smile!

Jonathan has developed a new funny face. When we tell him, "don't smile," this is one of the faces we get:


The hat is from my boss's retirement party. We had some left over after we un-decorated, so my HR director sent me home with a hat for Jonathan. He looks pretty spiffy, huh?

Transparent Reflection

Brian has introduced me to a new author in the last few months. Leif Enger has written just a handful of books, but they're beautiful. They're very hard to put down, not because they're action-packed, but because of the way he uses words. Here's a sample from "So Brave, Young and Handsome" that really struck me in the last few days:

"... I was confronted again by myself in the window...The window both reflected me and rendered me transparent. My clothes and skin rippled like the surface of water. There was my shaved and thwarted face, which I looked straight through to the street beyond. Here was my morbid thought: What if I am forgotten already? Suppose I go home, and she does not notice?"

I think I stopped and read that passage two or three times before I moved on. I know I've seen that same phenomenon in a window - transparent reflection - but I have never put it into poetry like the above. And his sad question at the end, makes my heart hurt for him.

Anyway, if you have free time and you're looking for a really great fiction author, I recommend trying a little bit of Leif Enger. Great read! Here are links to his two biggest books:

Peace Like a River and So Brave, Young, and Handsome

We're Moving!!

No, we're not leaving Bryan/College Station. We're buying a house. Everything fell into place today and we'll close in a little over two weeks. Crazy! I'm excited, nervous, terrified, stressed and happy. Typical, I guess.

We'll need to be out of our apartment by the end of October, so the next few weeks are going to be really busy. Unfortunately this comes at just about the worst possible time for Brian's studying, as he takes his exams in mid-November. Please pray for us as we're adding yet another (very large) thing to our already busy lives.

To update from my last post, Jonathan is mostly back on a normal sleep-schedule, which has been a huge relief. Thanks for your prayers and advice. Right now he has some kind of virus that has him coughing pretty constantly (especially when laying down) so we're struggling with getting enough rest again. But hopefully he'll sleep well tonight and he'll be feeling better tomorrow.

As soon as I can, I'll take some pictures of the new house. I'm warning in advance, however, that photos aren't going to be at the top of my to-do list. So I'll get them when I get them. :)