It's official...we're homeless!

Today is the day we've been waiting for. Our house in NY closed today. It is an amazing feeling to not be in over our heads with that house. It's been a tough road since October to be paying mortgage and utilities on the house in NY and be paying rent (which was more than mortgage) and utilities here too. We've managed somehow. We're thankful for the ways God has provided over time. He has prompted people to send us $, bless us with childcare, work with us on other bills, and has allowed us to still put food on the table for our family. Even today, on closing day, we were blessed with receiving an electric bill from the NY house that we owe NOTHING on...in fact, they owe us about $80!!! This is exciting.

So, today, we are homeless. Ok, not quiet homeless, but in a way...homeless. We are no longer homeowners. We neither own the house in NY, nor the house here. We'll close on the house here on the 1st. As a friend of mine put it, we're rich...at least for a couple of days! Earlier today when I dropped Katy off at Phil’s work while I went to a party at Lilly’s school to celebrate her last day of school, Phil’s boss congratulated me on “being homeless!” It produced a good chuckle.

Our realtor called around 1 to let us know that closing had taken place and we were all set. She said that the devil was working overtime (yet again). Our attorney had an accident on the way to the closing in Corning. He was one of 4 cars in a chain reaction accident in a construction zone. He is apparently ok, but had to dispatch another attorney from his office to pick up the papers on the scene of the accident and get them to Corning for the closing (only an hour and a half late!). Thankfully our attorney is ok. I do not know how bad the damage is to his car, but he was not injured. Closing still happened, and it is such a HUGE relief.

Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and concerns. We really felt them.

This Monday, we’re hosting a BBQ, which will be a celebration and a “house warming” party too. I don’t expect anyone to bring us a gift! We’re just excited to finally have the closings. The house here closes on the 1st, so just a few short days away. We start painting tonight. We picked out the colors last night. We have a dark maroon for behind the couch in our living room, and a creamy/taupe with a tint of yellow for the other walls…going into our dining room and down the bedroom hallway. The trim is going to be a green. I think it will look really nice. It will pull together the colors of the couch and create a nice homey feeling.

You’ll have to come by to see it! I’ll try to take before, during, and after pictures and post them as we go.

I have to add a postscript to this posting…our NY closing does not come without mixed emotion. Phil and I were talking the other night and he asked if I was excited about closing. I said that I was, but there is certain sadness too. Although we’ve struggled having to “hold on” to that part of our lives and feel we weren’t truly able to move on, it’s sad. It was our first home. The home we brought Katy home to, and one we enjoyed a lot. It finishes closing the door on that era (ok, season sounds so much younger!) of our lives. We now are officially Hoosiers (as of the 1st) and Hoosier homeowners. We’ve moved 10 hours away from family and friends and church, and work and school, and… but God is providing more friends here. Although the friends in NY can never be replaced, God is helping us to begin building new friendships here and begin to put roots down.

Goodbye 177 Bridge St. Goodbye Wegmans (we’ll still visit for our bagel cravings). Goodbye old life. Hello, New life.

So it is with mixed emotions that we have officially said goodbye to owning our home in NY.