Our own bed

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There’s just something about sleeping in your own bed that makes everything better. We finally got to sleep in our own bed on Wednesday night.

 We got it safely out of the flooded basement and into the garage at our new house. After we were sure it was dry and not damaged, we moved it inside.

We set it up…and went back to our rental house, where our mother, pets, clothes, food, etc. still are. So we’ve been sleeping on an air mattress in the living room.

Rafa and I were talking about a mini-vacation…when he realized we could take a trip to stay in our own bed! We packed up our toothbrushes and went down to the new house. We sat on camping chairs in our unfinished living room and talked until late.

In the morning, we got to enjoy the view from our new window:

Trees! (Never mind the moving boxes – I’ll deal with those later.)

After a night sleeping in our own bed, we felt amazing. My handsome man got ready for work and we tested the new commute.

I can’t wait until we move!

Joys of homeownership

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Tired! A weekend of homeownership activities has left Rafa and I aching. We tried to give each other massages, but we are both too sore.

We move almost 1,000 pounds of brick from a storage area in our basement out to the garage. Rafa squatted in the space and cleaned while he slid them out to me. I then carried them up the stairs, four or five at a time. I’d say we both got our workout in today.

We also got to work outside. I trimmed bushes. Rafa did something he’s never done before…mow the lawn!

Look! He’s a natural!

Ever since Rafa moved to the U.S., he’s always lived in apartments that took care of the grass. (Snow removal too, be he already had to to that for the first time this past winter.) Now that he’s got a brand new Toro, he’s going to get plenty of practice!

What a week.

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My goodness. Friday is almost over and and I am ready for this week to end. First, the awesome things:

1. The whole identity theft thing got cleared up and Wells Fargo put the fraudulently spent Walmart money back in my account.

2. We got carpet! The rooms looked like this:

We signed the floor where the carpet would cover it. Here’s the after!

Check it out! The new carpet in the freshly painted and trimmed bedroom and family room.

So…the not-so-fun stuff. Our rental place flooded. The rain came down and the flood waters seeped in, throughout the carpet and into our bedroom. Then it settled in and our carpet and squshed around for a couple of days until the landlord came. The stench of sitting water really settled in by this point and the landlord needed to get in there to pull carpet.

Lucky for him, we have another place we can go! So he brought over his trailer and we moved our bedroom set to the new house a few weeks earlier than planned.

I have to admit – my first thought when faced with another trial was not joy. It was more along the lines of, “Really, God? Something else?” But that’s not the right attitude. I want to learn. Be grateful. Trust God.

My awesome friend gave me this verse: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:10-11 

The verse is so encouraging. Not only about how the glory of God will shine through in difficult situations, but also because Rafa and I realized something. We’re not suffering. The very fact that we have a bedroom set to be ruined means that we are more advantaged than so many people. We have a place – a home – that we get to move in to. We have health and are able to physically move our boxes. We have the Lord.

Riding a rollercoaster

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The other day, one of my sisters asked me, “How are you?”

I honestly didn’t have an answer. It feels like we’ve been on a crazy rollercoaster of emotions and experiences, I hadn’t stopped to think about how I felt. I have been moving, working, doing – whatever needs to be done. House stuff, hospital stuff, family stuff…I have just been focusing on each task on its own without taking a glimpse at the length of the list.

But that is why God has put such amazing people in my (our) life. People who know the right questions to ask and who seem to know what I need before I even know I need it. My girls have been so important to me, but especially this week. After a long day at the hospital, the last thing anyone wants to eat is another frozen pizza 🙂 My sister (aka the fantastic Kita) helped me take care of my family by giving me an AMAZINGLY delish, home-cooked-with-love meal for me to serve my family.

My sisters spent so much time in prayer for me, I was embarrassed. I was pretty much ashamed that they spent so much time talking about/with me. They were so gracious and loving and pretty much the most amazing people I could ask for.

Then, my check card number stolen. Someone stole my information and charged $1,500 (to Walmart ((shiver)) of all places). The Wells Fargo team was all over it and I filed my fraudulent reports.

Rafa and I got to go to a “pancake blessing” aka a couple’s baby shower for a friend who calls her not-yet-born baby boy “pancake.” It was fun to eat pancakes with this type of decoration –

While we were running around to the hospital and the parties and the new house, my family – dad, mom, sister and soon-to-be brother worked like crazy on our new house. They worked all day and night to get the painting and trim perfect before the carpet got put in. They are the most amazing crew we could ask for.
Then finally, I got to see my man and his brother ham it up at the hospital. They are so funny together.

Pretty soon, Gilda got released and we got to go home. Everyone is here, resting. My parents worked all day on our new house and they are back in Iowa. We are getting ready for Monday and regular life.

I’m ready for the rollercoaster to be done now!

Kitchen slow dancing

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We’re on another rollercoaster. Up when we’re thinking about our house, getting ready for Rafa’s upcoming citizenship, spending time with our friends…

Then down when we’re back at the hospital, a mother-in-law who is struggling for air, a healthcare directive to write.

So…we dance. We dance like Cliff and Claire. My husband and I reconnect, finally talking. Really talking. We dance in the kitchen. No music, no humming, no noise.

Just me and my husband, enjoying a moment before our life continues to rush by.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

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Another delish dish to share. I tried a recipe for pesto pasta from the “Living Well on Dialysis” cookbook and we were all a big fan of the tasty green mixture.

(I forgot to snap a pic when it was in our pretty square pasta bowls with a side of veggies! I grabbed this shot before we put it in Rafa lunch the next day.)

Pesto Pasta

Cook 1 pound fettuccine according to box directions.

While that is boiling, mix these ingredients together in a bowl: 1/4 finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons dried basil, 1 teaspoon ground pepper and a dash of salt.

Toss sauce with cooked pasta and enjoy!

A gushworthy moment

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One of my friends told me about one of her friends who got engaged. Her fiancé sent her a lovely text and she gushed about it to everyone. The thing is, my friend’s husband sends her gush-worthy texts like the one the newly-engaged girl read all the time. She realized that she doesn’t gush.

Her realization got me thinking. I often forget to gush about the amazing things my husband does. It’s so easy for me to get caught in a trap of expectations. For example, have you ever heard a woman talk about a date and say, “…and he even opened the car door for me!” I have heard this before….but guess what – My husband does that for me every day, every time we get in the car. Every time.

Don’t forget to gush!

Six months married

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Today marks six months since Rafa and I got married! A numerical representation of the past 26 weeks:

Date nights held: Goal – 26, Actual – Approx. 13

Trips out of the state: 4, Trips out of the country: 2

Percentage of the time Sarah keeps to the budget: 82

Nights spent apart: 6 (Nights Rafa traveled for work: 4, Nights Sarah traveled for work: 2)

Number of pets and relatives that co-exist under our roof: 8 (plus fish)

Houses purchased: 1

Fights: 0

Judging by the numbers, the first six months have been successful. And beyond the numbers…well, I can hardly find words. Being married to Rafa has been beyond anything I expected that marriage could be. I am so thankful that the Lord brought us together.

We had a very special six month anniversary date!

We tore up carpet! Rafa did some amazing negotiations when we placed the order for our new carpet. We found a great deal and locked in the price before the July discount ends tomorrow. Then, Rafa said, “Hey, can you do any better?” He quoted them a price that was about 25% less than their original quote.

Our new favorite carpet seller, Linda, made some calls…and within a few minutes, Carpet King’s best offer was slashed by about 25%! Way to go hubby! It’s the best anniversary present I could have asked for.

We are homeowners!

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It’s done – we are homeowners! It’s still hard to believe. God just moved everything in just the right time for our closing to go through (almost) smoothly.

Thanks to our slow mortgage lender, our closing was delayed for two hours. No problem – they offered to buy us lunch. We had amazing food at a great spotjust down the street from our new house. After stuffing ourselves with woodgrill chicken and to-die-for fettuccine, we made our way to the title company to sign our names over,

and over,

and over,

until they had everything possible covered and we were more in debt than we’ve ever imagined. Whoa.

(Insert mini-panic attach here.)

So after the requester of the signatures offered us a lovely parting gift and we took our shiny new key to our new home.

We toasted with the capri suns from the gift basket:

We did it!

Now here we are, having minor squabbles over the flooring budget and trying to figure out how to most efficiently move into our home.

(I told Hawk, “We’re going to moving into the last house you’ll ever live in.”)

Wow.

We are blessed

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Another drive-by post to say, “my goodness, we are so blessed.”

Gilda was released from the hospital tonight! We pray that her new medication will continue working.

Rafa’s citizenship test and interview went fabulous today! Now we just have to wait for the approval letter 🙂

And tomorrow – WE ARE BUYING OUR HOUSE!!!

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that all this is happening!

Something else that we can’t wait for is Jennifer Lila’s wedding to the wonderful Mike T. next summer. I am so excited already! I heard this amazing song today that just filled me with tears of joy over they love they share. Here’s the song – I strongly suggest buying the whole album.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTa81LyuQM&feature=player_embedded