We are Homeowners!

Wow, I thought this day would come, but I have to say I didn't think it would come so soon and so fast! What a whirlwind this past month was. But here are some pictures of our new home!!


Living Room





Living Room with our not so pretty furniture...hopefully a new couch to come!

Dining Room- Pre-paint

Dining Room- With beautiful yellow walls!


Office- pre-paint


Office- post paint

To see the whole house check out my picasa webalbum.

More photos to follow...hopefully this weekend we can get some more work done! YAY!

Celebrations

Chris and I decided it was time to grow up. So...we bought a condo. I think we are making pretty good lemonade out of the lemons we've been given, and we are excited about owning our own home. We get to decorate and paint the way we want it. I can actually grow plants on my balcony! Now that is exciting!

But, it has also been really hard. This should be a time of excitement and celebration. It should be fun and creative. But, the reality is it's not, not right now at least. Chris and I were talking about how I am having a hard time of being excited lately. And he said something that resonated with me. He said, "I don't know if you'll ever be able to celebrate with me the same again. Because there is a void. It will always be bitter-sweet for you. I don't know what you're going through."

There is so much truth to that statement. I don't know if I'll be able to celebrate the way I used to again. I'm not saying that I can't be happy or that I can't be excited. I can. It's just different. It's bitter-sweet. Sweet, because this is a joyous time. One that brings about the excitement of change. And bitter, because my mom is not here to celebrate it with me. She would be the one to stay up all hours of the night painting with me, so we could move in. She would help me be indecisive about which 2 lamps to choose out of the 6.

It seems the times that I really need her, are the times I feel the sting of loss the most.

"For the Good"

Sometimes it's hard to believe that God has his best for the good of those who love Him. He says he will not let us go through something that we can't bear. But, right now, the load is so heavy I can't hold it anymore. Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, all these emotions. I don't even know where they come from, or what to do with them when they get here.

Life is different now. It won't ever be the same. And learning to deal with that is hard...really hard. How do I get my mind to wrap around reality? How do I come to grips with what has happened without sinking into despair? I don't want to carry the load anymore. But I don't necessarily know how to give it up yet. I don't know what that looks like. All I know is that God is good, and while I'm sitting in the waiting room, this is the song that is playing:

We like to take the blessing from You
Should we not take the trouble too
You are working all things out
We like to take prosperity
Should we not take the suffering
You are working all things out

For the good
of those who are called by You
For the good
of those who are in love with You

That's why we sing
Holy God of light
I lay down my life
Holy is the Lord
Even in the storm be glorified.
"For the Good"
Shane and Shane