Looks like we found a job!

Isn't it funny how God works? We've been praying for a job since June, and about 3 weeks ago, Tanner thought God told him to start asking everyone that we talked to in Texas for a job. My initial response? How embarrassing! I am so glad I kept my mouth shut and told my husband to go for it. If God was telling him to do it, then just do it! I can't tell you how many times I cringed when I heard Tanner talking on the phone with a realtor or a construction guy and I heard the inevitable, "So, do you have any jobs available? No? Oh, well, uh, do you know anyone that has a job available?" So many times I wanted to scream, "STOP! I can't take the embarrassment anymore." For some reason I didn't. I can't say it was because of anything special, I think I just kept chickening out. I didn't want to get into an arguement or something like that.

Well, we decided to call refrences that one of our contractors supplied. Imagine my cringing soul as I heard the conversation winding up and prepared for that all embarrassing question. I could hear the lady on the other end say very politely, "Well, no, actually I don't have any job openings. I'm sorry..." I figured that was the end of that and then she said, "But, you know, there's this company that's always hiring...it won't make you much maybe 13-18 an hour..."

I checked the company out online and became very excited when I discovered that not only does it have positions open to work in its office, but also that it had openings for at home offices! Tanner filled out the online form on Saturday and got a response this morning! So, I've filled one out and we'll see if we can't both get a job.

Trying to potty train

Reggie is almost two and showing signs of being ready to potty train. I decided to give it a try this week and so far there have been 2 poos and 4 pees. Before anyone gets too excited, they all happened on the floor not the toilet. For some reason I have feeling God is sitting up in heaven watching my gyrations and just cracking up with laughter. I think that's why it's sunny today.

We've begun the countdown.

This afternoon we ordered the PODS for all of our belongings. They'll be dropped on January 2nd in the evening, and we'll have the weekend to get them packed, and they'll be picked up on either the 6th or 7th. We're planning on taking off early on the 7th, so that we can make it through the passes during the afternoon instead of the evening. Hopefully, we'll arrive in Sacrament that evening and we'll spend it with our friends, and then head on down the next day to Disneyland. If all goes well, we'll be in College Station by the 16th. That's only 60 days to freedom!! (If you've ever been to Texas, you know what I'm talking about.)

I think the hardest transition for us will be learning to speak slowly. Already, we've had several frustrating conversations with locals down there requesting that we speak more slowly. Sort of makes me feel like I'm from New York rather than from the Northwest. (If you've ever been to New York, you know what I'm talking about.) So, if you guys do give us a call, remember that we might be learning how to talk at snails pace.

Here's a funny story. We visited Galveston in June, and witnessed an unusual occurence: the heavens opened in a downpour. It rained for 3 HOURS! All pedestrians disappeared. The beaches were deserted. And cars ceased to exist. Tanner and I felt very odd as we drove our rental around the empty streets. We decided to stop at a dimly lit Starbucks which was the only sign of life in that town. We also figured it would be relatively safe. We thought maybe we were missing something...

We parked, ran through the downpour, and made it into the comforting, brown glow of Starbucks. I ordered the usual and so did Tanner. Everybody was talking about the rain. They were shocked that it was STILL raining. It had been raining for TWO HOURS! AND in the day time. We discovered that was the reason for the empty streets. "After all," one of the customers remarked, "it is dangerous to drive in the rain." We frowned. Cleared our throats, and said, "In Portland it can rain for a month solid." The whole room grew very quiet. Someone finally asked, "You mean it rains every single night?" We gently corrected him. "No, ALL day, ALL night, without ceasing." There was a gentle chuckle of disbelief. So we said again, "No, really, all day, all night, nonstop for about a month." Jaws dropped. Heads shook. I doubt any of them will be visiting us soon.

Looks like we found a good contractor

Well, we just hired a guy to level the house for us. That's the first major step in a big project. We've praying and asking the Lord to send us someone of good repute who could get the job done before we arrive in C.S. One of the obstacles has been that all of the good contractors have been busy because of the last couple of hurricanes, and they've all told us that it would be 6 months before they could get to the house. Today we spoke to a contractor that said that he could work on it Thanksgiving week because no one was lined up for that week. Yay! AND he gave us a quote for about $4500. It's just amazing how God is providing for us, and He uses all of these circumstances to remind me that we are indeed in the palm of His hand.

OR as C.S. Lewis put it in his book The Silver Chair: He didn't tell us HOW things would turn out. He just told us to WHAT we should do.

How much to fix the foundation?

Looks like it's going to cost a pretty little penny to get the foundation fixed. We finally got our first bid today...hehe: 10K. Not bad, actually. We got the house at such a good price that there is a lot of wiggle room when it comes to repairs.

Tanner spoke on the phone with city permits. It was probably the most eye opening experience we've had so far. College Station is considered to be one of the more "liberal" towns in the area, and very "invasive" when it comes to government control, so we were bracing for the worst when it came to what types of permits we would have to get and how much they cost. Imagine our laughter when the permit officer said, "well, it's going to be a little steep. It's $15 for the first 1K in estimated repairs and $5 for every additional 1K." Um, so that means we're looking at permit costs of...$60? Hahahahahaha! Tanner kept probing for the "hidden" cost items until finally the guy asked, "Where are you guys from?" So, Tanner responded, "Portland, Oregon." You could hear the permit officer grinning, "Oh, the left coast?" Then he proceeded to explain that they just have general permits. There's a permit called "Rennovation and Remodeling", and you just list what you're going to rennovate and remodel and they issue the permit. Yeah, it's that easy.

We have two other contractors bidding the foundation job tomorrow, so we'll be able to get a really good picture as to the price and how long it will take. Thanks for all of your prayers as we take the next steps in our Texan adventure.

So...we bought a house

Yes, we've actually done it. Of course most of you already know this, but we really, truly bought a house or, perhaps more accurately, a home. It's a major fixer upper, and I have a feeling that this blog is going to spend a lot of time telling all of you how it's going, what our next project is, and the latest "findings".

I'm excited about it because there seems to be nice sized backyard for the girls to play in, and we'll be located in a great school district, which was important to us since we won't be able to send them to a private school. And trust me...I don't think I'm cut out to actually homeschool my own kids. LOL. Kind of weird when you think about it...

So, I figured out how to post pictures of the house, including the "bathroom" which is kind of disgusting and will probably be on our priority list but will have to come after: leveling the house, replacing broken windows and doors, installing heat and a/c, fence the yard, then and only then will we work on the bathroom.

Luckily, the inspection came back that the house was mold free as far as the inspector could see. There are always small blessings that God gives us to remind us that we are indeed in His hands.

I have to admit to being sad at leaving good ol' PDX. I'm sad that Kate won't get to celebrate big number 5 with her favorite cousins. I'm sad the Reggie won't be able to see Charlie and the Georgie probably won't remember any of the family that we leave behind. I hold on to the realization that this is God's work and God's direction, and the He is faithful to give us what we need. He honors our commitment to Him and will give us every good thing. I hope that we all see a lot of visitors our way, and maybe even snag a few hearts for the best place on earth.

Welcome, Georgianna!

We welcomed Georgiann Rose into our family on September 24th. What an event. Everything went smoothly, and we came home on the 26th. So, the sleepless nights have begun, and we now know why so many people stop at having two kids. Three is just hard. No more one on one. You end up feeling slightly disconnected. I feel distinctly priviledged to have three extraordinarily different girls. Not only in looks, but in temperament and intelligence. They will be a continuous source of excitement and wonder for us. I can tell that they will challenge us to never, ever assume that they ALL like the SAME things.