A Year Ago - Our Miracle Home

OUR MIRACLE HOME

It’s hard to believe that a year ago this week we were in the makings for one of the greatest and best surprises my hubby and I have been through together as a married couple.  A true life miracle and of all times during Halloween but we praise our God who does not rely on time, no matter the season to grant a miracle any time He feels like it.  It all started over three years ago when we had to “let go” of our dream of owning our dream home.  We never even came close to making an offer, but oh how we loved it.  It was the perfect home for us, plus we were also planning to have hubby's elderly mother move in with us.   This house was one level, had plenty of bedrooms, closet space, one level, formal dining room, plus a laundry room, 4 bathrooms, full basement, a garage and a sunroom, one level and for added measure, an in-ground pool and oh, a gazebo next to the pool.  Did I say one level?  The reason why I’m over emphasizing one level, is that it had been my dream and desire to live in a one-level home for years.  See, hubby’s knees slowly deteriorated since jumping out of helicopters in Vietnam back in the 60’s.  When we bought our two-story home back in the early 90’s, which also had two sets of steps going up to it, we did not realize how difficult life was going to be in a decade or so.  Hubby lived a life of pain and misery, suffice to say he ended up having two knee replacements within 6 months of each other in 2008,  plus with Grandma moving in with us, a one level home would be ideal.  A year later, we so happened onto a local realtor’s website and that's where we found our dream home.  We looked at it in person a couple of times and talked a little bit of business with the realtor.   The problem with this dream home though was that it needed a lot of TLC, but then so did our current home.  We came to the realization that we did not have the financial resources to fix both homes.  It was painful and very depressing.  I knew we would never find another home like it.  After a few months of being down in the dumps, we decided to renovate the kitchen which would be a small step to fixing up the current home, one room at a time and probably one year at a time.  In 2010, a year after renovating the kitchen and not feeling very good about our progress and with hubby still struggling with his knees, I saw on TV a new housing community advertisement for Open Houses.  I mentioned to hubby to “just for the heck of it”, let’s go take a look at these homes.  Surprisingly he agreed.   Anyway, the Open House was scheduled for the following Sunday which just happened to be on Halloween.  It ended up being a beautiful, warm, sunny day.  As I was getting ready that Sunday morning, hubby comes in and shoves the day’s newspaper into my face and tells me to “look!”  I’m annoyed as all get out, he knows it’s a big no-no to bother me while I’m getting ready.  Anyway, with that little smirk on his face, once again he tells me to “look!”  Frustrated I “look” and then there it is!!!  Oh my goodness!!!  Our dream home is having an OPEN HOUSE on the same day.  The dream home that we let go of, the one I cried crocodile tears over.  The ad said it had been “renovated” and ready to move in.  I had thought that all this time a family had already bought it and settled into it.  Come to find out the sellers couldn’t sell the home so after months and months of trying, they had to foreclose.  I can’t even begin to imagine the pain they had to go through themselves in having to let it go like that.  So some flippers bought the house from the bank and fixed it up completely.  I was thrilled to go see what updates they made on it but still very cautious not to get too attached, I just didn’t want my heart to get broken again.  The flippers renovated, added, touched up on everything  that we wanted to do to the house and more.  We were at a loss for words as to how much better it looked.  After a few more stops that day, it was time to go home to get ready for our trick or treaters.  The whole time I’m dreaming of this house (never gave the other homes a 2^nd thought) and what were our possibilities!  As soon as I cut the lights off after the last of our  trick or treaters had come and gone, I rushed into the bedroom where hubby was still awake watching TV.  I asked him what he thought about our possibilities .  We discussed it thoroughly and decided to look further into it that week.  NOW HOLD ON TIGHT, THINGS  START MOVING  REALLY FAST FROM THIS POINT ON!!   A week later we get pre-approved for a home loan.  A week later the flippers come and look at our house to see if they would want to buy it and fix it up too.  A week later they make an offer on our house and we make an offer on their house, the DREAM HOME!!  At this point the following  two months are a complete blur.  All I remember is that we were moving in the middle of Christmas!!  We began to clean and pack and clean and pack.  I was hoping and praying that our closing date would be before Christmas and was sad when they told us it would be two days after Christmas.  Thanksgiving came and went.   As we got closer to the closing date, they told us that it had been moved to a week earlier, on the 17^th, yay! before Christmas AND on our 27^th wedding anniversary!!!!  Now, could we have planned that any better? I don’t think so!  God and only God!!  The following week was Christmas and all I could muster was a small wooden Christmas tree, 2 ft. high next to the fireplace and our cute manger scene with some string lights on our mantel.   Ever so thankful though that God granted us the desire of our hearts and gave us our dream home.  As much as I wanted to celebrate and have the whole house decorated for Christmas, we just didn’t have the strength to do it as we were still unpacking and cleaning but joy filled our hearts for our new home, the best Christmas present ever next to Jesus of course and oh!  that Hubby wouldn’t have to climb a multitude of steps anymore (Grandma too), YAY!  Thank you Lord!!  I told our daughter Elise that after not celebrating last Christmas in the usual way, next Christmas we’re going to start early and go all out!!  She totally agreed.  It’s supposed to start getting really cold today, possibly some snow tomorrow, another miracle – snow in October.  Wouldn’t it be fun to start decorating for Christmas with the chill in the air and the snowy forecast?  Bring. It. On!!!

OUR DREAM HOME ~ CHRISTMAS DAY 2010

If you look close into the one large single window on the right ~ that's the living room ~ you can see the string of Christmas lights on the mantel :)