Here is a tip for anyone looking to buy a home.....never try to buy a short sale.
For one thing, it is never short. It is a step above a foreclosure, meaning there are still owners, but the bank on the current mortgage is the actual seller. Often they are just trying to cut their losses before foreclosure happens. At least this was the way we understood it. So, knowing we had to be into a house before the end of last summer, we made an offer in March of 2009. And we waited. And waited. AND WAITED. We knew it would take a while, but we were getting antsy.
Then, Hubby's dad passed away in May, and our world sort of stood still for a while. Suddenly we had so many things to sort through, decisions to make, and I was not even sure we would still be proceeding with out future together in the same time frame as we had been. That is, until Hubby proposed to me in June. Within a few days, we had set the date for October, yes, just s few months to plan the wedding, and get the house and move in. But the realtor assurred us that we could fill out pre-occupancy paperwork on the house we were in the works on, waiting for the closing.
Just as we thought we were home free, another blow.....the house, the one we had just spent almost 4 months waiting on....we were not getting it. The bank canceled the sale. We later learned that the owners were squatting there, and we suspect they made a deal with the bank to keep the house. I will never forget the day Hubby told me this news. It was the middle of a terrible storm in the Pittsburgh area, a storm that was echoed in my heart.
At a loss, we agreed to meet at the Get Go in Sarver, where they had free Wi-fi, and look for house listings. We sat there as the storm raged on. We did not find anything that night, and the storm was so bad, I was stuck in Kittanning, I even had to buy clothes to wear to work the next day. I was heartbroken, and felt like my life would never be settled again. But the Lord had other plans for me, just as promised in Jeremiah.
Eventually, we did find a house, and a new realtor, who made it happen for us. She got us in our home in the time frame we needed . One of the many rainbows after a storm.
The next storm was the wedding. We planned a gorgeous outdoor wedding, only to wake up on our wedding day to......storms. It poured all day. I was once again heartbroken. Then, through the intervention of angels, as well as good friends, we got the wedding moved to a church just a block away from our outdoor site, just 30 minutes before the ceremony started. It went off without a hitch. Again, another rainbow.
The last few months have been a little rough for me. I have not been working, out of choice, and have been trying to find my path in life. I recently withdrew from my doctoral program, something that I thought was a dream and a passion of mine. I felt like I was never going to find my passion or purpose. Another storm, and again, another chance for intervention from above.
I decided last month to start blogging again, and I have 3 blogs total. This one, one on our pets, and one on book reviews. It started out as a creative outlet. It has since turned into a rainbow.
On my book review blog, I have been reviewing books, and when possible, trying to increase exposure by posting links to the blogs on related fan pages and such. When I reviewed a book called Pregnant Pause, I sent the blog to the author. She put the link to it in her personal blog. I was astounded. Then I reviewed a book about and by a holocaust survivor, called Four Perfect Pebbles. On a whim, I sent the review to the authoress and survivor, Marion Blumenthal Lazan. Not only did she read it, but she emailed me back asking if she could call me. So today, she called me, and asked if she could use my review to help promote her book, and for publicity purposes. Again, I was astounded. I told her I would be honored, and I swear, my heart sang a little. Perhaps, I am finding my passion, and God is helping me make connections that will allow me to successfully pursue it; I really hope so, but I guess only time will tell.
For now, what I can tell you, without a doubt, is that when life presents you with a storm, God presents you with a rainbow.
