the good. the bad. the random.

The Good. 

Two days left of work.
The Bad.
I don't have a new job lined up.
The Random. 
I would be lying if I didn't admit that I am looking forward to chilling pool side, while living in an RV. I realize it might get old, but at least in the beginning it will feel like a much-needed vacation.

The Good. 
The check from the insurance company {for our roof/siding} FINALLY came in... after they sent us a check made out to the WRONG mortgage company!
The Bad. 
We are seriously cutting it close with having the roof/siding work done before our closing of July 26.
The Random. 
Monday a crew is coming to fix our porch. Wednesday the movers are coming to pack up our crap. Thursday a crew is coming to replace our windows AND the movers are coming back to load the moving truck. Sometime in there the roof and siding is {hopefully} being replaced. We close the following Monday... hope everything gets done in time.

The Good. 
Getting ready to read lots of books.
The Bad. 
I am waaaaaaayyyyyy behind on my reading for the year - I just finished book 23 and should be on book 28.
The Random. 
We have been separated for 136 days! So glad this ordeal is almost over.

Relief

After months of waiting, we finally have an offer. In the meantime, we have definitely learned a lot about patience and waiting for answered prayer.

Waiting doesn't come naturally. It is so much easier to have what we want right now. But waiting shapes us for what is to come... 

In April, we put our house on the market. We hoped we would sneak in before the First-Time Home Buyer's Credit expired. We welcomed the showings. We averaged five per week. It felt good.

And then April 30th passed. Our only offer, dead on arrival. So we waited. Days creeped by. No showings. It was awful. We had passed through a month of plenty and found ourselves in one month... two months... of nothingness. Not a single showing in almost two months! Desperation became a heavy burden. Separation became torture.

We began to hatch a plan. We would live in an RV. It was doable. Right? We could do it for an unknown amount of time. It would mean we would be together. We visited campgrounds. We learned that Daniel's aunt would be willing to rent her RV to us. We plotted and schemed. We looked into how living in an RV and owning a home would effect our Home Owner's insurance. We found a campground that had all the ammenities we would need (most notably internet). We discovered the earliest we could commit to full time life in an RV was July 30 and we booked our spot at Raccoon Mountain. We started making lists of things we would need to live full time in an RV. Our friends and family told us that if anyone could live in an RV, it was us. We grinned and kept making our lists.

While we were focused on our RV plans, a funny thing happened. We had a showing. And then another. And then one this past Saturday. Then a follow-up on Sunday. And then an offer Sunday afternoon {with a request to make a decision by 9PM}. We counter-offered and our counter was ACCEPTED! We had ANOTHER showing today {our realtor told us to go ahead, just to be safe}. We signed papers today and a check is in escrow. They want to close July 26... just in time for us to move into our RV!!!

God really surprised us with this one. A tremendous weight has been lifted. Relief. There are no words. Now there are new lists to be made. Things to be done. But we will really be together at the end of the month and no house payment to tie us down. It is an amazing feeling.

100 Days

Yesterday marked 100 days apart.*
 

Just to visit me in Charlotte, Daniel has driven over 8,000 miles. 

He should win an award.
 

To visit him, I have driven over 3,000 miles.
 

I have eaten more than 200 meals alone... 

I am guessing more than half-of-which were take out.
 

I don't have to share the remote control, but that is of little consolation.
 

Daily dropped calls are annoying.
 

Saying goodbye does not get easier.
 

On a bad day, regret over not accepting a ridiculously low offer lurks in the shadows.
 

Praying we don't have to wait another 100 days.

*This number is a reflection of the consecutive number of days we have spent living 400 miles apart.

He's being your family...

The other night I was catching up with my sister, giving her the details about a recent house showing. Basically, we had a girl come by and view the house for 2 HOURS. Pretty awesome for us, but not so fun for Benjy, our friend who has graciously offered to come walk Sophie whenever I can't make it home because of work. He drives 45 minutes EACH WAY to come help me. And he won't let us make it up to him {we are planning something though}.

Anyways, as I told my sister this story, she said,  

"Awww... he's being your family right now." 

She is so right. I hadn't even thought about that. He is jumping in and helping me, knowing he won't get anything in return. He is there, a phone call away, just like my sister or brother or parents would be. Since they aren't here, he is filling that void for us right now.

We need more friends like this in our lives. The ones that offer to help you, even at an inconvenience to themselves. We need to be more like that ourselves. Benjy has stepped into that role for me while I am in Charlotte and Courtney and Chris are fulfilling that role for Daniel while he is in Chattanooga. They are his family when I {or our extended family} can't be.

Basketcase

Daniel left today and I have been an emotional wreck. Who knew that this experience would be so trying? Worse is that Sophie is really taking it hard. It is amazing how much she seems to know. All day long, she just laid on the our over-sized leather chair, staring forlornly out the living room window.

When Daniel packed up the car to leave, she wanted to go with him. She refused to come inside and I had to drag her in which made me feel terrible.

Daniel and I had a late lunch together at The Original Pancake House and then said a tearful goodbye in the parking lot. Afterward I ran some errands, then came home and took Sophie on a long run. We both needed it. Not sure how we will get through the coming week.

Last Days Together...

Today was our last big push to get the house finished. There are still some minor things to wrap up (mostly touching up paint and lots of cleaning). Since Daniel leaves tomorrow, this means the brunt of this work is now on my shoulders.

Hopefully I will have time to photograph the house and get it posted on Craigslist so we can gauge interest this week. I will also get the responsibility of talking to potential realtors. That should be interesting.

In the past month, Daniel and I have had almost no time to devote to being together. We have been doing what needs to be done, but now that we are at the point where he is leaving, I am feeling very anxious about everything.

I know that we are not the first couple in the history of the world to have to be separated for a job. And we won't be the last. But somehow, that doesn't make it any easier.

We spent the entire day working on house stuff. And now we are both exhausted and sore. Daniel is getting cleaned up and then we will grab a bite to eat. There is laundry to be done before he leaves and we still need to determine what he needs to take with him since he will be driving back and forth every weekend. In general I don't think that we feel very prepared for this ordeal.