Primed, Sealed, Delivered

In the battle of us verses cabinets, the victory is OURS! We are actually about 85% done with them at this point! The doors have turned out to be the most time consuming part of the project, since you have to wait for each side to dry every time you apply another coat of primer or paint. All the websites say, don't be alarmed by how awful your cabinets will look once they're covered in primer! For me, I thought they looked BETTER with the primer... especially if you meant to go for that streaky, beach-washed look ;-) To save money, we soaked and SCRUBBED the previous hinges, and we'll be spray painting them so they look as good as new! Before and after pictures are coming soon, I promise!

Cool story- my sister had a connection with a guy who had retired from Whirpool Appliances. He had been very vocal about offering his 40% discount to anyone who might need appliances, so when it was time for us to get ours (refrigerator and washer/dryer), my sister emailed him to let him know. Days went by without a response. His daughter-in-law, a good friend of my sister's, said that he had been overwhelmed with requests to use his discount. We were a bit disappointed, but decided that God would provide whatever appliances we were supposed to have. We started searching Craigslist for some reliable appliances that we could afford, all the while, praying that God would work it out. Yesterday my sister calls so excited, just like Ed McMann, and says, "How would you like a discount on those appliances???" Apparently his email account was acting funky and he hadn't seen the email until just then. Praise God!!

Closing Time...

Today, we signed a few hundred papers that resulted in the ownership of our very first home. It was surreal, how God provided this house for us, how He orchestrated every single step. As soon as it was official, we drove to take a look at our home for the first time since it became OURS. An unexpected 65 degrees of warm sunlight welcomed us to our new place- home. Jared carried me over the threshold as we walked through our own front door for the first time. As I stood in the kitchen while Jared checked on... something... (I don't really know what he was checking on), I saw the light pour in the windows. I imagined our friends and family bustling around... I could see the homemade sauce simmering on the stove, I could hear the thunk of the keys as someone played the piano. Through the window, a bristly pine tree stands watch outside the family room, and squirrels dart around the top of the fence. I could only stand there and say THANK YOU. Thank you God, for taking such good care of us, for not only providing what we need, but also knowing what we really LIKE, too.

On our way out, we met our next door neighbor- a soldier. He played catch with his 7 year old daughter, Ivy. We smiled and said, "We're you're new neighbors!" Ivy leaped forward with such joy, as if she was tired of having this empty, quiet house next to hers. He welcomed us and told us how close the neighbors on our street are, about how they had banded together to watch his kids through the night when he suddenly had to take his wife to the ER... how they are there for each other and know each other by name. Could it be, we found a neighborhood that has Long Island attributes... in COLORADO???  Thank you Lord, for this home, for providing, for all that You do. Help us to be wise, and let me not ruin the kitchen cabinets for good. Amen.

Girl, Interrupted

I found a piano on the sidewalk in Denver, on a cold winter night. It was perched over some greasy spots in the pavement and was surrounded by scatters of slushy leftovers from a winter afternoon. It was shielded only by a tattered awning that hovered partially over it, and was painted a piercing blue so brilliant you could not help but notice. Someone had painted thick, gnarly branches across it, which were adorned with hearty drops of white paint to serve as a snowy blanket. The keys were yellow, with patches of their protective layer chipping to reveal the bony under layer of the worn-out keys. Regardless of the cool, gray buildings around which it resided, the piano stood proudly, happily, waiting for someone to stop, sit, and play.

I hope this blog finds you as this piano found me, hope in what might be a dreary winter, an unexpected surprise that intrigues as much as it invites. My goal was to share with you the journey of a new home, but I may find myself also sharing with you my deepest thoughts. I might do so consistently, or just sporadically. For now, I invite you to stop, sit, and read.