For the past month or so, we have been praying very diligently about where God wants us to be after we are married. Nathan is originally from Oklahoma and I am from Conway. We both love both places and consider them both home, to be honest. I will be graduating here in two and a half weeks and, Lord willing, will be teaching in the fall. Nathan will still have a little bit of school left, but is planning on going into ministry wherever God leads. Though he still has some school left to finish, we have spent the last month knowing that I would not be tied here and that moving to Oklahoma to serve in ministry could be a possibility. We both love his home church there and love the people and really have a heart for what God is doing in that area. At the same time, we know that it would be wise for Nathan to finish school here. All of our pros and cons have weighed back and forth and we have prayed that God would reveal to us where HE wants us to be, not where WE want to be. I was getting to the point of worrying because time is ticking away and we still were even sure what state we would be living in after we were married. Thankfully, God began stirring our hearts last week and helping us see a small glimpse of His plan for us. He gave us a peace and a sense of guidance that for right now, we need to be in Conway. Nathan will finish school and I am hoping to be teaching in this area in the fall.
So after making this very big decision, we began looking at houses again. We had started looking at houses last month, but God closed a few doors and showed us that we needed to keep looking. The funny thing is, we didn't look for very long! We spent all afternoon yesterday driving around to every neighborhood that we could possibly think of to find a house to call home. We saw a few that were possibilities, but at the end of our search, we found the cutest, most perfect house for us. It was For Sale By Owner, so Nathan called the number to get information about it. The guy answered and informed Nathan that he was actually walking some flyers out and that we were welcome to grab one. As we talked to him, he told us that we could come in and look around if we wanted to. I was thrilled!! We walked in and I instantly knew that this could very well be home. We looked around and talked to the couple for a little while and then decided that we needed a second opinion! As first time homebuyers, we don't know a whole lot about the process, so my parents are teaching us and guiding us along the way! Mom came right over and she loved it too! So, the only one left was dad. We went home and had dinner and then went back to look at the house a third time! This couple was so sweet to allow us to just take over their night! We ended to visit agreeing to pray about the decision and be in touch soon.
Now, I have crazy dreams. I don't know why, but I am known for having the weirdest dreams. However, last night my dreams weren't weird at all! They were wonderful dreams about the house! I woke up so excited about it! On my way to school, I stopped by CBC and left Nathan a note on his truck that said: "I think this might just be the one..." We both knew that it was perfect and we felt a peace that we were ready to move forward! So, this evening, we went back over with my parents, took a final walk through, and made an offer. I know this sounds extremely fast and rushed, but we are on a bit of a short time schedule. With getting married in 2 months, we have less than 8 weeks for all of the paperwork and closing procedures to go through. So, finding the perfect house with such a short time frame was such a blessing and we could not pass it up! The couple was on board with our offer and accepted it right away!
Here are a few pictures of our soon to be home!
My dad was helping us check everything out!
This is the entry way, as you walk in the front door!
View of the living room from the kitchen.
The Kitchen!
Dining area attached to the kitchen!
View from the back of the dining area.
The Backyard!
View of the back of the house!
Nathan signing our Offer Agreement! We felt so grown up :)
The owner even let us take the For Sale sign down for him :)
More pictures to come in the upcoming months! We will be closing on the house June 2! Just enough time to get everything moved in before the wedding! We are so excited about this new chapter in life. It is so exciting to see how God is just answering prayers, closing doors, opening doors, and leading us all along the way! We can't wait to move in and make it our own after the big day in June!
