Thanksgiving
5 hours ago
Nov 26, 2009
Closed!
Whew, I got through the closing yesterday, barely. The stack of papers was daunting, but I stretched my hand out, grabbed a pen, and was ready to go. I'm pretty sure I signed my name in record time, and I listened to the explanation of each paper I was signing, occassionally. We were wrapping things up, all was going well, and then I was asked how I was going to pay. And so began the adventure. We were told to make sure to have a check, I had one. Little did we know that a personal check would not suffice due to the amount we had to pay for closing. Oh dang. At some point, I'm sure the thought crossed my mind that we would need something other than a personal check, but we did not know final costs until yesterday. I'm pretty sure banks are not in the habit of writing out blank cashier's checks or anything of the like anyway. Granted, I don't know for sure, but it makes sense.
Panic began rising. Oh dang.
I was given the suggestion to call our bank, back in Tennessee, to see if they could wire the money. The person I needed to speak to was in a meeting in which he "could not be disturbed," so I got to sit and wait for his return call. Unfortunately, he did call. To say he was a jerk is an understatement. To say I wanted to reach through the phone and grab him by the throat doesn't quite explain my feelings toward him. I shared the situation, here's a brief run down of the conversation from there:
Me - I just signed closing papers on a house, in Texas, and need the closing costs wired.
Jerk - We can only wire money if you are here in person.
Me - So there are no other options? I can't fax you a form with my signature?
Jerk - You can go to a branch there and have it wired.
Me (trying not to get too worked up because clearly he thinks I'm a total idiot)- There aren't any here. If there were, I would be there, not on the phone with you.
Jerk - Sorry, we can't wire money unless you are here in person.
Me - Basically, you are going to be of no help to me then.
Jerk - Well, if I were you, this is what I would do...
From there, he launched into a nice story of how I should call the lender and blah blah blah. Since he has no clue the laws in Texas differ a bit from in Tennessee, his idea was junk. And his tone? Oh.my.goodness. This is where I went right off the edge of niceness. The fact he spoke with such an arrogant, condescending tone towards me made his inability to help that much worse. Granted, this is a situation we should have been more prepared for, but moving across the country the week of Thanksgiving kept us a tad bit busy. He was in the middle of a sentence and I hung up on him because very unkind words (those I would have had to repent for) would have flown forth from my mouth. In that moment, I also vowed we will bank at a local bank here, no more big branches that have forgotten about customer service.
I immediately called Andy, who had begun his trek west. I asked him where he was, and he only responded with, "Driving on 40." Nice dear, I need to know where on 40. I finally figured out where he was, which was thankfully still in TN and not yet to Memphis, and told him he needed to find a Regions Bank in Jackson ASAP to get this wire finished. My knight in shining armor came through, again. He found a bank and began explaining to the man who does the money wires (did you know each bank has one person in charge of this?), and I told him just to hand the phone over. I gave the information to the man (who was also very nice), and the money arrived in "record time". Wipe the sweat from the brow, we are done friends! Oh, I forgot to mention Andy arrived at the bank at 3:30pm, and domestic wires end at 4:00pm. Divine intervention? Maybe a bit.
But alas, the adventure came to a close, we are no longer homeless, and Andy is on his way here (hurry honey, hurry!). My mom and I will be going over to the house this weekend to do some cleaning and preparations for when our belongings arrive on Tuesday. Speaking of which, who's helping us move in????
Happy Thanksgiving friends. Thank you for the prayers and words of encouragement as we have gone through this move. They have meant more than you know.
Panic began rising. Oh dang.
I was given the suggestion to call our bank, back in Tennessee, to see if they could wire the money. The person I needed to speak to was in a meeting in which he "could not be disturbed," so I got to sit and wait for his return call. Unfortunately, he did call. To say he was a jerk is an understatement. To say I wanted to reach through the phone and grab him by the throat doesn't quite explain my feelings toward him. I shared the situation, here's a brief run down of the conversation from there:
Me - I just signed closing papers on a house, in Texas, and need the closing costs wired.
Jerk - We can only wire money if you are here in person.
Me - So there are no other options? I can't fax you a form with my signature?
Jerk - You can go to a branch there and have it wired.
Me (trying not to get too worked up because clearly he thinks I'm a total idiot)- There aren't any here. If there were, I would be there, not on the phone with you.
Jerk - Sorry, we can't wire money unless you are here in person.
Me - Basically, you are going to be of no help to me then.
Jerk - Well, if I were you, this is what I would do...
From there, he launched into a nice story of how I should call the lender and blah blah blah. Since he has no clue the laws in Texas differ a bit from in Tennessee, his idea was junk. And his tone? Oh.my.goodness. This is where I went right off the edge of niceness. The fact he spoke with such an arrogant, condescending tone towards me made his inability to help that much worse. Granted, this is a situation we should have been more prepared for, but moving across the country the week of Thanksgiving kept us a tad bit busy. He was in the middle of a sentence and I hung up on him because very unkind words (those I would have had to repent for) would have flown forth from my mouth. In that moment, I also vowed we will bank at a local bank here, no more big branches that have forgotten about customer service.
I immediately called Andy, who had begun his trek west. I asked him where he was, and he only responded with, "Driving on 40." Nice dear, I need to know where on 40. I finally figured out where he was, which was thankfully still in TN and not yet to Memphis, and told him he needed to find a Regions Bank in Jackson ASAP to get this wire finished. My knight in shining armor came through, again. He found a bank and began explaining to the man who does the money wires (did you know each bank has one person in charge of this?), and I told him just to hand the phone over. I gave the information to the man (who was also very nice), and the money arrived in "record time". Wipe the sweat from the brow, we are done friends! Oh, I forgot to mention Andy arrived at the bank at 3:30pm, and domestic wires end at 4:00pm. Divine intervention? Maybe a bit.
But alas, the adventure came to a close, we are no longer homeless, and Andy is on his way here (hurry honey, hurry!). My mom and I will be going over to the house this weekend to do some cleaning and preparations for when our belongings arrive on Tuesday. Speaking of which, who's helping us move in????
Happy Thanksgiving friends. Thank you for the prayers and words of encouragement as we have gone through this move. They have meant more than you know.
Nov 25, 2009
Exodus 14:14 - WFW
Exodus 14:14 - WFW
Originally uploaded by chelled.
Exodus 14:14Originally uploaded by chelled.
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Sunday morning, as we were preparing for our final day at Strong Tower, I came across the above verse. I had to smile as I thought about the last few months, and how true the words of Exodus 14:14 are. God took care of everything, every detail, and is continuing to do so.
In July, we placed our house on the market and went through the many ups and downs that entails. I cleaned everyday (you know I have a toddler, right?); we made sure to be ready at any given moment should somone want to view the house. We prayed, we waited, we prayed, we waited.
During that time of waiting, we were able to watch God restore the marriage of good friends. They were on the verge of divorce, but we were able to see a miracle happen, and it has been amazing everyday since. If God had answered our prayer when we wanted, we would not have had a front row seat to that miracle.
We were able, during the waiting, to welcome a friend's little boy into the world, to celebrate another friend's second birthday, and so many other little moments that make life wonderful. Because of God's timing, we heard beautiful testmonies of adoption that members of our church family experienced.
God did, is doing, all the work. And we? We have only had to be still and trust in His leading, in His timing. This has been a season of learning and growth, and as I prayed in the beginning, God has shown himself off. And that makes it all worth it.
Be blessed today, and for more, wonderful Word Filled Wednesday posts visit Susan.
Nov 24, 2009
Landed
The girl and I made it safely to Texas. She's an amazing traveler, and made many friends along the way. Any person within her sight became a possible "high five" opportunity. She's a funny one that girl of mine.
As the plane began it's takeoff from Nashville, I said, "Say bye bye to Nashville sweetie." Wow, mistake. Tears welled up in my eyes as a flood of memories came to mind. It's hard to put into words how I am feeling right now. Mainly because it still feels like I'm merely visiting because we won't move into our house until next week, and partly because I'm still trying to process everything.
What I know to be true is that we are blessed, richly. God did a good, very good, thing during our time in Tennessee, and I know He will continue to do so here. Our lives are filled with some of the most amazing human beings ever created, people who serve well, love deeply, and are filled with joy. They have been our family away from home and have cared for us well. Life is beautiful, thanks to the people in it.
As the plane began it's takeoff from Nashville, I said, "Say bye bye to Nashville sweetie." Wow, mistake. Tears welled up in my eyes as a flood of memories came to mind. It's hard to put into words how I am feeling right now. Mainly because it still feels like I'm merely visiting because we won't move into our house until next week, and partly because I'm still trying to process everything.
What I know to be true is that we are blessed, richly. God did a good, very good, thing during our time in Tennessee, and I know He will continue to do so here. Our lives are filled with some of the most amazing human beings ever created, people who serve well, love deeply, and are filled with joy. They have been our family away from home and have cared for us well. Life is beautiful, thanks to the people in it.
Nov 23, 2009
Ready or not
Texas, here we come!
More ponderings later, for now, there are still a few things that need my attention before I fly out of here!
More ponderings later, for now, there are still a few things that need my attention before I fly out of here!
Nov 22, 2009
To our church
The following is the letter I gave to our Pastor, and tells how deeply we have loved being a part of the Strong Tower family.
Strong Tower Pastors, Staff, and Family,
It is with great excitement that we announce we are moving to Lubbock, Texas. Although this means the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, we are aware of the fact another must now close.
For the past six years, STBC has been home for us (even longer for Andy), and we have been blessed beyond measure. Strong Tower is the church that rejoiced with us in our wedding and, years later, the birth of our daughter. You wept with us and held us up when Michelle’s nephew died and when Andy’s mother had a stroke. You have helped us to discover and work in our spiritual gifts, and you have helped strengthen our weaknesses. The Strong Tower family has walked beside us for the last 6 years with support, encouragement, accountability, and a love that has prompted our growth individually and as a family.
We would like to thank the Strong Tower pastors and staff for their leadership and dedication to God’s infallible word. We consider ourselves blessed to have been under your leadership and care, and thank you for being bold in His word, gentle in your rebuke, and compassionate to God’s people. We will continue to pray for each of you as you lead and guide the Strong Tower family.
Although we are excited about what lies ahead of us, we know our hearts will miss Strong Tower Bible Church. We look forward to serving God in Texas, in the church He has for us, and in the places in need of all that we have learned here. We will be forever thankful for Strong Tower, our precious family. It has been a joy to sit with you each Sunday, in the “living room” to praise our heavenly Father together. Thank you for being a part of our story, and for making it more beautiful.
Strong Tower Pastors, Staff, and Family,
It is with great excitement that we announce we are moving to Lubbock, Texas. Although this means the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, we are aware of the fact another must now close.
For the past six years, STBC has been home for us (even longer for Andy), and we have been blessed beyond measure. Strong Tower is the church that rejoiced with us in our wedding and, years later, the birth of our daughter. You wept with us and held us up when Michelle’s nephew died and when Andy’s mother had a stroke. You have helped us to discover and work in our spiritual gifts, and you have helped strengthen our weaknesses. The Strong Tower family has walked beside us for the last 6 years with support, encouragement, accountability, and a love that has prompted our growth individually and as a family.
We would like to thank the Strong Tower pastors and staff for their leadership and dedication to God’s infallible word. We consider ourselves blessed to have been under your leadership and care, and thank you for being bold in His word, gentle in your rebuke, and compassionate to God’s people. We will continue to pray for each of you as you lead and guide the Strong Tower family.
Although we are excited about what lies ahead of us, we know our hearts will miss Strong Tower Bible Church. We look forward to serving God in Texas, in the church He has for us, and in the places in need of all that we have learned here. We will be forever thankful for Strong Tower, our precious family. It has been a joy to sit with you each Sunday, in the “living room” to praise our heavenly Father together. Thank you for being a part of our story, and for making it more beautiful.
Nov 21, 2009
Nov 20, 2009
Last weekend
This will be our last weekend in Tennessee, wow wow wow. I can't believe moving day is approaching so quickly. Nor can I believe I am sitting here at the computer when I should be packing. Well, I guess that last part isn't so hard to imagine.
Today was the last day for me to enjoy the crazy workouts, the wild D1 field, and the very humorous Carter. As a good-bye gift, Carter had everyone sign a D1 shirt for me (which I love, but man I wish I had a shirt like the one they wrote on to wear, it's so cool). One guy wrote on there, "I hated getting beat by a girl." Reading that had me laughing out loud, and feeling rather proud. I will miss that place, and those workouts. More than anything I will miss that team atmosphere, one that respected the level each person was at, but that challenged each person to go further. There is power in numbers, and the encouragement that happens at that place, at that hour, is truly incredible.
And with that, it's time for me to pack at least one box. This weekend will be crazy enough, and my procrastination certainly isn't helping anything.
Today was the last day for me to enjoy the crazy workouts, the wild D1 field, and the very humorous Carter. As a good-bye gift, Carter had everyone sign a D1 shirt for me (which I love, but man I wish I had a shirt like the one they wrote on to wear, it's so cool). One guy wrote on there, "I hated getting beat by a girl." Reading that had me laughing out loud, and feeling rather proud. I will miss that place, and those workouts. More than anything I will miss that team atmosphere, one that respected the level each person was at, but that challenged each person to go further. There is power in numbers, and the encouragement that happens at that place, at that hour, is truly incredible.
And with that, it's time for me to pack at least one box. This weekend will be crazy enough, and my procrastination certainly isn't helping anything.
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