God is always good. He's just always really good to us, and I don't mind sharing that information with anyone willing to hear me brag on my King. Laura and I have been wanting to move to our own place for years; I mean, years! I haven't owned a house since 1996, and I only owned it for a minute before I divorced, and he took it out from under me - our judge was very partial to men; she hated women. Her record(s) reflect it. The fact is, however, I just never got out of the rut. I was either in debt and couldn't buy one, or I hadn't had my job long enough. There was always something stopping me from settling down and buying a home. That stops now.
About 11 years ago, Laura called me out of the blue after moving back to Oklahoma from Indiana, where we had been sharing a rented home. I also moved back and was renting again. She stated, rather than asking, that I needed a roommate. I didn't think I did, but it wasn't a question. She became my roommate, and she's been a really good one ever since. She's not interested in dating or getting married, and frankly, neither am I. We're just two old biddies, I guess, one older than the other.
Now, after finally finding permanent work (no thanks to Covid and employers who don't understand the value of honest and ethical individuals), I have a really good, steady, and wonderful job. I've been there for about 18 months, and I earn enough to buy the house I want, not just something I have to settle for. It's taken a very long time, but it is time now, and God had everything to do with it. We pray about everything, and He listens. He moves, and He works. We don't have to. We just have to use our brains and do what needs to be done - He opens the doors so we can pass through them - in His time.
I have been steadily building my credit by paying off almost everything, except for my car. I keep that one going (revolving) so I have a good score on the credit reporting agencies. They allowed me to add all of my bills, including my rental history for the past 10 years, which has been nearly perfect, so that significantly increased my score. I am beyond the point where I need to be for a lender to say yes, and I'm heading toward the marks closer to the "best" or "excellent" credit range. I'm a solid "good" at the moment! It feels really good too! Really good.
I can't say where we'll land just yet. I don't want anything to happen -- we haven't signed the papers yet. What I will say is that it is in my favorite city, within city limits, but on an acreage. Although it has city water, electric, gas, and internet, it's far enough from the neighbors to feel as if I'm mostly in a rural setting. We'll say this, there are about 5 acres or more between me and any other neighbor, and 15-20 acres from those in the back-- and they're a business, so no worries there.
The veterinarian is literally across the street from us! How convenient is that? We're 3 city blocks from a roundabout that takes you into the city - with restaurants, doctors' offices, dentists, chiropractors, grocery stores, and more, less than a 1/2 mile from our doorstep. (The doorstep is a good 3/4 of an acre from the curb! I like that.) I can fly my American flag and not worry. All of my neighbors have one too! We'll have horses soon, and though we could probably get more dogs, we're going to stick with the four we have.
We are both (Laura and I) cave dogs. We don't want a big house. We're far more concerned about the size and shape of the barn than we are about the house. The house is a 1,400 sq. ft. house with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an office space for Laura, and a large extra space, including a two-car garage, for her gym and tack room. (My car gets to share it, of course, and I have the third bedroom for my office.) Laura gets the Master bedroom because its window faces the horses; she'll love that. We have a great fireplace so Santa can come down it if he chooses to, and the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom are IDENTICAL to those my daddy made in houses out that way in the '70s. They could have been built by his hands, and I'm not just saying that.
We're hoping they'll sell the mowers, tractor, and flatbeds with the house. We're offering $ for them. The owners are in their 80s and won't use them. We'll eventually have to demolish the barn and build a new one, but that's a while down the road. For now, we're focusing on the new fence for the dogs (an immediate project) and building two paddocks for our horses. This should be an amazing holiday season for us. We move on Thanksgiving Day!! You can't get more thankful than we are for this opportunity - God, and of course, Jesus, and the Spirit are simply too wonderful. We feel as if we can finally breathe.
Photo Credit: Me (the acreage)
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