Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Oh my! A lot has happened in the last two weeks- Let me give you a quick update on a few things that have been going on around our household.



1. We found someone to rent our condo! Yipee--- after refinancing it (which took forever) and then trying to find renter's by ourselves -- we finally gave up and posted the property on Craig's List. Within two weeks we had a few people interested and Jason contacted them. But check this out-- the couple we ended up renting to in the end (who found us through Craig's List and had no idea who we were) turned out to live just a few blocks away and be one of my sister's best friends and her husband. Crazy, right? They decided they wanted to move in Oct. 1st.

(Our condo for the past 5 years. It has been good to us..but I won't miss those entryway stairs or association living -- Goodbye Windsor Ct!)

2. So... knowing that we would be homeless in about 5 weeks or moving all of our belongings into my parents basement... we decided we had better get serious about looking for a house. So last week we went out and saw nine homes in the South Elgin and St. Charles area. (Since we have been stalking the real estate websites for months it was pretty easy to narrow our search down. We knew what we were looking for-- 3 or 4 bedrooms.. a finished basement... St. Charles schools... not too far from our families.. move-in ready... and of course within our budget) Most of the homes we saw were nice... (except for one major stinker!) but... it was the fourth place we saw that actually made me eyes well up. Now I know that I am hormonal right now... but this house just seemed to have everything we needed and just felt right. Jason loved it too but he was still open to seeing what else was out there. Long story short ---we went back to see that house again a few days later and took our families with us for a second opinion. Everyone loved it and we put in an offer last Tues.  I won't bore you with the details but we ended up in a bidding war with a buyer who was offering cash (boooo!!) but we still ended up getting the place in the end. If all goes well --- we will close on Sept. 28th and officially be in our first new house! (Oh boy... better get packing)

(Our new home in just a few short weeks!)

3. In addition to all the home renting and buying drama, a few other things have been on our minds. My sisterr Mandy, had emergency gall bladder surgery a few weeks back and then soon after that she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Her doctor felt a growth on her thyroid during a physical exam and was concerned. She immediately had to undergo ultrasounds and a nuclear scan and since then we have been waiting to hear back about her test results. Luckily, they ruled out cancer, but they will still have to determine what next steps she will need to take to get healthy again. In the meantime, the medicine she is on is slowly starting to regulate her heart and helping her feel more like herself. Of course, she just happened to be dealing with all of this at the exact same time that she left her job as a hair stylist in a salon in order to venture into business on her own. Talk about a lot on your plate!

(My beautiful sis...super mom and super stylist. Thankful she is on the road to feeling better!)

4. Of course there have been a few other things tossed in there as well. I started a new school year this past week and have been busy trying to get my classroom ready and prepare for my new students. Jason applied and was accepted into an online Master's program and was prepared to start this past week. However, in the end we decided to postpone that for another year due to the financial committment. The other afternoon our car decided to stop running...(but luckily that wasn' t too big of a problem and we were able to get it fixed-- gotta love the Toyota with 110,000 miles on it :) and of course I am still preggo-- and not always feeling the best... so maybe I am not always the easiest to be around :)

So as you can see.. there has been a lot going on these past two weeks, and we anticipate that September will be one of the busiest/craziest months for us yet with the packing and moving. But it's all good and exciting things-- so I'm not complaining. In fact, I am feeling very thankful and blessed. God has given us this great opportunity to have our own house, a new baby on the way, and a wonderful and supportive extended family to surround us. What more could we ask for?