Looking Beyond Myself

Today has been one of those days where all around me there seems to be a lesson or encouragement. This morning I got a text challenging me to do things anonymously for others. Something I know I should do but rarely find the opportunity to.
Bug and I ran errands this afternoon. At the doctor's office I was helped by a wonderful staff who all noticed my little boy and talked to him (and helped me pick up all the toys he had so much fun throwing on the floor).
Later, we went to the store to get some groceries. Preoccupied with my list, the time, and my little boy who wanted to come home and rest, I did not notice the lady in line before me. She was returning part of her groceries because she didn't have the money to purchase them all (milk and apples were some of the items she returned). The man standing between the lady and me was generous and paid for the items so the lady could take them with her. That's when I noticed her. She looked young, embarrassed and a bit shocked by the man's generosity.
This was the point where I stopped and realized the whole day I had been focused on my lists, my plans for the day, and everything that had to get done. I rushed around getting errands done but didn't stop to notice the people I could have interacted with. So i have to wonder how many people could have used some help today or needed a kind word said to them? I saw at least 50 people and remember making eye contact with less than 10. In a city where everyone is busy and rushing, I really have to make an effort and start focusing on those around me. As my best friend always reminds me " you may be the only 'Jesus' they see today"!

What a Year!!!!

2012 has brought so many things into our lives already, it is hard to believe that it's only March! So many unexpected decisions were made at the beginning of this year. Though our plan was to rent at least one more year, God seemed to have another plan for us. We walked into our realtor's office in search of rental homes within a certain price range and with a list of "wants". After reviewing our list and asking questions, we saw that our options in rentals were extremely limited in the area. Then he asked us why we didn't consider buying, and told us about the benefits as well as how "now was the time to buy".

We were very hesitant at first, but decided we would think about it. We continued to look for rental homes, but as we thought and prayed about it, it became more clear that we should go ahead and start looking into buying a home. Our first home! We prayed about it some more, and then, we did it - we started the process to buy our first home! 

This all happened around mid-January. Since then, we have looked at over 30 houses, talked to 4 different banks to compare rates, signed what seems like a million papers, dreamed, prayed, worried, talked, and just stared into space because we can't believe we are actually buying a house. We feel like such adults! (because obviously getting married and having a child wasn't "adult" enough!) And here we are, packing up our belongings, waiting for all the closing events to happen, and deciding where we'll stay between the time we have to move out of the apartment we are currently living in and when we can move into our home... OUR home! WOW!!!

Today we finally decided that we had to do some serious packing, and i think we did a great job!

Bug has helped us some with some light packing too. He is really such a great helper, and a fun one too! He has helped me put books in boxes, and likes to help me tape the boxes (and then try to take the tape off!)

Isn't' he the cutest little helper EVER?

We would really appreciate prayers for all the closing procedures to go super smoothly! I will post an update as soon as we hear more.

Hugs!