Slow But Sure

Nothing much has been going on since the hole for the basement was dug. The surveyor pinned the walls for the basement last week. Today the gravel was shot in for the basement walls which will hopefully be put in on Thursday-Friday at the latest. On Saturday Jim and I went to the lot to mow. Actually, Jim mowed and I ran in the subdivision. The name of the subdivision is Willow Creek. It is large enough for me to run four miles just in the subdivision. After I was finished running Jim took a break and we went to the local flea market. We had a good time there and picked up a few things. We then went back to the lot and finished mowing. I had earlier said to Jim that maybe we could push mow the yard instead of using a riding mower. Well, after Saturday's mowing experience we are definitely getting a riding mower. It is too big of a yard and it is way too hot!

Today Emma and I went out to the lot and took some pictures of the gravel that was shot in. She is having a difficult time understanding why the house isn't built yet. In the picture of her she has a toothpick in her mouth. She looked so funny. We had a good time hangin out.

Breaking Ground

We finally broke ground on Monday, July 13th. It was pretty exciting just to see a hole dug in the ground! Several trees were cleared and now we have a great view of the fairway behind us. We ordered the Superior Walls for the basement. They should be ready to be set in by the 27th. In the meantime, footers are being dug, more survey work is being done, and gravel will be shot in. Today was a great day for bargains. We were able to buy some towel bars, canned lights, a permit box, and a temporary electric pole for less than half of what it would have normally cost. These were things a builder had because someone he was building a house for changed their mind about some things and they were not going to use these particular materials. We consider this as being a blessing from the Lord. Here are some pics of what the lot looks like now. The man and woman in the picture are the excavator and his wife, Mark and Tammy Bridgeman. They are great people to work with. I am the one standing in the dug out basement. The last picture should be the first one. That is what the lot looked like before excavation.

One Step Closer

We got the building permit today. It looks like Monday, the 13th is ground breaking day. We need to have the property checked to see if there are any utility lines running across it before digging can commence. The septic system checked out so we do not need to move the location of the house. (praise the Lord!) The surveyor is coming tomorrow to "pin" the house.

Hurry Up and Wait

Well, the inspector for the septic system came yesterday. We were sure we would be getting the building permit today until he called and said he needed to revisit the property because he needs an additional two hundred feet for the basement septic system. This means we may need to move the location of the house. I don't think this is any big deal. We will just need to have the surveyor re-mark for it. It does mean we can't get the building permit until tomorrow at the earliest.

We went downtown on the fourth to enjoy the festivities and fireworks of downtown Greenville. It was a beautiful evening. Emma and I went for a nice walk passing the time until the fireworks started. Last year we took her to Longs Park to see fireworks and she freaked out. We didn't know what to expect this year. When they first started she seemed a bit awed and then she started to get scared. She ended up with her face buried in her daddy's chest until the fireworks were over. Emma is already talking about seeing the fireworks next year! She is so funny.

Paul visited over the weekend. We had a great time. He was able to enjoy a round of golf on Friday with his dad, lunch with Ben on Saturday and just hanging out with Tara too. Paul is so good with his nieces. Emma loves to play with him. He will make a great dad some day (not in any hurry for that Paul). On Sunday Paul wore what is called his service uniform to church. Sunday night there was a patriotic service and all those who had served or were currently serving were asked to stand so they could be acknowledged. Let me tell you, Jim and I were quite humbled having Paul stand up. He looked sharp in his uniform but more than that it is knowing that we have two sons who are willing to make the sacrifice to serve in this way. And believe me it does require sacrifice. It is not fun being separated from family and friends and the comforts of home. Having to be in a constant state of readiness if called upon to act, being on a ship for months at a time, not being able to be with your family for holidays and special events are just a few things that these men and women deal with. Their families must also make sacrifices too. I think of Sadie who will have to experience giving birth without Adam's support and then the babies who will not get to see their dad until they are several months old. We need to remember those who serve in our countries military every day and say a prayer for them and their families.

I read this today in a book titled "Opening the Door to the Unclean Spirits" -"If we allow these strongholds to continue to exist in our lives, they become the family sins that God visits upon the third and fourth generations". I wonder what strongholds I have allowed in my life that I have not dealt with and subsequently have been passed on to my children and grandchildren. A quite sobering and challenging thought.

The Beginning

I don't do Face Book so I decided to do a blog so I could keep in touch with family and friends. We recently moved from beautiful Lancaster County, PA to Greenville, SC due to Jim's job transfer. We are building a house so right now we are living with Ben, Deb, Emma, and Lily. Oh, and Tara is here too. In fact, she is sharing a room with almost three year old Emma!
After looking for a new house for many months we finally decided to build. We hope to break ground next week if all the necessary permits are approved. We did the closing on the construction loan yesterday. The attorney wished us well and said he hoped our marriage survived this because his office didn't handle divorce cases (lol). You would not believe how many times over the course of this past year trying to sell our house in PA and trying to figure out what we were going to do here in Greenville that I told Jim that I did not know how much more stress our marriage could take. Well, here we are and here we go. In some ways it is exciting but the reality is it is going to be hard at times. We are working with a company called UBuildIt. They act as consultants but we do a lot of the leg work such as getting the necessary permits and getting some quotes which saves us a lot of money. If you know anything about Jim you know he is always looking for a good deal so I think he will be great at this (with some help from me).
It is weird not having our own home. This is the first time in almost thirty three years we have not had our own place. It is also a bit weird living with Ben- not because it's Ben but because we are living with one of our children instead of them living with us. Now I know why Mom always said she didn't want to live with any of her children. This is just a temporary situation. I'm sure we will all survive. We are hoping to break ground next week but we are waiting for the septic approval so we can get the building permit. I plan to post pictures of the progress and also use this site as a vent for my frustrations.
I am confident that it is God's will for us to be here and to be building this house. We desire to use this house for His glory in some way as a ministry opportunity. We have met some of our neighbors and hope that we can be a witness to them. I heard a sermon yesterday that was a blessing to me. The preacher reminded me that God is too loving to be unkind, too wise to make a mistake, and too powerful for His sovereign will to be thwarted.