Happy Sabbath
God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
I had a wonderful week and I thank the Lord for the
opportunities I had to take my son places so he could have fun experiences to
reflect back on.
After sunset last Sabbath, I took my son to see an amazing
fireworks show not too far away from where we live. I was thinking we would be sitting in our car in the parking
lot, but I saw droves of people and children walking with glow in the dark
sticks heading to the main area that was blocked by police. I drove around slowly in this
unfamiliar part of town and on the same road (on the same block really), I found
a parking space that went unnoticed by the other drivers. I have a small car so I parked easily
there and walked my son up to the area in time for the show to start. The only other fireworks show I’ve seen
outside of what my parents used to do when I was little was at my hometown park
about 17-20 years ago. Probably
longer than that actually.
On Sunday, I decided to stay home and move my plants out to
the balcony. I moved my tree first
and then a bunch of other plants, reclaiming my kitchen that was quickly
turning into a jungle.
On Monday, I didn’t feel like driving and changed my mind so
much about what we could do. I
ended up taking my son to the YMCA and we went swimming for a good part of the
afternoon and had fun.
Tuesday, my original plan was to harass my parents, but
remembering that one of them was serious about not wanting to see us that
weekend, I decided the morning of to cook a July 4th meal in 1.5
hours, pack it into this cute picnic basket that came with four ceramic plates,
mugs, silverware, and gingham spread, and took my son, my tent, umbrella, and a
bunch of other items to the lake for the day. I had a wonderful time at the lake and we played in the
water and contemplated doing a paddleboat ride (decided against it because too
many people were asking about it and I couldn’t figure out how to secure him in
the boat if we did).
A lady visiting from Dominican Republic struck up
conversation in Spanish with my son and I, which was nice. I normally don’t talk to strangers or
have anyone go out of their way to talk to me and I thought it was funny
because some of my church members just flew to the Dominican Republic on a
mission trip the day before. I
wished her well on her vacation at the lake and my son and I made sand castles,
watched the ducks and geese, splashed in
the water, and had a blast.
Wednesday, I went back to work and ended my work week on
Friday fairly quickly. On Friday,
I was leaving my first appointment when I noticed some great pieces of wood at
the curb. I had helped my dad move
an old dresser into his van as he will bring it to my home eventually. I plan to turn it into a kitchen island
and to also do something fancy with the drawers, which are of good wood. But the wood I saw on the side of the
road looked similar to pallets and I always wanted to create a pallet seat for
my balcony. I have been looking
for perhaps a year for free pallet wood and usually I would see some but not
have my car with me. I took both
pieces home with me and they were in excellent condition, barely dirty, and had
the bolts and screws in place. I
at first thought it was a platform and then attached the pieces to see that
they work together and I stood it up as if it could be a fence or vine/plant
holder. I then put it together like a bench and now I’m pretty sure it was a
bench swing at some point. I have
it on my balcony right now and yesterday I welcomed the Sabbath sitting on it
with blankets, magazines amongst my thriving plants under a quiet sunset. I plan to find an outdoor seat cushion
for it, but it looks fantastic without anything added even now.
My dad bought my mother a new suv on Monday, which was nice
to see. My other sisters are
moving around (in and out) and making good changes in their lives, so that’s
always a blessing.
I have been giving more thought to planning for home buying
and I read my award letter on Monday at the office. My salary was being increased by $3210.00 and I would
receive a $400 bonus. This
increase puts me closer to achieving my dream of owning a home. I have the money to put down 20% on a
home in the range that I am thinking of and there are usually a lot of homes in
the town for the price that I am considering. The homes there are great (built in the 60’s), the township
is great and the schools are improving.
My problem right now is paying off my two credit cards. With my current salary, if I had that to
start and if I had a little more self control, I would not have the debt I have
now. I can pay off the debt
tomorrow, but that would cut into the funds I have saved for the down payment,
house inspection, and other things I imagine I would need. My credit score dropped from 800 to 735
or something and I don’t want it to drop below 700 or I won’t be able to get a
good mortgage. So that is my
challenge right now, to pay off the cards at a steady-quick pace, build another
emergency fund, and be ready to make this move by May of next year with
approved loans to back me no later than January 2018.
I was so happy about the extra money, I forgot I needed to
save and not act like I’m not in the struggle. On July 4th, I went on one site to find fantastic
sales for a preppy clothing retailer and purchased a bunch of stuff I don’t
regret. I’ve wanted a Vineyard Vines lanyard for some time now, especially
after my son took scissors to my other one so I ordered a lanyard and a few
clothing items full price (except for one shirt) and I kind of regret doing
that, but it’s done and I’m not sending the stuff back. I also went to another site that I
needed to visit and stocked up on jeans and will get two cool purses too. I’m back to adulting as of July 5th,
but I am thankful for this salary increase, for the finds I made as far as the
purchases and the bench-swing thingy that really has livened up my outdoor
living space. I am thankful that
my parents have a reliable vehicle to use to travel to our summer property so
they can get real work done, build it up and make it extra special. I am thankful I could go to beaches,
the zoo, the lake, and other places with my son and to give him some wonderful
summer experiences. I am thankful
for God putting nice people in my church who are understanding of my son’s
behaviors and offer helpful advise that does work.
I am thankful for this week and this Sabbath. My son is taking a nap and I think I’ll
take one too. It really is a great
day.
Happy Sabbath J
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