WooHoo: we closed!

Say goodbye to Colorado ... hello to Virginia.

The house closed today and we can't thank you all enough for your many prayers throughout this rather long year+ ...

but thanks to the intercessions of Mary, Joseph and Servant of God JPtheGreat, as well as prayers to a local hero, the papers were signed and the keys turned over on the very day JPtheGreat was born 89 years ago in a small Polish village -- Happy Birthday to Servant of God, JP the Great!

And again thanks for all the prayers ... keep 'em coming for the house here, please!

Novena: I guess it depends on WHO you pray thru ...

... because I gotta say that this past weekend we began to pray thru a good friend's FIL who died this past September as well as thru his daughter-in-law (a wonderful Dominican who we just found out is in a cloistered community now ... so of course we sent a prayer request to her and her fellow sisters RIGHT AWAY! and got a response back that of course she would pray (as well as her community) as often as possible!) ....

Anyway, this morning we got word that the Colorado closing is right on track for next Monday (!) and the house we LOVE? The woman is trying to figure out the best way to make that work ...

So, it's not only praying or how you pray but also to whom you ask help .... because that was FAST work! God is SOOOO good, isn't He?

Novena: won't you STILL join us?

Do you mind continuing the prayers asked for here ?

After we finished the novena to St. Joseph, we started up again ... and on Tuesday (April 7th) of Holy Week we got an offer on the house in Colorado!

Actually, we received THREE offers on the same day. They were pretty good offers and we chose the best with a closing date of May 11th (exactly two months after we started that novena to St. Joseph and five days into a novena to Servant of God, John Paul the Great).

We started the process of canceling utilities, autopayments and HOA fees and were all set for next Monday's closing. Yesterday evening we got an email from our realtor: the buyers ran into a snag and needed to postpone closing. Thank goodness we have a realtor who is pretty tough -- the powers that be wanted to push closing off to the end of May but he pushed for sooner. So, now we've got closing pushed back one week.

On the 18th of May -- which happens to be Servant of God John Paul the Great's birthday -- God willing, we will close on the house.

Please continue to pray to both St. Joseph and John Paul the Great for us as we head down the homestretch to finish off our Colorado adventure and really begin our Virginia one!

THANKS!

Why Jesus wants us to be child-like ...

... was explained to me pretty succinctly by my 9-year-old daughter. The other day, we rec'd an estimate of the closing costs and our portion. We were horrified to see what it was going to COST US to sell a house! Dh and I were getting pretty animated when we rec'd the email and then went to make a cup of tea.

When we got back to the computer to analyze the situation further, String Bean had left us a note:

We're trying, dear!

Guess this is why St. Josemaria Escriva said:

Being children you will have no cares: children quickly forget what troubles
them and return to their games. With abandonment, therefore, you will not have
to worry, since you will rest in the Father.
– The Way, #864

Prayers!

WOOOHOOOO!

We just signed a contract on our house in Colorado -- it's less than we paid, but more than we owe so God is so good to us!

Please continue to pray as we go thru appraisals, inspections, etc until closing in mid-May ... and thank you so much for all your prayers on our behalf. The Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and Servant of God JPtheGreat really are coming thru for us ... and we continue to pray thru them for God's assistance.

House: We need a miracle here y'all!

Dear prayer warriors ....

9 months ago I came to you with a prayer for our house in Denver to sell as dh had just accepted a job helping to start up a brand new high school here in Virginia. We're loving the school and being in Virginia, but we still haven't sold the house in Denver.

Right now we're leasing a town-house but with little ones, renting is quite stressful as every ding, bump or spill on the carpet is nerve-wracking. Our lease isn't up until June, but in March we need to tell our landlord whether we want to continue renting.

Also, we will need to do the long-haul drive to Denver this summer to work on the house if it hasn't sold by then. Altho it would be GREAT to see our Denver friends ... we'd rather they visited us here!

We've started looking at our options here and because the market is very depressed here, we have some great options -- both in-town homes or out in the country a bit with some land (and thus, space for the boys to get out all their excess energy). There are some really great places but we are stymied until we can sell our home in Colorado. We have been such "nomads" for the last dozen years that we'd like to put down roots, figuratively and literally here in Virginia.

So please, please join us in prayer that we're granted a miracle and someone wants to buy our house for a fair and just price and SOON! Also, that we're able to find a good house here, for a fair and just price, and that we're able to help a family out here in Virginia by buying the house they need to sell.

As always, we pray for you and yours daily ....

Christmas: on the ninth day of Chrsitmas ...

... my true love gave to me ...

a lovely morning Mass together than a few hours back at the "ranch" as it were and then he and I spent the afternoon reveling in the glorious Winter sun and driving around the foothills looking at possible houses/property once our house in Denver sells.

It was so much fun putzing around ... spending time together ... looking at homes that would be wonderful to finish raising our family and then retire to ... homes with amazing views ... homes with lovely history ... homes that could accommodate our family now and then later too!

But, we still wait for Denver to sell, so for right now ... it was just a beautiful afternoon out and about ...

Finishig up with an easy dinner or baking frozen pizzas and eating leftovers from our feast over the last few days ... watching another Foyle's War and just enjoying being home for Christmas Break.

A great ninth day of Christmas!

Musings, meditations and a bit of whining ...

... as I sit here at 1:50 am ...

the house is silent... we've brought in the New Year and I'm catching up on my reading of the Magnificat for this evening. Fr. Cameron (OP, of course) has some great meditations in this issue.

But what really strikes me and mine tonight is the example of Simeon and Anna -- both of whom waited and prayed ... prayed and waited for God to answer their pleas. They never gave up ... just kept praying the same prayer and it was answered with the birth of Jesus in a Stable in Bethlehem!

We have waited since end-of-March-2008 for the sale of our home in Denver. We have prayed novenas to St. Joseph, beseeched the help of Mary and prayed directly to God ...

... but our house still remains un-sold.

But tonight (or rather, this morning), I find hope ... hope in trusting that God will answer this prayer in His time ... not in mine! As Fr. Cameron puts it:

What at first seems like refusal on the Lord's part is in fact an invitation to greater ardor. Jesus blesses us with the chance to show Him how much we rely on Him and how little we can depend on ourselves.

In other words ... when we've done all we can ... all we have left is prayer and asking God to take over!

Please join us in praying for God's will to be done in the sale of our house in Denver!