Three Years Ago

Three years ago when we were living in a van down by the river.

Three years ago in September 2008 we had moved to Michigan from Kentucky. We had no one in Kentucky and both had crap jobs. We decided to move to Michigan so that we could at least be near family (Brian's whole family lives here in MI). We moved here w/no jobs and no place to stay. Brian had some leads to work w/Allstate Co. but no actual job. It was decided that we would move into a nice camper that would be put in my in-laws backyard until we found a job and a home. We pulled into my inlaws home to find out that the camper was too big to fit through their back gate and that they had worked it out for the camper to stay in the back of the youth pastors house. I remember going into a panic. "We do not KNOW the youth pastor!" Yes, he was a Wilhite and YES we know the Wilhites - but we did not know Josh or his wife Gwen. But off we headed to live in a camper in the back lawn of a very sweet and giving families house. There was a bedroom for Brian and I and a little bunkbed type bed for Aidan. Ezra was still a baby so he slept in a pack-n-play that got put up and down every day in the middle of the camper. At nap time I would set his pack-n-play up on top of our bed so I could close a door and give him some sort of quiet. We ended up living this way for six long weeks. My sister in law got married while we were living in the camper. I remember getting ready for her wedding in the chilly camper and thinking, "Really? Really? This is how it's gonna be?" But God, as always, was so good and took care of us. Our families had us over for dinners and some even gave us money to make our ends meet.
Brian had gotten a temporary job but it was not something he was very good at. He was amazing though and got dressed for work every day in the camper and went to work and did his best. Finally when it was starting to get too cold to stay in the camper Brian got an amazing full time job for Allstate Co. It was better than what we had hoped or prayed for - Brian was able to do what he was good at, teach. He's a trainer for Allstate. On November 1, 2008 we moved into our townhome. We loved our townhome. The boys shared a room but for goodness sakes - they had a room - and we were thrilled!

Holding the key to our new home!

Fast forward three years. September 2011. Aidan is now in second grade and Ezra is no longer a baby. We went through months of stress trying to see if we could own a home. We prayed (and still are praying) that it will only happen if God is willing. There were days we thought it would never happen. There are days now that we think "Can we really afford this!?" But last Friday were were given a key to an actual home! It's a tri-level that we fell in love with. It's a corner lot for the boys to have a HUGE back lawn. (Big enough to fit a camper in if anyone needs a place to stay!) The boys will have their own rooms. That's a lot of progress in three years. That's a lot of blessings from our God in three years. When we were living in the camper in the backyard of strangers... I would have never thought we would be "here" in three years. Woah! God is good. God loves us. Amazing.