A New Chapter

It has been absolutely too long since I have updated my blog. I feel so badly but I literally have had no time. And when I have had a spare second, I basically crashed on the bed and slept. So let's see....let's go back to March.
     Background---Derek decided he needed to start looking for a new job at the very end of last year. His boss started asking him to do some unethical things and we decided as a family that he needed to take his career in a new direction (not to mention the fact that I'm sure that company is going to go belly up within the next year or so). Well, Derek happened to go out with a co-worker last summer-ish and they had been talking about their boss, the poor organization of the company etc. Derek referenced how he liked the construction aspect of the solar panels, but not the part of having to be a salesmen (Derek doesn't like pushing things on people). Anyway, I guess a lady overheard them talking and it just so happens that her husband is like some liason to almost every solar panel/renewable energy company in the USA. The lady contacted Derek through his co-worker, Derek sent her husband his resume, and this man who we have never even met started getting Derek job interviews for different companies. Derek's second interview was with a company called Signal Energy in Chattanooga, TN (what's funny is Derek and I have always said how we would love to live in TN. I never thought that would happen considering we JUST bought a house in Sugar Hill, GA. I thought we would live in GA for years and years.) He immediately loved the company and wanted to work for them. That interview was at the very beginning of February.
         A month went by and we didn't hear anything from the company. Derek contacted the recruiter and she had said that the boss, Greg, was wanting to interview a lot of people to make sure he made the right selection. Derek and I were both a little discouraged because he felt really good about the job and I had had the distinct impression that we were going to move.
        On a side note: in the middle of february I received an acceptance letter from Vanderbilt University to attend their ACNP program. YEA!! I start August 20th and will graduate the following fall. I am so excited to continue my education and become a provider. Being a nurse/glorified waitress was becoming old quickly. However, the overall goal is not for me to continue to work. Both Derek and I want me to be a stay-at-home mom, but we both just felt like I needed to get my masters before we have more kids etc. Once I have my ACNP license, I would be able to provide for our family if anything were to ever happen to Derek. So it will be a major stress-reliever and blessing for us if we are ever in need. I'm a little nervous going back to school with an infant, (especially with the next bit of news I have to disclose) but I know that this is the right thing to do.
        So, here we were at the beginning of March and Derek had no upcoming interviews, and things were starting to look bleak again. Then Derek's friend told him about a man that worked for the same company as him who was looking for a structural engineer. Obviously Derek does not have an engineering degree, but his friend thought the company might hire him and pay for his education. Derek started looking into it. Since nothing else was really going as we hoped, we decided that we would both go back to school. It was going to be crazy, but our parents said they would help watch Marquette. So we thought? Carpe diem!! Well, the like...day before Derek was going to apply to school, Derek got a call out of the blue from Signal Energy. They wanted to hire him!! We prayed about it, and accepted the job. We were very excited, but a little stressed. What about our house? What am I going to do with Marquette when I have to go to clinicals for school? Should we buy a house in TN? Rent? Derek and I decided that the Lord had a plan for us, and if we prayed and kept our hearts open for answers he would guide us where we needed to be.
      The first time we went down I felt really good about this place called Hixson. Derek said he felt a little reserved. To make things more interesting, the Bishop stated that he had been praying for a strong family to move into the ward. YIKES! No pressure! The other place that we felt good about was a place called Ooltewah. It's a little more...upscale and a LOT of young families live there. Hixson has older couples, but the ward definitely was in need of some help. We attended both wards and felt like we could go either way. So, we asked Heavenly Father to lead us where we needed to go. We both felt like we would find a place to live that felt "right" and when we did, we would know that is where we are supposed to be.
      We also needed the house to sale. We looked into all of our options like selling it "by owner," but that requires you to open your house up to complete strangers on your own. I would not have minded this option if Derek were home...but with a baby, dog, and me being all by myself? I didn't feel like it was a safe thing to do. So...although it is going to cost us 6% of our house selling price...we decided it was the best decision for us. Our families fasted, prayed, and we pleaded with Heavenly Father to let our house sale quickly and for a good price to the right person. To make a long story short (like I can tell any story quickly) we sold our house for $900 less than we paid for it, and we have to pay $4,500 toward closing costs. In the end, we broke almost literally even...except for the realty fees...we are having to take money to the table for that. So...this left us with NO money for a downpayment on a home. Great...I started looking for apartments. I looked in both Ooltewah and Hixson. Every apartment that I found in Hixson was in bad repair, or did not allow German Shepherds. I found ONE apartment in Ooltewah that was DESCENT...but the idea of living there for a couple years devastated me. But what were we supposed to do? We couldn't buy a house with no down payment. That's impossible...it would take a miracle. Luckily...God is a worker of miracles.
      I E-mailed my realtor and told him that we had lost all of our money selling our house and that we had no money for a downpayment and would be unable to buy a home. He replied back and said that there was a loan that we could qualify for if we lived in particular places in Chattanooga. It's a USDA loan for rural areas. You can't make over a certain amount of money and you get 100% financing. Oh yeah, and your PMI insurance is only $30 a month...unlike the $150 we are paying in GA. GET OUT!! I said that I would be interested but it would have to be a considerably drive, in a good area, and good school district. I wasn't too hot on the idea because 1) How good of a house would we find? 2)Could we find one in a good location? 3) This seemed too good to be true. What was the catch? So I called my friend in Suwanee, GA who is a realtor and asked about it. He said that it's a loan to help out lower income people in rural areas that was originally made for farmers. He said that if we found the right house, etc. it was a great option. Now I just had to find a house I liked. Well...we looked and looked but we could not find one in the Hixson ward. That was discouraging. Then my realtor found new construction houses in a neighborhood that is only 15 minutes from Derek's work...in a great school district...in Ooltewah. We went and saw the homes and LOVED THEM!! Now...there were two homes that I really liked. One was smaller, but had a tiled shower. I really loved the bigger one, but I thought it would be way out of our price range...it also didn't have a tile shower and the basement was just one big room and the smaller one had two rooms. I liked that because it would give us a 4th bedroom. SO, we ended up both viewing the homes a second time on a day that the buyer was there. We started negotiating and at first he didn't want to do what we asked. So we left. We waited a couple days, and then submitted an offer. He accepted what he said he "simply could not do" before. SO, we got a GORGEOUS house (I'll post pictures after we move in) with the following stipulations- The builder agrees to tile the shower for free (like the other home), put in a wall and door in the basement to make it 2 rooms, put blinds in throughout the house, let us pick out our own dishwasher at no cost to us, and he is paying our closing costs. And if necessary we can move our stuff in the garage before closing. I was very happy with this agreement. YEA!! So, we will literally be able to buy a house that would have normally been out of our price range with NO money down, no closing costs, and at a a 0.75% lesser rate than our house in GA. Man, I feel so blessed. Can you believe that!!?? And it's like RIGHT where we want to live right off this huge lake/bay. EEK! Heavenly Father really works miracles. In LESS THAN A MONTH...we sold our house, we close on a new house the day after, and I will get a couple months with Derek in TN before I start school!! We still haven't figured out what we are going to do with Marquette when I have to go to clinicals for school. But I know heavenly father will help me out with that one too as long as we continue to do what is right.
     So our life completely changed (or I guess will change) in a grand total of a month and a half. Very stressful...but I know it will be worth it. I am excited to live in TN. I know that I will miss my family a ton!! But it will be fun to start a new adventure, meet new people, and just...I dunno. Derek says he feels like he is FINALLY starting his career. He LOVES his job (he started April 2nd). We are SO grateful and just...happy. (well, I will be once I'm all moved. Right now I'm honestly stressed out and sleep deprived...yucky).
       Ok, now time for Marquette. I know he weighs somewhere in the ball park of 17 pounds. He has a huge head still and is long and skinny. He LOVES to smile, talk, and laugh. I started him on solids. He loves bananas, hates applesauce, and is not too sure about peas right now. When he gets excited he flails his arms around and kicks his legs like he's running a marathon. He rolls over from his back to his stomach about every 5 seconds, but he is not very good at rolling back onto his back. He usually gets stuck and winds up screaming until you flip him back over. I'm fairly confident he is teething as he shoves anything and everything into his mouth, slobbers like crazy, and last night he chomped down on my finger so hard I yelped. OUCH! I love that little boy though. He is always happy. He wakes up happy and he only gets fussy when hungry or extremely tired. He loves to be held and would sit (or stand) in my lap all day if possible. He started giving me "kisses" aka sucking on my face a few weeks ago. I love it. I eat it up. And he also puts his arms around my shoulders now and holds onto me when we walk. I just love it! He makes funny faces a lot and when you talk to him he starts moving his mouth all around trying to mimic your facial expressions. He warms my heart and if you look on my facebook you'll know I'm in love and obsessed. Life is SO wonderful!!
      I just have to stay how grateful I am for my wonderful mother and father for watching Marquette when I work. They are so good to always tend to him so that I don't have to worry when I'm away. Sometimes my mom will even watch him so I can take a nap!! I'm so spoiled. My dad knows how to make Marquette just laugh and laugh and laugh. Gosh...I'm lucky.
     It has been hard having Derek away all week and only seeing him on the weekends. I will definitely say that distance makes the heart grow fonder though. I get SO excited to see him and we really make the most of the time that we have together. I have to get in a LOT of snuggles before I have to spend the whole week away again. It's lonely. But after May 30 it will all be over. I feel badly for Derek too. It's really hard on him to be away from his son. Marquette learns something new everyday and Derek has to see it through the pictures and videos I take. I'm glad this is only for a short time. I don't know how military families etc do that continually. I guess I'm just not that strong.
    Well, that's life for us! Cheri is actually in town with her fiance Derek. Yes, his name is Derek too. It will make for some fun/interesting times I'm sure! haha. We are very excited for them and I can't wait to get to know him better. Yea!!