A New Wrinkle

It seems like more and more we are coming into a new chapter, and it really does feel like Portland-- Take 2. There are some things that you just don't put out there much, but this one will affect us in big ways, so it's worth updating everyone on. The bottom line is that we are foreclosing on our adorable little home of two years. There are definitely some positives here mixed in with the more obvious negatives. We bought at the very top of the market, and so much of the information we based our decisions on just completely changed within a year. It was a stretch for us financially, but armed with optimism, substantial savings, and a plan for me to start my own practice soon, we took the leap. Bump after bump after bump on my road to having my own business, I am finally there, but too late. When we were thinking about going overseas, we looked at what it would be like to rent our house out. That's when we realized that we were paying way more for our house than it was worth, and our savings had already run out. And we had pared our budget down to the bare minimums long ago. It was really hard to get to a place of needing to find other options-- and we exhaustively researched all of them-- finding foreclosure to be the only one actually available to us at this point, unless we wanted to gather more debt.

So, we stopped making mortgage payments this summer and started making big payments on the debt we had incurred making up for our deficiencies and starting my business. We got our notice last week that our home will be auctioned at the end of February. This is good and bad. I am so glad that we have been able to live here, and that we will continue to do so "rent free" for several more months-- what a blessing. On the other had, we have poured so much into this little house, and it seems like such a sad way to leave. Also, my work has started to really pick up, especially in the last month, but I suddenly feel a lot of pressure to make sure that I am earning enough to keep us going as we pay rent and finish paying off the debt. I have been having mild panic attacks about this, but the refrain "Jehovah Jireh, my Provider-- His grace is sufficient for me" has been an encouragement to me lately.

Now, on to the positives! Looking at apartments and tiny houses online has been kind of encouraging! They're not so bad in our price range after all, and we might actually get to live in a safer, sweeter neighborhood. Maybe close to my work, even. Plus, there will be closets! We are ready for something new, and sometimes it's nice to switch homes as a way to mark a distinct new chapter (at least that's how it's been for us, since we have lived in four places in our almost five years of marriage!) I am so excited to think that my practice is getting busy and will soon be a dependable source of income. Things are changing for us, and although some of them are pretty tough, we are ultimately headed in a good direction. Sigh.