When Hope wakes up in the morning, she is all smiles and coos. I grab the camera and she immediately puts on her serious face. Maybe smiling at the strange looking black thing is a learned behavior?
Here is Hope with her oh-so-serious look.
***
Speaking of serious, we would appreciate some serious prayer.
Awhile ago, we asked the owners of our townhouse if they would finish the bathroom in the basement (Really, it’s the first floor. It’s above ground and has a sliding-glass backdoor and lots of windows. But we spend most of the time on the second floor and sleep on the third floor). Our hope was that if we moved Carmen and the nurses from the third floor to the first floor, we could have a little bit of privacy while the nurses are here at night and in the morning. During the day, Carmen would still be with us on the main (second) floor.
Well, the owners said they empathized with our situation but would not finish the bathroom in the basement.
We spoke with a Realtor and there is nothing in Lauren’s current school district for rent.
While these were certainly not the answers we were hoping to receive, they have led us to step back and reconsider something we’ve been wrestling with for the past couple of years.
In short, we are wondering if now is the time for us to leave this area. So many things would have to fall into place:
- Timing: Our lease is up at the end of June.
- Location: Dave needs to be reasonably close to a major airport. Ideally, he would be near one of his company’s offices so he can work-from-home some and work-in-the-office some. Carmen needs to be in an area with doctors, nursing care and Hospice care. And all of those need to take our insurance!
- School: Lauren will be entering first grade in the Fall so school district is very important.
- House: We strongly prefer a home with a separate space for Carmen and the night nurses.
- Support System: We can’t do this alone. So, wherever we live needs to have an instant support system.
- Church: We can always watch Andy Stanley and Francis Chan DVDs but a great local church is very important to us.
Thank you in advance for praying with us. We want to live boldly but not foolishly. Sometimes the line between those two is hard to discern.
You should look into around here. Half hour from NYC. Good doctors and hospitals nearby. Close to many airports. Lots of housing available. Jeff’s condo’s have alot available for rent or purchase. Our town has great elementary school and middle school. High school not so much because it’s regional. Have a great church but if not happy with that, there are many others around. Lots of housing other than condo’s available too. Housing financial crunch has cause a lot of availablility. There are great private schools as well if that’s affordable. Our church has great support system for those in need of food, small groups, etc. There is hospice in the area. Not sure what your insurance is. Worth looking into.
Lana,
I just spoke to Salih…he will call you..and talk to you about why they will not finish the bathroom, he might be able to work something out hopefully, depending and the reason they wont finish it
I will be praying that God will show you clearly the path you should take and that He will work out all the details for His glory! May God bless all of you with His peace!
I love the picture of Hope! My granddaughter does the same thing – she will be all smiles & as soon as I whip out the camera she gets this serious look on her face & will not smile until I put the camera away.
O my goodness – - I think I am looking at Micah – - Yes??????
Hi there Lana, I think there are a lot of places that would meet your criteria, York
) HAHA!! any how one thing you don’t mention is finishing the basement bath your self. If you like every thing about where you live but that you might consider it. Maybe your Land Lord will cut your rent some maybe not but I bet it would be a lot less costly and much easier on you than moving, especially considering so little time to weigh your options. I will be praying. God bless, Joe
We have asked the owners if we can finish the bathroom ourselves. We’re awaiting a response.
Lana- I don’t know where Dave’s company offices are located but as I have read your blog I have often thought what a joy it would be to have your family as part of our church family. We are in Charlotte, NC and if you came this way we would love to be a part of your support system. Always praying for y’all.
Lana and I were looking at a map of Charlotte and the surrounding area (down into SC) at around 7:30pm last night. Of course, there are few places that we haven’t looked at on a map so… I even pointed out Crows Butte and Mud Butte, South Dakota and asked Lana if she wanted to move there (along with a few jokes, as you might imagine)!
Thanks for your prayers!
If Charlotte is at all tempting we would love to help you explore further.
Maybe her sister told her that the photo will end up on the blog and she is not too happy about it!!! LOL I will pray that you are able to work something out with your landlord or you find a new niche to call your own that satisfies your needs!
What about Salt Lake City, Utah? I’ll pray for you and the choices coming up. I hope that maybe you’re able to to finish that bathroom out yourselves and make it work where you are, or that whatever changes God has planned for you will be abundantly clear and will fall into place easily. Blessings to you and your sweet family!
Might I suggest the Atlanta area? We have Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (3 entirely kid-only hospitals in different areas of the city) here. The housing it quite affordable. Hartsfield-Jackson airport is the busiest in the country and easily accessible from most areas of the metro.
However, the ace in the sleeve – Andy Stanley – yep, he’s here. You could go to his church and they have an amazing ministry!
If you consider this area please let me know. I’d be more than happy to help you with more information.
Blessings to you.