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Thursday, February 23, 2012

House sweet house


Warning...wordy post!

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you will know that Jon and I bought a house yesterday! We put in an offer on Monday afternoon and after 48 hours of countering, we came to an agreement. We couldn't be any happier (well yes we could, we will be happier after the inspection on Monday!). I can't thank you all enough for the well wishes, congratulations, and most of all- prayers throughout this entire process.

I wanted to give you a sneak peek of the house but didn't want to reveal too much...


(don't worry...you will get lots more pictures in the near future. I can see house projects taking over the blog!)

This is such an amazing time in our lives and we feel so great about our decision. We got married, got a new puppy, and now a house. I remember early on in our dating relationship we were both excited about one day owning a home and those dreams are coming true. We decided to pay off Jon's student loans right when we got married and have been scrimping and saving since then. It's funny because I have seen such a change in myself over the past year. I no longer lust after clothes, shoes and jewelry...I literally haven't bought myself anything along those lines in probably a year. The house was my goal. I guess that is what being a grown up is all about.

Jon and I have to give praise to the Lord for guiding us through this journey. We have been praying about Him helping us find a home for a few months now and He answered. We have been asking Him to help guide us to a home that we can grow in, both spiritually and physically. It is such a cool feeling knowing this is the house we will become parents in and hopefully lots of babies. And this brings me to a story about how we chose this house...

We had been looking at houses for a few months online and tried to go to a few open houses. We finally decided on a neighborhood, Steiner Ranch for you Austinites, and decided we would start really looking at the beginning of the year. The 2nd weekend in January we looked at 7 houses, one of which was the home we purchased. It had been on the market for a couple months already and we fell in love. But the timing wasn't right. We have our current lease until April 30th and it was just too soon. We ended up looking at 3 other houses a couple weeks later and had our top 3 (the house we bought being our #1). We promised we wouldn't get our hopes up because a house can sell at any time (and houses in that neighborhood were going fast!) so we prayed. We asked the Lord to show us the house He wanted us to live in and continue to glorify Him in. And we kept on praying. 2 of the 3 houses sold and we were bummed and thought for sure someone would buy our favorite. But no one did. Last Friday night we were sitting in our hotel room when Jon looked at me and said "I think we should put an offer on the house." I had been so focused on work and then our trip that I honestly hadn't thought about the house in a while. We planned on making an offer in March and I assumed that was still the plan. Jon said he was feeling convicted and that God was showing us that this was he house. And I agree, he was! Our other 2 favorites sold and this one continued to stay on the market. We chatted with our realtor that night, pinged our mortgage guy and planned to see it Monday. We put together an offer and submitted it Monday night. We didn't hear anything until early evening on Tuesday. Tuesday was truly a wonderful night. We decided to pray together and then pray separately so we could decide what we wanted to do. The Lord was so present in our house and brought us to tears. I am so lucky I get to share this deep bond with my husband, thinking about it sometimes makes me  so happy that I want to cry. We were both indecisive and kind of wanted the other to make a final decision and this is what I told Jon. I told him that he is the head of our household (like the bible and our God commands) and that I support him 100% on what he decides. If we walk from the deal, I am behind him. If we counter, I am behind him. And if we accept, I am behind him. Jon is such a great leader and Christian influence on my life and I hope you don't think I am old fashion when I say he is the head of our house, we are just obeying God's word. Over a 10pm dinner, we decided to make one last counter and walk if they didn't accept.

Conveniently, Jon left yesterday afternoon for a ski trip in Colorado to celebrate his best friend's upcoming wedding and I was bummed at the thought of us not getting to see each other if we didn't get the house. We woke up super early to spend some time together and I headed off to work. I knew Jon had a customer meeting right by my office at 2pm so I didn't think much of it when he said he was outside my office to say goodbye one last time. Now I am a typical girl and always make up situations in my mind so when I got the call, I thought maybe...just maaybbee he was telling me we got the house. But I shook the thought out of my head. He got out of the car and gave me a big hug saying he was gonna miss me this week and then looked me in the eye and with the biggest smile said "we got the house!". I started laughing, tearing up, smiling and kissing him. What an awesome way to spend the afternoon! Although our meetup was all of 5 minutes (that included talking to our realtor about next steps), I am so glad he told me in person! We will definitely do some celebrating next week but I am happy to be celebrating with my family this weekend! My g-parents are in town and lil sis is coming in from school so I am kicking it old school and spending the night there. I am so excited (and jealous that my husband will be skiing and snow tubing). 

So....the house isn't ours yet (I couldn't get myself to write home sweet home as the title...it's just a house yet, not our house) so we would really appreciate prayers that the inspection goes well on Monday! Our predicted close date is April 4th so we will have lots to do before then. 

The moral of the story is...prayer works!!!!! God has such intricate planned for each of us and we are so happy that He has opened this door for us. 

I will leave you with a picture of my favorite thing in the house..

(a double oven...I may keel over from excitement!)


I have to say it again, thank you all for the love and support!


Oh and PS....we applied for House Hunters! Cross your fingers!

50 comments:

Bridget said...

Congrats!!!! It is such a exciting process. I hope all goes well for you guys!

Lauren Talon said...

Yay congratulations!!! The house looks really cute and I am super, super jealous of that oven!! I would love one like that one day :) It's funny how our priorities can change without us realizing it. I used to love buying new clothes and shoes, jewellery and purses. Now I barely buy anything at all so that we can have money in our savings :)
Congrats again!!!

Leah said...

Congrats, girl. We are so happy for you guys and can't wait to see it!

jessi bridges said...

Congratulations! You are so blessed to have a man who fills his role as the head of the house and that he seeks God in those times where decisions need to be made. I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to have a husband who you trust to make the right decisions because, honestly, I wouldn't want that responsibility!! But I trust Ben 100% to do what is right for his family.

Erinn said...

double oven?! It's so beautiful!! My parents have a double oven in their kitchen and it is so wonderful. I bet the house is beautiful and I can't wait to see the rest of it! Congratulations on buying your first house. It is truly a blessing.

Michelle (michabella) said...

That is so exciting!!! Congrats!!!!

Oh my goodness... A double oven?!?! LOVE a house with a great kitchen!

Heather said...

How exciting!!! Congratulations. Buying a house was one of the funnest and scariest times for us. ...and I love my double oven too!

Bethany G said...

Congrats!!! Sooo exciting :) I can't wait to see more pics!

B F said...

YAY! Thats awesome! COngrats!

Lindsay said...

I'm so excited for you guys!! CONGRATULATIONS!! :)

Rachel said...

hope it all works out well! sounds like it all should! congrats! btw, not at all old fashion saying Jon is the leader of the house. im currently attending mars hill OC and the pastor is doing a series on marraige and relationships. one sermon was all about how being the leader is not about being macho, but that it is a HUGE responsibility that God put on them. You should check it out! it is awesome. there is also a sermon on the womans role. neat perspective. Congrats again!!!! :)

KRISTIN said...

YAY RUTHIE! I am SO excited for you! I teared up reading the words "we got the house!" I will be thinking of you and sending up prayers that the inspection goes well!

Abbey said...

Yay!!! Can't wait to see more! I love the looks of your house from the outside. What an exciting time for you guys. Can't wait to see it all come together...it will I just know it.:)

Lauren said...

Ahhh, buying your first house is SO exciting! I bought mine before I was married, so the next house we buy will be a whole different experience. I can't wait! We're saving up right now and I'm sooo excited for when the right time comes to start looking at houses with my hubs. We're totally relying on God as far as the timing. It could be a year from now, or several, I'm just trying to be patient.

Allison said...

Yay!! I am so excited for you two!! Awesome story on how y'all got the house!!

Susan said...

Congratulations!! Such a sweet story, thank you for sharing. We felt God's leading as well when we found our house. Our little hearts were crushed because we were outbid on some houses that we really thought we wanted, but God knew better and where we are now is where we were meant to be! :)

Anonymous said...

Lovely house! Can't wait to see your home posts. Also, the outside looks just like my sisters house!

Unknown said...

So happy for you guys!! The house looks amazing, and how cool is that double oven! Can't wait to see it! :)

michaela @ m.jane said...

congratulations, girl!!! being a homeowner is so great!! can't wait for your diy blog takeover! :-)

Anonymous said...

I love your blog. It's one of my daily reads. I can't wait to be able to buy a house.

GingerPeachT said...

This is so awesome. I just love hearing other couples who are passionately seeking God's guidance in all they do. I really wish we lived closer because my hubby and I crave for a couple like you. :-) congrats my dear.

Alana said...

Oh my gosh Ruthie, I teared up reading this, and I have no idea why! What an amazing time for y'all! It's so wonderful that you were able to trust in God and your husband throughout the whole thing. I can't wait to hear and see more of the house! It's something we won't get to do for a long time, so I'll just live vicariously through you! :)

Kelly said...

So exciting!!! I love Steiner Ranch - you can't go wrong with buying a house in there! Plus, GREAT school district!!! I'm so happy for you guys - isn't it amazing the pride you feel in owning your own home!? I can't wait to see pictures. :) Congrats again! God is good.

Amy @ Amy Day to Day said...

Ruthie!!! Congratulations!! What an exciting time for you guys! Prayers that the inspection goes well!

Amanda said...

As you know, I am so happy and excited for you! And I'm even more happy that your prayers work, and Jon took the time to come tell you in person! This whole thing amazes me, and I am smiling right now just thinking about how great this is!

Becky Borgman said...

For someone who craves creativity, there is nothing more fun than turning a house into a home. You will LOVE making it your own!

Jane {In The Pink & Green} said...

Congrats Ruthie!! That's so exciting, I'm really happy for you and your hubby! I'll be praying that the inspection goes well for you! This was such a great post giving a great example about how trusting in and waiting on the Lord is so key. You are such a great example of a godly wife and I am always inspired reading your blog! Congrats again! xoxo

Sara Hinton said...

This is amazing!! You two are such an inspiration. Much deserved and much blessed. :)

Unknown said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is an exciting time and definitely a new chapter in your life!! good luck with the inspection on Monday!

Lauren H Edmondson said...

congratulations! that double oven is definitely making me just a little jealous! House Hunters is seriously the best show of all time, fingers crossed you make it!

Heather @ Finding Beauty in the Ordinary said...

First of all, congrats!! I am so happy for you guys!! I know how emotionally exhausting it can be... the ups and downs... the hopes.... so happy your dream came true!! Looks gorgeous and the double-oven?! wow!!!

Also, I kinda got chills when I realized that both of our leases are up on April 30th :)

Love you!

Unknown said...

It's amazing how God works things out! Congratulations on your new home together.
The oven reminds me of going apartment shopping with my fiancee. He could not believe I would pick an apartment because it had a pantry in it. It's the little things ;)

Karen said...

So exciting Ruthie!! I will pray for an easy escrow and for everything to move along smoothly for you guys! Such an exciting time for you guys! The house is beautiful and I can't wait for you to call it home :)

Melissa said...

YEAH!! Congrats!

So exciting!!
A double oven...yea, I would be doing back flips over that also!

Krista said...

Congratulations Ruthie, how exciting! The power of praying is undeniable. I will certainly pray that all goes well at the inspection!

Heather @ we.are.the.holdens said...

So so incredibly excited for you guys. Praying all goes well with inspection, etc. God is so good, He is able. Love you. :)

katrina adams said...

congrats congrats!!! can't wait to see the rest of it!

Jenni@Story of My Life said...

Oh my goodness Ruthie!!! CONGRATS!!! This is exciting news! You'll only purchase your first home once... it won't be perfect, but it will be yours and a wonderful memory and learning experience. I hope the inspection and everything goes well! So happy for you. :)

C Mae said...

Ruthie do y'all live in a house now? Condo? Apt? I think that's next on the list for us after getting married this summer...a house! eeek! such a big investment! I love that you distorted the first picture of it!! :)

Cori Janae said...

How exciting! Enjoy this time! This is the stuff I look forward to the most :) And if you make it on House Hunters you HAVE to let us know! I am literally watching it right now :)

Lauren said...

Ruthie!!! So stinking excited for you guys. I have no doubts the inspection will go well, God wouldnt lead you to this house and then not provide. We have been seeing him SO much in our life and even more in peoples we know. Its such a beautiful thing. We serve an indescribable God. Amen?

... said...

AHHH!!! Congratulations!!! Heck yes to a double oven! Praying that inspection goes well :) What a great adventure God is guiding you to! :)

Rolled Up Pretty said...

This is SO SO SO exciting! The house from the couple pictures, LOOKS AMAZING!!! Crossing my fingers for you!!!

Unknown said...

I did read this! I must have skipped over that part. It is so encouraging to know a young couple that lives by the bibles principles. I really am encouraged, specially as I approach marriage myself.

Brittany said...

Squeeee! I can't wait for girls night and great times and good memories at the new house! :)
<3

Adrienne said...

So excited for you guys - everything works out the way it is supposed to and you just need to trust that God knows best.....which you already know! :) :)

Meghan said...

That's so exciting!! Congrats again!!

The Arizona Russums said...

i am so excited! i just looked it up on google maps (stalker what?)! i want to come visit! i need austin in my life!

Angela said...

and you got on house hunters..lol. that is how i 'found you..of course I ended up falling asleep and missed the end..LOL...oh well..

Dawn said...

Just watched your episode on House Hunters. Great choice!

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