Building our first home pt. 3
If you’re new here, I’m putting together a 4-part series on our build journey! Click here if you want to check out part one and click here for part 2 before you dive into this one.
So, we left off on Dec. 29, 2021, when we visited our house and the blocks were up. I had a pretty fun time imagining how everything would look once it was done based on where we were at that point. The house still felt so small, which is so funny now that we’re in it and I’m exhausted every time I clean it. I loved looking at our beautiful front, side, and backyard and telling Gerald that I couldn’t wait to see him out there mowing the lawn. That quickly backfired when we moved in and realized how much work that would take; we immediately hired someone to do the job and took that time back for ourselves.
Let’s go back to January 2022! We knew that the next step was the second story, so we were very excited for that. However, nothing happened for about 2 months. In January, we got a pesky little email saying that there was a delay with the wood for framing and there wasn’t going to be any movement with the build until it came in. I remember my husband sometimes still wanting to drive by the house, but I couldn’t justify at 40+ minute drive to just see the same thing. Because of that, it wasn’t until the end of March that we visited the house again and our street looked so different! It was so cool to see how much progress had happened and a couple of neighbors were all moved in. It was a little look into what we were going to experience soon.
This picture is from March 18, 2021 so it was quite the wait from the end of December, but so worth it! We got the update that they started working on the house again while we were visiting friends in Atlanta, GA so the anticipation to see our house was REAL. We had a super early flight home that Sunday, March 20 into Tampa and after picking up Micah from my in-laws, we were going to drive straight to our house!
Well, our flight was significantly delayed and we didn’t land until 8pm that night. We were super disappointed but made plans to stop by the next day. Oh, this was also just 2 weeks after we found I was pregnant with baby girl! Definitely a very exciting time for us. At this point, our house was a hard hat zone only and we were given Pulte hardhats — very official! 😉
Part of my partnership with Pulte was to share our family writing on the framing of the house — I knew we’d do this and it was so special to share with everyone. Here is a post where I shared a few scriptures in the caption if you’re looking for ideas of what to write on the framing of your home!
We went back to visit a week later [March 27, 2022] and there was so much progress! We had a roof, walls throughout the entire house, and other details were framed like the kitchen island. During this time, I was dealing with really bad sickness from my pregnancy and some prenatal depression [not fun at all] so I wasn’t visiting the house as I would’ve liked. At one point, I struggled with feeling happy about it because of the prenatal depression, and let tell you… I was SO happy when I felt like myself again and was looking forward to being in our house.
Fast-forward to early May and we had so much done with the house! From drywall to windows; it was so much fun seeing it look more and more like the finished product. If you’re interested in getting a glimpse of the Pulte building process, click here! At this point, we were anxiously waiting on a closing date and we were told that we’d get that date once the cabinets were in. Originally, it was supposed to be the end of May but clearly that wasn’t going to happen. We weren’t far off from our date, so we didn’t have an issue with waiting. However, our lease was up on June 17, so we really hoped it would be before then. Do you think we were packed already? Absolutely not. But the thought was there! lol. Let’s just say we were mentally packing.
At the end of May, we finally received the cabinets and our closing date: June 30, 2022! Excited didn’t begin to describe how we felt. We couldn’t believe it was a month away and the date was finally here! This is when everything became real and we finally decided to pack… and by “we” I mean my husband because I was pregnant princess! 🤣 I spent my days worrying about the documents and financial side of everything while my husband packed up our entire house and made arrangements for our move.
Here’s a little not-so-fun fact about us: since we got married, we’ve moved 5 times [or 5.5 times if you count the mini move from our last apartment to where we stayed before our closing date]. Each move had a purpose and as much as we hated moving, they were necessary. However, we are so happy to finally be in one place that is right for us where our kids will grow up with the best memories.
I’ll end part 3 with this:
Ask God to always align your desires with His plans for you. Before I did this and truly believed in my heart that God’s plans are better than mine could ever be, I experienced a lot of disappointment. I really lived my life believing that my plans were just the best for me. When they fell through, I’d be so upset because it felt like God was letting me down. That is a terrible way to think and it will always result in disappointment. If something doesn’t work out the way I want it to, that means it’s working out the way it’s supposed to. I want what God has for me, and not what I think I should have. I pray the same for you — God’s plan is perfect, and there’s nothing higher or better than pure perfection. Pray for alignment with Him!
