We are still here! Peggy Sue is so close to being complete. We are putting the finishing touches on her this week. Next week, we hope to have a before and after post. In the meantime, I would like to share part of our journey to Peggy Sue. We started looking for a house back in the fall. We finally found a house that we liked, and we put a bid on it. It was the perfect location (a few streets from our houses as we live 100 yards from each other), and a relatively easy flip. We prayed that God would open the door if this was the right house for us, and close it if it wasn't. We placed the bid, and patiently waited. Well, needless to say we didn't get this house. I (Jill) was devastated. (Insert Kimmy's two cents here: from the very beginning Jill kept reminding me NOT to get emotionally attached to any property we bid on. Over and over she would say this. I am the more emotional one although my friends would laugh, right Ashley and Penny? They say I am way too stoic, but that's another rabbit trail. Jill is the VOICE OF REASON and the more practical one of this duo.) Jared (Jill's husband) would laugh at that statement! But this was the perfect house, how could God close the door? I just couldn't let the house go, but we continued to look. Peggy Sue came on the market, and we thought it was good deal. We prayed the same prayer, "Open the door or close the door." I was getting numb at this point. Every bid was an emotional roller coaster. We placed our conservative bid on Peggy Sue and waited. We really didn't expect to get the call from our real estate agent, and we really didn't care either way. Well low and behold, we won the bid. Oh great...really, this house? The real estate agent warned us that we wouldn't close for six weeks. We closed in two weeks. Peggy Sue was intimidating to say the least, she needed way more than we wanted to really do on our first flip. The pool alone scared me to death. Kimmy and I just kept trusting that this was God's timing and God's choice for us. So we started working on her, and honestly Kimmy and I were completely grossed out. She was dirty and ugly, and she was a high maintenance flip. Jared (Jill's husband) is a construction project manager, so he does this everyday on a much larger scale. I would come home complaining about how many projects we had going on with Peggy Sue, and he would laugh and tell me it was good for us to learn so much on our first flip. On many days, I felt as if I was barely keeping my head above water trying to balance the kids, work, and Peggy Sue. Jared would also have to remind me to turn the oven off, put the milk back in the refrigerator, and breathe. But seriously, if we just made cosmetic changes what we would be learning? Despite be completely overwhelmed, everything has fallen into place. God has opened so many doors on this project. I can't tell you how much I respect my Daddy. He is the hardest working man that I know. This house is in impeccable shape now, all because of him. He is a wealth of knowledge to us. Thank you Mike Kelley for pouring your heart and soul into this dream. It would not be possible without you! Peggy Sue has thrown us many curve balls, but it has been a blast. We have truly loved every minute of this project. God is good! The other day I drove by the first house that we lost the bid on. It was still empty. I thought about calling our real estate agent, but never got around to it. A few days later, she called me out of the blue. I told her that the house was still empty. She checked on the house, and it hasn't closed yet. The real estate company is in transition and the closings are months behind. It was then, that God showed His plan to me. I saw it full circle. He closed that door for our good. Here we are completing Peggy Sue this week, and the house that I thought we should have gotten still hasn't closed. This first flip has been a journey, but the most important lesson we have learned is to continue to trust in the Lord and trust His plans. I really hope that Peggy Sue will bless the new owners, as much as she has already blessed us. This verse has been such a comfort to me "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."-Psalm 3:5-6. Thank you Lord for knowing what is best for our lives, and help us to continue to take a back seat and let YOU drive this ride! I also wanted to share what is now in the front yard...Isn't it cute? Thank you Jennifer for creating this sign for us. We love it!
