Suite Life

Life as we know it is quite different nowadays!

If you remember, I posted at the end of last year (link) that we would be moving from Nebraska to Pennsylvania for Dan's job. Well, that relocation is now *nearly* complete! Our house got packed up at the end of May and we made the drive across the country from Lincoln, Nebraska to Easton, Pennsylvania over Memorial Day weekend. 

However, we did not secure a home during our March house hunting trip to Pennsylvania. That means we were left with finding temporary housing until we could secure a more permanent solution. Cue "The Suite Life of the Clark Family"!

Since we arrived on May 27th, our family of 3 has shared a two bedroom, one bathroom hotel suite smaller than my and Dan's first apartment! 😂 We hope to close on a home here by the end of July but have the hotel booked until mid-August, just in case. Let me tell you, it has certainly been an adventure!

So if you ever find yourself in a hotel for a long-term stay, here are my favorite tips for loving the "suite life":

1. Don't overpack! Your room will probably end up being smaller than you think so be as ruthless as you can when packing. I'm pretty sure we all overpacked a little on clothes but thankfully the storage has helped it not be too much of an issue. 😉 I most definitely overpacked lightweight jackets and sweaters. Scour your hotel's website to see if they have a list of what's in the rooms along with diagrams of the layout. Especially if there is a kitchenette, check what they keep in it so you know what you don't have to bring. We also checked with the front desk when we found out that they have items they can lend to guests. That said…
2. Pack something that will help it feel like home. This is especially true if you are going to be there an extended time like we have been. I brought some artwork that friends had given us as going away gifts along with my essential oils (which the moving company wouldn't pack anyway) and a compact diffuser to use with them. I even packed my crock pot to make cooking meals in the room a little easier. All of these have helped bring a bit of beauty and familiarity to our temporary home.

   

   Beautiful gifts from wonderful friends

3. Unpack! Make use of all the closet and drawer space in both the bedroom and bathroom. It feels much better pulling clothes out of a drawer than it does a suitcase. Related to that…
4. Stow the luggage. Once you've unpacked, make use of every space and corner to get your luggage out of the way. Nest it inside each other and stuff it in the corner somewhere. The more you condense it, the more space you have to move around the room.
5. Don't feel like you have to get it all right immediately. Figuring out the storage situation will take time. We had things lined along the kitchen wall behind the entrance door for weeks before I figured out better places to store them.
6. Get to know the staff and make use of their resources. It has been fun getting to know the staff at our hotel. Shay at the front desk has been indispensable in helping us, Willmary in hospitality gave our munchkin crayons and pictures to color while I got done work done on the hotel computer, and Jason in maintenance helped to quickly fix some issues in our room. We figured out pretty quick that we needed more hangers and that a place setting of 4 was not enough silverware for us, even when we try to use some plastic silverware. A quick call down to the front desk landed us some extra hangers, forks, and spoons. Don't be afraid to ask! The worst they can do is tell you no or that they don't have what you need. If you're there long-term, it definitely pays to make friends.
7. Be flexible! Some things are out of your control or the staff's control! After six weeks in one room, the roof started leaking and we had to move to another room that same night. Most things that have happened are merely an inconvenience and not any fault of the staff's. The more you can roll with the punches, the less stressed you'll be about things that are outside your control anyway. Control what you can (your emotions and actions, etc) and don't stress about what is already in God's hands. As some military friends taught us, "Semper Gumby!" 

That's about all for now! It has certainly been an interesting 7 weeks so far and we probably have about 2.5 weeks left before we are fully moved out and into our new home! I know I'm definitely looking forward to having a full-size kitchen again and my own bed to sleep in! Until then, I will continue to be grateful for the ways God has provided during our stay here and pray that closing goes smoothly!!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Meghan

Six Years

This September, we celebrated six years of living in Nebraska! I love Nebraska. This is where we've spent the majority of our married lives so far. This is where my son was born, where I became first a stay-at-home wife then a stay-at-home Momma. We bought our first house here and made it a home. We've made friends and walked through pretty much every major life-changing event with them from weddings to births to funerals. I have really loved living in Nebraska.

But… (you knew it was coming, didn't you?)

We won't make it to 7 years. God (and GSK) has seen fit to open the door for us to relocate for Dan's job. Where you may ask?

New Jersey.

Or at least that's where Dan's office will be. God has a sense of humor because this was one state I told my husband where I didn't really want to live. I guess I've been spoiled by the slower pace of life in the cornhusker state. ;) Nevertheless, this is where our next adventure is heading.

Thankfully, we have time. With Munchkin's school year and especially the medical testing and surgeries I've been undergoing, the company is giving us some leniency in the timing of our move. We're looking at a late spring 2019 date as our departure time frame which gives us ~6-7 months right now, give or take.

So we're forming our bucket list for Nebraska alongside our to-do list for New Jersey. One of the things that's been hard for me to process is that we've already had so many “lasts” here in Nebraska and didn't even realize it. And now that I can realize it, I'm an emotional mess as we continue to experience more “lasts”.

We have truly enjoyed our time calling Nebraska “home”. We will always carry a piece of it with us, no matter where we may end up. And we will certainly always carry our friendships and the people we've met in our hearts. Thank you for being a part of our journey and this chapter of our story.

Here's to the next chapter and more adventures!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Meghan

Long Term Lessons

So often as parents, we are teaching long term lessons to our children and we're never certain how much they're actually absorbing at any given moment. But then, when we see glimpses of what is taking hold, that what we're doing is actually making an impact...those moments are golden and so worth the struggle.

Obviously, at two years old, we will be working on manners for quite a while. We already have been for some time now and our Munchkin is pretty good about following our prompts and knowing what to say when we remind him. As we fully enter the phase of "That's Mine!" it will be even more important to guide him in learning these lessons but probably also more challenging.

But yesterday (July 26), I had one of those moments, those glimpses, that show what is truly taking root. It was unexpected and beautiful. It was an unsolicited statement with no reminders or prompting.

"Thank you, Mama."

Melt my heart. No matter how many times I've had to repeat myself in asking him to use his manners or ask nicely, hearing those words spontaneously makes it all worth it.

Joanna Gaines, amazing co-star of the fabulous show "Fixer Upper" on HGTV, recently posted an image and caption that went viral addressing this same sentiment. Take a minute to read it (if you haven't seen it already) and allow it to encourage you.

There's an Adonis blue butterfly bush I had planted by the girl's window almost five years ago when we were renovating the farmhouse. I wanted butterflies by the girl's windows that they could see and enjoy. I never told them about the bush and honestly I forgot about it over the years. This morning I found my little Emmie sitting by her window looking excitedly at the bush and saying "Here she is! My little hummingbird comes every morning mom!" First, I didn't know she looked out for her bird every morning. Second, I forgot all about the bush and never told her if she looked out the window she would see the prettiest butterflies and hummingbirds gathered around it. It's hard not to think this is a lot like parenting... You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges. Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children's hearts are now in full bloom. Be encouraged today to keep pressing in and tending to their hearts. It will be worth it.

A photo posted by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines) on Jul 15, 2016 at 7:40am PDT

So keep pouring into those babies, mommas! The harvest may be far off but it will be worth it!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

A Room of His Own

It's been forever since I've written! We are finally getting the hang of this stage of parenting...but who knows how long that will last! In the meantime, I am trying to find some time to blog a little bit again and I'm starting with the promised nursery pictures! I've shown you the paint job, now it's time to reveal the whole room! 

Now as I'm sure you'll understand, the room has changed a bit since we actually brought our little guy home. We lived with it for awhile and discovered we could make it work better for us so we did some minor adjustments. We also received a gift for his wall that required relocating one picture.

But without further ado, here it...was!

 

Believe me, it feels like a lot has changed even though it's not terribly different...

We added a dresser that we had in another room when we realized those bins under the changing table were better for items other than clothing. The lamp and book sling/"shelf" swapped as well so that I had a table surface near the glider. The aforementioned picture moved to add another one.

So now here's a more recent look at the nursery :) (Excuse the mess. I do have an 9 month old after all.) I want to do some name art for the wall above the crib, but I'm still deciding on what exactly.

We have already enjoyed many snuggles and giggles here along with some sleepless nights and tears (from both us and Little Man). This room is already full of so many memories and I can't wait to see what new ones we will fill it with in the coming months and years!

Thank you, everyone, for your patience in getting this up and getting back to blogging! Hoping to start posting more regularly again as we continue to settle into this stage of parenthood. :)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Meghan

Paint

I have never painted a wall before...never.

When I was younger that job was left to my parents or the professionals they hired. Since then I haven't lived in places where I could freely paint the walls. But now that has all changed.

With little mister on the way, I really wanted to paint part of the nursery.

This is the first paint I ever put on a wall. Technically, just the second two squares on the right since my husband did the first two. I got the inspiration from an episode of a TV show I saw one time. It was an older episode so I was never able to find a video of it (or instructions from it), but I did locate a picture.

The inspiration from an episode of HGTV's Design on a Dime.

So we rolled up our sleeves, picked which green we wanted, and gathered the supplies.

While it was difficult to get down on my hands and knees at almost 26 weeks pregnant, I thoroughly enjoyed my first painting endeavor.

Exhausted but feeling accomplished!

After the main painting was done, I had to cut out and paint the stencil on the wall all the way around the room. Thank goodness the height was right so I could sit in a chair and do it! The stencil was only 10 inches long so it took a LOT of repetitions!

Dabbing away at my stencil

This is actually the section of wall I am probably most proud of accomplishing. The stencil covered the light switch making it almost impossible to keep it flat against the wall to get a clean pass. I really only had one shot at it and it turned out beautifully. :)

Pesky light switch...

All in all, it was a wonderful first experience painting. I'm looking forward to sharing the rest of the nursery with you in a big reveal post soon...hopefully before little man makes his appearance but who knows at this point! :)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Oh Baby!

I know I haven't been doing many updates on my pregnancy but really there hasn't been much to update you about. Things have been going smoothly: minimal sickness, exhaustion, lots of research about cribs and such. Believe me, I'm not bragging about this smoothness. I almost feel left out of all the pregnancy stories that friends have shared since I don't have much to say. So...nothing worthy of a full update has really been going on...until now! :D

On Wednesday we had a check-up with my OB doc which included the midterm ultrasound. It's so hard to believe that I'm already basically halfway done with my pregnancy! We are less than 5 months away from meeting our little one! The next few months will be filled with painting and nursery prep, furniture shopping and buying, and organizing the house and nursery so they are ready to receive our new little one. But now one more detail has fallen in to place...

We got to see our little one for only the 2nd time, but they had a big reveal for us!

Meet the newest little Clark!

We can't wait to meet you Little One!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Dan and Meghan

Moving Day!

It's the follow-up to Closing Day (finally)! :)

The day after we closed on our house, friends descended on our rental to help us move our stuff!

Our moving truck...not sure why NC is associated with Venus Fly Traps...

We rented a truck and one of our friends helped direct the loading of the two truckloads of boxes and things that we moved to the new house. We prayed the weather would hold out since it was pouring earlier in the morning, but by the time everyone had arrived, things had cleared up considerably and there was no rain the rest of the day! What a blessing! Also thankfully, we still had boxes left over from our move out here and about one-third of our stuff was still packed from that move too. :) That made it much easier to get ready for the move.

Mostly unloaded now

Our friends were such troopers! They carried boxes all over the place and no one complained when lunch was a little late (store remade a couple pizzas that got burned). They were truly a Godsend for us. Being new to an area, it can feel hard to ask for help or can feel like no one will be willing or able to help with such an endeavor. But I was praising God that day for all the wonderful friends he has provided us since we moved to Lincoln.

Goofing around :)

Thank you to everyone who came and helped us move into our first home! You made it such a smooth process and a wonderful welcome to homeownership! :) Now to just keep unpacking all those boxes!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Closing Day

Well, I guess I owe you, my readers, some updates. :) A ton has happened in the past couple of weeks!

On Friday, May 24th, Dan and I closed on our very first home!

It was pretty exciting! We had to make a last minute stop at the bank on the way there, since we'd been given an incorrect amount for closing costs and had to pick up another cashier's check for the difference. Otherwise, it went really smoothly and quickly.

We spent most of the rest of the day at the new house taking care of business. Our realtor helped us get our locks re-keyed and we had to have an electrician come by to drop an extra electrical outlet in the basement (part of the inspection fixes). We also stopped by the Salvage Warehouse nearby and purchased our washer and dryer, a wonderful used pair with large capacity at the price one of them would be new and they work great! Who knew you could be this excited about appliances? ;)

So now the settling in process is in full swing! I'll draw up another post to tell you all about moving day and our wonderful friends that came out to help us. Let the adventures in homeownership begin!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Make Me an Offer

Friends! I am so excited to tell you that we are in the process of buying a house!!

We have been searching for months and at times I admit it was really discouraging to see multiple houses in a row that were all a bust. I specifically remember breaking down in tears in the converted attic space (1/2 story) of one house as I wondered if we would find something in a reasonable time and before our current lease ran out.

Well, we did! I even remember telling Dan the night before we saw our house that I thought it had potential based on the listing and pictures. But then we drove to it...and I realized where it was located. I began to second-guess myself. The house was fabulous...but would I be okay living on the edge of town?

I thought about it, slept on it, prayed about it. Then I Googled it. Turns out the house is no farther from anything than where we live now and it's in a more established neighborhood! It's even closer to some things that we are now. Then of course there's the benefit of it being our own home, not a rental. 

So I asked if we could see it a second time. We saw it the first time on a Tuesday (in bad weather so we couldn't really look outside) and then again on Friday. In between, it turns out someone else submitted an offer but the owners allowed us to still see it again so we could submit an offer.

So we took the plunge! We saw it again then sat in a Subway to immediately draw up the papers. We even waited in the parking lot while our realtor called the listing realtor and let her know what our offer was. With one adjustment to the closing date, our offer was accepted!

So now we are knee deep in mortgage paperwork, making insurance appointments, and attending inspections. Things are going smoothly so far and we hope it continues that way! We're pretty excited and are slowly beginning the process of packing the non-essentials. I am excited that this will hopefully be the last move for a while, Lord-willing!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Letting go of "Not The One"

Well, friends, our house search has been going in earnest. We've seen seven houses so far with two more on the schedule for tomorrow evening.

But today was the first time one of the houses we had seen was placed under contract. This particular house was the one we had placed at the top of our list so far but were still not "sold" so we kept looking, figuring we'd come back to it and revisit the idea if there was nothing else.

Granted this house was not "The One", but it was still the one we had seen so far that we considered a best fit for us. Not only that, but it was the very first house we saw in our search. After seeing the other six houses, we kept coming back to this one, even though we knew there were still things we wanted to change and felt (along with our realtor) that it was overpriced. It was on the older end of the spectrum and needed a little work, but all feasible.

Despite deciding that, while it was the top of the ones we'd seen, it wasn't for us, I was still slightly crestfallen when I found out it was under contract. But there have been some positives in our search. After speaking with the loan officer, we've decided to expand our search a little by raising our price limit. There is plenty of stock within our price range, allowing us choices in what to see and the ability to exclude those whose layout we have completely discounted (i.e. split foyer/entry).

So we continue to press on. It's a first, but really minor disappointment in our search. We know that God has a place out there for us, we just have to persevere in finding it.

Soli Deo Glori,
Meghan

The Hunt is On!

Let the search begin!

On January 22nd, we had our first meeting with a realtor here in Lincoln, NE. While slightly depressing learning we couldn't afford as much as I originally thought if we wanted to keep our monthly payments on target/budget, it was still a very informative meeting and a good chance to start getting to know our realtor.

We've been looking at listings he's sent us and got to see our first ones Saturday morning! We had originally picked out seven from the initial list of 28, but now two of them are under contract and one has been taken off the market to be rented. So we were able to see four different places around town. We immediately eliminated at least one of them but it was a good start to our search. :)

We are really excited to start this phase of our lives. I'm already starting to imagine painting and fixing up a place so that it suits us and becomes our home. Now just praying that God will lead us to the right home and give us wisdom as we work through the process.

Look for more blog posts in the future as we walk this path as first-time homebuyers! :)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan