Small-Moment Living : Our Home - The Very Beginning

Let me start off by saying that 2016 has already been an extremely exciting year for Bradley and I! To be quite honest, exciting is just an understatement. As many of you already know, we are in the process of planning our wedding for this upcoming September at Bear Lake Reserve in Cullowhee, NC. Although we are very excited about our wedding and starting our lives together, we have also had to start making many stressful and emotional decisions about our future. Believe me, our relationship and life isn't always rainbows and butterflies. Long story short, one decision we had to face head on is where are we going to live once we are married? And this is were my story actually begins...

"Do we try to rent a house?" or "Do we want to buy a house" or "Do we try to finish my parent's basement and just live there for awhile?" Every single one of those questions were constantly running through our heads, and to be honest we only wanted to do what is best for us. Not only our relationship, but our finances and well-being. I, personally, have not been on my own before, so trying to think about these big life decisions was very overwhelming and super emotional. I'm sure Bradley can tell you that it's the most stressed he has ever seen me, yet. We went to our parents, friends, and even co-workers for advice but it wasn't until a couple of weeks later that we stopped to think... Out of all the people who have given us excellent advice, even though we became even more confused, we were not going to the one person who is in control of it all. God.

Please excuse this side note, but I really believe it is relevant to the purpose of this blog. Bradley and I have always tried to have a strong and personal relationship with God and put Him first in our relationship. This past year was probably the strongest that either one of us have been in our faith, and relying solely on God and His plans for us. I am embarrassed and hate to say this, but when my grandfather passed away this past year due to cancer it changed everything. Not so much for Bradley, but for myself. Honestly, I became angry with God. I didn't understand why He would take such an important person away from me and why He did what He did. "Why?" That was a question I asked myself almost every single day about the situation. It was then that my faith became weak, relationships suffered, and all my thoughts/emotions because just a cluster. Not only about his loss, but everything in general. My life stayed that way too for a couple of months before I had peace about the situation. Just remember this as I continue throughout the blog...

After much praying and solely relying on God, a couple of months went by before we were presented with probably one of the biggest blessings of our life together. We had the option of purchasing exactly 1 acre of land from my grandmother, the land being right beside the house I grew up in, and we took it! Without even thinking twice about it, it was the best decision for not only us but our future. Bradley and I have always dreamed about having our own piece of land and building our picture perfect home on it, but we definitely didn't think it would happen. Especially as soon as it did, and before we were even married! We are officially land owners in Haywood County! It was then that God made it clear to us His plan and where/what we were supposed to do about our living situation. We are blessed! Beyond belief.

Okay, so we have a piece of land and we are excited beyond control. But what do we want to put on it? A site built home or an off frame modular home? What color of paint do I want to paint my walls? Who is going to clear the property for us? What do I want my master bedroom to look like? I will be the first to admit that I took the news and ran with it. Bradley probably wanted to kill me because I was being the annoying fiancé who didn't have any patience and wanted everything all at once. You can ask him, and I promise he will admit it. When we first got the news about us closing on the property, I wanted my home finished. And I mean finished by the time we got married, so we could move in right after/before our wedding and live happily ever after... Reality check, Savannah! Get a hold of yourself. It was after a couple of speed bumps before I realized that this wasn't going to be a situation I could control, and definitely put a time frame on. It just wasn't going to happen that way. If you know me, then you probably already know that I like being in control of almost every situation. That's just how I am, and this is not one of those things I can be in control of. No matter what.

While I was going through my huge reality check, I got the chance to talk with someone who had been in a similar situation to Bradley and I's. I swear, having the chance to talk to her changed everything! I mean, every single detail and every thought that went through my head. She was just telling me about how her and her husband just built a house, and how they didn't listen to God throughout the process. I was honestly not surprised to hear that because I can already see how easy it is to get caught up in the excitement, and just blow off His plans. They had to make sacrifices along the way, and do things they really didn't want to do. In return, they now have a beautiful house but only one regret. That one regret is that they wished they would have listened to God along the way and went by His pace and timing.

It was so strange, but after my talk with her I had a whole new feeling come over me and outlook on the situation. I even told Bradley that we could wait a year from now and live with my mom before we even broke ground! Like whoa, where did this Savannah come from? Bradley ask, so don't worry. The only answer I had to give him was that I wanted to do things right. I believe that if God opened up the opportunity for land, then he will be with us throughout every other step of the process. He has blessed us tremendously already, so I know he will continue to do so if we trust in Him. We both agreed that this is going to be a new and huge adventure for us, but that we wanted to do just as He wants and also how my granddaddy would. I looked up to my granddaddy more than anyone, and just thought he hung the moon. I'm sure people think I can't write a blog without mentioning his name, but he had such an impact on my life that I almost can't write something without involving him. He was my main man, before Bradley of course. We both feel tons better since we have stopped being selfish and putting our wants before our needs, and started trusting someone bigger than us who is in full control. We aren't in control of everything, and that's okay for us.

I know this is a really long blog, but when we announced the purchase of the property I wanted to be sure everyone understood our outlook on the situation. Bradley and I are thankful every single day for this opportunity, and are making it a point to not get ahead of ourselves. Yes, we are going to have to make sacrifices. Yes, this is going to be an extreeeeemely long process. Yes, we are okay with not being in full control. Bradley and I are very excited about sharing the news with all of our family and friends, and we hope you are as excited as we are. We both wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for our family and friends, and we thank you in advance for your continued support. Please keep us in your prayers too, because this isn't going to be an easy process. The status on our new home right now is that we are just enjoying the property. We are making plans for the future, getting all our ducks in a row, and being sure we take things slow. I will go ahead and warn my fellow blog followers that I will be blogging throughout our entire home process because this is the way I can vent and share my feelings/thoughts/emotions.

The pictures below are what the property looks like right now, and as you can see we have a lot of work to do before we can start anything. We are super excited for this big step in our life and relationship. We give all the glory to God for this huge blessing and opportunity, and we are excited to share it with you along the way!