Jun

12

Pardon Me While I Vent (again)

Post Category: Authenticity, Blog Posts, Moving, venting 

Venting

I had another post written and ready to go this morning but it’s going to have to wait. I need to vent again.

As you know we’re having a rather difficult time trying to get our mortgage stuff together. Because I’m self-employed we’ve had to jump through quite a few hoops to prove that I’m a “financially viable” candidate for a loan.

Yesterday Lisa called my sister-in-law to have her pick up our mail that’s being held in Fort Wayne and overnight it to us here in Indy. I had a couple of checks that we need to deposit and show in our bank account in order to move the loan forward.

Imagine my frustration when my sister-in-law calls to tell me that they can’t find our mail! Lisa called to find out what the deal was and was told we would have to speak to the Postmaster in the morning.

This morning we called and found out that for the last 3 weeks our mail has been RETURNED TO SENDER! To make matters worse the lady Lisa spoke to didn’t even feel bad about it and said it was OUR FAULT for having our mail held for so long (even though we’ve spoken with supervisors multiple times over the last month to confirm it could still be held).

So instead of depositing checks today for our closing we’ve got to get new checks cut and track down who knows what else we’re missing from the last 3 weeks! Isn’t that just FINE AND FREAKING DANDY?!!?

It’s probably a good thing I’m not in Fort Wayne today because I feel like I’m about to go Postal.

Jun

10

Look Dad, We Have Plates!

Post Category: Authenticity, Blog Posts, Family, Moving 

Those of you who follow my blog know that we’ve been living in a hotel since the deal on the house we were going to purchase fell through (read more here and here). Pete jokingly asked me on Sunday what I’m going to blog about once we’re actually living in our own house.

Extended Stay DeluxeSunday evening we got back from our vacation with friends in North Carolina. We checked into the Extended Stay Deluxe (Chloe always reminds me that there is a “Deluxe” at the end). This will be our home for at least the next three or four weeks while we get try to close on another condo we have an agreement on.

Chloe & Emily were so funny when we walked into our room.

“Look Dad, we have our own plates and silverware! We even have a stove!”

They ran into the bedroom and came running back out to drag us in by the hand to show us how HUGE the bedroom and bathroom were. Keep in mind, the whole 1-bedroom suite with pullout couch and kitchenette is probably less than 350 square feet but to them we had just checked into the Presidential Suite at the Hilton.

Normally Lisa and I are the ones trying to teach the kids to be thankful for what they’ve got but for once they were the teachers. I’ll admit it, last night I wasn’t feeling very thankful. In fact, it took everything I had to keep him from coming back.

I’m thankful that each new day gives me a new opportunity to count my blessings. Right now I don’t even want to think about how long it’s been since I’ve slept in my own bed or worn something that hasn’t come out of the same suitcase we left Fort Wayne with. I’m tired of walking into living rooms that require a keycard.

But for now, I’m learning to enjoy the journey. If that means jumping up and down on the bed because we have our own plates and silverware, then I’m going to jump away.

May

8

Living in a Hotel

Post Category: Authenticity, Moving 

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

A lot has changed since Monday. For example…

  • I thought I would be writing today’s blog post from our new house instead of the lobby of the hotel we’re staying at.
  • I thought we would be unpacking boxes instead of extending the contract for the 3 storage units that hold our belongings.
  • I thought we would be settling our kids into their new rooms instead of trying to occupy them with repeated trips to the hotel pool.

For readers who may not be familiar with our story so far, we put our house up for sale in September and sold it in a market that’s not easy to sell a house in. We moved all of our belongings into storage in Indianapolis while we vacationed for a few weeks in Florida. Before we left we had confirmed all of the details on the condo we were purchasing and set to close on as soon as we got back.

We had a closing date of May 12 but talked to our mortgage and real estate agents from Florida and asked if we could move it to May 6 after we arrived back in Indianapolis from our trip. They said it wasn’t a problem. We found out last week that the closing could be delayed a few days but since our contract had a closing date of May 12 we thought we would still be ok. If we had to get a hotel room for a couple of days so be it.

We left Florida Monday morning stopping half-way to spend the night in Gatlinburg so the kids could see the Smokey Mountains. Tuesday morning I get a call from our mortgage agent. He had completely dropped the ball and not checked into the condo requirements for the type of loan we were getting. Because I’m self-employed I didn’t qualify for most conventional loans and had to go with a FHA loan. It turns out that the condo’s were new enough that they didn’t qualify for a FHA loan.

“Basically,” our mortgage guy said, “there’s nothing I can do for you. The only way I can get you into that condo is if you put down 20-25% down.” There was no way we could do that nor would I want to in today’s housing market. Basically, our mortgage guy screwed us by assuring us that we were approved and would close this week without a problem (after having all of our paperwork and information for over a month).

Which brings me to the hotel lobby I’m writing this from this morning. We’re here until the end of the week while the clock keeps ticking on our pending closing date. Lisa was on the phone all day yesterday making calls to banks hoping for a last-minute miracle. If the deal falls through we are back at square one, staying in a hotel and looking for a place to live.

I know that God has everything under control but that doesn’t make the present situation any easier. Lisa and I have been trying to figure out a way to tell our kids that we may not be moving into the home that they were so excited about living in.

Please pray for direction and God’s will to be clear. I’m learning to hold all things loosely as God reminds me that His plans are best and His timing is perfect.

In the meantime I’ll close out this blog post from the lobby of the hotel that is our home with complete trust in God and anticipation of His provision.

Apr

14

Good Times in Nashville

Post Category: Church, Family, Moving 

I’m writing this post from beautiful Tarpon Springs Florida after arriving around 2:30 AM. I can’t tell you how glad I am to finally be here (if you just started reading check out my previous post describing our trip)

I had so much fun in Nashville Saturday night and Sunday. Sunday morning we went to CrossPoint church which was an awesome experience. If you’re ever in Nashville you’ve got to check them out.

God is doing some amazing things through this 5-year old church. Their worship blew me away. I know we’re in Nashville so you would expect the musicians and vocalists to be good but I didn’t know they were that good! I wanted to just pack them in my bag and kidnap them for my new worship team in Carmel.

I found out that Sheg, one of the contestants from Oprah’s big give, attends CrossPoint and I had the opportunity to meet him.

Afterwards in the lobby someone came up to me and said, “You’re Brad Ruggles! I read your blog all the time!” It was Jad Duncan, one of my blog readers. I have to admit, it was sorta cool to have someone recognize me from my blog.

Finally, after service I had the opportunity to have lunch with Pete Wilson, lead pastor of CrossPoint. We had great conversation about blogging, church planting and the challenges of leading a growing church. I really appreciate Pete’s heart. I’m sure I’ll be back to visit again now that I’m only 4 hours away.

You may notice the bar behind us in the picture. It turns out that one of the ways Pete deals with the stress of ministry is to get hammered after church on Sundays. Pat and I actually had to hold him up for the picture. (kidding of course)

After lunch we hopped back in the van and drove the rest of the way down to Florida. So here we are. I’ll post some pictures and videos later so be sure to check back.

Apr

13

BIG TRIP: Nashville Update

Post Category: Blog Posts, Moving 

We got into Nashville around 9:30 last night. After Lisa and the kids got settled into the hotel I met up with Pat Rowland and we hit downtown Nashville.Hanging with Pat

This morning we’ll be going to CrossPoint Church and hooking up with Pete Wilson for lunch afterwards. Then we’ll hit the road for the biggest leg of our trip: 715 miles from Nashville to Tarpon Springs (see where we’re at on the map).

Apr

9

Moving Day! (part 1)

Post Category: Family, Moving 

Moving Truck
Today was our moving day! The movers showed up bright and early at 8:00 this morning and immediately began wrapping furniture and carrying out boxes.

We were in pretty good shape with our boxes thanks to some help last night from our friends: Heather, Aaron & Devon (not pictured).

Moving friends

We’re just getting ready to head down to Carmel to do an inspection on our new house. Tonight we’ll stay down there in a hotel with the kids so I’m sure we’ll be hitting the pool and try to unwind a bit.

So as of right now we’re officially homeless! The adventure begins!

Apr

8

Our 2,300 Mile Exodus

Post Category: Blog Posts, Church Planting, Family, Moving 

It’s only 120 miles from Fort Wayne, IN to Carmel where we’re moving. So why are we taking the 2,300 mile route? Good question.

Towards the end of last year we began to feel God calling us to step out of our comfort zone into something new. Little did we know that it would result in leaving a job/church, going back to freelance design work, selling our home in Fort Wayne and moving to a new city where we don’t know a single person!

The past few months has been an amazing journey of faith for my wife and I as we’ve been stretched further than we’ve ever before. We’ve watched time and again as God’s provision and timing was perfect for each need.

So we’re less than a week away from beginning a new adventure! I’m so excited (and a little nervous). We’re going to take the next few weeks and visit some churches and attend a couple of conferences before settling into our new home in Westfield, IN (just outside of Carmel where we’re looking at planting the church).

Here’s a few places we’ll be stopping and things we’ll be doing along the way:

Are you anywhere along our route? Will you be at any of the conferences/churches we’re attending? If so, hit me up on Twitter or let me know so we can hook up!

I’ll be posting throughout the trip so be sure to subscribe to my blog (RSS or by email) and follow me on Twitter so you can hear all about it! Wish us well!

Florida Trip

Apr

7

The Final Countdown

Post Category: Moving 

The week we’ve been anticipating/dreading at my house is finally here. By this time next week we’ll be moved out of our house and in sunny Tarpon Springs, Florida!

Let me fill in some details. This past Friday we closed on our house that we’re living in now in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We’re finishing up the last of our packing today and tomorrow. You know that weird and frustrating feeling when, out of habit, you open up your cabinets to grab something and they’re empty?Empty Cabinets

Today and tomorrow we finish packing up the last of of our boxes. All of the pictures are off our walls, toys are packed up and the closets are empty. The stack of boxes in our garage is steadily growing each day.

Moving Boxes

On Wednesday the moving guys are coming here bright and early to load our stuff up and put it into storage. By Wednesday afternoon we will officially be homeless. We’re going to stay with my former boss/pastor through Saturday.

On Saturday we have a wedding that Lisa and Chloe are both in. That will be our last chance to say our goodbyes to all of our Fort Wayne friends before hitting the road that afternoon.

I’ll be posting more details tomorrow about the next leg of our 2,300 mile exodus out of Fort Wayne by way of Nashville, Florida and South Carolina until we reach our final destination: Carmel, Indiana.

So it begins. It’s the final countdown. (click here if you can’t see the video)

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