whew

My mom is in town and it's wedding planning time! She flew in at 6:20 this morning so she is asleep, building up her energy for all the wedding dress appointments we have! I believe we will find something this weekend I really do. And I'm excited for it! We also have tickets to the wedding show which probably won't do much for us since the wedding is in Montana but it will be fun to get ideas. There is a wedding show in Kalispell in Feburary and I am watching ticket prices to see if I can go. It would be extremely beneficial. I should have a bought a plane ticket when they were on sale, what was I thinking!

Nathan and I were pre-approved for a mortgage two weeks ago so the hunt for a house has begun. We saw a couple on our own and our realtor will be hopefully showing us some this weekend (and mom can give her input). It is really hard to look at houses in our price range over here and then compare them to houses in the same price range in Montana. The houses here a bit smaller and the backyards are even smaller but the biggest thing I notice is how close they are to the neighbors! In most neighborhoods a person could stand between two houses and reach out and touch both. It kills me. BUT we are here for at least a little while so we're going to have to accept that! We are also still considering townhouses as an option if we need to watch the price. Nathan really doesn't want to share any walls and I agree with him. I am holding out hope for a good place in our price range but if we have to wait, we have to wait.

It has been really exciting to think about owning our own home and contributing to an asset so I am hopeful the process will bring good results.

Lastly though, I can't help but think about buying a home without thinking about so many people who don't have a home...my job sends me on these revelations all the time as I talk with my homeless clients... but now Haiti is on my mind. I am always devastated to see people suffering from such a massive disaster but Haiti hurts my heart even more as one of my good friends is there working in an orphanage. I spent the last two years looking at her pictures, hearing her stories, learning all about Haiti and falling in love with it. I hear stories on the radio about children laying on the dead bodies of their relatives, not knowing what to do next. People are hungry and thirsty and sick...I am feeling so pulled to go there. I wish I could. I am thankful we are sending help but I worry it was not fast enough. My friend Brittany is hours away from Port Au Prince but there is a good chance her orphange will soon overflow with new children. I know Brittany's heart can love as many children who walk through the door but I hope the orphanage can physically and monetarily handle it. I am sending money to Danita's Children as I know it will go to such a good cause. Beyond that I'm just praying as much as possible for those who are suffering to find peace and those who are hungry to have food and shelter and care.