After a year of marriage, we were given the opportunity to rent a small rock cottage instead of the married housing apartment. We jumped at the opportunity, but in retrospect we should have asked some more questions. Not long afterward, circumstances arose that led to our niece and nephew spending the summer with us. With all the wisdom of our nineteen and twenty-year-old selves, we embarked on the new adventure. Here’s what young Robbie and Anna May had to say about it all…
Day 365
Today we moved into a new house. Well, it’s not new, but it’s new to us. We could not be more excited! It is a little rock cottage on the back side of the Central Bible College campus. It just had brand new carpets installed throughout the house and even has a fireplace. From the front door, there is a nice view of the pond. I’m sad to leave our apartment. It was the first place we lived as a married couple. Still, I’m excited to have some extra space and privacy. The school did tell me that in the past it’s had some slight problems with the walls leaking when it rained, but they don’t expect it to be an issue.
Life Lesson
Don’t be afraid to embrace change. You only get to the future by moving forward.
Moving Tip
Pay attention to subtle statements made by landlords. They are sometimes a sign of future problems. More about that later…
Day 400
A couple weeks ago we brought our nephew, Josh, and our niece, Miranda, home with us. He is 8 years old, and she is 5. It looks like they are gonna be with us for a bit. Remember what I said about extra space and privacy? Evidently, I was joking. Anyway, last night we had a bad storm, with rain coming down in torrents. When I went into the living room, the air mattress that Miranda was sleeping on was floating!
Water was standing at least 6 inches deep in my new living room! I had now discovered the “slight problem” with occasional leaking. The water was literally running through the bottom of the walls as though no wall was there. Fortunately, I worked for the custodial crew at the school as a carpet cleaner. I called my supervisor, who quickly got me the carpet machine, and so began the long job of removing over a hundred gallons of water from my living room. The entire time I was removing the water, Josh and Miranda were fussing at me because, “We could have had a pool!”
Life Lesson
Sometimes houses have issues. It’s not the end of the world. We ended up living in that rock cottage for about a year, and overall, it was a fantastic year. My nephew and niece lived with us for about three months. Our friends Joe and Denise also lived with us for a couple months inside that one bed, one bath cottage. Most people probably dream of having a nice place to live that doesn’t flood when it rains. That’s ok, but don’t forget that the Bible also cautions us not to despise the days of small things.
Pool Tip
A pool on the outside is awesome. A pool in your living room will ruin your morning. Young kids don’t really have a preference between the two.