Years ago, the Akron Beacon Journal used to publish 'study prints' of homes. You could order the prints and then get full blueprints made from them. I found this house and the study prints named the design Wolfrun. I fell in love. Closest I could get to an A-frame and not have knee walls. I tucked the study prints away, and I knew someday, I would build this house of my dreams.
Fast forward ten (or so) years and I'm finally in a position financially where I could build my own home and move out of the city. The first task was to choose a lot to build on. The land this house stands on is a direct answer to prayer. After what felt like endless searching, I was out driving randomly and was crying. I needed a lot I could afford that wasn't closely surrounded by neighbors. I love my neighbors, I just have no desire to live on top of them as I did when I lived in Akron. I had been looking for land for months with no real prospects. In desperation that day (it was a Sunday), I was driving aimlessly out in the townships of Summit County. In tears I prayed "God, please help me find a lot! I have to have a lot!". I was on Killian at the time and a tiny flash of orange caught my eye. I pulled over and walked back to where I thought I saw the color. Sticking out of foot tall brush, partially covered with snow, was about one square inch of a For Sale sign. The rest is history...
Construction started in May of 1992. I won't go into that nightmare here either. The construction story is a post in and of itself! But I will say that this was the summer of Hurricane Andrew and when the rains came, I did not have a roof. After months of work and angst, I finally moved in to the home in November. I was letting in finish contractors but I was officially 'home'. I was so excited to celebrate Christmas in this new place. I decided against working any overtime over the Christmas holiday and took vacation time so I could be off and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
On January 15 I lost my job. I had worked for Goodyear for over 10 years and they cut our department in half. I was in security. The job paid outstandingly well, but didn't offer much in the way of resume boosting. The bottom line was I had not even converted my construction loans. I had cashed out my 401K and invested it, plus the proceeds from the sale of my first home, plus most of my inheritance. My mortgage wasn't going to be huge, but when you're unemployed, any mortgage is a problem. Needless to say, with a background in 'security', potential employers were not beating a path to my door. On top of all of this I had pets to think of. So after my housing costs, any left over money from my unemployment checks went to pet food. I ate at my mom's. There were months where I wasn't sure I was going to make it. And no one in my family had the resources to help me. I was on my own and stood to lose everything I had. Again, if the fact that I didn't isn't enough to prove the existence of God then I don't know what else would be. I was out of work for over 9 months. And when I did get a job, I went from earning mid to upper $40's annually to making $6.25 an hour. Needless to say, I had to make some serious budgetary adjustments. It's amazing what you can do without when you have to. It was a humbling experience to say the least.
Now all these years later, I remember with vivid clarity how I almost lost the house of my dreams. The Lord has seen me through several occupations since the early 90's, but one thing has remained consistent: I have always left one job for the next at a higher salary. He so completely takes care of me. This is the view from my second floor balcony. I see this every day when I wake up.
I have been, and continue to be blessed beyond my wildest imagination. I have been entrusted with this little slice of heaven on earth and He has gone to such great lengths to keep me here. So maybe I start looking for vacation property in Florida? It would be fun to visit during the worst of the winter here. But here will always be home.
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