The banker that is on the board of the youth center did our paperwork for a loan and it is his opinion that we should wait a year to build. We took quite a loss on our rental business in 2013 because the Georgia house sat empty part of the year and 117, of course, was empty all year. Plus, because I quit my job, he can’t count that income into last year’s income, but he can only count last year’s music income and not the higher amount I’m projecting for this year. So our loss is too great and our income too small on paper.
I would have thought I would have been a basket case getting this news, but I know God is in it, so I’m just looking at it as God not letting us do something stupid. So our summer is quite a bit less busy than we’d thought it would be. We are going to finish 117, then move on to some things that need doing at 126 in New Auburn, then list that one for sale, because if we sell it this year, we don’t have to pay taxes on what we make, since we’ve lived in it over 2 of the past 5 years. Then we’ll work on getting Ladysmith in better shape. And we’ll keep saving money. If things go as predicted, we’ll have a fully funded emergency fund by the end of October. And I’ll try to figure out how to actually earn money doing personal training.
That’s a big change of plans. Hopefully, it will all turn out even better.
It is a huge change, so I’m surprised how well I’m taking it. I really had my heart set on building, but in the back of my mind I had nagging doubts about getting a loan. So I wasn’t totally caught by surprise. Plus, I’ve been praying about specific things more, so I really feel this is God’s answer and it is “not yet.” Mostly I feel badly about having to cancel on the builder who was counting on this income.
Don and I really want to be in shape for the hard work involved in building, so this will give us a whole year to do that. Don’s shoulder is bothering him, and it will probably take a full year for him to get his strength back in it. And I always gain weight when I’m on a big project that involves a lot of physical labor, because I’m so hungry and there is such “bad” food available at the work site, because of all the guys and what they like to eat! So the extra year will be a good thing for both of us, physically.