10/31/2021
In response to yesterday's photos, several people asked if Before and After photos were available. They are and Im sharing them here.. I had such a fun time strolling down memory lane for hours this morning to match these up..which is right on time because I have
♡ A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! ♡
There has been so much healing, so many memories made, so much laughter and love in this sweet cottage. We will celebrate 8 years this month and we couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity to be Gods "Inn Keepers" for this incredible slice of paradise.
On November 20, 2013 I purchased this beautiful historic cottage which was IN the ocean part of each day. Seriously, twice a day, everyday, at high tide. Storms were super brutal and it was very scary!! I understood the risk I was taking and I had faith in what I heard from God. (We also didn't have much money for repairs on such a risky investment....so that was fun :-P )
My first purchase less than an hour after closing was a beautiful rustic cross and a Bible box. I had no idea what the future held and I knew it was a risk to put a Cross and Bible in a vacation rental with the chance of offending guests. But, I knew standing in the Cotton Gin with tears in my eyes that day, this place wasn't ever going to be "mine". It was His..and we had to follow His lead. We certainly did....and we never looked back. That picture of my purchase from 2013 is the first one in this post. It's SO special to me.
I have all the fun decorating and bossing the men around...but My Dan, My Dad, My Brother Joseph, our kids and many, many friends have transformed this cottage with their own hands. We have never hired a single contractor to renovate here. It's absolutely incredible what these guys have accomplished. I could never express the depth of my gratitude for all these men have been to me in my life and how their hard work has blessed so many people in this cottage.
God's provisions have been incredible for SO many people here. The healing. The peace. The love. The memories made. The soul work achieved. Its undeniable. It's unexplainable. The "magic" this place holds is not "magic" at all...its GOD...and all His awesomeness! It's timely and it's perfect, without fail.
Our family has spent 8 years building, rebuilding, hurting, healing, hosting, laughing, mourning, celebrating, growing, learning, playing, and praying inside these walls. Our family has hosted many, many new and old friends inside these walls.
The blood, the sweat and the many, many tears in 2021 have been the most challenging of our lives for our entire family. And still we rise in honor of whom and what we will hold in our hearts FOREVER! (If you know, you know!) I pray that we ALL continue to be transformed inside these walls and that this cottage will continue to bring healing and peace to ALL who enter for many, many years to come!
And so, after much prayer and with all the love, gratitude, and joy in my heart: it is my honor and privilege to announce that beginning on January 1, 2022 we will retire the name Carpe Diem-Seas the Day and our little cottage shall be forevermore named...........
❤ "Because...God" ❤
