From Signs to Signage

 

I cried tears of JOY, hence why I look sleepy! MY GOD!!

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After completing college in 2007 with my BS degree from Cal State University Dominguez Hills, I set my sights on finding a job using my degree. To my surprise, I wasn't able to find anything. Perhaps this was a sign as it was then that I would start my bath & body business; Scentsational Soaps.  Shortly after starting my business, my husband and I lost 4 pieces of property when the housing market crashed. It was devastating. So much so that my husband was a dead man walking. We were only married for 4 years during this time and it was then that we were tested on every side. Divorce was staring us in the face. Everything that you could experience that was negative within our marriage was happening. We were young with two young children two years apart and a long road ahead. We had plans to buy a dream home, raise our children and invest in more property. But it seemed as if all of the plans we had made would soon be shattered.  

My dream was to purchase a 2 story home with an open floor plan, a gorgeous kitchen with great natural light. But God had it that it would be put on hold. He never said "No" just not right now. I had some work to do on myself and I had pushed it off for YEARS..........Like over 10 years! I needed help. I was depressed, unmotivated, tired and exhausted and I had things I had to revisit that happened in my past. Trauma is REAL. It will show up when you least expect It, and if it's not addressed, it will haunt YOU. Not being able to find a job immediately after graduating from college, raising two babies two years apart, loosing homes and money, and starting a brand new business was all ALOT. Did I seek a coach or a therapist? No....and hadn't done so for years. It wasn't until 2020 during the pandemic that I would focus on myself wholeheartedly by way of self discovery. 

It was during this time that my dear friend referred me to a self-discovery coach. I was committed and wanted to find me. For years, I had been catering to everyone within my household except for myself.  "Fatigued and Depleted"was my name as I walked around in oversized sweats and T-shirts while looking after my babies. This was my daily outfit. It was easy and as I grew bigger, the elastic in my sweat pants allowed room for growth. WRONG!!! I was eating uncontrollably. I had lost myself and "WE" had lost hope. We couldn't see our way out of the nightmare as It was eating at our souls. Financially, we were depleted.  So much so, I was borrowing money to fulfill Scentsational Soaps orders during my early years. It was a complete disaster but I never gave up, instead I gave in to what I knew would eventually be fulfilled. 

I had FAITH. So much so that I talked with God two years ago as went thru my self discovery journey. I'm still on this journey as I continue to learn more and more about myself. And since then, God has been showing me signs throughout my journey that my home would be in Arizona. Yes, my daughter wanted to attend Arizona State University and I was all for it. But what I didn't know, that we would follow behind her. It wasn't until I started to see and listen to God as he would speak to me thru people and signs. I went to my God-daughters culmination and passed by a street by the name of Arizona Street in Los Angeles, CA. It wasn't until I picked up a rental to take my nephew back home to Gilbert, Arizona that the plates would say "Arizona". It wasn't until I saw my dream home on the MLS weekly for over a month that God would hold it and keep it on the market for me to see in person upon returning my nephew back home. It wasn't until l called my BFF to look for a mover where she referred me to her cousin, whose name is the same as the street name of our "new" home. 

 

Picked up my rental from (Enterprise) Downtown Los Angeles, CA  and look at my plates!!! ARIZONA!!!! 

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Went to my God-daughters culmination in June and passed this street. 

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Our "new" home is on Ryan Road and my BFFs cousin is the owner of Ryan's moving Company whom we used to move us out! The were AWESOME!!!

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I was in total alignment. I drove up to Arizona alone and while there I saw 10 homes for sale. 8 out of 10 were gorgeous. But the one I saw originally on the MLS had my heart. Prior to me going to Arizona alone, the hubby and I had discussed us returning the following month together, however, upon my return back home, the hubby asked if I had seen something I loved. YES!!! YES I DID!!! I told him and the next thing I heard was, "Let's put in an offer!" But let me back up a bit. As I drove back home, I had no intention of us putting an offer in because as mentioned, we had planned to return the following month together. During that time that I drove back home, I blasted my gospels and was in FULL PRAISE MODE!!!! I did the ugly cry and all. Watched the sunrise and pulled over to take pics of God's glory. I was in my zone. I never picked up the phone to call no one during my 5 hour trip besides my mom from time to time as hubby was at work. It was during that time that I was just GRATEFUL!!! GRATEFUL for that time alone with God, GRATEFUL for being in the position to be able to find my home the following month, GRATEFUL that I was in the moment with no distractions. I had Gods undivided attention and he had mine. 

So back to the hubby telling me to put in an offer. I was SO EXCITED!!!!! Was this even real or am I dreaming? I negotiated everything as he wanted me to use my power. But in all honesty, God was using his Power. We were in escrow. Escrow went well until the very end as I felt it in my spirit that we would be up against the wall soon as everything was "FLOWING" all too well.  Remember, my word for the year is "FLOW". Sure enough the day we were to close, we had a hiccup and an extension was needed. We had 3 days to close or we would loose our earnest money, etc. I stayed up all 3 days praying. I never went to sleep but I told my mother that on the 3rd day JESUS ROSE! He had victory!! On the 3rd day we had notice that we were cleared to CLOSE!!!! I was / is EXTREMELY HAPPY!!! I still con't believe that this is our home. I cried, I prayed, I rejoiced, I hugged my family, and I called my close friends. We closed with a $20,000 discount, a credit and equity. MY GOD!!!!!!God held this home for us for over a month and they even had an open house......BUT GOD!! He told me to MOVE!!!! See the message below that I had shared with a friend. I was packing in June, literally right after my daughter graduated. 

 

God has everything in the home for each of us all the way down to our family dog; Domino. 

1. A guest house for my mom (she is ECSTATIC & deserves it ALL) 
2. A lemon, grapefruit and lime tree for my mom as she was trying to take her dwarf lemon tree with us. (Eyes rolled. Where they do hat at?) 
3. A beautiful kitchen as you know, I love to cook for my family and entertain 
4. A dog park for Domino 
5. A HUGE wall for hubby's TV 
6. A pool for hot summer days (3 months out the year it's HOT and we have AC in the car and home, so no sweat here)
7. And so much MORE......BLESSED!!! 

Meet home #2.....her name is "FAITH" (6 bedrooms, over 4000 square feet) 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

1. It's hot, why Arizona? I love the homes in Arizona,  plus my daughter is near as she starts  a new journey (college). Arizona is only hot 3 months out the year. There is AC in your car and home. From the car to the house, from the house to the store / car 

2. Why such a big home? I wanted a big home for my close friends and family. My circle is tight. We have gone thru so much together and this is a WIN for us all, not just my family. When my kids begin to have kids in the future, I wanted a place they could hang out, create memories and be filled with complete LOVE & Joy. By the way, this house will be passed on to our children. 

3. What about Scentsational Soaps? My business is still thriving and my studio will continue to be in Los Angeles. I'm so grateful to have help. Thank you God!! 

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Moral of the story: What happened in our past was NECESSARY. Our PAIN had purpose. We didn't know, nor understood it at the moment but to see how he has restored our lives is AMAZING!!! We made sure to be diligent in prayer, seek help from a family therapist / self discovery coach and work on ourselves individually and collectively. We kept the faith and pressed forward while walking BLINDLY through our journey. Remember, YOU are worthy of ALL THINGS GOOD & YOU HAVE THE POWER WITHIN TO RECEIVE ALL THAT YOU DESIRE!!!!