Last year when we bought our house, we met with a guy about buying new windows and a heat pump. Things didn't turn out like we had imagined and we only bought 3 new windows. The windows for the bedrooms. The heat pump guys kept contacting us with great offers and each time we where about to do it, both James and I just didn't feel good about it. bummer. Even though I wanted to push throw the uncertainty I'm so glad I fallowed James' lead. We never got the heat pump installed last winter, instead we when to home depot and bought space heaters for the two main living areas. Yeah, we're that ghetto.
This summer Tacoma Power had a great intensive to get a heat pump, so again I pushed for the idea. When both James and I got the stooped of thought feeling again I was a bit disappointed. Then in August I heard about a new window installation program the Tacoma Power was putting on. I did some more research and got a few bids. This time everything fell into place and it was perfect. Dates for installations where set and I couldn't believe it was happening. Yippee.
Last week we had the heat pump installed. It's been awesome.
Today was the day we where going to get the windows installed. All day yesterday James was not settled with the idea of the windows being installed. He even called into work to see if he could get the day off. He just wanted to be here when they installed everything to make sure all went as planned. When his work denied the day off, I reassured James for the hundredth time I could handle everything, and that everything would be fine.
Well today went as fallowed:
Awake up 5:20 am- Watch little neighbor girls (another blessing, I contribute to paying tithing).
8:00 am girls wake up, get them dress, feed them breakfast,
9:00 am Little Nimi is picked up, comforted baby Everett who had been awake since 6am and was tired and ready for his morning naps, while trying to get the girls ready for school and picking up odds and ends before window guys got here.
9:15 am Window guys arrive, fanatically move couch, get boots on girls, put everyone in the car (this takes 30 minutes) check in with window guys to make sure they have everything they need.
9:45 am Take girls to school.
10:30 am Back at home Everett still asleep in the car. Check in with window guys, things seem to be going smooth, notice they are putting the old trim back on the windows. Text James to make sure this is okay.
10:45 am James calls back and confirms my worst fear. That was not the plan. Go to window guys, ( I don't do well with confrontation) explain we thought they would be replacing the trim as well. News to him. He calls his boss, boss says that's not the plan. Call James, he's doing Evals and is super busy today. Poor guys. I call Todd the salesman, explain that we where under the impression that the trim would be replaced. Todd searches his e-mails and says no such agreement was made. I remember the conversation about the trim was super short and very veg. Salesman calls James and says they can add trim for 50.00 a window. James not knowing what windows really need new trim and what ones we can skimp on at the moment is kinda stressed out. I tell him I can figure it out. When I talk to the workers you can tell this is not what they want to hear. they reply without thinking "putting new trim in is asking for trouble, it's a lot of work". Not the thing I want to hear. I can't really ask them for their professional option because I know it will be tainted with the amount of work it will require of them. I tell them straight up what I'm thinking and decide to go ask my neighbor who just installed new windows and trim in his own house. This makes the window workers realized what they just did.
11:30 After many phone calls back and forth with James and the salesman I call my neighbor, I figured he'd know which windows need the trim the most. Meanwhile, James takes an early lunch break and finds the e-mail concerning the trim and the vague agreement that includes the trim. We forward the old e-mail to the salesman, it doesn't go through, I double check the email address and send it again, still doesn't go through, 4 yes 4 attempts later I send him just part of the e-mail, it goes through, but not the part about the trim. Getting nervous because the poor workers just want to finish the job. James reassures me I can just print out the e-mail and take it to the office for clarification if I need.
12:00 Salesman calls me back, says he found the e-mail, and confirms we where right all along. Big Sigh of Relief. Workers stop mid job because this news changes everything.
12:30 They leave with only installing three new windows. They will be back to undo the work they did and to finish the job right which will include new trim on all the windows.
12:45 Rush out the door to pick up girls from school.
I'm so glad I try to listen to my husband's promptings. This has been a crazy but awesome experience for us. Right now I'm in the middle of trying to refinance, I keep getting that same feeling we got a year ago about the windows and heat pump. With all rational thinking it just makes since to refinance. Having this window installation experience happen right now, makes me think twice about fallowing the promptings of the spirit or my intuition. We'll be holding off on refinancing for a bit longer. we'll do some more research and wait till we both feel good about the decision.
I can't thank James enough for swooping in and helping me figure everything out. I'm so grateful for James, he's a hard worker and all that he does for our family. Because of him we saved over $400.00. their bid was already 2/3rd the price of what other bids we got and now we'll be saving even more with new trim too.
I kinda feel bad for the business, clearly the salesman was in a rush when he sent his e-mail to us and did not double check what we where asking. The Salesman and the workers where both super supportive and helpful figuring everything out (once I mentioned to them my thoughts) and working with us to get what we wanted.
the reason I wrote down this whole experience is to Testify to my kids that the Lord will lead and guide you if you seek for his guidance. Not every decision you make needs approval from the Lord, he expects us to use reason and thought to make correct choices but if we try to seek for his inspiration he will let you know when things are not right, and if you have the courage to follow those promptings you will be blessed.
