Mike recently received a job offer at a company in NYC. He officially accepted the position as of last week. It's still a shock for me. We've only been in Portland for 17 months and now we are moving AGAIN. And not just a small move. We're moving to a GIANT city on the other side of the country. I have loved it here ever since we arrived last year. I have had my heart set on putting down roots, buying a house and raising our kids HERE. I have grown to love the Pacific Northwest and it breaks my heart to leave.
For many months now, Mike and I have been praying for guidance to know where we should be looking for houses. We've also been praying to know what to do about Mike's job situation. In my mind, I wasn't looking outside of the Portland area because I thought we were going to be here long term. And for many years I've been telling Mike that the East Coast was off limits. I figured he'd surely be able to find a job on this side of the country, because there was no way I would agree to anything different.
Well, knowing that our lease was about to expire this past March, Mike and I started house hunting sometime around February. And during our months of searching, I just never felt "right" about any of the places we looked at. I kept getting the prompting to be patient because there would be something else out there to consider. I thought maybe the house we were supposed to live in just wasn't on the market yet or other various possibilities. I'm not a very patient person, but I agreed to wait and trusted that the timing wasn't right, for whatever reason.
In the meantime, Mike and I discussed the possibility of him leaving his current company. There were some rumors going around that made Mike feel uneasy, and long story short---in order for us to be serious about buying a house he needed to feel secure in his job first. So we decided to put the house hunting on hold until we felt more confident about his current job position or until he found another job that would provide more stability. We both assumed that he'd find another job in the Portland area. He applied to quite a few places, but there were no jobs listed in this area that would help him progress in the profession he is interested in. Although, the jobs he was looking at seemed decent enough, he felt like he'd be taking a step away from his ultimate career goal.
So he applied to a job posting that actually fit the exact description of what he does at his current job. The posting said that they would prefer that the chosen employee work from the Houston, TX office or the NYC office, BUT that they could be flexible. Mike thought he might have a chance to work from Portland if he got offered the job, because all he really needs to do his job is a phone and a computer, and many of the other associates are supposedly located all over the country. Well, he killed it on all the interviews and made a great impression on everyone he talked to. When he was offered the job he asked about the "flexibility" regarding location that was mentioned in the posting. It turns out they were just kidding, apparently. :) They told him that moving to the NYC office was a requirement.
Anyway, it's been a very stressful week and a half. His new boss wanted Mike to let him know of our decision a.s.a.p. But Mike's work schedule made it impossible for us to talk about it in detail for a few days. The Friday after he got the offer we decided we needed to seriously take some time to discuss the prospect of moving. We wanted to go to the temple to receive more insight about what was right for our family, but the temple was closed
until the 19th and we didn't have time to wait for that. We were signed up to attend the ward camp out that night, but instead, we arranged for a babysitter to come over so we could have some alone time from the kids to converse about the job he'd have, where we might live, and the craziness of it all.
I mulled over it all weekend. I weighed the pros and cons. My mind kept going back and forth. The Lord says He wants us ponder and study things out and come to a decision and ask Him if it's right. But during times like this, I wish He would just tell me the right answer. I have the mindset of "I'll do whatever it is you want, just don't make me decide, mmmmmkay?" Making the choice is the hardest part because I so desperately don't want to make the wrong one.
On Sunday Mike and I fasted together. The talks during sacrament meeting really hit me hard. God knew I needed to hear those words. The first talk was about finding an answer. Things I took from the other talks included seizing opportunities, jobs, education, priorities....lots of stuff that was at the forefront of my mind.
That night I told Mike I felt like we needed to move to NYC. And he concurred with me. I think he knew the right answer long before I received a witness. It isn't what I wanted at first. But sometimes the right answer isn't the one you want to hear. It is really sad for me in a lot of ways. Mike's brother just got a job in Seattle and we were excited to live closer to some more of our family. I love our ward and the people in it. I have made good friends here. I love our neighbors and our kids have friends. Vessel will just be starting school and have to leave a few months in. I love the whole Portland vibe. I love the beauty that exists in western Oregon. I loved the mild winter we experienced last year (no snow and no below zero temps!) And it feels like we JUST MOVED. That's because we did!! It is still hard to wrap around my mind around all this, but if this is where the Lord wants us to be, then I will follow the promptings of the spirit. It's definitely very scary, but I feel more at peace about it after praying. Everything will be okay.
And, on the bright side, the move to New York won't be permanent. We will end up back here in a few years. This is where Mike and I agree we want to settle down for the rest of our lives. This job experience will be good for him and good for his resume. And I support my husband in his new venture. Hmmmm, I guess it turns out I will follow him wherever he goes, even the East Coast. I must love him or something.
There are so many things I need to do in the next few months. Mike will be leaving to start work in a couple of weeks. And while he's living in the city I will be here with my little ones, trying to arrange moving and talking to realtors. It will be hard to be away from him for weeks at a time until we find the right house and the boys and I can finally move out there and be reunited with him. *sigh* I'll have to get back into the swing of writing on this blog so I can keep people posted on our latest adventure.
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Monday, August 26, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Homestead
I have been dreaming about our future house for months now. I've kept myself awake at nights and have been so absorbed in thought during the day just fantasizing about what this place will be like. Mike and I really love Oregon, and I am ready to permanently settle down in a house we will raise our family in and stay for the rest of our lives. I'm still trying to convince Mike to settle down for good, since he likes the prospect of moving around and experiencing new places. But we both agree that this is the best place we've lived so far, and personally, I can see us here long-term.
I can't believe we've been here for over a year now. At the present time, we are renting a house and our lease recently ended so now we have a month-to-month contract. This is nice because, when we do find the perfect house, we'll be able to make the transition right away. But at the same time, we don't feel like we are in a huge rush to make a decision. Our next move is something we definitely need to take time to consider, particularly if it will be the place we end up forever.
Mike and I have been seriously looking at properties for the past few months. There is so much to think about. Obviously, price is a factor. But we also don't want a place that requires a lot of "fixing up." Mike's work hours don't accommodate for a house that needs a ton of remodeling. Probably one of the most important thing for us right now is land. I have been envisioning a place with big trees for the kids to climb, and Mike has been romancing the idea of a pond or creek. We would love a place with plenty of space for growing a garden and raising animals. Aside from a regular garden, I also want to build a greenhouse and have fruit trees and berries. We want to have room for a chicken coop, and housing for various other animals. We especially need enough open space for the kids to play and explore and for our future dog to run around. I can't wait to get a dog!
It's important for us to teach our kids how to grow food and take care of animals and be self-sufficient. We want them to learn how to work. We can't invest our lives in running a big farm, because that would be completely unmanageable for us at the moment. But I can imagine us undertaking a small scale farming project to start and then someday building up to more grandiose ideas as we gain further experience and know-how. I grew up in a small town surrounded by farms, but never actually worked on a farm myself. However, I have family members who have shared bits of wisdom from their own farming background, and so I think it's a feasible ambition.
There are other things to consider besides land. For instance, we can't be too far out in the country that Mike has an insane commute to his office and back. We also don't want to be a ridiculous distance from our beloved downtown Portland, where all the excitement, fun shops and delicious restaurants reside. Right now we live in the suburbs. Nothing great about that except for the location. You see, we are only an hour away from the beach and an hour away from the mountains and the gorge and I don't want to sacrifice being further away from those things that I have grown to love so much since moving here. So the question is, does the perfect house for us exist? Does it meet all of our requirements? Probably not. So now we have to brainstorm and figure out what things we're willing to give up, if we have to, and what things are an absolute priority. Not easy to do for the girl who wants EVERYTHING. :)
I can't believe we've been here for over a year now. At the present time, we are renting a house and our lease recently ended so now we have a month-to-month contract. This is nice because, when we do find the perfect house, we'll be able to make the transition right away. But at the same time, we don't feel like we are in a huge rush to make a decision. Our next move is something we definitely need to take time to consider, particularly if it will be the place we end up forever.
Mike and I have been seriously looking at properties for the past few months. There is so much to think about. Obviously, price is a factor. But we also don't want a place that requires a lot of "fixing up." Mike's work hours don't accommodate for a house that needs a ton of remodeling. Probably one of the most important thing for us right now is land. I have been envisioning a place with big trees for the kids to climb, and Mike has been romancing the idea of a pond or creek. We would love a place with plenty of space for growing a garden and raising animals. Aside from a regular garden, I also want to build a greenhouse and have fruit trees and berries. We want to have room for a chicken coop, and housing for various other animals. We especially need enough open space for the kids to play and explore and for our future dog to run around. I can't wait to get a dog!
It's important for us to teach our kids how to grow food and take care of animals and be self-sufficient. We want them to learn how to work. We can't invest our lives in running a big farm, because that would be completely unmanageable for us at the moment. But I can imagine us undertaking a small scale farming project to start and then someday building up to more grandiose ideas as we gain further experience and know-how. I grew up in a small town surrounded by farms, but never actually worked on a farm myself. However, I have family members who have shared bits of wisdom from their own farming background, and so I think it's a feasible ambition.
There are other things to consider besides land. For instance, we can't be too far out in the country that Mike has an insane commute to his office and back. We also don't want to be a ridiculous distance from our beloved downtown Portland, where all the excitement, fun shops and delicious restaurants reside. Right now we live in the suburbs. Nothing great about that except for the location. You see, we are only an hour away from the beach and an hour away from the mountains and the gorge and I don't want to sacrifice being further away from those things that I have grown to love so much since moving here. So the question is, does the perfect house for us exist? Does it meet all of our requirements? Probably not. So now we have to brainstorm and figure out what things we're willing to give up, if we have to, and what things are an absolute priority. Not easy to do for the girl who wants EVERYTHING. :)
Monday, January 16, 2012
P-town or bust!
We have an official move date. The weekend of March 24th! I, for one, have been waiting for what seems like an eternity to move. When things got pushed back from the time we were supposed to leave Great Falls the first time (last September) I was pretty depressed. I think it's mainly because I had things arranged in my mind how I thought they would be and when things didn't work out like expected I panicked a bit. I don't like it when plans get changed and I have to rearrange my life and all my ideas to fit a different agenda. You know what? I don't even know if I'm going to like Portland. I've never even been there. But at this point I am just so ready for a fresh start. A new environment, a new house, new opportunities, etc. I hope we love it there and that things just fall neatly into place. Change is scary. But Mike and I believe this will be a good move for our family. Only 2 months away!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tiny Spaces
So, right now I'm sitting here with a pile of henna on my hair covered in a shower cap. I haven't done henna on my hair for a few years and I forgot what a freaking pain it is, not to mention how messy it can be. Part of it could be that I was just in a hurry though. In my haste, I didn't follow the directions verbatim, either, so let's hope this turns out. Anyway, since I've got some time to kill before this little concoction on my head is done, I thought I'd write a post.
It's been exactly a month since we moved from our house into our little 2 bedroom apartment. Transitioning from a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a yard to a tiny apartment like this hasn't been that hard at all, believe it or not. At first it was... I mean, I miss our deck with the fire pit and our yard, and the space in our house. But being here has forced us to live simply. I guess what I mean by that is we came to realize that things are just things. A few items got broken during the move and, well, it was a great way to make us see that "things" shouldn't rule our lives. Here today, gone tomorrow, so don't get attached to things now, as Maude would say. We also had to part with several "luxuries" we were used to in our old house because we just don't have the room anymore. We stored pretty much everything we owned, except of course, the basics. Since all my "projects," (i.e. scrapbooking, knitting, sewing) are packed away for the summer I have actually been doing other things like...reading. Yeah, I've read 3 books this summer. Okay, they weren't big books, but books none-the-less. I have also planted a mini garden on the balcony of our apartment and some things are starting to sprout. My first real attempt at growing stuff and I might just be successful! Let's cross our fingers.
Since we live in a tiny space, I find it much easier to keep it clean because there are not as many rooms to deal with. Also, since the place is not technically "ours" I am much more lax about the kids playing with messy things like markers, play-doh and bubbles and I really don't care if Vessel drinks juice in the living room. :) There are some cons to living in an apartment again, however. For instance, I forgot how noisy an apartment complex can be. Hearing people and their TVs and their cars coming in and out of the parking lot is not something I am used to since our house was always so quiet. Also, we live right by the hospital so pretty much every day I hear sirens or the life flight helicopter. Actually a couple days ago at 5am that chopper sounded like it went right by our bedroom window.... because it did! And soon followed the sirens from the ambulances that were on their way to the hospital as well. I wasn't exactly happy to wake up to that. I haven't been sleeping all that great since we moved here. It could be the noise or the lights that seep in through the windows whether or not the blinds are closed. Or maybe it's pregnancy. Hmmm...
Other things that aren't the best about living in an apartment (or this one, anyway) is not having our own washer and dryer. Our old apartment before moving to Montana had washer and dryer hook-ups so it was wonderful. But now we have to pay to wash our laundry and haul it up and down the stairs. Oh, those blasted stairs. 3 floors up is not ideal when you have a baby in a car seat, groceries, and/or a stroller (and if I'm really unfortunate, a stubborn 4 year old who insists he's too tired to walk up the stairs by himself and that I MUST carry him.) That's probably all the cons I can think of at this point. Nothing that is unbearable, just inconvenient. Oh, I suppose there is one other thing: The smell. You know how people have their own smell? Well, every time I walk into the apartment after being outside I just think, "This is not our smell. This is not our home." It smells like whoever lived here before us, and whoever lived here before them. All these different smells just mingled together. It's kinda funky. But I guess you get used to it. :)
Okay, so enough about the apartment. In other news, my youngest is about a week away from turning 1. This past year went by like a flash. Jacob and I have a very strong connection. I'm not picking favorites here, because I love both my kids so much. But Jacob and I have a different kind of bond than Vessel and I do. It's interesting how diverse kids can be from each other. Already I can see major differences in my kids' personalities.
Next week I'll get my 20 week ultrasound and find out the gender of this baby I'm carrying. I won't lie, I'd be pretty excited to get a girl. But if Mike is right that he only makes men, then I guess I'll be happy with a boy too. I've got 2 great boys already, why not add another to the mix? I'm not really looking forward to moving again when I'm 8 months pregnant. It will be a hassle for sure. Plus, when we get to Oregon, I'm gonna have to find a new doctor right away. I don't think I'll have time to "hunt" around for the best one. I might not get to be choosy. I guess I won't worry my pretty little head off about that now, though. That's still like 3 months away.
I guess the other news is that we own a motorcycle AGAIN. I knew Mike's itch to get another motorcycle would never completely be eradicated. All it took was for him to ride a friend's little motor bike a couple blocks and he was hooked again. It's different than our old motorcycle. This new one is more of a sport bike. Yesterday it was brought over from Missoula and Mike took it to work today. Which means I have a car again! Yahooo! Although, I have to wait several hours for this henna to stain my hair so it's not like I have plans to go anywhere anyway. Psh. I'm just happy to not be stranded anymore and the boys and I can go do what we please.
Since I promised Vessel a quick game of GO-FISH before nap-time I better wrap this up. Just wanted to write a brief update. I'm pretty much horrible at updating my blog these days. So I don't blame you all for totally neglecting me... :)
It's been exactly a month since we moved from our house into our little 2 bedroom apartment. Transitioning from a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a yard to a tiny apartment like this hasn't been that hard at all, believe it or not. At first it was... I mean, I miss our deck with the fire pit and our yard, and the space in our house. But being here has forced us to live simply. I guess what I mean by that is we came to realize that things are just things. A few items got broken during the move and, well, it was a great way to make us see that "things" shouldn't rule our lives. Here today, gone tomorrow, so don't get attached to things now, as Maude would say. We also had to part with several "luxuries" we were used to in our old house because we just don't have the room anymore. We stored pretty much everything we owned, except of course, the basics. Since all my "projects," (i.e. scrapbooking, knitting, sewing) are packed away for the summer I have actually been doing other things like...reading. Yeah, I've read 3 books this summer. Okay, they weren't big books, but books none-the-less. I have also planted a mini garden on the balcony of our apartment and some things are starting to sprout. My first real attempt at growing stuff and I might just be successful! Let's cross our fingers.
Since we live in a tiny space, I find it much easier to keep it clean because there are not as many rooms to deal with. Also, since the place is not technically "ours" I am much more lax about the kids playing with messy things like markers, play-doh and bubbles and I really don't care if Vessel drinks juice in the living room. :) There are some cons to living in an apartment again, however. For instance, I forgot how noisy an apartment complex can be. Hearing people and their TVs and their cars coming in and out of the parking lot is not something I am used to since our house was always so quiet. Also, we live right by the hospital so pretty much every day I hear sirens or the life flight helicopter. Actually a couple days ago at 5am that chopper sounded like it went right by our bedroom window.... because it did! And soon followed the sirens from the ambulances that were on their way to the hospital as well. I wasn't exactly happy to wake up to that. I haven't been sleeping all that great since we moved here. It could be the noise or the lights that seep in through the windows whether or not the blinds are closed. Or maybe it's pregnancy. Hmmm...
Other things that aren't the best about living in an apartment (or this one, anyway) is not having our own washer and dryer. Our old apartment before moving to Montana had washer and dryer hook-ups so it was wonderful. But now we have to pay to wash our laundry and haul it up and down the stairs. Oh, those blasted stairs. 3 floors up is not ideal when you have a baby in a car seat, groceries, and/or a stroller (and if I'm really unfortunate, a stubborn 4 year old who insists he's too tired to walk up the stairs by himself and that I MUST carry him.) That's probably all the cons I can think of at this point. Nothing that is unbearable, just inconvenient. Oh, I suppose there is one other thing: The smell. You know how people have their own smell? Well, every time I walk into the apartment after being outside I just think, "This is not our smell. This is not our home." It smells like whoever lived here before us, and whoever lived here before them. All these different smells just mingled together. It's kinda funky. But I guess you get used to it. :)
Okay, so enough about the apartment. In other news, my youngest is about a week away from turning 1. This past year went by like a flash. Jacob and I have a very strong connection. I'm not picking favorites here, because I love both my kids so much. But Jacob and I have a different kind of bond than Vessel and I do. It's interesting how diverse kids can be from each other. Already I can see major differences in my kids' personalities.
Next week I'll get my 20 week ultrasound and find out the gender of this baby I'm carrying. I won't lie, I'd be pretty excited to get a girl. But if Mike is right that he only makes men, then I guess I'll be happy with a boy too. I've got 2 great boys already, why not add another to the mix? I'm not really looking forward to moving again when I'm 8 months pregnant. It will be a hassle for sure. Plus, when we get to Oregon, I'm gonna have to find a new doctor right away. I don't think I'll have time to "hunt" around for the best one. I might not get to be choosy. I guess I won't worry my pretty little head off about that now, though. That's still like 3 months away.
I guess the other news is that we own a motorcycle AGAIN. I knew Mike's itch to get another motorcycle would never completely be eradicated. All it took was for him to ride a friend's little motor bike a couple blocks and he was hooked again. It's different than our old motorcycle. This new one is more of a sport bike. Yesterday it was brought over from Missoula and Mike took it to work today. Which means I have a car again! Yahooo! Although, I have to wait several hours for this henna to stain my hair so it's not like I have plans to go anywhere anyway. Psh. I'm just happy to not be stranded anymore and the boys and I can go do what we please.
Since I promised Vessel a quick game of GO-FISH before nap-time I better wrap this up. Just wanted to write a brief update. I'm pretty much horrible at updating my blog these days. So I don't blame you all for totally neglecting me... :)
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Story
Most of you know we are moving. And for those of you who don't know, here are the deets.
Last summer after Jacob was born, Mike got the idea that we should put our house on the market and buy an investment property (like a 4-plex or small apartment complex) and live in one of the units. That way we would be able to have other tenants pay our mortgage and we could save some money and make some extra money outside of Mike's regular income. We figured we would be around Great Falls for the next few years. So in September we listed our house and looked around Great Falls for various real estate possibilities. We had several people look at our house in the beginning, but as the weather got colder and winter began approaching, people stopped showing an interest. All winter we had no calls on the house. It wasn't frustrating for me, necessarily. I had faith that it would all work out in the Lord's time and I didn't feel rushed to sell it immediately.
As the months passed, things started to change. There was more talk about Mike being moved to Portland for work. But the time frame was never really discussed. For all we knew, it could've been a couple years from then, or it could've been a few months. Nothing seemed certain. And in the field that Mike is in (finance) he is constantly up to date with the latest news concerning the stock market, the economy, the housing market, etc. All the stuff he had been reading about lately from all the financial gurus who predict stock market trends and housing trends were saying things were going to get real bad again real soon. So spring came and we thought, we need to sell our house a.s.a.p. in case things hit rock bottom again and we aren't able to get out of our house when we need to (because at that point, we didn't know when we'd need to since everything was so up in the air.) We made some necessary repairs on the house and put some fresh paint on the walls. Eventually, with the change in the seasons we started to get more calls on the house. And before we knew it, we got an offer and we took it. This was April 14th. The closing date was set for May 16th, only a month to find a new place to live, find a storage unit, pack, and move. And the process began...
We started looking for a place to rent, but guess what? There aren't a lot of options here. Most of the rentals in this town are dumps. And those that aren't, are more expensive than our mortgage for a much smaller amount of space. But, again, I had faith it would work out. Of course I was stressed though. And nervous about what was going to happen. We didn't know if we should be looking for a place with a year lease or something less. We had no idea how long it would be before we moved to Portland. So it was hard to know where the right place to live was going to be. But I can attest that prayer really works. I know Heavenly Father answered my prayers, even during a time when I felt like I didn't deserve to be listened to. Within a day or two, Mike's head boss in Portland called him to do his bi-annual evaluation over the phone, and he told Mike he wanted us to move to Portland in September. Bingo, now at least the uncertainty of "when" had been resolved. That helped us narrow things down a bit, because we knew that we had a find a place that we could rent month to month. I ended up talking to an old friend who lived here who was in the same boat as us and she gave me a few numbers to call. I ended up getting a hold of an apartment manager that happened to be a member of our church and she said she had an opening in the complex she and her husband managed. Right then I went to look at the apartment and we took it! It's only a two bedroom, but we can make it work until we move in September. At least it's not a dump, and it's sooooo cheap it blows my mind. We rented a storage unit and will be storing pretty much everything we own and only taking the necessities to the new apartment (beds, table, computer, couch, dishes...) I don't even plan on hanging up pictures or decorating the place.
We were kind of cutting it close with the closing date so soon, but it all worked out. I just needed to trust the Lord. And as usual, everything fell into place. I just think about how impeccable the timing was for everything. Mike wanting to put the house on the market when he did (even though it was for a different reason, he still felt inspired to do it.), being able to sell our house before the housing market dropped again, being able to find a nice, affordable rental so soon, etc. etc. I could go on and on. I have seen the Lord's hand our lives as he's directed and guided us in our choices and in this whole process. And even though life for me (for several reasons) has been a struggle these past couple of months, I can't deny my blessings from a loving Heavenly Father who knows my needs and understands me personally.
Anyway, now we are just a week away from when we need to be out of here and I feel like I have so much to do. I just hope my body and mind cooperates and lets me get something accomplished this week. It's been a battle to get everything done that I need to with being incessantly tired and sick . My poor kids probably feel neglected as well. I will be happy when this move is over and I can just try to have a carefree summer before we move to P-town.
Last summer after Jacob was born, Mike got the idea that we should put our house on the market and buy an investment property (like a 4-plex or small apartment complex) and live in one of the units. That way we would be able to have other tenants pay our mortgage and we could save some money and make some extra money outside of Mike's regular income. We figured we would be around Great Falls for the next few years. So in September we listed our house and looked around Great Falls for various real estate possibilities. We had several people look at our house in the beginning, but as the weather got colder and winter began approaching, people stopped showing an interest. All winter we had no calls on the house. It wasn't frustrating for me, necessarily. I had faith that it would all work out in the Lord's time and I didn't feel rushed to sell it immediately.
As the months passed, things started to change. There was more talk about Mike being moved to Portland for work. But the time frame was never really discussed. For all we knew, it could've been a couple years from then, or it could've been a few months. Nothing seemed certain. And in the field that Mike is in (finance) he is constantly up to date with the latest news concerning the stock market, the economy, the housing market, etc. All the stuff he had been reading about lately from all the financial gurus who predict stock market trends and housing trends were saying things were going to get real bad again real soon. So spring came and we thought, we need to sell our house a.s.a.p. in case things hit rock bottom again and we aren't able to get out of our house when we need to (because at that point, we didn't know when we'd need to since everything was so up in the air.) We made some necessary repairs on the house and put some fresh paint on the walls. Eventually, with the change in the seasons we started to get more calls on the house. And before we knew it, we got an offer and we took it. This was April 14th. The closing date was set for May 16th, only a month to find a new place to live, find a storage unit, pack, and move. And the process began...
We started looking for a place to rent, but guess what? There aren't a lot of options here. Most of the rentals in this town are dumps. And those that aren't, are more expensive than our mortgage for a much smaller amount of space. But, again, I had faith it would work out. Of course I was stressed though. And nervous about what was going to happen. We didn't know if we should be looking for a place with a year lease or something less. We had no idea how long it would be before we moved to Portland. So it was hard to know where the right place to live was going to be. But I can attest that prayer really works. I know Heavenly Father answered my prayers, even during a time when I felt like I didn't deserve to be listened to. Within a day or two, Mike's head boss in Portland called him to do his bi-annual evaluation over the phone, and he told Mike he wanted us to move to Portland in September. Bingo, now at least the uncertainty of "when" had been resolved. That helped us narrow things down a bit, because we knew that we had a find a place that we could rent month to month. I ended up talking to an old friend who lived here who was in the same boat as us and she gave me a few numbers to call. I ended up getting a hold of an apartment manager that happened to be a member of our church and she said she had an opening in the complex she and her husband managed. Right then I went to look at the apartment and we took it! It's only a two bedroom, but we can make it work until we move in September. At least it's not a dump, and it's sooooo cheap it blows my mind. We rented a storage unit and will be storing pretty much everything we own and only taking the necessities to the new apartment (beds, table, computer, couch, dishes...) I don't even plan on hanging up pictures or decorating the place.
We were kind of cutting it close with the closing date so soon, but it all worked out. I just needed to trust the Lord. And as usual, everything fell into place. I just think about how impeccable the timing was for everything. Mike wanting to put the house on the market when he did (even though it was for a different reason, he still felt inspired to do it.), being able to sell our house before the housing market dropped again, being able to find a nice, affordable rental so soon, etc. etc. I could go on and on. I have seen the Lord's hand our lives as he's directed and guided us in our choices and in this whole process. And even though life for me (for several reasons) has been a struggle these past couple of months, I can't deny my blessings from a loving Heavenly Father who knows my needs and understands me personally.
Anyway, now we are just a week away from when we need to be out of here and I feel like I have so much to do. I just hope my body and mind cooperates and lets me get something accomplished this week. It's been a battle to get everything done that I need to with being incessantly tired and sick . My poor kids probably feel neglected as well. I will be happy when this move is over and I can just try to have a carefree summer before we move to P-town.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)