Colorado

Well. We're moving to Colorado Springs.
As much as I would like to say I'll be consistent in blogging once we move, I can't make promises.

I know it would be appreciated by family to status updates. But in reality:
1. We'll have new jobs
2. We'll be settling our girls into new day cares and/or schools
3. I still have a semester of master's classes left
4. We'll be renting and looking for new housing. Unless we can sell our house here and buy another one in the next month out there. Just saying that outloud, it sounds laughable.
5. We'll be living it up. I've made a promise to myself that at least once my degree is complete, we're going to have fun. Here it was hard for me to go out on the weekends. My job as a code official made it hard for me to go out. I would always see violations and feel like they needed to be addressed. Hopefully in my new job (huh, it would be nice to have a job offer from somewhere), I won't have the same stress.
We have plans of hiking and other outdoor activities. We'll be living in Olympic City USA. I'm excited for opportunities for the girls such as numerous ice skating rinks. There is so much to explore.

We tell the girls we are going on an adventure. And we are. It's a slightly scary, nerve wracking adventure. But it will be fun, and hopefully full of opportunity.
I'm looking forward to good restaurants, good craft breweries, and the ability to exercise. The last three years I've spent my lunch hours and the time between the girls going to be and my bedtime working on homework. I want my me-time back!

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Going Away Party!

Earlier this week I was asked by our Administrative Assistant, Hope, what I would like for lunch on Friday (today). The principals decided they were catering in lunch for my going away party and it was up to me where the food came from. It wasn't a very difficult decision: Whole Hog Cafe. This is one of my favorite places in town to get BBQ. My favorite menu items: pulled chicken, potato salad, burnt-end-cheesy corn. (But they also ordered pulled pork, fries, cole slaw and baked beans! We had a full spread!)

They also got cake:

Chocolate and yellow cake.

And they passed a going-away card around the office for everyone to sign. They were super-sneaky about it too- I had no idea it was going on!

The next time I post, we'll either be en route to or settled in at the farm, or after my first day of work (Monday!)

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Things Fall Into Place

 For the last 1-1/2 years, I've had this white board on my wall listing target dates for exams and the actual date of taking each exam. Half a lifetime ago I read a statistic that goals that are written down are 70% more likely to be achieved than those that aren't written down. I have a pretty good success rate, even for the "To Do" items listed on the right hand side.


I've been working toward a goal for the last several years, a goal of moving back home to be closer to family. When I failed that last exam in March, I felt like my life had been put on hold for 6 months.

(Tangent here: On the lower right are names of four bands that my BFF Melissa and I want to see in concert: Guns & Roses, Lenny Kravitz, Lady Gaga and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now I need to work on achieving those goals!)

I've been looking at job listings for awhile now. A couple weeks ago, my Mom called with a job ad that sounded right up my alley and it was in my hometown. I think I had my resume revised and application filled out and all mailed before I remembered to talk to the Hubs about the opportunity.

And then I got called for an interview!

And then I got offered the job!

And now I'm moving back home. I'm sad to leave Springfield, but so excited to be closer to family.

There's a lot more that needs to happen:
The Hubs graduating college
Our house selling
Finding/buying a house back home

But it's finally falling into place. Kind of like the illustrations on these U-haul boxes - they're like Legos for adults.

 Look - they even stack perfectly in a truck!

 

 Tonight on the way home I caught a glimpse of the sunset and luckily stopped at a stoplight long enough to snap a photo. Such a beautiful reminder that life keeps going, that it all fits into place.

 

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