The BIG life change

When I accepted the position with the Department of Agriculture almost two months ago; I had no idea how much change it would involve. As a requirement of the position, I have to be on call within my district, so I needed to relocate to Eastern Portland by my first day of work. I chose the community of Happy Valley because it is a nice mixture of suburbs and rolling hills with trees. There is even a forested volcano in the middle that has four miles of trails around it. The pictures above are views from Alora's school. It is one of the safer, more family friendly suburbs of Portland. We look forward to enjoying the things that we have missed living in the country - safely riding bikes on paved trails, having lots more shopping opportunities, including a mall within a few miles (we currently have a Walmart and that is really it), and so many new places to explore. Alora will be able to take horse back riding lessons that won't require us to drive almost two hours.

Because this is the job I have always dreamed of having, we decided that I would work full time much earlier than I had ever anticipated. On the day of my interview, I prayed for direction and that the job would only be mine if it was the path that our family should travel. This gives me faith as we make hard decisions, that we have made the right choice. We have been blessed that Steve's company was able to find him a part time position only two miles from our new house (it was not a coincidence - it was the only part time position in all of Portland Metro!). He will be taking on the majority of parenting duties, from homework, to after school sports, to some light cooking, etc. He has proven himself capable of  easily transitioning into this role. Although our lives will still be busier, we decided that we would really like to strive to never have two full time working parents until the kids are much older.

Now to the tricky part - selling our house. The market in Odell is terrible and our realtor told us there is really no hope that we will sell our house without having to come to closing with a HUGE amount of money that we don't have. After six years and putting money down on the house, we are still underwater!! As a result, we are becoming landlords. We have not found a renter yet, but we are in the process of working with a management company to find a good fit. It is one of many terrifying decisions. Because we still have a mortgage to pay, which is only partially covered by our renters, we will have to live in a three bedroom apartment until we are able to sell our house. We are excited to move into our new home and are trying to focus on the positives - no more yard work, we have a swimming pool, spa, gym, sauna, and playground onsite, tons of kids to play with, and having a maintenance man that is not me!!

I will start  my position one month before my family is able to join me. Steve will be a single dad for almost four weeks, while working full-time. It is almost too daunting to consider, so we are trying to take one day at a time. We still don't know our official move date; it all depends on when we sign a lease on our home.

Some things that I want to remember about this time of my life

Blessings
1. The kids LOVE their school programs. For the first time in his life, Elijah asks if he can stay and play when I pick him up from his afterschool program. Alora is LOVING her afterschool program. Her school has an enrichment program afterschool that includes SMART reading, cooking, art, and athletics. Her best friends go too and she actually wants to go (again, this is a huge change from the girl who used to only want to be with me)
2. Amazing teachers - Alora and Elijah's teachers know about our family changes and have worked really hard with our kids to make them feel extra special. Alora recently won an award at school for self-management and is at the top of her behavioral chart in her class. Her teacher has really been working with developing leadership skills in Alora. Elijah's teacher has really been working with him with love and patience. In the beginning of the year he was pushing kids, not listening, and not wanting to do anything but free play. His teacher has lovingly worked with him and us to help transition him into the more well adjusted little boy he is now. In addition, Elijah really adores her and has bonded with her in a way he hasn't with previous preschool teachers. His teacher is also going to Nanny for us over the Thanksgiving week when Steve and I are both working and we had no other day care options. We are so thankful!!
3. Steve - when I got the job, he gave me a card letting me know how much he believed in me and how he would follow  me anywhere. Through the chaos, business, and uncertainty of the last couple weeks, he has been a rock! He has stayed up until one on work nights getting the house, yard, garage perfect for showings, he has spent his weekends doing projects on the house and watching the kids while I work, and he has had  a consistently positive attitude. Never a complaint!!
4. The power of positive people!! I have been so encouraged by the people surrounding me. Not only have my friends and family been consistently positive, but they have shown us with their own personal circumstances the power of a positive attitude. I don't want to blog about friend/ familys personal struggles, but watching others walk through REALLY hard times with courage, perseverance, hope, and extremely positive outlook has kept me strong!!

Funny things
Life has been very stressful and I have been coping with it by laughing at myself and trying not to take myself too seriously. Over the last month, I have lost my wallet and my cell phone (both turned in and returned to me). I have brewed a whole pot of coffee with no coffee pot (Steve graciously cleaned that disaster). I have fed my family Cheerios for dinner and wrapped Elijah's birthday presents in Frosty the Snowman wrapping paper. I have forgotten birthdays, sent cards late or lost them, sent emails to the wrong person (that was embarrassing), and accidentally deleted all of our Halloween pictures. Costco has been cooking our dinners and Alora is buying lunch every day. At least my house is clean because it has to be show ready. I know that our lives will not always be like this and I find comfort in not trying to be perfect.

I can't wait for this new adventure! As long as my family is by my side; nothing else matters!