The Big Move

I made a New Years Resolution to blog/journal at least once a month this year, so I am starting this year off right...3 days in :)

The last time I posted, Clint was just losing his job. Those months of unemployment were not ones I would like to relive. I am sure we learned lessons and became better people because of it, but it is still too recent of a trauma to recognize that yet. I am still healing.

Clint stayed home with the kids while I substitute taught in the kids' school district (thank goodness for a teaching degree to fall back upon..big blessing). Thankfully, we had a savings account and a few other financial mercies that allowed us to stay afloat for a few months of uncertainty.

I mostly enjoyed teaching. It felt great to be back in the schools, but I felt so guilty being away from my younger kids all day. Clint did a great job keeping the household going, but I found it hard to juggle all the responsibilities of mothering while working (even thought it was only 3-4 days a week). 

Meanwhile, on the job front, Clint had several opportunities that almost worked out. It was frustrating how close we got so many times. Come June, when school got out and frustration and fear was taking over, I posted a plea on Facebook.

A text came in from my freshman BYU roommate. They owned a crane company in Utah and apparently had just been talking about what Clint had been up to a few weeks prior to the post, unaware he was unemployed. Utah?!? The last place we had pictured ourselves. 

Clint flew down a week later for a "trial" week to try out the job. He loved it. They loved him. Even though I was dying inside, we knew it was right for us. He even cancelled an Amazon interview which would have kept us in Seattle. He took a job as a crane dispatcher for Mountain Crane.

He was gone a week later....which left me to get the house (our beloved first house we had just bought 16 months earlier) ready to sell and prepare our family for a move. I dug deeper than I had ever dug to get the house sold in a few weeks and pack the whole thing myself. Luckily, we were in a good market and made some good money on the house. 

We prepared to leave the only state my kids had known. We spent hours and hours with friends and family, enjoying the beautiful summer we had been blessed with. I couldn't have done it without my parents, who spent hours helping at the house and with the kids. I think we were all dying imagining life without them 10 minutes down the road. 

The housing market in Utah wasn't as affordable as we had hoped and I was really picky choosing a school district since we were coming from such a great one in Maple Valley. After much prayer, research and conversations with friends, we decided to start a search in Lehi. We looked to buy a home first because the thought of renting again was frustrating to us. I would look at possibilities online and send Clint out to look at homes. After a lot of disappointments (and a weekend trip down to look myself), I had a really good feeling about a home. We put an offer in without even seeing it. They didn't accept and we bumped up our offer, but we didn't hear anything back.

I was getting nervous at this point as we were about a month out of moving and we had no place to go. School started Aug 19, but we would stay in Seattle until our home closed at the end of August. Prayers, fasting, more research. I turned to Facebook again. We had narrowed it down to one elementary school and I posted an ad in the neighborhood's Facebook page about looking for a rental. It was a long shot since people were always looking for homes to rent. A few hours later, I get a message from the owner of the house that we had put an offer on. She asked me if we would like to rent their home. I was floored. 3 weeks before move day and we finally had a home to move to. And we got to "try" out the home for 10 months before we decided if we wanted to buy it or not. Perfect. A miracle.

I finished packing the house. I found a preschool for Blake and a select soccer team for Jack.  Movers came on a Friday. Clint flew home Friday night and we set off on our new adventure Saturday morning. I cried the first hour of the drive. Even though everything had fallen into place, I still felt like I was leaving kicking and screaming. This is not what the plan was supposed to be. 

We moved into our house a few days later. The house was big, gorgeous and had a view I couldn't get enough of. Neighbors were friendly and helpful. The kids immediately had friends to play with on our QUIET street. The kids transitioned without a hitch to their new school that they enjoyed riding their bikes to. Blake loved his new preschool. Clint worked LONG hours, but he enjoyed his job. Clint and I slowly learned to live with each other again (I had gotten pretty dang independent with him gone). The blue sky, sunshine and gorgeous mountains, and warmth met me every morning.  I slowly realized that I liked living in Utah. 

4 months in, I still like it here. I am lonely. I miss my bosom buddies like crazy. I have old friends here, but they have their established lives already. I don't see them like I thought I would. The ward is friendly, but younger and transient. I am tired of making the effort to make friends. It's so much work!!

The kids are thriving. They like Utah and love the home.  Our good friends 3 doors down just bought a home an hour away, so we are mourning their loss a bit.

Clint still enjoys their job. They are redoing some things right now, which always makes me nervous. I hate unemployment uncertainty. Hopefully, the job will work out. If not, there are many tech companies in Lehi, which would make for an awesome commute! The job got us here. For some reason we're supposed to be here. If that's all the job does, so be it. 

Utah. The place we said we would never live. The place where Clint's mom moved to a week prior to us with her new husband. The place where my parents have decided to retire this year. The place we are learning to love. The place the Lord wanted us. His Plan.