We all ask "What if?" questions, right? We daydream about possibility and opportunity. We hope and pray for things; some that come and some that don't. The year 2017 was most definitely about chasing the "What if?" and I'm so grateful to God for seeing dreams become reality.
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| Women's March on Portland with 100K of my closest friends. |
At the end of 2016, I was asking God to create opportunities for Jeff and I to move our family back home, specifically, to my hometown. As Jeff can attest, it was a desire that had been on my heart for years. While we loved our houses in Portland and Battle Ground, while we loved our circle of friends and co-workers, and while we loved living close to Jennifer, I always felt our home was in the Seattle area. As each year passed, and each holiday season approached, I felt my own homesickness increase. This was my own seasonal affective disorder; the arrival of Spring and return of sunshine would ease those feelings, and while gardening or working around the house, I'd imagine that maybe my life would always be in SW Washington. But a spontaneous comment on my part in Fall 2016 started us to actively pursue this long-help dream of mine.
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| Nathan turned 6 this year. |
I was catching up on the phone with a dear friend from childhood whose father was widowed several years ago. She mentioned how he was uncertain as to the future of her childhood home; whether her father would stay there long term or not. I proposed buying her father's house. Just asked the question, "What if?". Fortunately for me, her father was "intrigued" and not offended. Over November and December 2016, we chatted on the phone a couple times exploring the idea together.
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| Andrew is now 4 years old. |
I am forever grateful he did so, as it gave a chance for Jeff to seriously consider the idea. Moving our family was going to be a long process, we knew, but having access to a house seemed to make that less cumbersome. Altogether, the process of relocating our family took us nine months, from January to September:
- January: My friend's father invited us over to view the house and property. This was the first time Jeff was seeing the house that I had already offered to buy. The house is one I'll always recall fondly for my own memories of visiting, but I could tell the house still held years of memories for my friend. Having seen the house, Jeff felt more optimistic about my ambitious plan, as he had concrete image of what our life might look like. Nothing would move forward, however, if we didn't have jobs.
- February: Jeff and I had to have the uncomfortable conversations with our principals, expressing our intent to apply for jobs in the Seattle area, and asking for letters of recommendations. I sought advice from a former colleague about how to improve our resumes, which were dusty after years of disuse.
- March: the WA State teacher fair in the Tacoma Dome was our chance to interact with multiple districts in one place. We handed out resumes and chatted up many districts, trying to distinguish ourselves from the other candidates there. I found the nerve to email the principal at my own high school, who was the same as when I was a student. He wrote back kind and encouraging words, but wasn't apart of any hiring committees.
- April-May: The most important part came first: going to Hawaii to witness and celebrate the wedding of Jennifer and Brett. We loved playing on the beach or in the pool with the boys, spending time with family, and seeing two special people get married. It was definitely a highlight of the year.
- Slowly but surely, we started receiving calls for interviews from districts. It often meant taking time off work (which is never easy for teachers), sorting out childcare, my dad making trips South, so we could drive North, and all the feelings of interviewing (some good, some bad). Jeff and I interviewed for the same position more than once, so we'd steal a few minutes in between to give notes to each other. Then, Jeff got the call: a HS in Renton offered him a job. I had prayed so many times that God would help him find a position first, as he was always less sure of the need to move. I was thrilled. And nervous. Others often asked, "What if one of you gets a job?" and we never could decide if it would be right to move or not. Jeff's call came as I was waiting to go into my last scheduled interview, the one at my own high school. A day later, I got the job. My "what if?" was going to be a reality.
- June: Within days of finding we both had teaching positions secured, we met with a Realtor and made plans to sell our Battle Ground home. While wrapping up the school year, we packed a POD full of excess furniture, winter clothes, holiday decorations, toys, anything that might deter buyers. We said farewell to colleagues and the boys' school, which we truly loved. After months of check-ins, my friend's father said he wasn't quite ready to depart from the house. I wasn't surprised, but that meant joining the house hunting crowds.
- July: With our house on the market, we scheduled family visits north to Seattle and east to Boise. Using a home selling app, we monitored appointments at our house, and made sure the AC was one when buyers came through. By mid-month, we had an offer.
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| Congratulations! |
- August: With the exception of a few bags and boxes, the rest of our house was packed into a POD and we closed on the house. My dad generously invited us to stay at his house while we searched for a new house. We felt pressure to find a house quickly, as Nathan needed to be registered for Kindergarten. In the hot Seattle market, houses would be on and off the market within hours. Another piece of the puzzle came when we found our green house on a hill, just before Jeff and I flew to San Jose to celebrate the wedding of the same dear friend. I was excited to show pictures to her and her father, letting them both know it all worked out.
- September: We closed on our house days into our new school years. We moved in the first weekend, and our first morning waking in this house was also Nathan's first day of school.
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| Four different schools--Four different first days |
The remainder of Fall has been about settling into new routines, our new house, and enjoying life in our town. We all love being close to Grandpa Murray and are grateful for his help in a variety of ways. Our house is across the street from an arboretum and city park, complete with hiking trails, a lake to swim in, and playground. We love walking the trails, enjoying the natural beauty of the area. We've even found a pizza place which meets Jeff's high standards. We miss Jennifer and Brett, but stay in touch through text, FaceTime, and visits.
The boys are both doing well in their new schools. Nathan loves Kindergarten and is impatient to master reading, writing, and math. Andrew is doing well in his Pre-School class and enjoys playing in the classroom bakery. Jeff is teaching English in Renton, which is a short commute away. I am teaching English as well, my high school but in a brand new building, which is amazing. Having taught the last two years in spaces without walls, doors, or exterior windows, I marvel at those things every day. We have befriended a lovely family in the neighborhood with a Kindergartner and younger sibling, and enjoy spending time with them.
This year has been full of changes for the us, and I thank God for all of it. My heart is full and I look forward to 2018.
"In the absence of clearly defined goals, we perform daily trivia, until ultimately we become enslaved by it." Robert Heinlein
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