Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The only constant in life is change

So, we really are leaving California.
I know, I haven't blogged in months. Blame it on the new baby. Or the 7 week business trip that took us to Alabama and back, putting several thousand miles on our van and sorely testing the patience of both parents and children (actually, the kids turned out to be incredibly good travelers--the long car trip was a lot less stressful than I expected.) Or the news that my husband has a new job assignment in a different state and all the complications that come with getting ready for a move.
Alternatively, you can just call me lazy.
We enjoyed our cross-country adventure. I even took a few pictures, I'll try to post some here soon. We drove through most of the southern border states--California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. We didn't do much site-seeing along the way, although we did make time to see the Alamo in San Antonio. We also visited lots of family, in Texas and in Alabama. I'm not sure about my count, but I think we managed at least brief visits with about 24 of my kids' 30+ cousins. We love cousins and look forward to getting better acquainted with some of them in the near future.
We had a wonderful visit with my husband's parents and other family members in the Houston area, and had the privilege of holding a baby blessing (a child's first ordinance in our church) for baby Mark with his grandfather and great-grandfather participating. Then we went on to Alabama, and the kids and I hung out at the hotel pool and enjoyed the Montgomery Zoo while Dad participated in a leadership course. I was thoroughly impressed by people's friendliness and hospitality in Alabama--truly worthy of emulation!
We found out during our first week in Montgomery that my husband had been selected for a 2 year career broadening assignment at Hill AFB in Utah, and they wanted him to report there in November. So we're moving--Thanksgiving week. We're excited--both Dan and I have family in Utah, and we've been looking for a long time now for a way out of California. Don't get me wrong, we've thoroughly enjoyed our time here--but the cost of housing makes a growing family really hard to sustain. We're ready to move out of two bedrooms! Utah is way more affordable, even if we do have to leave our perfect weather behind. Actually, I think my kids are looking forward to having some snow to play in--hopefully they still feel that way in March!
So life continues to be busy--we're packing up, trying to de-junk and get rid of whatever we can; moving is great motivation for letting go of stuff. We're sad to say goodbye to friends, but hope to stay in touch--and we're ready and excited for some new adventures!

5 comments:

Rixa said...

Wow, very exciting! And I'm sure it will be nice to have a bit more home space. When's the move?

Keeley said...

How exciting!!! I hope you're able to find a home that you love there. =) Good luck with the move.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

How wonderful that all is working out. Enjoy Hill.

Renee said...

Such an exciting time. Have a safe and smooth move!

Kelly said...

Congratulations! Sounds like a great move for you guys - good luck! Hope everything goes smoothly!