Homeward Bound

What a month! I wasn't "allowed" to write about what's been going on, but now that things are finalized I have the green light. A few weeks ago, I took Aaron to the Ear Nose Throat doctor on a Tuesday and was told he needs his tonsils and adenoids out. So, I scheduled his surgery for that Friday. When I got home, Mike was there and said we needed to have a talk. He told me he had just gotten laid off. I had to cancel Aaron's surgery an hour after I scheduled it! We've been worrying about this happening and praying that it wouldn't. But, God has other plans for us and thought we needed a serious lesson in humility.

Fluor, the company Mike has been working for, has been struggling with the economy because power plants and oil refineries have been pulling out on contracts-they can't afford to get things made or fixed. So, next up on the money blood sucking food chain come the workers at Fluor. So far, about 2,600 employees have been laid off. They held on to Michael for as long as they could, though, which meant a lot.

I keep looking around at our house, knowing it's probably the nicest house I'll ever live in, and kicking myself for ever thinking I "deserved" more. And what are our landlords going to say when we tell them we have to terminate our lease 2 months early? We don't have money to pay the "early termination fee". And every time I drive through Sugar Land I think about what a nice place it really is, and how blessed we were to live here. I have made some of the most incredible and amazing friends in the world and it kills me to think of leaving them. How will I survive without my Mandy?

Michael's dad offered him a job back home at the machine shop doing quality control. I am so grateful for his offer. Part of me is so excited to move back home to be closer to family. I love the mountains and the smell of sagebrush when it rains. I love four wheeling and shooting and camping and sweaters and hot chocolate and green chili. I love the slower pace of life and Colorado summers. I love the small town parade during Stampede and making fun of the low rider and tractor "floats". I love the holidays at my parents house. And just think of all the free babysitting! Plus, my AWESOME sister-in-law, Kathy lives there, and she has kids that are the same ages as mine. Born to be best buddies! So, there are some of the reasons I'd love to be back in the San Luis Valley.

But..... then the other part of me dreads it. I'm so used to living in the city where everything is only a few miles away and anything and everything you could ever want is just down the street! The biggest and most exciting store in the valley is a Walmart. No Pei Wei...no Target...no Old Navy...no Hobby Lobby...oh, I'm tearing up already. I think the hardest part is that moving away from home made me feel like I grew up and made something of myself. I got a fresh start. And housing is a completely different thing. No HOA's to make sure the neighborhood stays well kept. You can have a really nice house next to a run down ghetto house, and many of the houses are over a hundred years old, so finding one that isn't falling apart will be fun. We'll live with Mike's parents for a while until we can either save up for a down payment to buy a house, or we find a decent house to rent until we can save up for a down payment. (There is only one apartment "complex" there, with about 20 units. And, at $250 a month, you get what you pay for...shady shady shady.)

Anywayyyyys, back to trying to be positive. We're moving by Thanksgiving so I've been busy trying to start getting things boxed up and set aside. God knows what he's doing and everything will work out!