We're moving!
To Arkansas!
I can hardly believe it myself. It still feels a little surreal. The short version of the story is this:
Jan 2012 we make our last non-mortgage debt payment. WOO HOO! Jan 2012 (the next day) we find out we are pregnant. Baby is coming, let's save up our cash for those improvements we've been wanting to do for awhile. We get rid of the termites. We get the outside of the house repaired and painted. We install new hardwood floors.
Ben sees job posting for Fayetteville. Thinks "Huh, I wonder what it would be like to move to Fayetteville even though I've always said I'll never live in Arkansas." He should have known better since he also once said he'd never live in California.
Ben poses idea to Rebekah. Rebekah
Ben starts looking for jobs there. He gets in touch with recruiters. He has several interviews for two positions at a company. In both cases, they decide to go with an internal candidate but encourage him to keep applying.
Joshua shows up. :-D
We get approached by no fewer than three real estate agents who tell us that demand is high for our neighborhood and there have been multiple backup offers on all recent sales. Would we be interested in selling? (Why yes, yes we would) A house down the street with the same floor plan as ours (but fewer upgrades) sold for the exact amount we bought ours for in 2008. They tell us we might actually make money on our house! We
We get a card in the mail offering $100 off "our next long distance move." (Um, here's your sign?)
Rebekah mentions to her boss that they are looking to relocate, and he confirms that she can keep her job and work from home, wherever home is.
Ben talks to a recruiter about an opening at a different company. Two days later he has a phone interview. A week later he flies to Fayetteville for an interview. The day after he gets back he gets a verbal offer. Then they up the offer. Due to the holidays and such, it took a few weeks to get the final written offer, but we got it on January 7th and accepted it January 8th! Ben's first day is February 25th.
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I won't try to include in this blog post my emotions about leaving. I don't think I'm quite ready to face them yet. :-/ But there's no denying that this is the right thing for us and for Joshua. He will get to grow up knowing what "land" looks like. He might even get to have a puppy (because Daddy is not having an inside dog haha). He will have parents who aren't commuting an hour each way. He will know what seasons are. He will get to spend time with his great grandma (Mamaw). He will get to grow up going to the lake with his grandparents, spending time on the boat, learning to ski (like we did). Mommy and Daddy might actually have some money left for traveling to show him the world (and certainly for coming back to visit his birthplace!).
And maybe he'll be able to convince his Granddad and Nana to move here too. ;-)
Please pray for us over the next few months as we work out the logistics around a cross-country move with an infant. And please, if you are in the Fayetteville area...I need info! Neighborhoods, schools, doctors, churches, childcare providers (I'll be looking for a full time nanny ASAP).
Thanks for reading!
Rebekah
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