Home Sweet (Almost) Home

I'm sorry that Jon and I haven't been able to update everyone in a few days.  I've been informed by my dad that the world needs a "Griswald Adventure" update :).  It's been a crazy week so far.  I'll start with the not-so-good news first.  I had my job interview on Friday.  It didn't go as good as I had hoped.  I walked in and was greeted by two very "Type A" women who knew what they wanted and got right down to business.  The interview was with Escrow Legal Services.  It is a small agency of 9 women who all work in lateral positions.  Even though I applied for a receptionist position, my job would actually entail much more.  I would start and end the escrow process for any transaction.  The manager started off by asking normal questions about who I was and she wanted all the crazy details about why I moved from TX.  After that, she told me she would like to be very candid with me and asked why in the world I applied for a receptionist position when I am clearly overqualified and have huge life goals.  I told her that I would also be candid with her and let her know that I needed to find a job and knew that I could do this job perfectly and thought I could contribute to their company with all of my experiences so far.  She agreed with me that I would be perfect for the job but then asked me how long she could realistically expect me to stay, knowing well that I would graduate soon with a college degree.  I told her that if they chose to hire me I could promise them 1 year and after that I would not know how long because it might take me a while to find the government job I am longing for.  I told her that yes, they would be going out on a limb to keep someone they knew would not stay forever, but I could guarantee them 100% quality service and loyalty.  She actually was surprised I was so honest and thanked me for it.  I'm not expecting to hear back from them, and although many people have told me I should have just lied and told them I didn't know what the future held, she would have seen right through me.  She was a very strong and smart woman, someone I could learn a lot from if I worked with her for a year.  So, my job search continues and tomorrow I will call the two temp services that I applied to and see if they have any prospects.  There was one legal secretary job open, which I reluctantly applied to.  I know I can do the work, and it will only be for a year.  I think I can last that long and perhaps the attorneys won't be as harsh (?).

Another bump in the road this week has been little missy.  Kaylee was sick with a nasty stomach bug that had her under the weather for 2 days.  She had a fever and other symptoms (which I will spare you from).  We got her some Tylenol and Motrin, and today she seems to be much better.  I know she is so ready to be in our new home though.  She keeps asking me "Kaylee go home?" and it makes me tear up every time.  She is so innocent, and just wants consistency.  I am hopefully that by this time tomorrow night she will be tucked in her bed....in her new room.  Right now though, all she wants to do is what was familiar on the ride up here, which is watching Bee Movie and Veggie Tales.  I have tried and tried to keep her away from the TV but she seems to find comfort in it, and is otherwise very stressed, so I ablige.  I hope 2 weeks of DVDs won't be too damaging.  She sure is adorable though, and her excitedly happy moments make all the stress worth it.

We had to pull hard today to get the maintenance issues fixed at our apartment.  The floors were finished yesterday and look great, but the repairs were not finished.  We finally had him there today with us personally so we could make sure it was all completed.  It was, and I feel so much better now.  The cleaning guy still did a shotty job but oh well.  Then, this morning before we headed out to meet the moving truck, I fell hard and popped something in my ankle.  I was trying to catch Lilly in the yard and twisted my ankle on uneven ground.  I heard a loud pop and then pain shot up my leg.  Looking back, I was extremely overdramatic (who, me??) but I let out a loud scream.  Part of it was pain, part of it was exhaustion, and part of it was more emotions I had held in the last few days.  I was disappointed the truck didn't come until today, I was disappointed my interview sucked, I was disappointed Jon was also having trouble finding a job, and I was disappointed that Kaylee was stressed.  I missed my parents, I missed my friends, I missed my church!  I hadn't worked on homework like I needed to, all I wanted to do was sleep, and now I had a bum ankle and had to help move us in?!  Everything just escalated.  Screaming felt better, but now my ankle hurts like fire.  I can't put a whole bunch of weight on it, but Jon, Jeff (my brother-in-law) and I were the only ones who could move us in. I had to push through and I did.  I put ice on it tonight at home and it feels a bit better.  If it continues to hurt I will get it checked out but not having health insurance kinda puts a kink it that for a while. 

Ready for some good news??? I bet!  Well, we are officially moved in!  Jon and Jeff managed to unload the entire trailer in about 5 hours.  I couldn't have asked for a better brother-in-law to help us.  He didn't complain for a second and just kept pushing until it was all done.  Jon was amazing and kept his calm the entire time, probably just enjoying completing such a huge project with his younger brother.  The guys hauled it all in and I directed traffic since I couldn't do much.  Tomorrow we will go back and put everything up and get Kaylee's room set up.  I can't wait to show her our new home!!

More good news?!  JON HAS A JOB!  My amazing husband pursued a local paper company several times and they finally bit the bait.  He starts work on Monday and will be working half a day as a warehouse worker and half a day as a delivery driver.  We both need to change our driver's license to Washington though, so hopefully we can do that soon this week.  More good news?  I found an amazing coffee shop with free wi-fi.  Yes, I get excited about things like this.  It's "Woods Coffee".  It's a cabin-like atmosphere and we visited it in December.  Well, I just spent an hour here, wrote 1 of my 2 midterms, and have free internet.  Yay!!  Plus, they have great coffee....an essential for late nights.

I'm sure I lost most of you at the beginning of this novel, so for those who have stuck around until the end I wanted to say thank you for still wondering about us.  The short texts/emails/fb msgs mean the world to us.  Just knowing that our friends and family are concerned and hopeful means a lot.  I miss you all so very much, Jon does too.  Kaylee misses her daycare class dearly and asks every morning about them.  We are going to adjust okay after we move in, and I just pray that I can find Kaylee a new daycare to attend so she can make new friends.  She absolutely blossoms in that environment and I consider it a gift we can give to her daily.  Tomorrow will be busy for us, and I have 1 more midterm to complete before 8pm tomorrow so I won't be on much. 

To my Graceland girls, I miss you all dearly and promise to get back on when I have more time.  To our friends back home, we miss you and hope all of you are well and happy.  Aunt Ashley, Kaylee plays with her new toys every day, and we miss you so much already!  To my parents, I miss you all so much and Kaylee does too. Not a day goes by that she does not ask for each of you by name at least 5 times.  She knows you in pairs.  "Granpa & Connie, Sulous (Louis) & Kimmy" and "Grandma, Grandpa, and Coco (Kolton)".  She misses you and I can't wait until we can Skype our first message together so she can see you.  We love you!!!!

Ready for our stuff!

I don't think I've ever been more ready to move in somewhere.  It will be great to have our home set up and for Kaylee to get back to something that she knows.  We're very excited for Kaylee to make some new friends and get her into a daycare and for us to become involved in a church that we like.  It's still kind of hard to think of this as anything but a visit as that's what it's been for the last 7 1/2 years.  We are now realizing that this is our life, and it's going to be a great one.  I can't remember the last time I really enjoyed being cold, but this is feeling awesome, and I do not miss the Amarillo climate one bit that's for sure!  I am getting tired of the recycling thing though, Texas just got me used to throwing things away...

"I'll take it from here. Thanks for trusting me"

This has been one whirlwind day, and I really should be spending time on homework but I just can't wait to share with everyone what happened.  We woke up early today (well...I woke us up early, sorry hun!) and we went into Bellingham to see our new apartment around 9:30am.  If you have never signed an apartment lease without first seeing it, let me tell you....your nerves go crazy.  I tried not to show it, but I was very nervous while signing that 12 month lease. Will it be big enough? Will it be clean? Will Kaylee like it?  Can we really afford it?  We signed, got the keys, and then went to take a look.  When we first walked up to the entrance we started to get a bit nervous because it looked a little beat up.  However, most apartments are so I wasn't worried, yet.  Then we walked in and Jon and I both became upset.  Jon was visibly irritated and dissappointed.  I tried to keep my spirits up and reminded him that I could make this a nice place for us and the issues we see now were just cosmetic.  A home is what you make of it, and the love you share inside of it anyway, right?  Well, the apartment itself was not clean.  The floors were very dirty and honestly we thought we would have to spend the entire next day cleaning.  I was heartbroken because I found this place after spending 3 hours each night for about 2 weeks.  I made the decision that we should go with it, and it is an affordable housing complex.  When I saw how dirty it was I thought that perhaps this is what affordable housing might be like, maybe WE are supposed to clean it before we move in? 

Although we were dissappointed, we accepted the fact that this was our new home and we would do our best with it, even if it meant cleaning for the next couple of days.  We knew that we had a roof over our head and we accepted what we had been given.  Then we walked back to the car and the leasing agent, Jessica, who I had worked with over the phone for a few weeks came out to talk to us.  She stated that she had rented out so many units this month that she had not personally inspected this one yet.  "How did it look?" she asked.  I replied, "We are going to have to do lots of cleaning honestly."  She then asked if one of us could come back with her to the unit so she could see it.  I stayed in the car with Kaylee while she watched Veggie Tales.  Jon and Jessica went back to the unit and she was shocked at what she saw.  She appologized for the condition of the apartment and began taking notes as to what needed to be changed.  She had a legal tablet in her hand and every single line on it was filled with something that either needed to be cleaned or replaced.  Included on the list was: deep cleaning of bathrooms and kitchen, new vinyl flooring throughout every room that had it, repositioning the toilet (apparently it was crooked?), a new heating unit in the kitchen, new countertops in the kitchen, and much more.  She immediately sent her maintenance and cleaning personnel to our unit to fix everything. The flooring guys will be there tomorrow. 

I'm amazed, and feel so very blessed.  We had accepted our apartment for what it was, what we thought was the best we could do.  God had bigger plans.  I honestly feel that our willingness to accept any roof over our head that we could get was trippled in blessings by Him once He knew we trusted Him.  I knew it was not the best it could be, but I knew God was taking care of us and it would get better.  It's almost like I felt Him saying "I'll take it from here, thank's for trusting me".   I know we have many people in our lives who doubt the faith that Jon and I have.  They wonder how we can pack up and move across the country based on faith that our God, whom they can't see or touch, will take care of us.  For those who we love dearly that doubt, I hope the blessings we encounter continue to affirm the promises God has already set out for us to discover.  The scarriest thing in life you can do is trust someone else with everything that is dear to your heart, but I know I can't trust anyone else with this much of my life.  No one is built to take care of it all but God, and I sure am glad of that fact!  

Also, before we even arrived at Jon's parent's house yesterday there was a voicemail on our phone.  A legal services company had called to schedule an interview with me on Friday.  It's a receptionist position that I applied for about 2 weeks ago, and I have an interview scheduled in downtown Bellingham tomorrow at 2pm.  I'm excited and nervous.  I know they will probably say I am overqualified but I hope that they see my heart and know that I just need a job so that we can take care of our family.  I'll let everyone know how that goes. 

Kaylee did okay today, but she is still confused. I can't wait until our apartment is set up and she understands this is her new home. She keeps asking to go home and every day she goes through the list of her daycare classmates and says "Jaymen in class? Kiki (Nikki) in class? Jenny in class? etc.  It breaks my heart to see that she understands they are not with her, but I just have to remember it will be okay. 
For now, tonight everyone.  We love you all!!

DSHS

Today wasn't easy for me, not for Brianne either.  Having moved here with no jobs, we knew we were going to have to get Kaylee on Medicaid, that wasn't a hard decision at all.  However, I never really considered assistance as far as food and all that but Brianne thought it would be a good idea just in case.  So we went down to the center, applied and interviewed and went through the process.  For me personally I was taught and brought up to work and provide, not to count on handouts.  I think it's great for people who need them, I just never considered myself one of them.  With Kaylee though I want to cover all the bases just in case.  It's hard to change your way of thinking especially when you're sitting with people who obviously have substance abuse problems and the ones taking advantage of the program, for them I have no respect.  I think the hardest part was humbling myself, which usually is the hardest part for me, and applying in the first place.  My little girl is worth it in spades however and at the end of the day I feel it was the right move.

Me? Attitude?!?

I've been informed that my first post sounded a little...mad I guess?  I was really just kinda making fun of the situation so I guess I'll just set the record straight.  My sense of humor almost always has a little attitude mixed in as anyone who knows me can attest to.  If you don't know me then I apologize and hopefully I don't offend anyone too bad:) 

We are about 80 miles outside of Seattle and the scenery is turning from eastern to western right before my very eyes.  I have to say Spokane was a little disappointing, (sorry Ken!) but then again we didn't get to see much of it.  Stopped in Elensburg for lunch and we are so close now we can almost taste it.  Unfortunately Ferndale has an aroma sometimes consisting of cow manure and grain so the taste isn't all that great. 

I've decided that since Brianne is the serious one, and me being less so, it should compliment our blog nicely.  You'll get a mix of everything in one...ok here's one for you, just passing through Cle Elum, have fun sounding that one out!  Oh, and I shaved today so no pictures of hippie Jon just yet, I couldn't take it anymore!  Besides, the trees hurt when you hug them...all that bark.

Routine? What routine???

"Oh my".  Those are the two words I think I have used the most on this trip so far.  Everything is so out of wack....I miss my routines!  Anyone who knows me well is aware that I thrive on routines, planning and organization.  Oh my gosh y'all....chaos is my enemy and it is what we have been surrounded with for almost 4 days now.  Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond excited that we're almost "home" but there have been times when I just think "did we make the right decision?"  Those negative thoughts only come up when I am stressed out though, and once I slap myself back into reality I remember our true purpose for packing up our lives in Texas and planting them newly in Bellingham, WA.  God has a bigger and better plan for us up here, and no matter how hard it is to get there....the light is still at the end of the tunnel.   Before we left Amarillo on Sunday, we attended our last service at Victory Church.  Pastor David preached on perservering through tough times.  There will be times in every Christian's walk where they will go through some rough patches along the way and we have to hold tight to the truth that God promised stating that He WILL come through for us, but we have to give our cares to him because we were not built to hold it all by ourselves!  Do you ever feel so stressed out that you want to lock yourself in a closet and scream at the top of your lungs?  Jon and I have both felt that way at one point this week, and perhaps aimed at each other because we both thing we have the right way of doing things.  It could be that neither of us are wrong, but the way I do things is totally opposite of the way Jon does things.  That is why we fit perfectly together.  However, in stressful situations it is hard to see the beneficial side of everything.   Today we encountered construction at every single turn, putting us at least 2 hours behind schedule.  Then we had trouble with the bank because they freaked out with us using our card across many state lines...oops. 

Jon and I miss our privacy and our routine more than we thought we would.  It's been very difficult to not have a few minutes at the end of the day to talk to each other and process what we just went through on the road for 10 hours.  Jon is my very best friend, and I always look forward to talking to him at the end of each day.  Well.....little miss Kaylee is a little out-of-sorts and is having trouble at night.  She is used to having her own room and being by herself to go to sleep.  She can't exactly do that if Jon and I are both still in the room trying to get things set out, organized, or planning our next drive.  She's been getting to bed around 9:30pm each night.  That's 2 hours later than normal and we notice it during the day.  She's trying so hard though, and we honestly could not ask any more of her.  When we get frustrated we remind each other that this is hard for her, and we've taken her from everything "normal" including the schedule she does so well on.  We've attempted to keep it as best we could, but that's not always easy.

Tomorrow will be our last day on the road, and hopefully we will make it to Jon's parent's house in Ferndale by early afternoon.  I'm anxious to see our new apartment in Bellingham, and I am ready for us to get back on a schedule.  I know Kaylee will adjust so much better if she is as well.  For now, I am going to get some sleep, and hopefully she will be sleeping peacefully when I get back into the room.  Good night everyone!

No shave

Well Montana is much easier on the eyes than Wyoming was, everything is getting greener the farther west we travel.  Kaylee is doing great and the DVD player is worth its weight in gold, I would highly recommend for any long trip.  Oh, and getting to the title, I'm not shaving until we reach our destination no matter how much Brianne protests.  Besides, once we get to Bellingham it's West Washington law that I grow a full beard, join a hippie commune and commence with the tree hugging, so I'm really just preparing is all.  On a more serious note, it is hard for me once again to leave friends behind that I've made over the last 7 1/2 years.  I'm happy that I've gotten to know some great people and have fun experiences with them and will continue to talk to them over the years.  Hopefully a couple of them will even be visiting us next spring so I'm looking forward to that.  I was also very blessed to work with some great people at the various jobs I've had there, as well as some people that I am now blessed to not have to work with but that's another subject!  Anyway, we'll be in Spokane tonight and that means it's just a short drive (another 6 hours) until we reach our destination.  Viva la Washington!