It's the Final Countdown

Three long years ago, we learned that Daniel was going to be relocated from working in Hollywood, Alabama to two hours north in Spring City, Tennessee. We knew it was coming, but it still turned our world upside down. We spent eight months living out of suitcases, in and out of hotels and vacation homes during the week, until finally settling into our current home on Signal Mountain.

We both felt strongly that we made the right choice in regard to the location of our new home, but we knew it would be a difficult journey – Daniel's new position promised long hours, with a 70-minute commute each way. We were told the job would last about a year, so we hoped and prayed for the best.

To say it's been a hard experience would be an understatement. Jack went through a phase where he didn't believe that Daniel lived at our house. Which was kind of true. For months on end, Daniel worked 6-7 days a week, and sometimes weeks at a time without a day off. The hours were long. The commute was long. I felt like a single mom. We experienced a miscarriage in the middle of this trying time, and did our best to hold it together. Thankfully Isaac was born into our family a year later, but Daniel continued to struggle with having to work so much. He loved what he was doing but the long hours definitely took a toll on all of us.

Every night we say bedtime prayers with Jack and we would all pray that Daniel would get a job closer to home. It was excruciating when Jack began to put a voice to the things we were all feeling... Why hasn't God answered our prayers? Why does daddy still work so far away? Why is daddy gone all the time? Why can't daddy be home with us more?

As adults, we have experience on our side. This isn't our first rodeo. We have prayed and waited through difficult things in the past. It's much harder to explain to a child that life is full of waiting.

Most people have heard our news by now, but we are still excited! Daniel FINALLY got a new job. I won't go into how many positions he applied for, it's too demoralizing. But our prayers have been answered.

Daniel is staying with his same company but moving to corporate headquarters to join the Dam Safety team. This will be a big change from Nuclear, but the benefits for our family are beyond what we had hoped for.

Daniel's company is notorious for being slow at hiring people (even internally), so we were shocked to learn less than two weeks after his interview that he had a job offer. The company was still slow in making the transition (he got the offer when we were on vacation last month), but Daniel is FINALLY finishing his last week of work at Watts Bar! 

I don't think we will know what to do with ourselves starting next week. A 40-ish hour work week, with a 20-minute commute? What does that even look like? How do people function with all of that extra time? We CANNOT wait to find out for ourselves!!!
 

Things I am Missing

This is the end of Week 8 of Daniel's new job and traveling is taking its toll. We need a vacation (living in a rental cottage for 4 days each week does not constitute a vacation).  

While I really love a lot of things about being in the city again, there are things about being home that I just plain miss...

1) My own bed. Sleeping in a king size bed is nice, but my dark room and our pillow-top mattress are calling my name.

2) Being able to open the back door and shoe Sophie outside without having to worry if she will get lost or hit by a car. Living on 3 acres in the country is a dream for our dog. It's nice for me too. One night this week I had to go outside with Sophie at 1am. 

For some reason Sophie feels the need to go out more often when we are not at home. Someday her neediness drives me up the wall. I'm trying to work on my patience.

3) Having a fully stocked kitchen and not having to guess where everything is. This week, I could have used a crock pot. Bringing my own is a pain. 

Instead I have made do with baking my pre-made frozen crock-pot meals in the oven. You do what you have to to make this (temporary) lifestyle work.

4) Having a "safe room" in my house to let my child loose. You parents of small children know what I'm talking about. There is no such thing as a safe room in a rental house. There are glass nicknacks and TVs within reach of little hands; not to mention light sockets and chemicals stored under sinks. 

The TV has been on more than we would like, but it is difficult when Jack can easily turn it on. There is no rest for this weary mama. I miss that we can hang out in our bonus room at home and I can relax knowing that the room is safe for Jack (and the TV can't be reached!).

5) Routines. We are not a big "routine-oriented" family, but there are some things that we do on a fairly regular basis as a part of our day. Being in a different house every week, with a different time zone, has me at a loss in regards to routines. 

6) Along with routines, is Jack's naptime. It's all over the place. One of the hardest things of this traveling life is that Jack tends to fall asleep in the car any time that I go somewhere. 

This means that 15-minute cat naps are taking the place of 2-hour afternoon naps. Toddlers have this way of thinking that any amount of sleep is enough sleep for their day. This is not so. These mini naps are leaving this mama tired and without any down time during the day. 

7) Jack's crib. This is more something that Jack probably misses (and should probably fall under #1). I'm pretty sure that Jack has experienced a growth spurt this summer. He is almost the full length of his pack-n-play. I really hope he doesn't outgrow it before our travel days are over! I'm not sure what we will do if I can't contain him in his pack-n-play while he sleeps.

I know this is all temporary and we will eventually get our Alabama home sold and get settled in Tennessee. It is just hard to be patient while we wait. I'm looking forward to being in my own bed tonight! 

Travel Status (aka our temporary lives as wanderers/gypsies)

We're back to being gypsies again. A different home every week. Suffice it to say, our lives are not normal right now. I thought I would share a peak at what our week currently looks like while Daniel is on travel status for work (this is so that I can look back and remember how crazy this is as well as for anyone who is interested or has asked for more details).

Sunday 

Morning: Get up and drive 50 minutes southwest to attend church in Huntsville, AL.

Lunch: Grab a bite with friends then head home to pack. Jack typically sleeps on the drive home.

Afternoon: Pack and load the cars – if we're lucky, Jack will continue to nap when we get home. This process seems to take about 1.5 hours and involves a master list that I update weekly. The list includes information like what food items we have on hand that need to be taken with us. We pack one large rubbermaid with pantry stuff and 2 small coolers with anything that needs to be refrigerated. This saves us from having to throw away food on a weekly basis.

Late Afternoon: Drive 60+ minutes northeast to whatever location we are staying at in the Chattanooga, TN area. Unload our cars, unpack as much as we can and then head out for dinner.

Dinner: Eat at a local restaurant or meet up with friends or family as we are too tired from traveling to try to cook.

Monday-Wednesday

Daniel gets up early to drive an hour to Watts Bar for work. Jack and I try to adjust to being on Eastern time (thankfully Jack sleeps in).

Monday is my grocery day and I get any food items we didn't have at home (and anything we might have forgotten).

During the week, Jack and I do various activities in the Chattanooga area (and the occasional playdate) and I also try to squeeze in a couple of workouts at a local YMCA.

At least one evening during the week, we try to do one fun thing as a family (typically a hike/trail run or a last minute to run to Dairy Queen).

Bedtime for Jack is at 8:30 Eastern (we had to move his Central bedtime back to 7:30 because having a toddler staying awake until 9:30 was not working for our family).

Wednesday Night

Daniel and I pack as much as we can after Jack goes to bed.

Thursday

Morning: Daniel leaves early for work and when Jack and I get up, we have breakfast and then I pack up everything that didn't get packed the night before. I let Jack play in the car while I load everything. I do a final walk through in the house (the first week, I forgot a cooler that was in the freezer!). Then we head home.

Afternoon: Jack and I get home around lunch. I unload the car and start doing laundry. If I'm lucky Jack will go down for a nap and I can try to unwind before Daniel gets home. 

Night: If we aren't too exhausted and it is a Life Group week, we try to make it down to Huntsville to spend time with our small group. Otherwise, we eat out and maybe grab groceries for the weekend.

Friday-Saturday

We try to do something fun as a family (typically a bike ride or hike). We also do any chores or house maintenance that need to be done (like mow the yard).

I spend some time planning the menu for the upcoming week and adjusting my master list to include pantry or refrigerated items that we have on hand.

Sunday - REPEAT the above 

This lovely lifestyle is working for us right now. It isn't always fun, but it allows us to be together as a family.

Thursday Things {Random, August 2013)

1. This marks six weeks of Daniel working in his new location, two hours away from our home.

2. We could potentially be living like this (at a different place every week and at home every weekend) until December. Yikes!

3. Someone has already asked us if we have considered living in a camper again.

4. This is the first full week that Jack, Sophie and I stayed home. We have been trying to travel with Daniel (or visit family) but this week had some extra complications, so we stayed behind.

5. We are all missing Daniel. Everyday Jack asks for "Daddy" and Sophie whines at least twice. When the whining (dog) and crying (toddler) occur at the same time, it takes a serious toll on my patience.

6. I know Daniel is missing us too.

7. Since Daniel is away, I treated myself to takeout of Hibachi Chicken and Tempura Vegetables. I figured that I might as well do something that I enjoy (Daniel is not a fan of any kind of Asian cuisine).

8. Also, you know how cooking for two can be a challenge? Well cooking for just me and Jack is even harder.

9. I cleaned the house for the first time since our lives turned upside down. If you look at it from the perspective that we aren't actually here that often, it didn't need that much cleaning. However, toilets still get rings around them (even when they aren't being used) and somehow dog fur still accumulates everywhere.

10. Holding Pattern n. 1) A usually circular pattern flown by aircraft awaiting clearance to land at an airport; 2) A state of waiting or delay; a static situation; 3) a state of inaction with no progress and no change.

That pretty much sums up our lives right now. We have a lot of decisions that we need to make but it is kind of futile to make any until we are a little more certain about our future...

...

So... we have known since January that Daniel had the job with TVA and that we would be moving {eventually}. Although he didn't start until March 1, we have officially known/been preparing for this transition for the past 5+ months now.

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I have a daily planner that I use to keep track of my projects at work. Earlier this year, when we developed the monthly schedule for the magazine I design/layout, I only updated my daily planner through the end of May. I suppose I was hoping to be moved to TN by now. Whatever the reason, I just realized that I am still in Charlotte, NC and I am about to start work on the August issue of the magazine. With no true end in sight, I sat down {yesterday} and filled out my planner for the rest of the year. Trying not to be too depressed about this {or the fact that our house has had ZERO showings since the end of April}...

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In other not-so cheery news, my Grandpa had surgery on Tuesday to remove a tumor {they knew going in that he had colon cancer}. The doctor's were able to remove the tumor but the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes. We are still waiting to hear an official prognosis and planning a visit to Canada for the week of July 4th...

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Also, I am feeling particularly lonely this week. Which is odd since it is a short week (thanks to the Memorial Day holiday) and Daniel will be home tomorrow. Most of the time I am fine, but this week not so much...

Living for Today

The problem with living for today is that I am waiting for tomorrow. This puts me in a difficult place. On the one hand, I am beyond ready to move forward with my life in Chattanooga. On the other hand, I am still {6+hours away} in Charlotte and there is no official end in sight.

Last year, I really wanted to start growing my own vegetables. But I put it off. I was worried that Daniel would get a job offer and we would have to sell our house and move. Because I put it off, I didn't grow that garden. Now it is a year later and Daniel does have a job but I still don't have a garden because I am waiting for our house to sell.

Last year I also had the opportunity to participate in a triathlon with a friend. Even though I really wanted to participate in the race, I opted out because 1) I felt guilty spending money while Daniel was unemployed and 2) I thought there was a chance that Daniel would get a job offer and we would have to move. The money part makes sense, but Daniel didn't get his job offer until the end of December and didn't start work until March 1. And I still haven't participated in a triathlon.

So... how long should you put off your life? There will always be what ifs to be concerned about and I don't want to live in the world of woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Another problem with waiting for job offers {or houses to sell or the right one to marry or babies...} is that these periods of waiting offer no definitive time frame. You are hoping things will work out, but you have no clue how long it will take. Chances are that it WILL take longer than you hope and, in the meantime, you need to keep living your life.

So while I continue to wait for this phase of my life to transition into the next, maybe I should take up gardening in pots {since I don't want to dig up the yard} or maybe I need to find a triathlon and go ahead and commit to doing something for myself.

What about you? What are you putting off for tomorrow?

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."
 Thomas Jefferson

Waiting

I am still waiting on my job situation. The two companies that I am in limbo with are hopefully going to negotiate and work everything out tomorrow. It is tough not having any control over the situation, but I know that it will all work out for the best and I am prepared for any outcome.  On a happy note, Daniel and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary on December 16 (we actually remembered this year). We are leaving tomorrow for Hilton Head so we can enjoy our anniversary relaxing at the beach. It will be good to get away from all of the stress of the past week.

Haven't written in a few days...

I know, some of you were probably worried... what happened to Cheree and her addiction to FB and writing all of the notes... Mostly there has not been a whole lot to write about.

It is so hard, to be waiting. Day in and day out. Not knowing what the future holds. You keep hoping and praying and doing your best to make things happen and they don't. Eventually it all works out and you are ecstatic and thankful that you held in there, even when you really wanted to give up.

Anyways, that is what I have been doing lately... waiting. Yesterday I got a call about an interview for Friday. I am really excited about this one, but will continue to wait and pray and hope that it works out. Interviews are exciting and terrifying all at once. A strange place to be.

We had a really good visit with Daniel's mom and grandmother last weekend. We have had a lot of weekend distractions lately... distractions in a good way. It is always good to reconnect and take the time for people. This weekend our friends, Marshall & Hillary, are coming to visit (sans their baby), so we are excited about that as well. Minus the fact that the house is not getting finished, but we will live and eventually it will be finished.

The tree is finally gone! I am thrilled and the best part is that I didn't have to help haul it to the curb. Daniel worked with our neighbor on Monday night and got it taken care of - D on the chainsaw and neighbor hauling limbs... I am so thankful that is done with and I will pray that no more trees fall on our property.

We need rain. We are making a record right now for lack of rain - it has been too long... Everything is dried up. The rivers and lakes are down significantly. Charlotte is on water restrictions... no watering yards. I am ready for a hard rain... you know, the kind that feels soul cleansing. I think that when it rains I will just go stand in the yard and let the water pour over me.

time

why is it that when you punch 30 seconds on the microwave and wait, it seems like forever? however if you punch 30 seconds and then try to do something, you don't have enough time? perception of time is a strange thing.