The Skinny on the Big Fat Move

You'd think that blogging would be easy, since most people think I live on Facebook.  And while I'm wondering if it is possible to officially change my address to Facebook, I think it's time to update again on our REAL change of address.

Coming soon:  Friday we load up the 'Burb and all drive out to Minnesota.  Jesse DID get the job ... hooray!  He will be a Plant Coordinator with United Taconite mines.  Let's just say that God has blessed us in the salary and compensation area, and we won't be taking that much of a financial hit.  We are supposed to close on the house next week, and during that time the kids and I will live in the in-law's basement.  :)  Jesse will fly back out one-way to finish out his time in the Corps, supervise the pack and transport the fish back to MN in the Buick.

After closing, I will start the reno on the new house.  Ripping out floors and praying I find some hardwoods in that 100-year old house.  Repainting the entire house and refinishing cabinets.  Hopefully I will have all in order by September 7.  Jesse begins work on 9 September with U-Tac ... no delays whatsoever!

His new job offers a lot of perqs, but the biggest one is that he will only work 180 days a year.  Twelve hour shifts, yes.  But the days off compensate for that.  Each month he will get a week off ... every month!  In addition to his other days off.  I can't wait to get to spend so much time with my man. 

So today finds me frantically trying to organize everything that will get packed in my absence, and trying to decide what I need for the next three or four weeks without our "stuff".  Bags and bags of stuff to be donated.  Plastic bins flying around the house.  And don't forget kids whining, fighting, and screaming mixed in.  Ever wanted to see Insanity In Motion?  Come on down!

No News is Frustrating News!

So, it's not like we WANT to know where we will be living, if Jesse has a job, where the kids will be going to school, where TMO needs to deliver our household goods.  Why would we need to know that?! 

Frustrated, waiting for United Taconite to say whether Jesse has a job with them or not.  Until then, he has an interview in Charlottesville next week.  Guess that's a back-up plan, but we really just want the simple life in the frigid tundra of northern Minnesota.  Is that so much to ask?

Watch out world, here he comes!

Isaac is very mobile now, so my world has gotten that much harder.  Here's a little video to show my guy in action. 

All the Deets ...

Time to play catch-up on the blog!  I have to admit ... this is hard to do.  I keep regurgitating what I've posted on Facebook (ha!).  But I guess here you can get The Rest of the Story.

At the end of June we took off on our grand summer trip, traveling from Virginia to Minnesota and then down to Texas and Louisiana.  Usually it's a family visit, but this time we had the added pressure of finding a job and a house.

Jesse's resignation has been approved, and he's out of the Marines on 7 September.  Less than two months now, and the wait is killing us!

Riley and Savvy last year at Mineview in the Sky
with the big truck

He interviewed with United Taconite and things looked very favorable.  They discussed salary and gave him the job description, and also had him meet the guys he'd be working with.  We found a house we loved, and since the job looked good, we made an offer.  Offer ACCEPTED!  Now all we need is that letter of employment.

And then the wrench is thrown in the works:  U-Tac decided they didn't want Jesse supervising his father at times.  So he was flown out this past week to re-interview at the plant side of U-Tac for the job of Plant Coordinator.  It's the equivalent in supervisory level and pay (we think) of what he would have been doing on the mine operations side of the business.  We will know by next Tuesday how it will play out. 

Until then we are waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  I'm making plans to sink my teeth into the new house once it's ours.  That house is stuck in the 70s, and it's going to take quite a few hours of ripping out flooring, redoing flooring and painting to get it livable to my standards.  Thankfully, I have a few friends and relatives who will have no problem helping on that end.

The town of Aurora, Minnesota is where Jesse's parents live, and it's where the new house is located.  Only about a mile from the in-laws.  As far as the town goes, it has about 1800 people, and just about one of everything you would NEED in a town.  Hospital, clinic, gas stations, post office, grocery stores, a few cafes, a hardware store, and a bar or two.  A pharmacy and a pizza shop.  An A&W drive-in in the summer months.  Within 5 miles you have tons of four wheeler/snowmobile trails, lakes, beaches, and a ski resort.  Only drawback would be the drive to the mine, which is about 40 mins away.  And the fact that it goes well BELOW ZERO in the winter.  I've seen it -40*F a few years ago, and it's been even colder.

For now, I am going through as much household stuff as I can and lightening our load a little.  Quantico Yard Sales is a good thing!  (And my seller name is Jen's Closet if you're interested in shopping.)  Soon I will have to rip up our garden and replant with grass.  Kinda sad about that, actually.  Not to mention it's going to be a lot of hot, sweaty work.  Sort of like planting the garden in the first place, but we are not getting any of the reward of the harvest.

Overall, we're looking forward to the next stage in our lives.  We've never known a life together other than life in the Marine Corps.  But it's a life that I'm so excited to start.

Traveling ...

For the five or so people following the blog, I am currently visiting family in Minnesota, and soon to head down to Texas and Louisiana.  Lots of tales and pictures to follow when I get a chance to upload.  Hope everyone is well!

VBS Day One: Done!

The day started off pretty good ... we were only 10 minutes later getting in the truck than I planned.  Impressive, in my book.  Of course, when we got to church, it was total chaos.  Show me a VBS that isn't the first day.  Realized last night that I forgot to enroll the kids, and I tried to do it online.  Nope, closed out.  So we had to sign up in person.  This means juggling a toddler and an infant, chucking them in the nursery with a harried worker, and attempting to fill out forms when 20 other parents are doing the same thing.  THEN, and only then, we get the kids into their groups.  Where Savvy promptly has a melt down.  This is sooo not like her, and I'm at a loss as to what to do.  So ... I threaten her.  Probably not the best idea, but I was supposed to be upstairs helping with crafts, and here is my six year old having a quivering fit because she doesn't want to be left alone.

I have to say that I have a really hard time remembering that she JUST finished kindergarten.  Most of the time, it seems that she and Riley are the same age.  I felt so bad for her, but at the same time, Savvy rarely has episodes like this one.  Once she realized that she could either calm down and go with the group or go home, it got a little better. 

Crafts Room was surprisingly easy going.  Lots of good help from several ladies in my Bible Fellowship class.  Thanks to their hard work prepping, most of the craft items were assembled in the weeks preceding VBS.  (Their work, as I was only able to attend one prep session.  Kind of hard towing these four hooligans around.)  I'm hoping tomorrow goes as well as today. 

Day Two project:  Clay sundials.  We're hoping the clay dries and actually STICKS to the disk.

The Weekend Grind

So, I've discovered that it's VERY, VERY hard to blog on the weekends.  Seems like we are constantly moving and doing, and at the same time, getting next-to-nothing done.  But this weekend was a productive one.

I have New Car Fever ... bad.  After searching new and used cars all day Thursday and Friday, and car shopping in person on Friday and Saturday, we weren't able to locate that perfect vehicle to fill the 'Burb's shoes.  We've decided to go ahead and use the money (in the future) to fix up the Suburban and make it a much nicer vehicle on the inside.  Thankfully, there is nothing wrong with the engine and it's very reliable.  I think that I am being taught to be thankful for the things I have and not to be envious of the newer, flashy trucks roaring down the highway.

It's Sunday now, and though I've been going at it non-stop, the only thing that I've managed to get accomplished is a couple loads of laundry (blah) and cleaning the downstairs bathroom (ick).

Jesse was much more successful in getting stuff done.  He got one of the seats removed from the truck -- to aid in loading/unloading heathen children.  And he got the garage clean enough to move the trailer inside.  Now the mowers won't have to worry about weed-whacking around that sucker anymore.  Just have to get the grass to grow back again.