This whole moving thing sure does require a lot of planning. I have never lived outside of Washington State my entire life. I have also never really had to coordinate a very involved moving process. Every move up until this point has been with my family, where my mom coordinates everything and I just do what I'm told, or I have been moving from dorms back home or from furnished apartment to furnished apartment. I have never had to think about packing up a kitchen full of nice dishes, or a living room full of new furniture. But, alas, there is a first time for everything.
Lately, Josh and I have gone back and forth on several decisions. Should we bring our car or sell it? Should we ship our stuff and fly out, or drive a U-Haul across the country? When should we plan on arriving in Chicago? Originally, I was all for calling in this moving service that moves all your boxes and then packs and moves all your furniture and ships it on pallets to your desired destination. I had visions of my apartment being moved in record speed and me leisurely waltzing out the door to the airport for my short four hour flight to Chicago where I would arrive at my fabulous new apartment and begin unpacking my things. This bubble was burst when my brilliant husband pointed out a very key fact to me: we will not be able to ship our stuff and leave the same day expecting it to be waiting for us at the door. In fact, we have no idea how long it will take our stuff to arrive. Yikes. Maybe I don't like this idea so much.
So, we move to plan B. Somehow, Josh convinced me that driving a U-Haul across the country together would be a lot of fun! Now, I'm not traditionally a big road-trip kind of gal. The drive from Seattle to Spokane is enough of a car ride for me, so it is hard for me to imagine what 8-12 hours in a car for four days straight would do to me. Also, this may come as a shock to some, but I complain a lot. The thought of the amount of complaining I could do in that time period scared me, and made me worried that poor Josh wouldn't even survive the first day with me as co-pilot. But, I forced myself to think of how many wonderful memories we could create by doing this trip together, and how fun it would be to tell our kids someday about how the two of us, and our trusty bratty cat Lena made the drive from Seattle to Chicago. So, I got psyched about going on a road trip. Until I looked at how much U-Hauls cost. OUCH. To get a big enough truck for all our stuff, plus a trailer that can tow our car, plus insurance for both was a pretty penny. Don't even get me started on how much gas it takes to fuel a 17' truck that gets 10 miles to the gallon.
Now we are back to the drawing board. We both would still prefer to do the U-Haul route if possible because it allows us a little more control over where our stuff is and when everything arrives in the city. Plus I really want to go to Yellowstone and see Mount Rushmore. Our decision of mode of travel now rests on the relocation budget of the company, so we are waiting for that to come in before we finalize our plans. Hopefully we will have a better idea by the end of the week so we can set an official moving date and start finding a place to live, which is a whole 'nother story!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sinking In
Oh boy. You would think having moved every 9 and 3 months for the past four years in college would make me more prepared for transition. The truth is, this is a crazy, crazy thing that so far has required lots of conversation, plenty of tears, and much planning.
The past two weeks have been very surreal. We had a great time the weekend after we found out Josh got the job. We celebrated and enjoyed getting to tell all of our friends and family how excited we are to move. We basked in the comfort of knowing we would have a paycheck in June when our budget ends. We also spent a lot of time just looking at each other and saying, "can you believe we're actually doing this?!"The farther out we get from that day, and the closer we get to moving day, the more real it is becoming. Sort of. My prayers recently have been for the Lord to help me to feel the gravity of this change in a real way. My tendency is to just shove my emotions down and not think about how hard it will be until it's over and done. I really don't want to do this with such a big transition like this. I want to be able to understand that it is going to be really hard to say good bye, and that it's going to be really exciting to be in a new city and meet new people. I just don't want to pretend that it's going to be easy and that getting there is going to be all roses.
This process of processing and accepting and getting excited for the move has really brought out a lot of new things in me. I am learning how much I choose to worship my own comfort, control, and happiness instead of Jesus. I was experiencing a lot of anxiety over this whole thing; getting really overwhelmed with all the little details and decisions that needed to be made; worrying over whether or not I would even like living in a city I have only visited once. I fought hard against Jesus. I didn't want to pray. I didn't want to run to Him and tell Him all my fears. I wanted to keep control of all of them and worry about them myself. But, finally, I couldn't anymore. I thought my chest was going to explode from the anxious chaos inside, so finally, I prayed. I told Jesus that I wanted to do what was most comfortable for me, that I wanted to be able to have control over everything that was happening, and that I am really, really afraid of not being happy in this new place. The more I prayed, the more I realized that Jesus is the only one I can trust in. Yes, Chicago may not be within my comfort zone. Making new friends may not be easy. I may not have control over every little detail in this move. And, in reality, I may not be happy in Chicago. But, the one thing I can bank on, is my relationship with Jesus. I can trust that He will continue to grow and change me. That He will always care for Josh and I. I am taking a lot of heart in a passage we discussed in church not long ago. Our pastor told us that God is our father. Just like a father cares for and loves and protects his children, that's what God does for us. When a child is afraid, you want them to run to their daddy and tell him their fears and be comforted there. God wants that from us, too. So, I have taken much comfort in this:
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand...For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you" Isaiah 41: 10, 13
The past two weeks have been very surreal. We had a great time the weekend after we found out Josh got the job. We celebrated and enjoyed getting to tell all of our friends and family how excited we are to move. We basked in the comfort of knowing we would have a paycheck in June when our budget ends. We also spent a lot of time just looking at each other and saying, "can you believe we're actually doing this?!"The farther out we get from that day, and the closer we get to moving day, the more real it is becoming. Sort of. My prayers recently have been for the Lord to help me to feel the gravity of this change in a real way. My tendency is to just shove my emotions down and not think about how hard it will be until it's over and done. I really don't want to do this with such a big transition like this. I want to be able to understand that it is going to be really hard to say good bye, and that it's going to be really exciting to be in a new city and meet new people. I just don't want to pretend that it's going to be easy and that getting there is going to be all roses.
This process of processing and accepting and getting excited for the move has really brought out a lot of new things in me. I am learning how much I choose to worship my own comfort, control, and happiness instead of Jesus. I was experiencing a lot of anxiety over this whole thing; getting really overwhelmed with all the little details and decisions that needed to be made; worrying over whether or not I would even like living in a city I have only visited once. I fought hard against Jesus. I didn't want to pray. I didn't want to run to Him and tell Him all my fears. I wanted to keep control of all of them and worry about them myself. But, finally, I couldn't anymore. I thought my chest was going to explode from the anxious chaos inside, so finally, I prayed. I told Jesus that I wanted to do what was most comfortable for me, that I wanted to be able to have control over everything that was happening, and that I am really, really afraid of not being happy in this new place. The more I prayed, the more I realized that Jesus is the only one I can trust in. Yes, Chicago may not be within my comfort zone. Making new friends may not be easy. I may not have control over every little detail in this move. And, in reality, I may not be happy in Chicago. But, the one thing I can bank on, is my relationship with Jesus. I can trust that He will continue to grow and change me. That He will always care for Josh and I. I am taking a lot of heart in a passage we discussed in church not long ago. Our pastor told us that God is our father. Just like a father cares for and loves and protects his children, that's what God does for us. When a child is afraid, you want them to run to their daddy and tell him their fears and be comforted there. God wants that from us, too. So, I have taken much comfort in this:
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand...For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you" Isaiah 41: 10, 13
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Big News and a Little Background
To make things a little more clear (and for you to be able to be fully excited for us), I thought I'd give a little background for how we got to where we are.
Two years ago, Josh and I really began to feel like we were being called to get married. We had always planned on waiting until after graduating college, but more and more we felt like we needed to move the date up. However, neither of us had jobs, our parents were paying for our schooling, and we had no idea how much it would cost to be married! So, we sat down and made a budget, and began praying that God would provide us with jobs if we were supposed to get married. In response to this, God was overwhelmingly gracious, and provided me with two jobs! Josh had applied to a position that he was under-qualified for on a whim, not expecting to get it. But, God in His great mercy, provided! Josh began working as an intern for a company called CDW-G. For the past two years, he has helped the company to grow their presence at the University of Washington, and has made great strides in his own professional development. Because of the Lord's provision, we were able to get married on June 18, 2011!
As we both began looking toward graduation, we prayed again for God's provision. We knew we wouldn't survive on our savings for very long after graduation, and prayed that we would be able to have jobs. We have loved CDW-G over the years, and were excited about the prospect of Josh getting to come on as a full-time employee. But, we also knew this meant the prospect of moving to Chicago. Starting in December, we prayed that God would put a calling on our hearts for where He wanted us to be....Seattle, Chicago, or even a different city. I prayed that God would make it so clear where He would have us go next, and that we would be able to have joy in wherever we ended up. It was a long process of waiting and wondering "what-if" before the position he had been waiting for was finally posted and the interview process started. We prayed all the more that even beyond this job, that God would give us a heart for Chicago.
Josh left for his final interview on May 4th. When he came back, we continued to pray. We prayed that Jesus would be enough for us no matter what the answer was. We prayed to be able to trust that God would continue to provide for us, even if it wasn't with this position. They had told Josh that they would call him within a week with their answer, and as Friday approached, we knew it would be coming soon. On Friday May 11, Josh dropped me off at school, and I told him to call me if he heard anything! At 9am, my phone rang in the middle of class, and I ran out the door to answer it. My heart was pounding, my whole body was shaking, and I honestly felt like I was going to throw up as he stalled as long as possible before telling me "we're going to Chicago!".
It felt so crazy to have an answer. After thinking and praying and talking for months and months about hypothetical situations, we finally had a "yes". I was (and am) so proud of Josh for all his hard work, and really excited for him to have this opportunity with such a great company. Josh came and picked me up and we celebrated with lunch at our favorite restaurant!
We are still awaiting an official start date for the job before we will know the actual date of our move. We will surely keep you updated, along with the roller coaster of emotions during this crazy transition!
Two years ago, Josh and I really began to feel like we were being called to get married. We had always planned on waiting until after graduating college, but more and more we felt like we needed to move the date up. However, neither of us had jobs, our parents were paying for our schooling, and we had no idea how much it would cost to be married! So, we sat down and made a budget, and began praying that God would provide us with jobs if we were supposed to get married. In response to this, God was overwhelmingly gracious, and provided me with two jobs! Josh had applied to a position that he was under-qualified for on a whim, not expecting to get it. But, God in His great mercy, provided! Josh began working as an intern for a company called CDW-G. For the past two years, he has helped the company to grow their presence at the University of Washington, and has made great strides in his own professional development. Because of the Lord's provision, we were able to get married on June 18, 2011!
As we both began looking toward graduation, we prayed again for God's provision. We knew we wouldn't survive on our savings for very long after graduation, and prayed that we would be able to have jobs. We have loved CDW-G over the years, and were excited about the prospect of Josh getting to come on as a full-time employee. But, we also knew this meant the prospect of moving to Chicago. Starting in December, we prayed that God would put a calling on our hearts for where He wanted us to be....Seattle, Chicago, or even a different city. I prayed that God would make it so clear where He would have us go next, and that we would be able to have joy in wherever we ended up. It was a long process of waiting and wondering "what-if" before the position he had been waiting for was finally posted and the interview process started. We prayed all the more that even beyond this job, that God would give us a heart for Chicago.
Josh left for his final interview on May 4th. When he came back, we continued to pray. We prayed that Jesus would be enough for us no matter what the answer was. We prayed to be able to trust that God would continue to provide for us, even if it wasn't with this position. They had told Josh that they would call him within a week with their answer, and as Friday approached, we knew it would be coming soon. On Friday May 11, Josh dropped me off at school, and I told him to call me if he heard anything! At 9am, my phone rang in the middle of class, and I ran out the door to answer it. My heart was pounding, my whole body was shaking, and I honestly felt like I was going to throw up as he stalled as long as possible before telling me "we're going to Chicago!".
It felt so crazy to have an answer. After thinking and praying and talking for months and months about hypothetical situations, we finally had a "yes". I was (and am) so proud of Josh for all his hard work, and really excited for him to have this opportunity with such a great company. Josh came and picked me up and we celebrated with lunch at our favorite restaurant!
We are still awaiting an official start date for the job before we will know the actual date of our move. We will surely keep you updated, along with the roller coaster of emotions during this crazy transition!
First Post!
Welcome! This is my first ever post on my first blog! I am hoping to use this as a tool to chronicle the transition of moving from Seattle, Washington, to Chicago, Illinois, and from student life to real life. I hope you find my posts to be honest, informative, and hopefully interesting!
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