The Big Move — Again

Almost exactly 3 years after we worked through our move from Ontario to Washington State, we were working through the big move the other way — from Washington State to Ohio. Facebook’s new “Memories” feature drew almost daily parallels to the challenges: booking the movers, packing the house, selling our home, hunting for a new one, arranging a new mortgage, and starting the new job in advance of the move while trying to establish a beachhead for the troops to land on.
As with the 2012 move, we did our best, and surrendered the rest to God’s perfect plan. And as in 2012, things fell together better than we could have planned on our own. Our house in the beautiful community of Snoqualmie sold in less than 4 days, while we went on a mini vacation to the Olympic Peninsula. We made a tidy 25% profit, and found a perfect new home in the country, in a private sale with good friends.
There were two cross-country road trips: a solo one in the Saab which endured a flat tire in the desert of Eastern Washington and two (ticket-free) interruptions by over-zealous State troopers, but ended with an on-time arrival for the first day of work. And a second in our new (to us) Audi, that had no incidents, but did include an over-night camp-out in Yellowstone National Park — and ended with us camping in a mostly empty house for a week, having beaten the moving truck by significantly more time than we anticipated.
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Fortunately, the new house transaction included provisions for temporary housing, and Nic’s parents were there to welcome us and make the otherwise empty house feel like home. The kids quickly met the neighbour’s kids, Nic set to work on establishing the home front, and my new job’s pace hasn’t let up. We’re prepping for a series of visitors — another blessing that will help us feel like we belong here — and working on carving out a spot for a hot tub, and picking new colors to paint the interior walls this winter. Snow removal is forecast to be a challenge we’ll have to prepare for, now that we have a significant driveway, but having friends in the area makes it so much easier to figure things out.
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As in years past, change and travel has prevented us from celebrating a few milestones. Nicole and I both turned 35 this year, and today are celebrating 14 years of marriage — and almost 18 together as a couple. God has always provided for us and guided us (when we were willing to listen!) and He continues to teach us what obedience looks like. We have a lot left to learn, but we sure are grateful for His patience with us on the journey so far.
We start this chapter debt-free, save for the mortgage, with savings for the future, and a comfortable home and reliable transportation; we have 3 great kids who are each amazing in their own way, and I have a great job that provides for the whole family. 14 years ago, broke, immature, full of dreams and hopes, and no concept of how to get to any of them, it was easy to think we might not make it this far. But God, who showed us His love that conquers all things, has held us together. We can hardly wait to see what He has in store for the next 14 years.
Next year, however, we’re going to stop long enough to celebrate with more than a blog post!

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