ONE YEAR

Saturday, September 15th, 2012 was the day that we said goodbye to our old life and were ready to start something new. 

It had only been one month from the time when we got married that I got the text no newlywed wants to get "I've been laid off, I'll be home soon".  From then on we had trial after trial and most days we felt like we were way in over our head.  As time went on we did the best we could to put a smile on our face but it wasn't always easy, in fact, there were days we just didn't go anywhere because it was easier.  Alex had always wanted to live at the beach and so the beach it was. 

I had grown up spending time at my great grandmother's cabin down in Longbeach, WA so that is where we started looking.  We spent about three months looking before we gave up.  We weren't finding any homes/property that we could afford to rent and something just didn't feel right.  Our goal was to find a place where we could start our business over again and become successful which meant finding an area with little to no competition. We decided to look a little farther north and that's when we found it, the little town of WESTPORT, WA. 

Both of us were a little nervous but something just felt right and we felt driven to this tiny little town that neither of us had ever heard of.  In April we made the decision to just take a drive out to this tiny little town and that is when it all felt real.  As we drove into town something just felt right.  I can't tell you what exactly it was but I can tell you, it was that moment that I felt like this was home.  We spent the day driving around town looking for rental homes.  Our other goal was to verify that there wasn't another computer repair place in town and see if people thought there was a need for such a place.  Going shop to shop on the strip talking to business owners, everyone said they think it would be a need in this town so that people no longer had to drive all the way into town (twice) to get their computer fixed.  I was also offered a job if we found a place by memorial day. 

We took down information from the few rentals we'd found and called when we got home.  Sadly they either never called us back or wanted a ridiculous amount because we didn't have any guarantied income yet.  We kept looking though.  In June we came down for five days and went camping hoping that we would find something if we just had a little more time.  The job was still open but we still weren't finding anything. 

Week after week passed and I ended up losing the job.  I got a little discouraged and felt like maybe, just maybe this wasn't the right place for us.  July came and I got a call from the guy that wanted to hire me.  He ended up letting the person go that he'd hired and offered me the job again.  This kicked us into gear...twice, the same job opening for me, this had to be right.  We kept in close contact with our realtor who was desperately trying to help us find a home, we'd even resorted to looking at homes for sale, maybe we could do a rent to own or something...  We'd looked into it but were trying to avoid living in a camper where we'd have to use a laundromat as that would add up real quick. 

All of a sudden we had a feeling to look into this one piece of property again and we did.  The whole reason why we'd been avoiding it was we figured the lady was still living there, but she wasn't.  There was this perfect little piece of property (about the same size as our old property).  While there wasn't a house, there was a large fifth wheel with a decent sized utility room with hookups for washer/dryer, etc. Our realtor was able to get information and we were able to get a owner contract.  We signed all the papers in late August and started packing everything up.  August 15th we packed everything into the moving truck with hopes to be out of there around 2pm.  Needless to say, by the time we were packed and ready to go, it was 11o'clock and pitch black. 

Alex was driving the moving truck and I had the jeep and our utility trailer.  He was worried about me because it was late I am night blind but with few people on the road, I figured it would be okay.  For the most part it was an uneventful drive.  It was a learning experience as I'd never pulled the trailer and it was a little over weight which caused it to fishtail going down hills.  It was also the night I got pulled over for drunk driving, once again because the trailer was fishtailing.

We got in around 2am and decided we'd just set up our air mattress on the floor of the camper.  Alex and I started looking everywhere for the key that our realtor was going to leave us if she hadn't heard anything by that afternoon. Unfortunately it was no where to be found, luckily we had originally plan on just tenting it the first night until we could get in and vacuum/shampoo the carpets so the tent was right there along with our air mattress...sadly the air pump had gotten stuck in the wrong tote and was buried under everything.  We set the tent up on the deck, put Luke's playpen inside and layered as many blankets as we could to make a bed for us...  The next day we got our keys and unloaded a 26' moving truck all by ourselves. 

Over the next year we have had a lot of changes in our lives, but all have been for the better.  Here are just a few.

Sept 2012 - Moved into our new home.
Oct 2012 - Re-opened the business (and grew leaps and bounds with in the first couple months)
Oct 2012 - Celebrated Luke's 2nd Birthday
Dec 2012 - I got a job as a nutrition educator
Apr 2013 - Expecting our second child
July 2013 - I got a summer job
July 2013 - Got a physical location for the business
Aug 2013 - Found out we were having a baby girl.
Aug 2013 - Had family up
Aug 2013 - Grand opening for our shop. 

Its been quite the year and I'm sure there are a lot of things that I've missed but overall its been a good year.  Its harder being away from family but we knew we were supposed to be here for a reason.  The business has grown quickly and now that we have a physical location, its growing even faster.  Our goal it to build a home that we really like in the next couple years.  Here are a couple pictures of the house we want to build.

Home & Floor plan

 

Detached Garage/Guest Room

We'd like to add a small bathroom into the upstairs.

We want to put the garage on the front of the property facing the road and the house will be butted up against it facing the back of the property so the big windows overlooked the back yard and garden. 

Right now we're also praying that the farm bill will soon be passed by congress so that I can go back to work again.  WSU is currently waiting on funding before we can start teaching again. 

The day I dread...

For some the glucose test is just another part of pregnancy, but for others like myself, it is dreaded.  Last time I took the test, no one gave me any warning about how it would make me feel.  I was given the choice between the syrupy drink (which everyone said was gross) or a bag of jelly beans.  Of course I chose the jelly beans.  I was given 30 minutes to eat them and then my blood was drawn 30 minutes after I finished. In the mean time I ended up not feeling good at all.  My midwife had to turn on the AC just to keep me from getting sick at the office.  I went through hot flashes and would go from pale to bright red.  In the end, I passed with flying colors which is no surprise to me. 

Today I had to do that same test again, except this time I had to drink the syrup.  I had the choice between orange and lemon lime...I chose the lemon lime.  It was hard to get down but I managed it with in the 5 minutes, then the clock started.  I went and sat back down in the lobby.  Fifteen minutes in and I was feeling the effects, although this time, it was different.  Rather than sweating and over heating, I started shaking and shivering.  I knew my body was in over drive. 

For those who don't know, I have dealt with low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) since before I was out of high school.  I had to carry glucose tablets for many years although I have managed to balance my diet to a point where its rare that I have challenges.  Unfortunately this the gluecose test has adverse effects because of this.  My body rapidly processes sugars and so to raise the levels so high all at once causes my body to go into overdrive.   I also had to fast this time, which is something I haven't done in about five years.  Last time I fasted my roommate and her sister had to practically carry me to the car after church because I started to pass out. 

Apparently they were running behind because they didn't even get me into a room till 9:30 but in a way I was grateful.  I got into the room with one of those big comfy recliner arm chairs that rock.  I just laid my head back, half way curled up and rocked.  Alex took Luke out to go potty and my doctor came in.  He told me I didn't look good and to just sit still...so I did. We talked about a few things and then he told me to go get my blood drawn and then eat. 

I had to sit there for about 15 minutes before they could do the draw.  Once I was done we headed for the truck so I could eat/drink something and headed on to do our shopping.  We spent the afternoon shopping along with an appointment for the business.  I kept getting dizzy if I bent over to grab something off the shelf, it didn't seem to matter how slow I stood up.  I also took the tape off my arm and have a funny looking (splotchy) bruise.  Sadly, its not from where I was poked but where the tape didn't want to come off. 

For the most part I've just lazed around tonight as I'm still not feeling the best and I ended up with a headache.  I'm praying for a "good night sweep" as my little monster says.  Hope it will help to clear part of this out of my system.