It's official

Guess I'll start with the bad news.

We thought this process was going to go differently than it has. The house is on the market for sale now, short sale that is. We have spent the last 3 months preparing for the sale in hopes that we would be able to walk away with some money even if there wasn't a job. We were so ok with that. Dan was considering going back to school full time to finish up his degree and get into a totally different industry of geology (something he LOVES). We talked about it for weeks and realized with the sale of our home we could do so without a job, at least for a short time of 3 years or so. We decided on Utah, of course where we could both attend college and do what we both so badly wanted to do. Then as the weeks passed and we weren't getting any bites job wise we concluded that maybe this was Heavenly Fathers plan....not so much. All that work we did on the house was to keep us sane during this time. I don't know what we would have done if we had not had so much stuff to do, really. I'm so grateful for the hard labor, which in turn made us appreciate all that we had so much more, and our sanity in the end. I've become somewhat of a hermit, I don't really like leaving the house, talking to people and I've gained some emotional weight. Having your husband out of work, not by his choice, due to the economy, is so so hard. While life continues for all those around you, yours just stops and slams you into a brick wall. We have survived by Faith alone. Knowing that there is a greater plan and that if we just trust and be patient things will work out, in Gods time. Patience is a true virtue. You really know who your true friends are at a time like this...they call you, check in and ask "are you ok". It's the people that I never expected who are those. The Missionaries have become members of our family, we love them so much. They always show up at the lowest moments when we feel hopeless, and that's when we know Heavenly Father hears our prayers.

On to the house.....
The housing market is not so good right now, all over the US. It's a "BUYERS MARKET". Luckily we were referred to a wonderful agent and she gave it to us straight. All the work we did wasn't for nothing, it just will not be helping us get money back. After much anguish, prayer and discussions, we decided on a 'Short Sale'. Not the funnest of sales, but it will help us move along quicker, resulting in a total loss and hence an 18 month ding in credit. You know, it's not the money loss or the fact that we are GIVING our home away, its the not knowing what's to come that leaves a knot in my gut. Starting over is like an adventure, one I am so willing to make at this point (we all are) just to move on with the next chapter in our lives. So with that said, we are officially on the market and we've had a storm of Realtors & families coming through (thank heavens the kids are gone). It's only been a week and we have four offers, which is great for the bank!

Now for the good news. Jessica will be home next week! How I miss this girl so much. She has been a real trooper throughout this crazy time. She's my fixer girl, hugger and support...only she can't be here so it kills her. I'm so thankful she's at school and has managed to keep her mind on her studies. The kids are still at Grandma & Grandpa's...at least until Saturday. They are anxious to come home, its been over 2 weeks that Dan and I have seen them! We've had so much ucky stuff to do with the house that it just worked out. My sweet friend Melanie is flying down for the weekend to hang out with me!! I need this so badly. She makes me laugh and it will certainly be good for my depression. Then next week, Lyndsie will be making the trip back to Denver to see her best friend Cassandra, see the JONAS BROTHERS CONCERT, and then she will be with Melanie and her family for about 3 weeks. It's a big trip for her, but again, I'm grateful for friends and one especially who loves my daughter/kids so much she wants to kidnap her for the entire summer! Wait, there IS more....As for the job search, we have put everything we have in this and finally we are now getting calls! See the Lord does answer prayers. Dan will be leaving on Sunday for a few days for a 2nd interview. Some of the details are fuzzy but lets just say its not our first choice! We've prayed about this, researched everything but yet we felt like something just wasn't clicking....then he got a call from another company and they too did a first interview and will be scheduling a 2nd face to face next week sometime. I tell you, there is a plan and it comes in its own time. We are so grateful that we will be able to make a choice, two different areas, two great companies that will provide a 'CAREER'. And both have education assistance so Dan will be able to finish up his schooling. Everything is starting to come together, finally.

Today I feel like I can breathe again.