Goodbye California!

 

Wow, it’s been an awfully long time since my last submission. A lot has happened since October, and my online presence has been spotty at best. Big changes have come and gone, and in sooth, there will be plenty of new adventures and hilarious mishaps to report in the not so distant future.

The job search over the last year has been fruitless. The few calls I’ve received were for job openings that I might have considered twenty years ago when my rent was $700 and gas was a dollar a gallon. People don’t value experience anymore, so something needed to change.

And change it did. In September my husband resigned from his job of 22 years. We put our south Orange County townhome up for sale and began searching out-of-state options. Jeff’s dream had always been to buy some land in Idaho and live a slower-paced, more rural lifestyle. After 25 years in the corporate grind, I was willing to make the leap with him.

For about three months, our days consisted of gathering and sorting 17 years worth of accumulated “stuff”. The house soon became a maze of cardboard boxes and bubble-wrap. We listed the house and received an offer the next day.

Jeff made a trip up to Idaho on his own. His realtor had found several listings in the area which we had narrowed down to one, which turned out to be an absolute DUMP.  A miraculous last-minute find on the part of our wonderful realtor produced another listing, though. A little higher than we wanted to pay, but already boasting the amenities that we were looking for. Jeff fell in love with it immediately. He made an offer while he was there, which was accepted the following day.

Shortly after Jeff returned, the buyers of our townhome backed out. We were devastated. Jeff considered  calling our Idaho realtor to retract our offer. I said “No, let’s pray about this!” Thankfully, God was listening, and completely on board with this venture. We re-listed the house, and within a few days received an offer from a newlywed couple who were in a hurry to vacate their current abode.

Game on.

After that, it was a mad whirlwind of paperwork, repairs, garage sales, Goodwill pick-ups, packing and cleaning. One day, in the middle of January, movers came and loaded up all our worldly possessions. We sat in our garage, which was empty except for some folding chairs and a few morose neighbors. This was it. Our last night in California.

The biggest adventure of our lives was about to begin.

 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8