Where We're At

I've been busy getting the new place organized, so I haven't been really dedicated to the blog world.

For those of you wondering about our move. We changed it up again. In the seven years Jim and I have been married, we've lived in seven different homes.

1. Married Student Housing at USU

2. A little $300 a month, over 100 year old, rental in Smithfield, UT (Corky's first home)

3. The HUGE fixer-upper in Richmond, UT that we never finished fixing up, but were able to sell (thankfully)

4. We lived with Jim's mom for six months while we were getting settled in Boise

5. Our little blue duplex (Tralee's first home)

6. Our modular home in the country (Hunter's first home)

7. Our new diggs -- WHICH I LOVE!!!

I wasn't too happy out in the country. We were far from everything I wanted to get to, the home (even though Jim fixed it up nicely) was run-down, our neighbors weren't the best, and we were paying too much for what we had. So. . . finally we got out of it!

Now we live in a house that I love. It's nothing fancy, in fact my brother refers to these kinds of home as McMansions (the cookie-cutter, slapped together kinds), but it has EVERYTHING I want. The home features a fenced in back yard, two car garage, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, large bonus room, walk-in closets, walk-in pantry, it's in a nice neighborhood in a central location, we're paying WAY less than we were, and it's fairly new. We're renting for the time-being until we can figure out what our next step is.

Isn't it funny how differently our lives can end up than we first envisioned? When Jim and I were at USU he did all the pre-requisites for pharmacy school. Then he decided he didn't want to be a pharmacist, so school was put on the back-burner so he could start his cabinet business. I was always determined to get my bachelors degree before we had children, and I'm so glad I did. It was because of my BS in English Lit that I was able to land my SUPER fun job at the Boise Art Museum before the kidos came along. My job helped us out a TON while Jim was getting his business up and running. By the time Tralee came along, I was able to quit my job and enjoy motherhood while Jim's work paid the bills. Our lives were going according to the new plan.

Well. . . the economy took a nosedive, and we, like many, were affected. Not a whole lot is happening in the construction world, and we're so grateful for the work Jim does receive. We get by. That being said, we realize just getting by isn't the life we've worked so hard for. It's not the life we've envisioned. So. . . we're thinking Jim should go back to school.

Jim recently completed an EMT program in December and for a while we were considering for him to get into fire-fighting. Then we found out how competitive it is. It can take a LONG time to be hired on at a fire house. That option is still there, but in the meanwhile we're looking at our other options.

With Jim's 130+ credit hours of pre-pharmacy he has MOST of the pre-requests done for anything in the health care field. So, we're leaning towards a Medical Radiology program. He can get an associates degree, and then pick a field to specialize in and go on to get his bachelors or even continue with school if he wants to/needs to. We're thinking, cabinetry will ALWAYS be there. He does beautiful work and loves it, but it would be nice to have something that's a little more "economy proof." Most things in health care are. Also, our children are still young, and they'll still be young when Jim completes his schooling.

We still have some research to do, and we're not sure how soon Jim can start school again. We're not 100% sure what he should go back to school for, but like I said we have an idea. Most schools have already started their spring semester, so we might have to wait a few months, but it's exciting to think of the possibilities. It's exciting to wonder where this new path might take us. We pray everyday to know which path to take. If you want to slip our names into one of your prayers that would be okay too. :)

So. . . that's where we're at in our lives at the moment. 2009 was kind of tough. We DID get our beautiful, perfect, happy little boy. I think Hunter came to us to be the beacon of light; to make sure we stayed happy when times got tough. I mean, how can you not be happy when you look at his happy, chubby, smiling face? Tralee also brought us so much joy. You can't be sad around Innocent, cute, happy little spirits. Thank goodness for my beautiful children.

Here's to 2010 being a great year!