Franklin, love at first *sigh*......

I was in love with Franklin, Tennessee before I even set foot in it.
How can you not, when Main Street looks like a  Mayberry redux.

Check out this video-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3dbeXE7St8

check out all the STYROFOAM....  cups, plates, everything is in Styrofoam. This definitely isn't the PNW!



I flew into Nashville for the Lampo Christmas Party a few weeks ago, and had a great weekend with Josh.
We went from the airport to 'our' new place- " Gray's on Main" for dinner. It is an old Pharmacy that has been converted into an amazing restaurant. Amazing food, ambiance and service.

http://www.graysonmain.com/

Saturday before the party, we drove the Natchez Trace-- so beautiful! I love the fact that commercial traffic is not allowed. It was a bit disturbing however that we happened upon some vultures consuming a dead deer... natures clean up crew! (ICK!)
War of 1812 monument-- for all of the men who died marching down the Trace...
I am so excited to explore all of the history.



The 150th anniversary of the battle of Franklin will be next spring-- in MY BACKYARD!

http://www.carnton.org/events.htm

Moving closer.

We have a home in Tennessee.
The Lord has blessed us beyond measure with this sweet home-- I saw it on Craigslist and instantly fell in love. According to the map,  it is in the exact area Josh wanted us to be in, but a bit more than we were willing to spend. I instantly texted Josh the link, so excited!

I e-mailed the Landlord and started the line of communication. He was ok with dogs, "maybe" on cats.

Well, we found out after we got the address that this house is exactly where we DIDN'T want to be... on the East side of Franklin, where traffic can be a bear.

Josh reluctantly went to look at it,( took him 12 minutes to get there from work!) and decided upon seeing it, that I may just kill him if we didn't rent it.
This home is on an idyllic tree lined street, and backs up to this amazing place... 112 acres of reclaimed battlefield-  Eastern Flank Park-

http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/eastern-flank-battlefield-park/

and the beautiful Carnton Plantation-

http://www.carnton.org/carnton_history.htm

We prayed about it, and felt very conflicted. There was no doubt this is an amazing house. But we didn't want to hinder our savings by reducing our leverage since we will still have a mortgage in WA.


Josh met with the Landlord last night, and he wholeheartedly agreed to our terms of lower rent cost, and a long term lease. We will even have the option to purchase the home if we would like, as they would like to eventually sell it. Inside pics to come, the CL link has been removed since it is ours now! C'mon February!

Mountains. Real ones.

It was a gorgeous  sunny winter day in Maple Valley today.The kind of day that reminds you how beautiful it is here. The Glory of God's Creation was shining through the incredible sunrise this morning.I tried to take a picture with my phone, and it just didn't do it justice. Yes, it is gray many months of the year, with perpetual drizzle-- or 'mist'  but it is these beautiful clear days when Mt. Rainier reminds you that she is indeed there, behind the cloud cover that really bring home how spectacular the views in Washington State are. I fear I have taken her for granted for too long, now that I am leaving. Seeing her when we cross the floating bridge, standing tall at the South end of 1-5.. Feeling as if we can reach out and touch her while driving SR 410.
 She was in all her glory with her crazy double ringed UFO cloud hat jauntily perched to the side, magnificent behind the grocery stores and strip malls that are 4 corners today. This phenomenon is called a 'lenticular cloud' and locals know that if she is wearing a 'hat' rain is imminent within 24 hours.

 Maybe it is because absence makes the heart grow fonder-- so when she IS out we appreciate her more? In College Geology class we learned about her geological makeup,and volcanic activity- joking that she really is just a cardboard cut out for tourists, since she is so elusive most of the year. I always feel badly for out of town guests who would like a glimpse, as she rarely complies.
 Even summertime trips to Grand Park, Paradise, or Sunrise is often met with a wall of clouds, and we are left making lame excuses as to when she may make an appearance- August maybe? September? a Random day in June? December 11th?!

view from Lake Wilderness, Maple Valley WA

Mt. Rainier, I am going to miss you.  

Let 2014 be the year of Financial Freedom!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-K8-yGev7E

Frozen!

Woke up to no water this AM... no shower, which is bad because when I looked in the mirror I literally looked like  this guy..minus the hair color..

Praying that we don't have any burst pipes, waiting for things to warm up a bit, so we can check. Temperature is still in the teens here, and not expected to get above freezing until later this week. We may even see some snow! Right now it is just beautiful 19 degrees and (COLD) blue skies!

 So grateful for friends and family helping out. MIL stopped by with some bottled water, which enabled me to have my first cup of coffee, and my BIL is stopping by after church. I was on Facetime with Josh when I first noticed it, and checked the hot water tank, checked the garage for leaks, and checked the meter outside.

 Meanwhile, we are thankful for a warm home, and plenty to eat- although the cats are sure they are starving...
In TN news, I am leaving on Friday! Only a few more days and I will see Josh. We may have found a house to rent, it is closer to Nashville than we planned, but still keeps his commute around 20 minutes avoiding the major roads that can become backed up. As much as we laugh about the 'traffic' in Nashville compared to here, there are a few places that get backed up badly. The house is larger than ours, on 3 acres, and close to shopping- apparently there is a Publix and a few other amenities very nearby.
Here is the link- We are praying for the Lord's direction as to whether or not this is the home for us. It seems like a great opportunity as we are planning on renting for a year before we sell here and buy a home in Tennessee.
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5821-Claxton-Ct-Nashville-TN-37221/41191154_zpid/

It is a little dated, but I know that we can make it a home quickly. Just eager to have all of our family/pets together in one state. Josh is going to go check it out today.

*update- the house was neat, but just rented out this weekend. Looking at another today, meeting with the same rental agent as the house above. I know the Lord will provide the perfect house for our family when the time is right. I am just eager to have my ducks in a row. In the meantime,I am going to start reading the new book I was given yesterday- "Choosing Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh De Moss....

Purging.

You never know how much stuff you have until you move. Moving for me was a forcing function.I look at it and think- "Do I want to lug that to TN?" Nope. "Can I replace it if I need it?" Absolutely.

 I hold onto things for waaaaay longer than I should, because I am a sentimental sap.
When I first started to clean out kids rooms for the move, I found Dylan's crib bedding. I *did* have a plan to make her a quilt with it, but seeing as I sold my sewing machine, that isn't going to happen. I also found a box of tiny DK shoes. I had no idea we still had them. They should have been passed down years ago.

A source of "humorous contention" in our household is my childhood bike. It is a mid 70's, electric blue, sparkly banana seat, 3 speeded Schwinn. I will never ride it again. My kids will never ride it. But, I am not willing to part with it. It has been carted from apartment to house, to apartment, to house and to house... for 20+ years. Well, a couple of days ago, I came thisclose to breaking up with it. Apparently, there is quite the market  on eBay, and I was tempted. Really tempted. The joke has been for years that we should just hang it on the wall.
I do have a different Schwinn mounted above my mantle currently, so I have promised that it will go away, and the blue Schwinn will move to that place of honor in TN. See, compromise!

I am afraid the poor people at the Goodwill drop off dread seeing me pull up in my little blue Corolla, crammed full. My Mom came over last week and had a SUV for her rental car, so we were able to take a larger load, for which I am thankful!
Dropped another load off today, and packed up books in the office until I ran out of boxes. It feels good to either pack stuff, or get rid of it. As I walk around the house all I can think of is "can I get rid of that?!" I am worried whether or not a 32 foot trailer will REALLY hold our entire household. I know people do it all the time, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the reality of all my earthly possessions fitting into that ONE trailer...

I cleaned out the attic and purged much of the holiday stuff I don't use, and found some dishes for my sister in law.

I am excited that my trip to Franklin for the Christmas Party is rapidly approaching- only 11 more days! I only wish  I had thought about it more and booked my return trip on Monday. I will only have 1 full day there, and it would cost $200 to change it. Boo.However, I am going to focus on the blessing of the opportunity to fly down and see him, and that he is coming home for Christmas just a couple weeks later!

Reality.

Wow.
We are really doing this.
For a couple months it was more of an 'idea'-- "wouldn't  it be neat to live in Tennessee?" and then "When we move to Tennessee"...
  I was jolted into this new reality when I saw Josh's current city listed as "Franklin, Tennessee" on Facebook.
 I  got teary eyed when I saw the Olympic Mountains from I-90 heading into Seattle a couple of weeks ago, contrasted with the beautiful bright blue skies.
I am going to miss my Mt. Rainier, when it decides to make an appearance behind the Safeway in Maple Valley.
 Our weekdays still look mostly the same without Josh here. We were used to him being home around 8 pm. Even later some nights, so it still doesn't really seem that he is so far away. It is surreal to think that he is so far away, that he couldn't just 'pop' home. There are no direct flights to Nashville from Seattle. The trip is a minimum of 7 hours. Weekends are harder. I am thankful that the Christmas Season is upon us, so we will have more things to fill up our weekends ( besides packing!)
My house no longer seems a 'home' or even ours. As I take curtains and pictures off the walls, and the boxes are starting to stack up, it becomes less and less personal. Maybe because my heart is already in Tennessee.

Interviews

The interview process was LOOOOONNNNNG.
We scoured the internet for as much information as possible to find out what to expect. Every tidbit we found was that it takes a while.
We are West-Coasties, and used to things moving quick! Dave is very circumspect in his hiring, and for good reason- he has a 4% turnover rate.
Josh went through 4 video interviews, which I was able to sit in the same room and listen in on. That was so cool. I am so proud of Josh. I know he is a "rock-star" and have always been his biggest cheer leader. I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to listen in on the process, and that they were just as excited for US to work for them as we are to work for THEM!

After the video interviews for Josh, it was MY turn. I was very nervous, but it went well, and I left the video chat feeling encouraged.
Next, Lampo sent us the salary they were planning on offering us. We had to submit a family budget to prove that we could live on it. Once it was approved, they flew both of us to Nashville.
The interviews at Lampo took all day, and in the middle I met Josh for the spousal interview-- we sat down and had lunch with the CIO, the Executive Director and his wife. They would finish up the interviews, and then they would sleep on it and pray over it, and asked us to do the same, and we would hear from them the following day.
Lampo graciously allowed us to stay an extra day in Nashville, paying an extra day on our rental car, while we covered the extra night at the hotel.
We were playing tourists at Belle Meade Plantation when we got the call-- and accepted the job!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

The Beginning

I sent my boy to Tennessee today.....

. Without a firm spiritual foundation and understanding of God's perfect plan for our lives, this looks crazy.

I was born and raised in WA. Our families are here.
 Josh had a great job at Microsoft that he loved. We have a wonderful church family we are involved with, an amazing Homeschool Community, so why leave this all behind move to Tennessee?

Let me start from the beginning- so you can see the big picture-God's picture, with His perfect fingerprints all over it.
Back in February, Josh was happy with his job,  Our  Classical Conversations Community was growing by leaps and bounds, and life was good...but the Lord had something up His sleeve.

On a dark and stormy night...
Josh was driving home listening to the Dave Ramsey show on the radio. Now Dave has been a huge influence in our lives. Helping us finally overcome the slavery of debt. There is no exaggeration in saying he has changed our lives drastically.( I'd be happy to expound on this, just ask)

Dave said, "Hey, are you passionate about helping people and love technology? Come work for me!"
Josh thought to himself, "I love helping people, and I am passionate about technology, so why not?"

He called me on the way home and asked what I thought. I am always up for adventure and new things, but  I had to remind him that Dave lives in Tennessee.
It is (really)  hot there in the summer. It is landlocked.  And in case you haven't noticed, Tennessee is not on the West Coast.  These have all been non-negotiable in the past, part of the "I never's"-- which we all know to make sure that those  kinds of statements should not be made, since they inevitably are almost always self fulfilling prophecies..

We decided to submit his resume to Dave's Company, The Lampo Group. but admitting that the only way it would work would be a September/October time frame so that we wouldn't miss out on our bonus and stock grants from MS.

The next night, same scenario... but this time, Dave said... " Remember when I mentioned we were hiring? Well, we are a small company, and we had 20,000 applications submitted so far this year, and we have hired 18. So, unless you are extraordinary, or you know someone, we are sorry that we most likely won't be able to get back to you."

Well, weeks and months passed, and we hadn't heard anything from The Lampo Group. The door seemed closed. Josh went on to be promoted at work, and we were gearing up for a new school year for Classical Conversations when we got an e-mail-- in late AUGUST- "Are you still interested in this job?"