Here We Go Again...

Well, we've been living in Oregon for 10.5 months now, which means it's about time for another move! Are we having fun yet? We got the official news yesterday that we'll be moving to Chicago, Illinois! It's been a roller-coaster of emotions the last couple weeks trying to figure out where we would/should be going, but now that it's all settled, we are thrilled! It's so nice to be done with that awful process and now we can start making plans. Chicago was never a place I was dying to live, but now that I've done some research on it, I'm really excited! I think it will be a great place to call home. And the best part??? It's only 3 hours from my sister Heidi in Iowa and 2.5 from my sister Amy in Indiana! (They're moving from Idaho this summer too). Party in the midwest!

Jeremy will be doing sales in the Electrical Division of Eaton. He's going to be in charge of the alternative energy category (wind, solar, etc.), and he's really excited about it. It's one of the largest sales offices they have, so he should have a chance to meet a lot of great people. AND, since Chicago is so huge, most of his customers will be local, so his travel should be very minimal. Hooray! Another great thing is that the office is actually about 30 miles west of Chicago, so he won't be commuting into the city. There are a lot of great suburbs nearby full of LDS members, great schools, and all the amenities. It should be fun!

We have friends from Pittsburgh that live in Batavia (west of his office - most likely in the Stake we'll be in) and I have a few friends from BYU Singers that have lived or currently live in the area too. Yea for connections! I'm a little nervous for the winter, but I'm hoping after the worst winter EVER it will be slightly better this next year? Maybe? Hopefully? We'll definitely need to stock up on winter gear, but we have several months to worry about that.

So there's a lot to do in the next 2 months as we prepare for another move. This is our 4th summer in a row moving, so we're getting to be pretty proficient at it, but there's still a lot to do. We just booked flights to go out and look for a place in May, and thanks to my wonderful parents, we will be going by ourselves! It will be our first trip without kids EVER. I'm just a little excited. I asked my mom a year ago if she would babysit for us, knowing we would be moving again and that I wouldn't be nursing a baby (ahem, still working on that). I love my children and I know I will miss them like crazy but I'm positively giddy thinking about being alone for a few days with my husband!!!

In answer to the question, "Are you sad to be leaving Portland?" Uh, YES. For sure. I love Oregon. So so much. But as much as I hate leaving all the wonderful places I come to love, it's also fun to see so many great areas and explore new places.  I really love our country and its diversity and I know we'll love wherever we live. I didn't realize how much I LOVE to travel either until the last few years and now we tell people, "we don't travel, we just move every year". It really is a great way to see the country!  We'll also be sad to leave the West Coast because it always feels like home - near where we both grew up and full of familiar things and our parents in the state below, but it's on to the next adventure folks! No time for tears! Here.....we.....go!!!!!!!!