In the Margins...

Even though I'm currently experiencing a slower pace of life right now, there seems to be a lot going on in the sidelines.

The job (my job) didn't work out. I could say a million things about how something just didn't feel right from the moment I walked in to start, but the simple fact of the matter was that the job wasn't what I thought it would be. Travel. Sales. It felt like a pit of misery, and no one there seemed really happy. All that really mattered was that they misrepresented the amount of travel required, and I wasn't willing to travel as frequently as they actually needed. 3 days is definitely my record for length of time on a job (considering I was with GE nearly 10 years).

With that in mind, I've officially begun the process of becoming certified to teach here in SC so that I can fulfill a longtime dream of mine and finally start teaching. I won't actually be able to start until August, so in the meantime I'm going to wear spend my day smooching on my babies, and hopefully picking up some new skills (ie, knitting) and getting situated in our own place.

Will keep on updating here!

-Ker

Home, perhaps?

Josh and I went to see a home today. A cute home built in the 60's. Although it completely goes against the style and tendencies of modern homes, I'm already quite smitten with it. The owner couldn't sell it after a few months on the market, and we can't really buy a home at the moment. It would appear to be the ideal situation for each of us for her to rent us the home. It is VERY close to J's folks (only a few doors down) so we already know the neighborhood and a good chunk of the neighbors.

So - anyway - back to the home. It really does need some TLC in the form of a good scrub down and cobweb dusting, and there are some minor cosmetic things we are interested in changing that the home owner would have no problem with. I'm so excited to decorate and play up to the retro era the home was built in!

The kitchen is teeny tiny, the bathrooms are also teeny tiny, but the living space is great, and we are so stoked about the possibility of having a screened in porch, and also having a big fenced in backyard with plenty of trees for the boys to play in!

Our hope is to be able to move into our own place in March. Keep your fingers crossed that the job hunt for J is successful!

In the meantime, I'm going to stalk Pinterest for retro decorating ideas, and keep my eyes open for storage ideas we'll need to make this new space work (ie, vanity table for a "getting ready" area for me, possibly an actual Wardrobe/Armoir since we wouldn't have much closet space, and plenty of vintage Pyrex dishes!).

I'll try to keep up with the posts here as often as I can, but until we get our own office set up in our own place, it may be sporadic. Hope everyone is having a great year!

Click click click

Everything is just clicking into place. I feel more at home everyday, and continue to feel so grateful each day we are here, surrounded by the woods and all the neat wildlife (I <3 squirrels!).  I love nature watching from my in-laws big back window that overlooks the deck and wooded lot behind their home. I had no idea what all the fuss about birds was before we got here, but now I know! Turns out birds do come in colors besides varying shades of grey and brown.

All of the lazy laying about the house comes to an end on Monday, when I start my new job! Only two weeks in, and I've already accomplished one of my goals for 2012. I won't go into it too much except to say that it is a great company that provides excellent benefits.

I don't think we'll truly feel at home until we are in our own place, both employed, and Josh has his own mode of transportation. I've set a goal of having all these checked off by the end of March. The major hurdle to these is finding employment for Josh. We are hopeful that he will find work with similar arrangements to mine so we can maximize our family time (so avoiding retail would be nice).

Look forward to providing updates as we continue to settle in to our new lives!

Settling In

The last few days have been all about continuing to adjust to our new life. I finally drove for the first time since we left Phoenix. Granted, it was only a quick drive to Hardees, but it still counts! Plus, I didn't get lost or drive into a ditch off of one of these narrow country roads.

On the job front, I've got a promising lead, and I hope to hear from them by Monday. If I can get that squared away, then we can focus on finding something fun for Josh to do.

We've also been driving around the neighborhood and looking at potential new homes (assuming I can get financed). Most of the homes in the area are older bricks- definitely different than we are used to!

Will continue updating through my phone until I have a computer set up (which probably won't be until we are in our own place).

Happy New Year

Our little family is looking forward to what 2012 will bring, and making new memories and traditions. Happy New Year!