The Job!

It has been a little while since I've posted any updates so I thought today would be as good as any to do it. I found a job! Well, actually, I found it about 2 and a half weeks ago but I didn't get the job offer until yesterday. Today I found out how much I'll be making and my start date. I'm very excited. With this job we will also get a free apartment near where Doss is going to go to school. There were a lot of thing we were unsure about when we decided to move to Oregon and it feels like this job will tie up most of the loose ends.

I'll be doing basically the same thing I was doing in Hawaii. When I left my last job I didn't think I would ever want to do that line of work again but after going to the interview for this job I found out that there are companies out there that value their employees. I was so glad to hear that they have very little turn over and the reason my position was even open was that the lady who had it before me was promoted.

We get a two bedroom apartment!! It has two bathrooms, a walk in closet in the master bedroom, a dining room, a washer and dryer and a dishwasher. I really can't wait to move in!!

We came to Oregon knowing that we were going to make it, but not knowing how, only that God would take care of it for us. God has delivered!! Things have gone really smooth. Not everything has been perfect but it has been really great. I don't think I could have asked for a better move. Now we just have to save our pennies until Doss starts school next fall. God is good!!

Follow the link to check out my new building, let me know what you think!! http://gslcherryridge.com/

First REAL day in Oregon

OK, so we have been in Oregon for a week now but today will be the first REAL day here. The last week we have just been getting used to the area and catching up on all the sleep we missed the week before we moved. We were getting on average 4 hours of sleep a night and for anyone that knows me knows that I need like 10 to be happy. But now we are all caught up and slightly know where we are, really not at all but I like to be optimistic, and ready to get going. I'm worried that I'm not going to find a job but I know that God has something in mind for me so I'm going to just wait for him to show me where to go.

I'm having a pretty hard time with the cold so I hope that gets better. I feel like I can't put enough layers on! Anyway, I'll keep this short today. Maybe more tomorrow about our first day of job hunting today. We'll see!

My last day of work

Well, I've finally made it. Today is my last day at the office. I'm pretty excited but also kind of sad. I'm going to miss some of my tenants but others I wont even think about. I've gotten to know so many people and learn things about them that most other never know. It is going to be a change not seeing them on a daily basis.

My trainee is doing great. I'm sure that once I'm gone she will have no trouble. I'm really excited for her because I know how good this job can be if you let it.

Doss and I have been staying up way too late this week. We are trying to get it all done after work and have found that the nights are going later and later. Today I'm feeling really worn out and I have a headache. I think its all from the hard work and lack of sleep. I'm looking forward to being done with all the moving stuff. I just want to go to Oregon and get settled.

I think this is all I can muster today. I'm beat!

My Last week at work

Well, this is my last week at my current job. I feel really good about how things are going. I'm really going to miss my coworkers and it seems like everyone is very excited for Doss and I. Training has been going well with my replacement. I hope that once I'm gone she can continue to teach herself. That's how I learned my job so I'm sure she can do the same.

We still aren't packed up yet. I'm starting to freak out a little. There is still stuff that needs to be done and almost no time to do it in. We are going to hit it hard today and hope for the best. If we can get all the left over stuff taken care of today and get the cleaning started tomorrow we should be fine. If the stuff isn't figured out by tonight then I may have to take half a day off work to get things going. It is so hard working all day and then only having a few hours at night to get things done. I'm sure we will figure it all out just fine.

Thursday our department is having a going away party for Doss and me. I'm excited, going away parties in my department are always so much fun! I can't wait for the food!! The food is always amazing and just getting together with everyone is great.

I guess that's about all for now. Just packing and getting ready. Pray that all goes well!!

The end of my current position

I only have today and next weeks 5 days left at my job! I am getting all of my work finished up and cleared out and teaching my replacement all of my bad work habits. It's great! I'm really starting to feel like we are moving, but only a little. I know that by this time next week I'm going to be a mess trying to get it all done and also so sad to leave my co-workers but I know that all will be well with the move.

We have really gotten a lot done in the last two days at home. We went through all of our junks in storage and all of our cloths. We now have a neat pile of clothes that need to be washed and packed. There is still stuff that we have to take care of but it is starting to feel more manageable when I think of it one thing at a time. If I think about everything that needs to be done I start to freak out a little but I know that I don't need to. This is going to be fine!

A Little Nutso

I've been feeling a little nutso lately. Time is getting way short now and I feel like we may not have enough time to get everything done. We still need to get rid of some stuff, we have to take other stuff to donate, we need to start getting rid of clothes we don't wear and packing up what we do. I'm getting slightly worried about this whole thing. I know logically that everything will get done before we go because we have no other option but at the same time I'm afraid that something will go wrong. But I'm sure if that does happen we'll be able to handle it just fine.

It is going to be so weird to not see the same sights every day. Everything is going to be pretty new. Yes, I live in Portland before but I was under 11 years old. So everything will be new to my adult eyes. And for sure everything will be new to Doss. Every time I sit and think about it I have butterflies in my stomach. I can't believe its almost time to go!

Only 10 more days but really its more like 9 because today is most of the way over!

Time is short

I'm moving in 12 days!! I can't believe it is coming so soon. There is still so much that we need to do to be ready but I'm sure we can get it done. As long as we stick to our guns we will be just fine. It is hitting me more and more that we are leaving. I'm starting to get kind of emotional about the whole thing.

I know that things will go well once we get there but the idea that we are leaving and I'm not sure when we will be back. I know that Doss is going to miss his family and we are both going to miss our friends. The closer we get to the move date the more afraid I get. But I'm not letting it get in my way. There is no turning back now!!

That's all for now. More later.

19 Days

Things are getting a little crazy. Not too too bad but all the same its a bit crazy. We are taking Doss' car in to ship tomorrow. It's kind of exciting. It will making this move all the more real.

I've started training my replacement. She is 41 has a daughter about 2 years younger than me and is really nice. I think she is going to be a fast learner and that all should go well for her. She is from California so she isn't quite used to how laid back we are here yet. I'm trying to get her ready for my departure by not only teaching her my job but by also letting her in on the office politics. It's always nice to have someone who can tell you who to be careful around and who will be your partner in crime.

I'm also sick! My boss was sick last Friday and now I too am not feeling well. There must be something going around because there are a few people out there who are not feeling so hot right now. I hope this cold doesn't get too bad. I don't want to miss any work. That way I get paid out for my leftover paid time off. All the extra money will come in handy later.

Things are going well. We really need to go through our boxes and stuff so we can figure out what to toss and what to donate. I'm starting to get really excited. I want to get everything packed already but we still have 3 weeks (19 days actually) so if I start packing now I'll have nothing to use before we leave. WOW!! 19 DAYS!!

The weekend is finally here!

I'm glad the weekend has made it here! I'm ready to take a break from all the work. I know that we have to get a lot done this weekend but at least we'll have more time to relax.

On Monday I start training the person replacing me. I hope all goes well. I don't know what I'm supposed to do if she learns really fast and I have to spend the next 3 weeks with her. I'll have nothing to do. But it's good because I'll be here in case anything comes up that she needs help on. I hope she is a really great addition to the department and the building. My tenants deserve someone good.

Things are still looking good for moving. Doss and I get more excited everyday. Our bosses seem less and less worried about us leaving so its more fun to joke around with them again. Other than all of that there really isn't much to add today. I'm just ready for the weekend!!

Moving right along

We sold the couch last night!! We now only have a few miner things to sell, some stuff to toss, and a little more to donate and we are ready to pack up and go. I'm so excited! We only have 24 days until we leave. I can't believe we are going so quickly. I'm actually starting to realize that I am going to be living in Oregon again. I really didn't think that would happen. It feels like we are building up to this big move but it hasn't fully hit me what we are about to do. My mind seems to be stuck in the same spot. I can see Oregon but I don't see me living there yet. It seems like a vacation but I'm sure once we get there that will all change.

Today, Deb reminded me about Halloween. Usually Doss and I (mostly Doss) make costumes. We really get a kick out of it. I'm not really sure how things are going to work this time round but I hope that we can at least do something fun for Doss. We have almost 2 months to plan but we can't work on anything till we get to Oregon which mean we only have 1 month to work on things once we get there. Last time we made 2 full body costumes including a full head of a monster and a bears hood and we only had 2 weeks to start and complete that. I'm sure with the right motivation we could get something together.

Nothing too much else going on right now. I'm ready to get going but we still have another 24 days here. I hope it goes by fast... but not TOO fast!

Things are starting to change

The bosses have already started interviewing people to fill our positions. Its kind of weird for me. I feel like they are my competition even though I know that I'm leaving. It's like I don't want them to be better than I am. I don't get it. But anyway, I have met one girl they interviewed. She seems nice and like she has a lot of energy but if she does get the job I'm afraid to train her. I just don't know what I would do with her for 8 hours a day. Its SO long. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

We are still selling all of our furniture. We have less and less stuff everyday. Today we are selling our couch but we agreed with the buys that if we couldn't get it through their door that we would take it back with us. So let's pray it fits! After we get that out of the way all we have left is small stuff that shouldn't take too much work. That will be nice. But once the couch is gone we'll have to sit on the floor to watch DVDs (as I said earlier we have no cable.) I really am excited though. I can't wait to leave. I'm ready to move on to the next step and get things over with over here.

I'm a little worried about all the hoops I have to jump through to get my drivers license and the registration changed over. I hope it isn't too hard. The way it is on the website it sounds like a million little things that have to be done and I'm not looking forward to that.

I hope that the jobs come quickly once we get to Oregon. I don't want to spend all the money we have saved just to pay bills. It would be great if we could get jobs right away and then be able to hold on to some of that money. But only time will tell how that will work out.

We haven't heard anything back about any of the jobs we applied for. I'm sure once we get to Oregon things will be better.

I guess that's all I have for right now. Keep us in your prayers!!

A Big Day

We gave our notice today! I was so nervous!! It went really well though. Our BIG boss wasn't in the office today so we gave our resignation letters to the boss we answer to directly. I really like him and we get along really well so on one hand it made it easier but on the other it made it harder. He seemed genuinely sad that we were leaving. At one point he even had to hold back tears. I'm not sure if those were tears that we were leaving or if they were tears that he had to replace us but either way it was kind of nice. He said he was sad to see us go because we were so good but he was really happy that we were chasing our dream.

I did let a few co-workers in on the secret before we gave our notice. They have been rooting for us this whole time. I really am going to miss everyone I work with SO much. Even when work got piled up and there was no end in sight my co-workers made my job worth doing. I am really very thankful that God blessed me with such amazing people. It gives me hope for my next job and all the people I will encounter in the future.

There is still so much to do before we leave but with this huge hurdle cleared it seems that we will be gone in no time. I'm really starting to get quite emotional about all of this. There is less than one month before we leave and it is getting clearer and clearer that my entire life is about to change and I pray that it is for the better.

Just a month and a half ago I was content to live my life out in Hawaii with Doss by my side and now look at us. A brand new adventure taking us to the mainland, a place I thought we would never live. Life really is amazing! I'm sure things are really going to start moving quickly now. Hold on tight because we are about to go on a wild ride!!

Time Marches On...

Today has been good. I've gotten a lot done and I'm ready to go home. Sounds like we may be selling some more junk today, so that's exciting. Some stuff is really moving and other stuff hasn't had any calls yet. I hope we can get rid of the couch!! Its our big ticket item and we really need it to go. Tomorrow is the big day.. we are giving our resignation notices! I'm very excited and also very nervous. Just today the bosses were talking about how all the positions are filled and they don't have to worry about anything for the time being... SURPRISE! I'm sure they will be fine without us but I know they will miss us too. We work too hard for them not to miss us.

Anyway, that's all for today. I'm too tired!!!

Wednesday is crap day

Today is Wednesday... I started off the day feeling really good, ok, not REALLY good, but good. Things were going well and Doss told me about some people interested in some different stuff we have listed right now. I was looking forward to selling some stuff and making our apartment look more and more empty. The more bare it looks the more I feel like I'm moving. Anyway, things were going well. All of my appointments showed up, well except for one lady who was too sick, and things were moving along well.

I got a call from Jamieson and it looks like he will fly out of Honolulu to Seattle with Doss and I and will be picking up his car at the same time we are. That was good to hear. I always like to be surrounded by family and if we can help Jamieson or he can help us it's even better.

After that I spoke with Deb! She let me know about some emails she had sent and about a trip to the Oregon coast. I went and read her email and I always enjoy that, the only thing was she had said that she talked to our dad in Oregon. Nothing odd there but then she picked up on his not so enthusiastic feelings on Doss and I moving to Oregon. When I talked to dad I just kind of played it off as him being concerned and I know that that is what he was trying to do. But for some reason when someone else picks up on the not so enthusiastic feelings it makes them seem all the more real.

Now I've begun to doubt myself. I feel like a failure or like I'm not equipped to handle this. Should we just stay in Hawaii in jobs that we hate so that people wont think that we are careless? I guess I knew that there was going to be someone who wasn't going to be excited about this and I guess that is probably why I told Dad last. I just kind of feel like crap right now. I know that we wont be going with as much money that we would be going with if we waited another 7 months but we have a good plan. We are willing to work any job that will give us some kind of income. We aren't expecting to loaf around and wait for something to come along. We just want a new start. Are we being crazy? I feel rather crushed at this point. I don't really want to finish out the day but I will. Anyway, I applied for 2 more jobs today.

I guess we'll see where things take us tomorrow.

WORKING

Today is Tuesday and things are going fine. Over the weekend we started selling all of our stuff on craigslist. It has gone pretty well so far. We still have quite a lot to sell but it looks like we are going to get it done. Doss is parting out the corrado and that should get us some much needed money. We will probably end up getting more for the car by selling it piece by piece than we would if we tried to sell the whole thing.

I talked to Dad in Oregon last night, everything looks good for us to stay with him when we arrive. I didn't want to put them out but it is such a relief not to have to worry about where we are going to stay.

Today Doss is making the appointment to ship the cars to the mainland. It looks like the first car is going on Sept 17th to arrive on October second the the other car is going on Oct 1st to arrive on Oct 16th. We are going to fly into Seattle and drive down to Portland and then when the second car comes in we are going to ride the train up to Seattle and drive back home. It actually sounds like it is going to be some fun.

We are giving notice to our boss this Friday. I hope all goes well. I'm actually pretty nervous about it but we are moving so there isn't much they can say about it. I'm glad that we are both quitting at the same time for me it makes it easier but I'm sure for them it it double the trouble.

So that's about all for now. Just working hard to get things sold and working hard at work to make sure everything is ready for when we leave. Keep us in your prayers!!

Friday

Ok, it's Friday! I love the weekend... especially this weekend. I hope to take pictures and post a bunch of our stuff on craigslist this weekend. I'm sure once we start selling things off it will feel more like we are actually moving. It already feels like our days in Hawaii are numbered though, we already got rid of cable and internet in a push to save more money. That should keep $119 a month in our pockets and we should get a refund on top of that. It may not seem like a lot but EVERY little bit is going to help. It is kind of odd having no TV to watch except for DVDs and our WII. It has given Doss and I more time to talk and spend with eachother.

I sent out 5 resumes today and applied for another job yesterday. I'm going to keep sending out resumes until I find something. I figure to start I may not get too many calls back because it is still a month until I get there but hopefully when the date gets closer I'll get more responses and if not, when I get to Oregon I'm going to be doing a LOT of looking. I'll take ANYTHING to get started with.

Doss called a couple mortuaries and sent out even more emails looking for an apprenticeship. I hope he can find one. If not I'm not too worried. I know that he is a hard worker and can do anything if it comes down to it. He used to work 16 hour days just to make sure I was taken care of and I know he isn't afraid to do that again if need be (I pray he doesn't have to!)

There seem to be plenty of places for rent in Portland so I'm looking forward to getting a chance to check them out. Pictures never tell the whole story. I'm really excited about this move!! It seems kind of crazy but darn it I know we will do well.

It looks like we plan to arrive in Seattle on October 1 and pick up our car on October 2 and then drive down to Portland that day. That will give us the weekend to check things out and if one of us has a job offer hopefully we can start work on Monday October 5th. That would be amazing!!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We need all the good thoughts and prayers we can get!!

Coming Soon to an Oregon Near You!

Well, we finally decided... Doss and I are going to move to Oregon in October. It might seem a little rushed but to us and some others it seems that all the signs are pointing us in that direction. We have a plan and we have a goal so as long as we stick together everything will work out. Let go and let God... that is going to be my motto for the next few months. I wont be able to control everything so I've decided to control nothing. God will have the power in this move and I'm going to let Him be in charge. Doss and I can't do it alone so we have God and hopefully some help from our family.

It seems that everyone that we talk to is very excited for us. Its really nice that people have faith that we can make it out there. You can say that I'm on the nervous side of the spectrum. I pray that everything turns out well but I'm worried that the struggle will be too much for me. I'm sure with Doss by my side things can't get too bad.

Calling all Hawaii and Mainland people.... If you live in Hawaii and want to buy anything that can be found in an apartment give us a call. We are selling everything we own so we are more than happy to give it to you at a good price. Mainland people, if you have anything that can go in an apartment and don't need it we will be more than happy to take it off your hands. As we said above we are selling everything and wont have anything to furnish our apartment with. Just keep us in mind ;)

Thanks everyone who has said kind words of encouragement to us. We are so grateful for all that you have done. Deb, THANKS!! I love you!

Just to Start

Ok, this is our first go at this new blog. So many things are going to be happening in the next few weeks and months. We are so excited about the possibilities and the adventure! Keep checking back to see what kind of trouble we get ourselves into next.