Unemployed and it feels so good...

Well, technically I'm not unemployed yet... but I will be in a week. There is something exciting about that statement. There is also something that has me reaching for a paper bag & putting my head between my knees.

I have never been a super spontaneous person. I am always up for an adventure... but I like to plan as much as I can before we go. This is no different.

I have been running through millions of scenarios in my head for months now.  When we get to Portland who will work, where will we work, where will Drew go to school, will we have health insurance... and the list continues... do I want to do the same type of work I do now, do I want do something else, do I want to stay home?

Some very wise friends of mine told me to knock it off.

And today... I feel really peaceful about leaving for Portland with no employment lined up. Is it faith? It's possible. Is it complete naivety? Also, very possible. Whatever it is - I'm finding comfort in it.

Sometimes we have to jump get tossed off a cliff to see if we can fly.

So... for now... instead of worrying about what I am going to do next... I am going to start dreaming about what I am going to do next.

Maybe I'll start a blog!... oh, wait..
Maybe I'll be BETTER about posting on my blog! I have some fun ideas... maybe I just need some time to work on them.

I'm excited.
Are you excited? I'm excited.

this is me, flying... you can tell by my sassy outfit

photo credit: http://vintageprintable.com

XOXO

Cousins

 One of the hardest things about our move to Portland is that we are moving away from family. Much of my husband's family lives within an hour of us so we see them fairly often. 

My family is a bit more spread out but we still manage to see each other at least a few times a year.  I know that we will still see our families - and with the invention of Skype, even when we can't see them in person, we can see them on the screen. But still... I can't help but struggle with leaving them. 

I grew up in Northern California & my mom's family was mostly on the Central Coast so we didn't see them more than 2-3 times a year while grew up - however, my cousins and I were very close then and continue to be so now. So I know that it can be done - my kids and their cousins can still be super close  even if they don't see each other as much as we do now. I believe it!

So.. I thought I'd share some pictures of Drew and his cousins. 

(Some pictures more recent than others)

I couldn't find a picture of Drew and Dakota... so we get Dakota by herself...
Didn't want to leave her out!

Pretty fun, right?!

I love cousins - they're like siblings without the fighting. My cousins are the best, my husband's cousins are the best... and my son's cousins are the best. 

We love you & will miss you...

but we'll see you all soon!

xoxo

Moving on up... geographically speaking

Well, I know it's been a while since I posted last BUT I have a good reason - we've been super busy.

To bring everyone up to speed on the last few months... we have decided to sell our house & move to Portland!

This has not been a quick decision - it's something that we have been discussing and re-discussing for at least 2 years. After a few long talks & a quick visit in December we decided to go for it. We worked like crazy on our house every weekend since Christmas trying to get it looking as good as possible, de-cluttering, cleaning, etc. Finally, on April 17th, we put our house on the market.... and sold it within five days. Holy Cats!

I will try to post more about our move & all the fun that comes along with that over the next few weeks. Thanks for bearing with us over the last few months - I am so happy to be able to talk about all of this now! No more hush-hush!

Anyway - so excited to bring you along on this crazy adventure of ours.
The Lepper Colony heads North!

Cheers!

photo credit: sweet southern nights