Possible Visions into our Future

Coffee is the redeeming factor to any morning for me.  I enjoy getting the kids settled with their breakfast and cartoons and having some time to sit and wake up.  I have a cup or two of coffee, check my email, poke around on facebook, and lately I have added browsing the most recent rentals posted to Craigslist. 

This morning I found a rental that spoke to me.  Now, we have some time left before our move.. so more than anything I'm getting an idea of what is available, and what is within our price range.  The listing I found this morning is for a 4 bedroom, 1600 square foot townhome in Cascade Locks.  To Google I went, because I didn't have a clue where Cascade Locks was!  Well... turns out its about 45-an hour away from Portland.  East.  Right along the Columbia River.  Small town living, with only 1,144 people at the 2010 census.  About half the size of Kalama, where we lived prior to Bob getting hired with Cook.  The school offers K-6 and has an approximate enrollment of 60 kids.  To put this in perspective -- Ashlyn's current class has 30 kids! 

I don't know if this is a place where we will actually end up living, but its exciting to think about this move becoming reality.  The listing said it will be available near the beginning of July, which would be perfect for us.  Small town living DOES have it's ups and downs.  Commuting would obviously be one of them, but Bob will have a company vehicle and gas card so that helps with expenses immensely!  We enjoy being within a short drive of a big city, and this area would definitely qualify.  Plus, lots of hiking and outdoor activities.  I see our future outfitted in NorthFace & Columbia Sportswear for sure!  The beauty of this particular place is that we would still be less than a 4 hour drive to my parent's house, and it has a 4th bedroom that will most definitely become a guest room.  I'm still not completely sold on the idea of a townhouse, but I could picture our life in that area. 

In other news, I love my TO DO lists.  I accomplished everything yesterday except for our closet.  My list today is more generalized -- picking up, sweeping and vacuuming.  I am excited to join with one of my favorite bloggers, Money Saving Mom, in her May challenge to eliminate clutter!  Kicking off tomorrow, May 1st, I will be following along and finding 7 things each day to remove from our home.  Moving Sale here we come!  As much as I love to shop and collect things, I like the idea of a more clutter free life where the things in our home have a purpose.  I'm done with having stuff just to have stuff. 

7 items each day x 31 days in May = a minimum of 217 items that will be GONE from our house!  I'm not sure if I will participate in posting a recap/picture each day... maybe I'll do a Friday afternoon post and stay accountable to the challenge on a weekly basis.  Commitment and consistency.  I'm determined to see this one through!

Life Is Good.

A Case of the Mondays

Some Monday mornings are just blah.  This particular Monday morning has been straight up awful.  The one accomplishment I am patting myself on the back over is coming home from dropping Ash at school and making coffee, because believe me... I had convinced myself that stopping by Starbucks for a toffee nut white mocha was going to be the reset I needed for today.  BUT -- moving is not going to be cheap, even if the man's company helps us with some of the associated costs.  So, despite this morning getting off to a bad start, I came home, made a pot of coffee and wrote out my to do list. 

My goals for today include:

Call about activating Nasonex coupon
Call ItWorks (IT DOESNT) about the wrong item auto shipping
Pick up Ash at 12:45 from school
Menu plan for the week
Fold & put away the boys clothes
Clean the boys room
Attend mediation orientation meeting this afternoon

AND

Tackle the closet in our room.  Eliminate what we don't need to keep and box up what we're keeping but don't need to use on a regular basis.

I am hoping for an EPIC moving sale.  My goal is to have $500 saved up for extra moving expenses, whether it be earmarked for a pet deposit, setting up new utilities or filling our fridge/freezer/pantry.  The great thing about my goals is that I know they are reasonable, and better yet -- REACHABLE!  Its all about being productive and staying motivated.

With that being said, I'm going to pour myself another cup of coffee, allow myself another few minutes on facebook, and get my hiney in gear!

BIG Changes Coming Our Way!

Once again, I want to thank Bob's company, Cook Security Group, for being so awesome! 

After being passed up for the first position he interviewed for, he promptly submitted his resume and interviewed for another position, this time the Project Manager position.  While he was interviewing they mentioned that there was an open Service Technician spot in the Portland area.  He got a call later that afternoon that they needed someone ready to hit the ground running for the project manager position but wanted to offer him the open service tech spot! 

It is so exciting to see our long term plans being put into action!  Bob has accepted the position in Portland.  We are preparing to move when school is out this June as long as they have filled his current position here by that time.  It is so extremely exciting and overwhelming all at once!  Moving is a pain, but being closer to my family and out of the crazy summer temperatures will be oh so worth it.

We keep discussing what we want our life to be.  Will we live in Washington or Oregon?  Apartment/Townhouse or a single family home?  Country? Subdivision?  City?  Our options seem endless!  I can't wait to settle into our new life, regardless of what it ends up looking like.  Until then we continue to somewhat mark time here.  With possibly 2 months still until we move, its too soon to pack and too soon to find a new rental.  We can't make firm decisions quite yet, but we can dream..... and we are :)