Déjà vu

There never seems to be a dull moment in our house, despite the fact that we (the humans) in the household tend to prefer to cultivate pretty mellow lives (I won't speak for the fur-kids, as they have their own agenda most of the time). Much as I want to think of myself as a generationally-displaced hippy, I know there are those Type-A traits hiding deep down that prevent the hippy side from ever completely taking over (I'm not really a Type A - nor a true hippy- but I definitely have my moments on both sides of the fence, if I'm being totally honest).

One of my favorite San Francisco sites (and sights!)
*Image found here

If you've been reading here for awhile, you may recall this post in which I announced that the E.V.L. household would be on the move to the west coast, thanks to a great occupational opportunity for Sam - which was quickly followed up by this post stating that the job offer had been rescinded and we would be staying put here in Colorado. I think we were both somewhat relieved and also sad that we weren't going to be making the move, but it turned out to be quite a fortuitous happening as Sam ended up in the hospital very shortly thereafter - and we would've had no medical insurance if we'd been in San Francisco as planned. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - everything happens for a reason. Even though Sam was disappointed not to have the opportunity, we figured we were supposed to stay put and continue on with life.

So, here we are, merrily living our lives (okay, maybe not as merrily in the depths of snow and winter since we're both "summer" people - but still - living as happily as possible). We continued on with our home renovation projects, thinking that we needed to finish up quite a few of them. One day about a month ago, Sam went into work as usual. When he returned from lunch, he was informed that there was going to be an "emergency meeting," during which he was told that the company (which, by the way, just hired him about 6 months prior) had just laid-off 10 individuals (and escorted them out of the building), that there would likely be more lay-offs to come, and the company hasn't turned a profit in nearly a decade. WhaaaaAAAt?! I was in shock hearing the news as Sam sat reliving the afternoon from work to me.

Not everyone's cup of tea, but this was one of our home projects that's kept us entertained: painted walls, redone cabinets, new butcher block countertops, a CL-find farm sink, new faucet, "brick" backsplash, new electrical/outlets, and (not pictured) recessed can lighting. A totally different place to hang out. I love that we do all of these things ourselves... though sometimes it makes for its own headaches along the way. On a side note, I'm pretty convinced I'd live well in a shack somewhere, as long as I had electricity and water... okay, and maybe a sewer system of some sort... and heat. Okay, maybe I am not as ready to live in an abandoned cabin as I want to believe.

"So, do you still have a job?" was the thought on the tip of my tongue, but before I could bring myself to actually ask it, Sam stated, "So, guess who called me today?" with a devious little look in his eye. At first, I stared blankly, and then, as if I had a psychic moment, I said, "NOOO?! No way!" The very company that had offered and rescinded the job opportunity last spring wanted to know if he had any interest in coming that direction. The interesting piece in all of this is that Sam hasn't been particularly happy about his new position (for a variety of reasons), but has tried to make the best of the situation. He had drafted an e-mail to the company who had made the offer last year, thinking that he would follow up with them and see how things were going, and just never sent it... and then they contacted him. A serendipitous coincidence? Perhaps.

Then, a waiting game began. The director who'd spoken with Sam said that he'd be meeting with the executives and would get back to Sam. Because things went so very quickly the last round, I expected he'd hear from them within a day or two, but that didn't happen. Sam was much calmer about it all than I was. "What's taking so long?" I kept asking. As much as I am a person who prefers open-ended options and leaving all paths open for opportunity, this is one instance in life that I'd prefer to have things closed, settled and know what's going to happen.

It was additionally painful for me because we weren't saying a word about any of this to anyone. After the last happenings with this organization, who wants to be the one to say that we're moving and then have to take it back... again? I am not a good secret keeper though, particularly when it involves potentially life-changing events. Every time I'd start to talk to someone who'd bring up some happening taking place over the next couple of months, it took everything in me to not say, "Yes, but I/we probably won't be here." I restrained myself though. It's not really my news to share until it's actually official anyway, so the days and weeks of waiting felt endless.

End...less (I really am an impatient toddler sometimes).

For the love of God. Someone say something so I can know one way or the other what is happening.

What felt like an eternity eventually turned into conversations via various forms of communication. There was much discussion back and forth, but ultimately, an actual offer was extended and accepted. Which means that, yet again, the E.V.L. household appears to be on a move to the northern part of our home state.

I'm actually excited. And sad. And - well, lots of emotions are running rampant.

*Image found here

During the last round of this, I had a lot of sick feelings about leaving our home in Colorado. We've been here for almost exactly 11 years now, and we've both done a lot of growing in many facets of life during our time here. I truly believed that the home we are in would be our forever home and we would change and expand as needed. We've had a multitude of experiences that would never have taken place (my return to college, for instance) had we remained where we were. We were married in Colorado. We adopted and lost beloved pets during our time in Colorado. We have also both come to realize that had we never left California, we would likely never have become the people we are today. Bicycles (other than a rare mountain bike ride for Sam) were not even in our consciousness, and I don't know that they ever would have been, particularly for me. Colorado and the people we've met here have done us a lot of good, and we don't take that for granted in the least.

The wonderful part about moving is that we are always able to return, even if just for visits. Part of Sam's family remains in the northern portion of the state, and we have friends in the area, so we know that our departure is not a forever goodbye by any means. We get the opportunity to be closer to aging parents with a move to California, and even if we don't always get along with each of them, it's nice to know that they're close by. As with the last round of this, we know that neither of us could ask to be in a more appropriate or seemingly perfect location for a techie and an artist - and hey, the cycling isn't so bad either.

We are both much calmer with this round, causing us both to believe that timing is everything and that when something really is meant to be, it's difficult to stop it from happening. We are both ready, willing participants in this new adventure, and while there is still a small bit of time before this all takes place, we are excited to see what is in store for us on this new journey. It's always a bit scary to try something new or different, but we know that we are ready to take on new challenges and have a fresh start. So, as we prepare to say farewell to Colorado, we go knowing that our hearts are open to what is ahead because life truly is what we make of it.