We moved - again!

What has remained the same in the last 8 months or so? Both of our companies dissolved in the same week - which happened to be the week of our wedding. Nate's last day was 2 days before the wedding and I got the news via email on the way back from our honeymoon (on the plane before takeoff from Arizona - after about 24 hours of traveling - thank goodness for Blackberry technology, eh?). So, when we got off the plane in Boise, we were coming back to one thing: a 7-8 hour drive back to Portland, but not much else.

"Tough times are there so you can have a good time later on -- and really appreciate it." -Annonymous

We did the drive. Made it home. And spent the next 2 months on our laptops, seated across from each other, applying to jobs about 8 - 9 hours a day. The brightside was the fact that not many newlyweds get to spend so much dang time together - 24/7 in fact - and considered that a blessing in itself. Our jobs had been so busy, and I'd been traveling almost weekly, so it was a lot of fun seeing each other so much. Nate got a little temporary job in the middle of that 2 months doing document review, but amazingly enough, one day at about 4:45, he was working away at his desk when the manager stood up and told everyone that the company was no longer in business. That made 3 dissolved companies and 3 lost jobs within about 2 months. Little rough, but I’ve never been more thankful for Nate – what a hard working, dedicated and level headed man! With a sense of humor that doesn’t quit.

"My night has become a sunny dawn because of you!"
--Ibn Abbad

I did temporary jobs here & there, working at some pretty funny places like a shoe company and an ATM machine dispatcher office thingy. Eventually, Nate got a call asking him to start work in Boise on Thursday. That was on a Monday. We rejoiced, popped a bottle of $2.84 champagne, packed bags and drove to Boise. My parents let us stay with them until we knew the job would work out for sure. Nate spent the next 8 weeks or so working and studying for the Idaho Bar Exam. And we spent another month after that waiting for the results – which were good – and he became an official attorney….again. Now he’s licensed in Idaho & Oregon. He was offered on full time at the firm in October, bringing our 6 ½ months of insanity to a close. Somewhere in there, we terminated our lease at our favorite little town home on the Portland waterfront and moved into an apartment surrounded by BSU college students in Boise. I also got a job here in Boise, which is marvelous.

Our hearts have always remained here in Boise and we are thrilled to be back.

"Home is where the heart is."

And let me tell you – nothing is taken for granted anymore. Six or so months of uncertainty is eye-opening. Everything that we used to complain about before we lost our jobs seems petty and it has been a humbling lesson. We are so fortunate, in so many ways. And happier than ever. It’s a reminder of how fast everything can vanish right out from under you, which has made us thankful for everything we do have. A hard but priceless lesson that I hope stays with us forever.

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise." - Oscar Wildes

So, in the end, we're grateful for the lessons and came out the other end with some awesome stories to share with our future kids! Now, into the Christmas season we go: happy, healthy, doing just fine, and looking forward to a new year.

ps- The last move brings our count up fo 9 moves between the two of us in 2 years. Hopefully only one more move into a house in 2010 - then we're staying put.