Yup, that's right, you read it right - we are moving after only being in this house for 10 months! Many of you have already heard this news, but I'm going to answer the most frequently asked questions in this post. So, here goes my self-interview!
Where are you moving to?
St. Albert, Alberta - a suburb of Edmonton, about 3 hours north of where we are now.
Why in the world are you moving?
During the last week of June, Joshua was invited to be included in an audit to learn about the process. The bank branch that he ended up going to was St. Albert. While there, he really connected with the branch manger, Jeff, who offered Joshua a job there. At first mention of this outrageous proposition (at least that's what I thought!), I was sincerely hoping it was all a joke. But, alas, it was not, and the discussion turned serious very quickly. Right now, Joshua's title wit the bank is retail account manager. He has wanted to get into the commercial side of the bank, as he moves towards his goal of eventually being a branch manager. This new position that he was offered was for commercial account manager. Long story short, he decided to go for it. This move jumps him ahead about a year and half.
When do you actually move?
We already bought a new house in St. Albert (on July 19th!) and the possession date is September 5th. Because we are moving with the bank, they pay for us to have movers! It feels so weird to not be packing right now. I feel like I should be doing something! The moving company packs everything in one day - can you imagine?! So, they'll come Sept. 4th to pack and then we'll be moved into the new house the next day.
How do you feel about this?
This was pretty tough for me to swallow. I cried a lot during the decision making process. I'm still accepting everything - it happened so fast. I would not say that I'm excited, but the last few days have been more positive for me. I would say that I'm mostly apprehensive, sad and stressed out at this point. Change is usually not exciting for me. I am a very loyal friend and it hurts so much to say good-bye. I am spending my summer, hanging out with friends as much as possible, and visiting all the places I will miss most in the Calgary area. I am thankful for the movers, so that I can truly enjoy these next 5 weeks.
Have you sold your current house yet?
Not yet, but we are hopeful! We listed it 6 days ago. Last night we had our first showing. Then there were 2 this morning, and another one this afternoon! Please pray that we will soon have an offer. Showing a house has got to be one of the most stressful things out there. While we were cleaning up the house for the showing yesterday, I kind of lost it. I was screaming at Joshua because I was just so frustrated and mad. Mad that I even had to clean my house, so that I could show it to someone who might buy it. Deep down inside, I don't even want to sell my house. I know it's just a house, but Joshua and I are both having a hard time letting go of this one for some reason. It is "just a house," but it's a house full of memories and maybe that's the difficulty. We have a lot of great memories from this home.
How are the kids taking this?
Sara and Sky are being way more mature about this than their mother at this point! They are excited to move close to Grandma and Grandpa, who live in another suburb in Edmonton. They love the new house and can't wait to move in and have new rooms. They even seem to be O.K. with the fact that we will have to make new friends. I'm grateful for their positive attitudes. It might get tougher for them once we actually move, but for now they are their normal, happy selves!
What is the new house like?
Well, it's beautiful and I just happen to have pictures from the MLS listing! Here are a few of them. There's not a good picture of the backyard, but it's amazing! There's a stream that flows over rocks and runs into a pond. Lots of mature trees, a gazebo, and even a hot tub! We will be quite comfortable, and I know that over time, it will feel like home again.
