Ready Set Pack

And the packing fun begins. I have been spending the past few days going through every drawer and every closet trying to get rid of just about any and everything I can find. I only want to move the times we really want/need. All the rest is going to a better home. It is very therapeutic. I get more sentimental with the kids' stuff but even Nattie is getting into the spirit so that is very helpful. Yesterday she gave some of her toys to her friend. Not that he really needed them but she told me later with a little shrug of her shoulder when I asked why she gave them away, "he likes playing with them more than I do." What a great lesson to teach my kids. Stuff is just stuff. Recycle, reuse, pass on... whatever you want to call it... but don't just hold on to things for the sake of filling your house with stuff.

We leave Yelm in 9 days.

Break out the bubbly

The appraisal came through today an entire $100 more than the offer price. Sure is cutting it close but we are so very happy. The appraisal was particularly important because the buyers are using a VA loan. The VA is very strict and the contract was contingent on the final value of the property. It was a long 10 day wait from when the appraiser came to our place and today but it was all worth it! I told my mom today it was a bit like child labor... easy to forget when it is all done. ;>)

Now we can sit back and let the good times roll.... well- maybe not quite considering all the packing I need to squeeze in between Christmas celebrations. But for today, I am going to pour a large glass of champagne and savor the fact that we sold our house during a very hard time in the economy. Since Trevin is stuck at work for the night, I might even have to have one for him.

As for the job.... Still waiting are the two words I am sick to death of hearing and saying. We are very very close to a final decision but are 'still waiting' on the official final offers. Its funny to think Trevin might have a start date well before he actually has a job. But the pieces all seem to be falling into place.

And survey says...

After much debate, it looks like it is back to Arizona for us!! I did not see that one coming a month ago. But we have been talking and talking and talking and talking... and weighing all the ins and outs for the past few weeks. I truly feel this is going to be the very best decision for us as a family right now. It is a very good job for Trevin and I actually think the Sierra Vista community is going to be great for me and the kiddos.

As of today, Trevin is slated to start work January 18th. Looks like we will probably pack up and head out of Yelm sometime around the 9th so we can get down there and find a house. We hope this will be perfect timing with the sale of our house and the end of the holidays. My main goal is to pack the house while still making sure the kids have a somewhat normal - and exciting- Christmas. It's going to be a big transition for all of us but so worth it.

Check check

We had our appraisal Friday. The guy called at about 11 and said he would be here around 3. He had a hard time finding the house so he arrived closer to 4 and I was ready for his arrival. We cleaned the house (by we I mean me and my dear friend Mandy who was here for a playdate when I got the call) and I baked some cookies to make sure it smelled nice. The appraiser was probably only in the house for about 10 minutes. 2 of those minutes were a tour of Natalie's room by Natalie herself and another 2 minutes were spent eating a cookie. He seemed surprised when we went downstairs and he found 2 more bedrooms, a garage and a fireplace. I am glad I was home to make sure he was able to see everything... even if it was only for a minute. Hope to have the results this week sometime.

The hiring authority for Los Alamitos approved a full move for us. We don't have all the final details (the story of our lives the past 6 months) but we know that would at least mean movers. I have already ordered boxes to start packing myself so we aren't sure if we could get money instead of movers. Again- we should find out this week.

As for Arizona, we still haven't received a final offer from them. Not sure how long we can stall California so we can make our final final decision. I'm hoping to start packing tomorrow - maybe going through stuff and selling/donating things will help me burn off some of this nervous energy.

Coming to an end

Well it seems like our time in Washington is coming to an end if we are ready or not. We are currently in the "sale pending" status on our house. We had our inspection a few days ago and only have 1 minor thing we need to have fixed. The next big obstacle is the VA appraisal. I am nervous about this part of the selling process. With the market right now, appraisals have not been going well. The fact that we are trying to sell the property out-right (not as a short sale) is pretty nuts. On top of that, the VA is notoriously conservative with loans. I know we have a great house in an awesome neighborhood. We have taken great care of the property and I am hopeful all of that will play in our favor. I just want to get that part done with!

No answers

AH! The sweet sound of the kids laughing. I sure did miss them during our little adventure. I am so grateful my Mom and Dad could be with them while we were gone. It helped us relax and enjoy our time away. And while the kids had a wonderful time too, I was very ready to get home Friday night. My Dad brought Natalie to the airport and I was a grinning fool when she screamed and threw herself into my arms... about knocked me over. We left 68 degree sunny weather in California and I woke up this morning with snow on my car. I love the winter but it will be nice to be able to be outside a little more with the kids in either place we move to.

And with that statement it is time to admit we still have not made a final decision regarding our move. We really did have a great trip and learned a ton about both locations and facilities. We now feel very comfortable regarding all the pros and cons of both places. However, there is still a lot up in the air right now. We are still waiting on several details to fall into place regarding both job offers. When both HR departments get all their ducks in a row perhaps we will see a clear winner.

But we are officially moving... out of our house at least. Our house is now in the "Sale Pending" category. We signed paperwork yesterday and are looking at closing the middle of January. Perfect timing for us. This is extremely exciting because it was a full price offer. Pretty amazing in this economy. Just another "sign" that moving is the best thing for our family. Now I need to figure out how to convince Trevin to put up the Christmas lights even though we will be moving right after the New Year.

California dreaming

What a long day of travels. We left Sierra Vista at about 9 a.m. and now after driving and flying and flying and driving, we are at our hotel. We were able to enjoy an amazing dinner at the ever wonderful Cheesecake Factory and some time in the hot hot tub at our hotel. Now I am very tired and missing my kids. Would really like to be in my own bed tonight with my dog and family but we are a LONG way from making any decisions. I will say the Christmas light wrapped palm trees are a nice touch California. Hope we are able to get some good rest tonight and that tomorrow provides some much needed answers to our million and five unanswered decisions.

Off we go again

What an interesting few days we have had. Sierra Vista was not at all what I was expecting. Lots of businesses and industry. Nice homes and large roads made for lots of people that don't live there yet. We were able to spend the day touring the tower, new radar facility and city. We also had a great night out with people for the airfield and some good friends. It gave us a lot of food for thoughts. Now we are at the Tucson airport about to head on to Orange County for a few days. Wish it was a direct flight but we have to change planes in Phoenix... guess that's what budget flying will get you. Away we go again...

The desert

When we were getting ready to make this trip we received some pretty good advice... "Go to each place thinking the other is where we really want to live. Then let each place speak for itself and convince you otherwise." I think that is a great frame of mind.

Here we are in Tucson. It really does have a home feeling. Living in a place for years will do that to you. And we have some great friends here that make it feel like that too. Today we are going to check out Vail, Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca. Hope we can discover a lot more about our opportunities here.

Suitcases are out

Guess we can't put this off any longer. I hate packing but we really need to get all organized. We fly out in the morning. Our first stop is Tucson. We are really looking forward to spending time with friends and to being a little closer to making a decision. In the meantime I have a list of chores a mile long. Think I'll have another cup of coffee... hope my motivation is lurking somewhere near the bottom!

The Options

A few months ago, Trevin started the process of applying for a job back in Orange County California. The position is located at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. He started his career in the Department of Defense there and we really liked the tower and its location. We will be close to the beach and family and have a front row seat to all the fun, traffic and outrageously overpriced housing southern California has to offer. However, we never expected the process to take as long as it has. We have received an offer but are still waiting for an official start date.

In the meantime, he received a different job offer at Fort Huachuca, AZ. It is a higher GS level in a radar facility. Trevin was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson for almost 6 years so we are familiar with the goods (gorgeous sun sets and nice Christmas Day swimming weather) and bads (needing to buy Baron the dog shoes again so he doesn't scald his feet) of the desert. However, we are not familiar with Fort Huachuca or Sierra Vista. It has only been a week since we first learned about the job offer in Arizona and we are already progressing much faster in the hiring process than the California job. That is a bonus for us because we are getting tired of being in the "we might be moving" category and are ready to "be moving".

So now we get to start the process of deciding which position we think will work best for our family and which will help us reach our future goals. In order to help make some decisions, Trevin and I are going to take a "Scouting" trip next week. Two nights in both places just the two of us. It should be an interesting experience!