Our journey

 WRITING PROMPT # 33: Moving 

Barry and I met at a little junior college in Wyoming. We had all the plans in place after getting married, but what is the quote? "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Two weeks after getting married our apartment fell through, Barry's job hours were cut, I lost my job, and then the school called and said they misfiled our financial aid paperwork and we needed to pay for school immediately. It was a lot. Frantically, we called my dad for advice and he suggested we move to New Mexico where Barry could work as a miner until we figured out new plans. (My Dad was the controller of a pot ash mine and had connections.) 

It wasn't at all what we wanted but it felt so right we took the leap of faith. What was supposed to be a short diversion in our journey ended up being a five year stay in New Mexico. Even though the pay was fantastic, mining was not at all what Barry wanted as a life-long career. We decided it was time to go back to school and he was accepted to New Mexico State University. But then we thought, if we are going to uproot our lives, we might as well go big! So he applied at other schools and we chose Brigham Young University in Idaho. 

With three small kids in tow, we moved to Rexburg (which is a magical place for young families!) Barry had the flu just before our move and wallowed on the couch while I singlehandedly packed up our home. Every time I walked by with a box he would pitifully apologize. 

After two and a half years in Idaho, and one additional kid added to the mix, we started applying for jobs all over the country. It was exciting to dream about all the places we could move! But there were no bites. A few failed nibbles and we started feeling a little anxious about life but then my Dad called with a suggestion. Apply for a job he had heard about... back in New Mexico (in a different city). We laughed in his face (figuratively,  because it was over the phone). 

After a few more days of worrying,  praying and phone calls with my parents, Barry applied. That same day he was offered the job and we both knew, to our utter shock,  we were moving back to New Mexico. 

This time, I was at Girl's Camp the week before moving so Barry did the majority of packing, singlehandedly.

In New Mexico, we moved into a rental. Then after three years of renting we moved into a home we bought. Just months after purchasing our home, Barry lost his job. Another unexpected shock. After a frantic search for work in and out of the area, someone suggested Barry apply for a job in Utah. It was crazy but he applied and was hired. We felt such peace about it even though it was the hardest thing we've ever done. 

Barry moved to Utah while I stayed back with four kids to sell the house we JUST bought. It took nearly eight months of loneliness and single parenting (we saw each other once in that span of time for Christmas) to sell our home. Then, finally, by another miracle,  our home sold and it was my turn once again to pack all by myself. 

We lived (together) in Utah for four years in a dinky little townhouse we were planning on staying in for six months. It always made us laugh when people would say, "I could never live in a home that small! How do you do it?" It's truly surprising how often we heard that, like we were living in squalor. But we adjusted. My kids even cried when we had to leave our tiny, little home, they grew to love it so much. (For the record, I did not cry.)

With the birth of baby number five, we moved just a few streets away to a bigger home. But this time, we packed together. 

Life has never gone according to plans. We've had some pretty stressful experiences and moves but it has taught me to be humble. We've had so much help from generous people. It's given my kids a very diverse childhood which is important to me. It's taught me to trust in God, who I know is in the details of our lives. And it's given me an opportunity to meet and befriend some of the BEST people. I can't imagine my life without this crazy journey to unexpected places. 

But if we ever do a big move again, it's Barry's turn to do the packing.