We've Moved.

We've moved. I'm free to be me.

After only a year living in Portland, OR we made the long trek back to Missouri. It was a hard move to make. It was one that we didn't always want to make but knew was the best for our family. The decision to move back home was not made overnight, like some might think.

In February our salary was cut very drastically by $700 a month! When that happened and we looked down at my big 8th month pregnant belly, Thing 1, and Thing 2 running around us, we knew something had to be done. We had considered staying in Portland and just getting another job but with that, we were risking everything by not having our family support system around us. I remember the night in February when we made the final decision. I had butterflies in my stomach as I had fallen in love with Oregon in a way I had not intended. The people, places, tress, nature, food, and culture was something that I felt at home with. And THAT has never happened to me. I'll always feel like Oregon is part of me in a very special way.

That was then, this is now. I am sitting in my new home while the kids play in their rooms. I look out over my backyard at the trees and all the birds and squirrels fight over some nuts on the ground. We don't have job currently but with several interviews today and possible ones next week, we are optimistic that this is the best move we've made. I feel free in ways I've never felt before. Free from the judgement of church ministry. Free to just be me. While I think very fondly of our year in Oregon, I'm glad to be home.