Happy birthday goes out to my grandpa (picture below with me as a youngster)!
My thoughts are also with Monet at Anecdotes and Apple Cores, a great online friend and reader, whose young nephew is fighting for his life in a hospital at this very moment after falling in a pool. Please keep him in your thoughts!
I’ve been trying to determine just how to tell you why I was absent yesterday and why I’m going to continue to be absent or randomly posting. There are many reasons but know that life is going well and it’s getting exciting at the dabble household. A number of people have been asking me what’s going on so I’m just going to come out and say it in that straightforward way that I do.
Greg asked for a raise last week and his company is preparing an offer. He didn’t just ask for a raise, he discussed our financial situation and goals during the meeting, things that need to happen for us to stay. They were pleased and praised him for his hard work, the things he’s done thus far in the company and told him how valuable he is to them. All in all, it went very well.
In about 6 months, our apartment lease will be up and we are tired of apartment living. (My jerk neighbor had friends over last night skateboarding in the street and on the sidewalk so I again called the cops and again, he and his pals were gone before they arrived.) Nine years is enough. Nine years of jerk neighbors like that (although this recent guy is the worst of them). We need a house and we have our eye on one….then again, if the offer isn’t to our satisfaction, we will be moving to another state. Greg loves his job and the company (making it hard) but we are not in love or even in like with Minnesota.
Those are the facts. You know, if you’ve been a reader/fan of the dabble, that we want to end up in Oregon. In short, Greg and I fell in love with the state when we were to move there before everything fell apart and we went to where the secure job was-Minnesota. However, we wouldn’t mind living in Colorado or Washington before Oregon.
We could stay in Minnesota for 3 (maybe 4) more years as long as we’re knocking down our load of debt, living in a house (building equity) and preparing for a family. Yeah, I said it. I want children. That’s a big step for me. At 28, I’m not getting any younger nor am I in a rush. Greg is younger than me by 2 years but I need to keep cognizant of these issues and maintain/be true to myself by not settling. Greg is the same way. We despise settling.
I’m spending my days looking for jobs in parts of states we like, contacting connections, figuring out numbers and planning what to pay off, comparing rates and being rather thrilled that life will change for the better soon. We went to the zoo over the weekend, as I stated we might on Friday, and talked incessantly about what our future could hold and what we might be able to afford now. Health insurance, reinstate my Roth IRA, pump our savings back up, pay off debt then we can support a family and start 529 college plans for our kids and travel. Sigh, travel. That brings a tear to my eye-it is my second love to Greg.
I can get a house with a washer/dryer and dishwasher of our very own and create an environment catered to us and I can have a dog. Being a pet person and not having a pet in years has had a toll on us. I can’t wait but we have to until the offer comes and then we’ll know what direction to go. My head is spinning right now.
On the food side, my anxiety hit an all-time high concerning snapping decent pictures (with waning proper light) and thinking about every dish I make as being “worthy” for the blog. This unintentional way of thinking has begun to drive me crazy. Cooking is something that used to relax and comfort me. I need to get back in tune with those emotions before I damage the love and respect I have for preparing and feasting on delicious food. I can’t have that in these stressful (in a good way) times.
That’s why I’m taking a break. I’ll be back. I like you too much to leave.
What an exciting, albeit slightly scary (with the uncertain aspect), time for you guys! I wish the best for you, whether that is Greg’s employer stepping up to the plate, or whether that is you guys saying good-bye to MN and hello to some place that suits you better.
Thank you for your sweet words about my nephew. They mean so much to me. He had a good day today, thank god. And I so appreciated your honesty. I know how difficult it can be to be living in a place that doesn’t feel like home. I hope that you and Greg have a lot of options in front of you…and that you chose the one that will bring you the most happiness. You deserve it. Please know that your photographs are beautiful and inspiring to me…as are your words. And rest up, take a break, and come back to us soon.