downsizing

Phil and I had a great weekend. We went to the beach. The weather was beautiful, the waves were humungous, and I saw my first whales - live, out in the open water. It was really amazing. I first noticed the water spout, saw it again and again, then came the tail flipping up out of the water. I was mesmerized. Then it happened again, another tail. It was so cool! Everyone should have the chance to see something like that.

So, still amazed by what we saw, we get a surprising phone call from our landlord Monday night. He wanted to meet with us for a short time, no more than 15 minutes he said. So we arranged for him to come over tonight. He didn't say what the meeting would be about, but we thought we already knew. He'd been hinting about it for a while. He was ready to sell his house.Tonight we found out we were right.

So what does that mean for us? It means we're going to have to leave our first home. The place I dreamed about decorating for the six months before I got married. The place where we meshed two single households into one that was shared. The place that we worked on so hard to get the back yard looking like a livable space. Our first place.And it means we're going to have to downsize. Now that may sound like a negative word, but really for us, it's looking more positive. We're probably going to relocate to Vancouver, near our new church, closer for me to get to school, a little farther for Phil to drive. It means most likely apartment living for a while - which really isn't a bad thing since many of them these days come with a pool, jacuzzi, and fitness center! Most of them include utilities, and some even have high speed internet access! (Yee-ha)It means having to change from Oregon to Washington driver's licenses and license plates, paying sales tax when we shop in Vancouver, and the state income tax. But it means we're out of Multnomah County (aka Portland) and all it's craziness.It means, as my mom AND my sister both said tonight, God is closing one door and opening another.

And for the first time in a long while, I'm approaching this whole thing with anticipation, not worry. I'm not looking forward to sorting, packing, and moving (especially so close to the holidays), but I'm excited about what lies ahead. And as crazy as this sounds, I've been dying to buy a shower curtain! And from what I've seen, most apartments don't have those hard to clean glass doors like I have on mine now! Kohl's, here I come!