Recording Family History

 I've been terrible at using this blog lately. Life is just changing so quickly. I'm busy all the time and at the same time I'm not stressed enough to need my normal writing outlet. But with so many changes, I need to get better about recording what is happening.

The first big change is I came back to work at Child Crisis Arizona. I noticed in April that leadership had changed. I reached out to an old coworker to see how the change was impacting everyone and the next thing I knew, I was getting a job offer.

My old position had been filled (I had been gone a full year) and a new Director of Marketing position had recently been created and hired but Justin was eager to bring me back in whatever capacity he could so another new marketing position was created--with my input. Yes, I got the chance to create my own position and go back to work at an organization that inspires me every day. I couldn't pass it up.

I love everything about my job. I get to hear incredible stories, be a part of something great, and work with a team of people that I truly enjoy. It also came at a time when the trade college I was writing for lost accreditation and was facing an uncertain future.

I'm now a Content & Communications Specialist. My job is basically reaching out to all our programs constantly and visiting when I can so that I can collect stories from all over the organization for use in our marketing and grants. I have also recently been put in charge of editing and reviewing grants which is a whole world I didn't really anticipate.

There are some downsides to this change. I was working from home and had incredible flexibility working for the trade college. While this was great for helping my family out and allowed me to pick up some extra freelance work--I was bored.

My new position is anything but boring--but it is also very busy. I feel like I'm being pulled into meetings constantly and I've been working late at least once a week since I started. It's a challenge but I'm excited to take it on. I honestly have no regrets. 

A second big change is Brendon is working furiously on his masters degree. He started the program in March and hopes to finish up this month. 

It has taken a lot of hard work and Brendon has given up a lot of Saturdays to work through this program but he is feeling inspired and so proud of himself too for finishing this quickly. 

This last class has proven to be the biggest challenge yet, but Brendon is determined and that makes me excited for him.

The other big change for our family is we are moving!

This move, to be honest, doesn't make much sense. These hot summer months have had us craving a pool and that was what spurred this but I always feel like when Brendon and I get a crazy idea in our heads, we tend to jump in quickly. 

We started looking for homes with pools for sale. We weren't finding much that stood out. Then Brendon discovered some new builds. We've never had a completely new home before and the thought was enticing. 

One neighborhood, just five minutes away from our current home, is small and filled with beautiful homes that don't look like the average Arizona neighborhood. We instantly fell in love with the models. Each model also had a pool in the backyard to show the scale of the yards.

We prayed about it and somehow it all felt right. We put a deposit down on a lot near the neighborhood park, with a slightly larger back yard than the models. We've been told it could be 10-12 months till it is ready to move in.

That gives me about 8 months to paint every square inch of our current home, declutter like crazy and make it all look and feel brand new. And yes, we may be living with Barb and Richard for a few months if the timing doesn't line up just right.

I love our current neighborhood. When Brendon told me he wanted to move my first response was "Good luck finding a house I like more than our current one. Also, I don't want to move away from Brittany." 

Not being in the Rowley's ward is probably going to be the hardest change. Some days I feel like my girls only agree to go to church because they know they'll get a chance to say hi to them. They know even when they have no friends at church that they have the Rowley's looking out for them.

But the ward is also a reason to move. I'm worried about Kaybree who is struggling with friends in the ward. I wish she could enter young womens with a group of friends as great as I had. Maybe if they are all new at the same time they can build that bond?

I have no idea what to do about school next year. Eisley wants to go back to ALA, which our new home is closer to, but I don't have a carpool to get her home. And what about in two years when she goes off to middle school? Who will bring Aspen home and be with her?

Beyond those worries we are all very excited. We already have long lists on Amazon of all the new furniture and decor we each want for our rooms. Eisley and Aspen will share a room and Kaybree will have her own. There's a large loft in this new home and assuming we make enough on the sale of our current home, we'll work quickly to put in a new backyard with a pool. 

We don't really know why we've felt called to make this move but ever since we signed the papers tiny miracles have been happening. 

• It seems like every speaker at church has addressed being willing to make scary moves when the Lord asks you to.
• I'm most nervous about our mortgage going up significantly but suddenly I was offered a new freelance gig and Brendon had a coworker reach out about starting a new business with him. 
• Some friends of ours in the ward also decided to move with us. They signed a contract just a couple weeks later!

It's an exciting time--but also feels like the longest wait ever. All I know is things will be very different a year from now! Isn't that exciting?