HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVELYN CLARE!

Just a shout-out to my girl Eva. Happy birthday sweetheart. We love you so much and thank the Lord for blessing us with you!

(Pics to come as soon as I start to feel better from an horrible horrible cold....)

Apartment Livin'

It's been seven years since Mike and I lived in an apartment and it takes some getting used to! The creaking floorboards (I swear they're playing Wii up there), the slamming doors, and the running water is worlds apart from the quiet surrounding of our home in Denver. However, I'm sure the incessant screams and shrieks coming from our apartment is giving our neighbors a run for their money!

We are happy to say that we did finally decide on a rental home here in Seattle. It seemed like a long process (it really only took us a week to find one) but bringing two kids with us as we toured the homes did not make things easy. We are staying in the city of Sammamish which is in the "Eastside" of Seattle. The house is surrounded by tall trees and we looking forward to BBQ's in the great deck behind the house!

Mike's mom visited us last weekend and is now officially our "First Visitor!" We showed her the sights including the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. Mike and I were also to go on some much-needed date nights! We had a great time with her.

The kids goofing around in the bathtub

Our Alex

Our Daddy


Mike

Our baby girl!

Nana with her grandkids

Red is Alex's favorite color

Walking in downtown Seattle

Looking up at the Space Needle

Beautiful flowers at Pike Place Market

We're here!

Yes, we have safely arrived in Seattle. I cannot believe that within a few short months, our lives dramatically changed. It seems like it was just seconds ago that we were living our life in Denver, going through the motions and routines we were so very used to. Mike going to work, taking care of the kids, working on my business, fantasizing about purchasing our forever house. We never thought that in less than six months, we would pack up all of our belongings, put our house up for rent, and move to Seattle. If someone had told me that, I would have said they were crazy! But alas, we are here and I truly believe in God's will and guidance. I am excited to see what opportunities and adventures lies ahead!
As for now, we are staying in temporary housing which is basically a fully furnished apartment. Although it is small compared to our house, it is a marked improvement from the tiny hotel room we were staying in. Now it's time to start searching for rental homes so we can move-in by the end of the month.
We are also now official landlords! We found renters after only a week or so after the house became available for rent! So we spruced the house up and left it in impecable shape (almost better than when we moved in!) We are excited about this new endeavor and hope it works out!
Will try to update frequently and post more pictures of our new life in Seattle!

For Rent

Yes, the official "For Rent" sign is now up in our house. We've had about five interested parties walk through our home and lemme tell ya, it is EXHAUSTING. Utterly exhausting to put away all the toys, clear the counters, make the bed, and make the house look somewhat presentable. At least the house looks nice! Our official move date is Tuesday, March 2nd---that is, when the movers arrive. They will pack for two days and load on the third. Our flights are booked for Sunday, March 7th! So, it's definitely getting closer. We are hoping to have renters lined up before we leave. As for our own house hunting, it's slow going. We can't really do much unless we are already physically in Seattle. Thank goodness for temporary housing because it will give us time to really hunt down the perfect house. As previously mentioned, we are renting for a few different reasons. First and foremost, we want to get to know the area. 2nd, we need to save up for a bigger downpayment. Housing in Seattle is significantly higher than Denver!

A few last pictures of the house before it is stripped of all furnishings :(

Formal living room

Family room

Kitchen and Dining

Nursery

Pirate Room

Master Bedroom

Seattle or Bust!

Many of you have heard that we are leaving our home of seven years for Seattle, Washington. It came as a big shock to us when we learned that Microsoft would be closing down their Denver offices by March 31st. They are moving Mike's team out to Fargo, ND and Mike had the option of interviewing for a position out there. We contemplated making the move to ND and looked at all the positive and negative aspects of living in such a northern state! We decided to explore other options first so Mike decided to interview for positions in Seattle. Mike really enjoys his job as a Program Manager and wanted to continue down that career path. We also knew that being at the headquarters would provide more opportunities for growth in Mike's career development. Mike was fortunate enough to interview for two positions. They were grueling 8 hour interviews which consisted of the toughest questions I've ever heard of. I think a normal person would have walked out within the first hour crying! I know I would! Mike was offered the second position he applied for. We were ecstatic to hear that he received the job but it was a bittersweet moment when we realized that we would be really leaving Denver.

It was here where we started our life together. We purchased our house, started our jobs, and started our family. I had already (happily) resigned to the fact that this would be where we would raise our children even well into retirement. But alas, the waves had changed and we are now traveling down a different path. Mike and I have always maintained that whatever happens it is through God's will and we entrust ourselves to Him. We have prayed a lot this past several months and have continually asked for guidance. We are not only responsible for ourselves now but for two little ones and that is what is important to us. We want to make sure that where ever we go, we can only enrich their lives and provide them the tools to make them happy and loving individuals. We are confident that Seattle will be a great environment for the both of them.

We are now in the process of looking for house in Seattle (to rent for the time-being) and getting our Denver house ready to be rented out. I am comforted by the fact that we will still own a house and property out here.

We had the chance to explore Seattle last weekend on our "House Hunting Trip". Surprisingly, the sun showed itself on our last day there! Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Beautiful pic of Daddy and Daughter on Valentine's Day

The sun reflecting off Puget Sound

Alex the Pirate!

Alex and Mike at the Hat and Boot's Gas Station

Our hotel room.

It's been a staggering 3 months since my last post and I don't have time to update the blog with all of the activities of the last few months. There was Disneyland, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Very busy indeed. All I can say is that we are so very fortunate to see our family and friends during the holidays. Disneyland was especially fun and I truly never knew the "magic" of such a place until I took my kids there. I cannot wait for our next trip!

Most recently, we took Alex and Evelyn for a much needed haircut. It was Evelyn's first time and she did great! Here are some pics!