On Friday the hubby and I take up residence in our new home in a new community.  I face this new adventure with so many mixed feelings.  Although I am so very excited, I am also a bit sad.  It is bittersweet to be leaving this dear community where I have felt such deep bonds of belonging and happiness, to be leaving my beautiful home and neighborhood, and so many dear friends.  Yet, I am so excited about my new position, returning to the city, and having a whole new area to explore.  Also being an hour from the coast is super sweet!!  So many new adventures await us..

Of course, there was already adventure before we even got moved.  En-route to find a house, and with numerous appointments already set up to visit homes, I get a call from my new employer asking if I would like to change locations of where I am working.  She knew I wanted to be near my hubby's work and just had a building open and it was mine if I wanted it.  Sure did!  But that meant frantically setting up appointments for homes in Salem and cancelling the ones I had in a neighboring community.  I pulled it off and we found the most gorgeous home EVER!  So excited to decorate it and set up house!

With that out of the way we headed over to the coast for the rest of the week to hang with the grands.  Love, love, love the coast!!

As I reflect on this new adventure I think of my time with my previous employer.  It was such a balancing act and the scales forever tipped deeply in favor of the organization.  When I began to seek a healthy work/life balance which included working out, taking care of myself, enjoying family and friends, there was a shift in the corporate attitude.  In my three years there, I never took a week off.  I would take a few days here or a few days there, but there was never the ability or chance to take an entire week, let alone two.  So when I began my search for a new organization for which to work, I was adamant that I would never work for a publicly traded company again.  Been there and done that twice and both times the focus was too much on profits to the detriment of residents and staff.  In interview after interview when I shared this I was met with the same response, "we hear that all the time."  Don't get me wrong.  I loved my job, loved the opportunity to take a failing community and turn it to profitability.  But it did take its toll.  So I am excited about my new organization.  The attitude and support I have seen them exhibit toward their executive directors is refreshing.  It is a tough industry and the burn out rate is extremely high, so a strong support system for directors is at the top of my list of organizational attributes.  

In the midst of all this packing and traveling to and fro I still got in some painting time.  I turned this:

Into this:

And got in some berry picking and jam making….

My hubby had never had home made jam made just for him.  So I made up batches of blueberry and strawberry.  Emilee was my taste tester.  She just loves grandma's jam!!

I will miss my sweet Ems and Bella!

And of course more rides…

 

And so once again, I have been packing, packing, and packing.  I am sorting out and trying so hard to clear out yet more clutter….where does all this stuff come from anyway?!  Course it does not help that Becca and I have been hitting the yard sales most every week end….out with one thing and in with two….

Next post I will share pics of the new house.  It is so lovely as is the neighborhood.  Much larger than my current home and still with all the amenities I require….gotta have my soaker tub, walk in closets, three car garage, and of course gas range.  

And now back to packing…

Patricia