Change

Well, I'm writing a blog post, so you know what that means... I have news!  You know when you're in school and getting close to graduating and everyone asks you where you will end up, and you answer "we have no idea, it could literally be anywhere..."?  Well, we finally have a legit answer to that question, which, to be honest, is still a little weird and surreal for me.  But we are so excited for this next chapter of our lives.  And that next chapter will be.... drum roll please....

Johnson City, TN!!  For you geographically-challenged individuals (like me), that is in the north-east corner of TN, about 4 hours east of Nashville, an hour or so east of Knoxville, and close to the borders of Kentucky and North Carolina.  Right near part of the Appalachian Trail. Yeah, it's pretty gorgeous, as you can imagine.

On Wednesday, May 1st, Nate was offered a tenure track professorship at East Tennessee State University, in the bluegrass, old time and country music studies program in the department of appalachian studies.  Got that? ;)  And yes, these things really exist.  Just a little fun fact for you, this is the only school in the world that offers a major in bluegrass music.  And Nate gets to teach there.  He is crazy excited about this opportunity and we know that we have been incredibly blessed.  The job, however, does not begin until August of 2014.  So it's all a little anti-climatic.  Except that it's not, because there is one more small piece of news...

We are leaving NYC in 26 days.

This has all happened very suddenly, as in, the last few days, and it is still kind of a shock to say that.  But I am starting to come to terms with it, and as of today, have started to feel very peaceful about it.  It's all kind of a long and dramatic story, but basically Nate's job situation was quite unbearable, so he quit this week.  We knew this was coming, as he has to get his dissertation finished and needed the time to work on it, we just didn't expect it to happen this soon.  But, he did what we both felt needed to be done and so now we have to leave this amazing (and very expensive) city.  We have come to a point in our NY experience where I don't feel that we are really taking advantage of the city as much as we used to and as much as I'd like to, as it's just so hard to get around with 4 small kids and all.  So while I am very sad to be parting with the city, as I do love it so SO much, what makes me that saddest is to be leaving the people that we have had the privilege of knowing and becoming close to over the last 5 years.  They truly are like family, and it is seriously heart breaking to have to say good bye.  Change is always hard for me, but even more so when I haven't had time to mentally and emotionally prepare.  But like I said, we feel good about our decision, and I am slowly getting to a place where I don't want to break down and cry every time I talk, or even think, about it.

The boys are very excited to be moving on, although they are pretty bummed that we are not moving to TN quite yet.  I told Asher that we would be in WA, close to his cousins for the summer, which made him very happy, and then I went on to say that we would be living in UT for the school year.  He got all excited and asked if we would be doing "suburban living" (no idea where he learned that term...), I said no, we will probably be living in another apartment- and he was VERY upset.  These kids are so ready for more space and a backyard.  I feel so bad for them (and for myself ;) but I figure we can hang on for one more year.  We are very happy to be able to be out west and closer to our families for this next year, before we head back east indefinitely.

So anyway... there is our news.  We are so excited and definitely recognize Heavenly Father's hand in our lives.  We have been so blessed over the last 5 years.  I often feel unworthy of those blessings, but I am so grateful for them nonetheless.

Wish us luck on our next new adventure!!