One Year... and Counting

It's been difficult to imagine that our family has now been in Gillette for a year (as of TODAY)!

At times, it seems like only yesterday that we, along with mom and dad, made the finishing touches on the Uhaul and headed yet further West than Ellendale, North Dakota.

Looking at the past year, we have certainly had our good and bad moments! I have had a much more difficult time adjusting to the new locale and job than Samantha and the kids have in adjusting to the move.

In fact for the first 8+ months I really struggled with the move and my decision to move my young family out here. However, the last four months have been much better for me and have really helped me confirm my decision making.

I have also felt a little more goal driven this fall than I had in the past. Partially thanks to now being more than half way through my master's program and being able to see the end in sight. I have also had a great deal of motivation to at least attempt to pursue education beyond my master's degree, I'll complete this decision sometime in the summer and will hopefully have an answer in the fall.

Samantha and I have also discussed and come to some major financial decisions for our family that we have already begun to implement. Having a job that is rewarding of my time has been a big blessing over this past year, hopefully it will enable us to continue towards our goal of paying off a great deal of college debt. We've been adamant about not taking out another dollar in loans to pursue further education, good thus far!

Samantha and I have also wanted to expand our family by at least one more child. NO, I'm not making an announcement! Ellendale was enjoyable, but based on my salary we both recognized that it would be near impossible for us to have another child. It's now very much a probability! I'm sure at some point in 2010 or 2011 we'll have an announcement to make, but let's wait till then!

For the kids the year has been an exciting change. First, they've been able to see much more of me on a regular basis which we hope leads to benefits in the future. Tristan celebrated his first birthday shortly after we moved out, since then Aundrea has had her third special day!

This past summer was exceptionally special for us as we were able to take a six week hiatus and just enjoy one another and family! I think we put about 6,000 miles on the car this past summer, it's a vacation we won't soon forget.

Like all move's, we have had a few difficult decisions to make over the past year. The first came in the form of an almost move back a little closer to Samantha's family. At the time I believed it was a decision I was making more for Samantha, however I don't necessarily believe that now! Samantha would like to consider a move back to Minnesota in some point in her life but right now she seems to be content in living in a few places different than where she grew up. The job itself would have been a good landing for me and I still think it would have been a good fit. There were however a few issues that I tried to overlook in order to make the move. Samantha on the other hand looked at the whole picture and called me on it, thank the Lord for a good wife! Overall, I think we did the right think by staying put for now.

We have also wrestled with the idea of purchasing a house. It's easily been one area that I've struggled with. A house and land that we can call a home is something that I desire for Samantha and these kids. On one hand I believe that it represents stability, on the other hand I have no intention of making a long term commitment to Wyoming or paying into the ridiculous housing market of Gillette.

Another good move, but difficult decision for us, has been my acceptance of a baseball position with the local Legion team. The position will require that I commit to the program for much of the winter, spring, and summer, and it will severely limit our ability to travel on our own like last summer. However, they offered to allow my family to travel with us on road games, making the decision much easier for me. I have had other concerns taking the position as well but I'll spare you those! The financial remuneration will also assist us in meeting our family goals.

So here we are one year since a move that took us away from the only community Samantha and I knew as a married couple to a place that's different but has provided us with several positive experiences! In another year I'm not sure what I'll be reporting, but I can now say that I look forward to getting to that point!