And such a time has come to let the proverbial cat out of the bag.
Our lives are going to be turned UPSIDE DOWN for the next two months and it is not just do to the wee one who will soon be making his appearance. Matt has decided to take a new position and relocate our family to Pennsylvania.
Rewind: Matt has grown up loving farming and his truest desire has always been, since childhood, to own a farm. From the time he hit the double-digits in age, he was working on surrounding farms and around the age of 15 actually took care of an entire farm by himself for a week while the farmer was away. Doing EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, farming is a tough business to start from scratch on and he had no family farm to move into. So-he has been biding his time in the 'dairy field' working on farms from being a farm hand to dairy manager, working in the feed industry and field industries, and presently working as a consultant for quality milk. He even contemplated working in the manure business (I am thankful he decided against that-working with crap sounds like a crappy job to me!). While I have always been thankful for the jobs the Lord has provided us in our time of need, I have also been somewhat frustrated because Matt seemed to be grasping for ANYTHING instead of seeking out his REAL dream.
So-a month or so ago a headhunter (a man who tries to match prospective employees and employers up) called Matt up and told us of a man who was nearing retirement age who owned a 450 cow dairy farm in Pennsylvania. He had started farming at 22 cows and gradually his herd grew to the large-farm size it is now. After working so hard at making his farm what it is, he wants the farm to continue on and not be sold off in pieces. Fortunately for us, he has no family that is willing to take over which leaves Mr. Q to seek elsewhere: namely, Candor.
The job is not only a good career move (increased salary) but it is under the assumption that Matt will buy the farm and transfer ownership in about five years. It is called transitional farming and is basically a work-to-own situation. It will be years down the road before we claim 'ownership' but FINALLY we are working TOWARDS it instead of just putting it off. I am pleased as punch about the job aspect. I couldn't be happier for Matt or our family, knowing that his dream for us is coming true (with a tremendous amount of hard work and diligence, of course.)
What I am not entirely pleased about is the timing. I am due April 10th and Matt will be starting his new job on May 1st. That means that I will have to pack an entire apartment 9 months pregnant, we will move away from all of our family, friends, and church just weeks after the baby is born, and I will have to UNPACK and set up a home from scratch with a newborn. I am concerned for myself-that I won't be able to handle all the changes well and I am doubly concerned for Corynn. Not only will she be contending with the changes a second child brings, but she will be losing her much anticipated weekly visits with BOTH sets of grandparents and other friends and family, not to mention the fact that all that is familiar to her (her room, her house, her yard) will no longer be familiar. My life is going to be downright HARD for the next few months.
Fast Forward: SO-this job comes with a house. A REAL (though not live) house! It is a brick ranch. Not the grand Victorian I have dreamed about since childhood-but fairytales don't usually come true anyway. Three bedrooms and a large basement....perfect for our billiard/homeschool room-eventually. Not sure how we will fill up a house this big-but, give me time and plenty of yard sale seasons and it will start to get a comfortable feel.
This house will be the house that we will eventually purchase along with the farm, so I can FINALLY start planning perennials and enjoy them in following years. Corynn will FINALLY be able to have some outdoor toys, Matt will FINALLY be able to have his garage, and I will FINALLY be able to do as much gardening as my little heart desires. I am already thinking about herb and perennial gardens, cutting gardens, and of course a mammoth vegetable plot. I can even PAINT and make permanent decorative changes to the house. Ah-FREEDOM. No longer will I have the glare of my landlady squashing all dreams, or her shovel digging up my rose bushes or marigolds. Hallelujah!
So-that is the story. It is official and I will DEFINATELY be needing strength to do all that is required in the next few months. The task has just begun. Matt has promised to bring boxes home every day after work. Maybe if I work little by little, it will be less traumatic for me. Either way-please pray for our family in the coming months. We will certainly need all the perseverance we can muster. But in all the work and struggles-we are so thankful that the Lord has seen fit to open up the doors to Matt's dreams and to bless our family most abundantly, more than we could ever ask, think, or even imagine. God is good.
12 comments:
Wow! That's quite an announcement. Can I ask to which part of PA you are moving? We live about five minutes from the PA/MD border but I doubt you are moving near us. It'd be great if you were but I doubt you are! Congratulations! ~Jen
I know-this is a major life change. That is why it took SO LONG to make a decision! We will be moving near Penn State. I am HORRIBLE with Geography-so I am not sure if that would put us closer to you or not! :-)
Rebecca,
You don't know how hard it was to not cry reading your post. I will miss you more than will probably ever know. :( You've been a dear friend and I will miss not having you here to share life's up and downs with, our pregnancies, newborns and older children, and our homeschooling experiences. Oh, there is so much more that I will miss!
I wish that there was another farm in close proximity to the one you will be working to own! Then we might just have to follow you down to PA and set up our operation there! ;)
Lots of love,
Leah
Do you know what campus of Penn State? There is a campus maybe within an hour and a half of us...State College. ~Jen
WOW! What a WONDERFUL BLESSING!! It is our desire and dream to move to a farm someday (not a dairy farm though LOL!). I know you don't like the timing, but I am sure there is something about this that is GOD'S timing! ;) And what a chance to be a help meet to your husband! Oh Rebecca, I am REJOICING for you!! God gave you this move, He will give youthe strength to endure it. Start packing now, it will save you time after the baby is born. AND you will realize all the stuff you can live without! We started packing before I got pregnant because we were planning on moving, but then got pregnant and God has not provided another house for us. I am seriously considering just giving all the boxes out there to GoodWill - if we have lived without them for 10 months, do we REALLY NEED them? =^)
Anyways, I am so glad that those boxes arrived and there were some things in there that would fit little C.
ALSO, we had a huge fear about how our first little one would be about receiving a second little one. There is a WONDERFUL book Welcoming Your Second Baby by Vicky Lansky that was a GREAT help to us. Also, because dh was working from home, I was allowed to go out with the first born while second born napped. This still gave first born PLENTY of alone Mommy time. Blessings my friend!!
Rebecca,
I'm in PA too! :) I'm about 2 hours from State College if that's the area you're moving to.
Email me and we can figure out how close we are. My email addy is homeschoolmummyx3@msn.com
Blessings,
Regina
Bittersweet blessing, eh?
I am very happy for you and Matt, even though for the sake of selfishness, I wish this farm was in Ithaca! One of the appeals of moving back near home, if John found a job nearby, will be removed when you and yours transplant to PA. Sigh for us, but hurrah for you! :)
We will think of you in the coming months as you prepare for Peanut and the big move. Take advantage of any offers of help you're given!
Exciting!
Dear Rebecca,
It must be freeing to be able to FINALLY tell people about this! No more secrets to keep! (Just imagine Dave with his job...There are secrets he can NEVER tell anyone, even ME!)
I am with Leah on the missing you guys part. I feel as if we are just starting to know you, and there ya go! God is working in all of this, though. Who am I to be selfish and stomp my feet about it? :)
On the packing issue. Please do not think that you would have to do it all by yourself. When we were in the military, we often had lots of help packing up things. Perhaps we can arrange a packing party at your place soon? I don't want to invite myself, but that is a lot of work to do while so pregnant. We have some extra boxes hanging around, too, that you could use. You tell us what to put in the boxes and we would help you. In fact, for our last move, Dave had 5 or so friends down in MD we've known since we first went into the military in 1999 come and help. It was great!
Let me talk it over with Dave and see how his schedule is playing out with his new job. Does that sound like a good idea?
I tried leaving a comment yesterday, but for some reason the word verification blocked me out all day.
I am glad that there are people out in PA for you already. Having friends fairly close will make your transition easier!
I am excited for this opportunity for your family, but very sad to see you go- You are my closest friend and I enjoy our weekly get together more than words can express. I don't mean to be mushy-gushy but I just wanted you to know that I love you Rebecca! :)
Jen~State College is where we will be! Neat!
Leah~Don't speak in the past tense, dear girl! I know that it will be harder, but I don't plan on losing any friendships-just overcoming the challenges of long distance. That is, until a farm close by opens up and you relocate closer! ;-)
P~Thank you for your comment. It was JUST what I wanted to here. I can't express how STRESSED I have been about this whole thing-and I just needed some encouragement. I know it is sappy, but sometimes it helps to be told "It's going to be okay." This IS exciting, but I have been so overwhelmed with the NEGATIVES, I have been overlooking the greatness of it all. Thank you.
Abby~ :-( That you might be moving near actually caused Matt and I to waver a bit. What a sad thing it is... are you sure there is no chance you could be looking in PA? PLease?!?!
Michelle~ Leah's note goes for you too. I hope we can continue to keep in touch with one another, even though our visits will be sporatic. As for your offer-THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. That would be such a wonderful help to us! I am planning to get stuff done little by little for the next few weeks (since we won't be moving until the end of April) so probably mid-April is when we could REALLY use the help. Packing all the 'necessities' and day-to-day items. We would just absolutely love any help you have to offer...THANK YOU again. We will set up a time sometime. And-save those boxes! :-)
Elizabeth- sniff. I keep telling myself we are just beating you to it and it's not like we would be living a few minutes away from each other forever, not with Bob's need for distance. But it is not making me feel better. Thankfully, I know that BECAUSE we are so close, we WILL make sure to see each other and talk to each other often. I will miss you most of all.
Well, John just forwarded me an email about a job opening in Helena, Montana! (He's still got Big Sky on the brain, but only as a long shot...)
Ithaca, if God gave him a job there, would be an awfully cool place to move. We both like the area, it's a LOT closer to friends and family, and, of great importance, there's a church close by that we would willingly join immediately. So....
We're open to moving pretty much anywhere, though, provided God seems to be opening doors to do so. PA, anyone?
The trawlerman comment came from me, Abby, not my bearded counterpart, as you probably gathered.
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