Wow . . . I really can't describe how I felt yesterday when the "for sale" sign went up in our front yard. As of right now, I pretty much try not to look at it.
Even though I've wanted to - or thought I wanted to - move for a very long time, it didn't seem like it would ever happen. Even though we've known since last April that Seth might be offered a new job within his company which would require us to move to the Jackson, MS area, it didn't seem like it would ever really happen, especially as days and then months continued to pass. Even though I began cleaning out and organizing closets and cabinets and the attic many months back in anticipation of a move, it didn't seem like it would ever come. Even though Seth took me to the Jackson area in November for a couple of days to look around, it didn't seem like I'd ever be moving there. At that point, I honestly didn't want to move there. And even when Seth called me from work one day the week before Christmas and told me he'd received THE job offer effective January 1, it still didn't seem like we'd move. At that point, we decided not to think about it until after Christmas. Well, Christmas came and went as quickly as ever, as did the New Year. So here we are with a "for sale" sign in our yard. It still doesn't seem real.
Seth has been given a wonderful opportunity for a new job with his company. It will set him up to be quite marketable in the oil and pipeline industry in the next several years. The first 12-18 months of his new job will be spent doing a lot of training - in the field and in the classroom. His new job is in the area of corosion. It all seems quite complicated to me, and there is a lot I do not understand. I simply know that corosion is rust, and as pipelines are in the ground, the elements can act upon them to create rust/corosion . . . and then what to do after that is where I get lost. Seth has worked so hard during the past several months to get this new job. He is very excited about it and looking forward to what he has to learn. I think it says a lot that Denbury has recognized that he is the perfect fit for this position and has the confidence in him that he will be able to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to do something new that he hasn't done before. I am very proud of him!
In the meantime, Seth is staying in a hotel in Jackson during the week. He comes home on the weekends. Mason and I will stay here until our house sells. Our agent actually showed our house last week before all of the paperwork was completed because a business contact of hers was interested in buying it for her elderly mother, who is relocating to our area from New Orleans. Although we expected to have a contract on it this past Saturday, she decided the yard was more than her mom could tackle at her age. Honestly, I was relieved. I'm not quite ready to go yet.
It's been quite a journey. Perhaps it will be a little harder to leave Louisiana than I thought it would be. That doesn't mean I don't want to go because I'm really excited about a new place, a new adventure (not to mention decorating a new room for Mason!). I just realized there ARE some things (not a lot, mind you) that I will miss about Louisiana.
As of right now, we have narrowed our search for our new home to Madison (about 10 miles north of Jackson) and Brandon (about 10 miles east of Jackson). During my last and only visit thus far, I didn't see anything that I absolutely had to have. Even now, after talking with several real estate agents and looking at listings on-line, I still haven't found anything I'm particularly drawn to. I know I need to go back up there for another house hunting trip, but I haven't been ready to do that yet. Maybe next week.
You know, I'll bet you would drive by our house and not even notice it. It wouldn't necessarily stand out anymore than any of the other houses in our subdivision would. There's nothing special about it . . . except that it's OUR house. When we bought it four years ago, it wasn't even finished yet. The yard was dirt. I'll never forget the weekends we spent sodding and preparing landscaping beds (I'll also NEVER do that again). I'll never forget the time I spent sewing curtains. I'll never forget picking out new furniture. I'll never forget being six months pregnant and standing on the cabinets in the kitchen so I could paint above them (also something else I'll NEVER do again). I'll never forget bringing Mason home to this house. This house is my haven, my castle. It holds lots of memories for us. But I know we'll make new memories wherever we end up.
I really don't know where we're going from here. I don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow! I just know that GOD KNOWS . . . and that's all I need to know for now!