Didn't See It Coming

When I left the blog last Kevin had quit his job and we were heading into summer.  Now, summer is almost over and Kevin has a new job!  Oh and we are leaving Spokane!  Bet you didn’t see that coming.  Neither did we!

Kevin’s hobby for years now has been the stock market and investing.  He’s nothing short of obsessed.  Every night he watches the Nightly Business Report, reads Barron’s and checks the stock market like most of us check our Facebook accounts.  So what better career for him to go into than investments and financial planning.  He’s been researching and looking at different options to change careers.  We went out to dinner with some representatives from Edward Jones and Kevin decided that would be a good fit for him and he began the process of applying. 

Then this happened - right around the same time Kevin quit, so did the Director of EPIC (the outdoor program at Eastern Washington University).  He had only been there for a year.  Kevin had actually applied for the job last year when it opened.  So when Kevin quit and the EPIC director quit, some of Kevin’s employees and co-workers came to Kevin and asked him to consider applying for the job.  It’s a position I have always felt Kevin would excel in and one he has a lot of passion for.  In an effort to give it one last shot, just so there weren’t any “I wonder if…..” in his future, he applied for the job.

Then this happened – we went to Florida for our annual summer vacation trip.  While we were there we celebrated my in-laws 60^th wedding anniversary.  After 60 years they are still so much in love.  Watching them brings tears to my eyes and such a deep admiration for the strength of their love.  They are in their 80’s now and there are definite signs that they will be needing help in the near future to continue to live on their own.  Since Kevin’s changing careers, why not do it in Florida we asked ourselves.  We are mountain people and Florida has no mountains (or even hills).  But if we are going to leave the mountains, we might as well do it for the beautiful ocean.  After talks with Sylvia and a little negotiation on my part (I negotiated a paddle board and a house with a heated swimming pool so we can swim year round), the decision was made.  We are moving to Florida!!!!

Then this happened – we came back to Spokane.  Right away, Kevin went to the hiring committee for the Director job and let them know he was withdrawing his application because we had decided to move to Florida.  A couple of weeks later they asked him if he would consider taking the job as an interim position until next June.  I was in Seattle at my Developmental Disabilities Council Meetings when this happened.  I got home Friday night and Kevin says “Guess what?!”  So I dug out our big white board and we began our list of pros and cons of Kevin taking the Director job.  In the end, the job won – we are staying in Spokane for now!  Kevin went into work that next Monday, accepted the Interim Director position with an end date of June 30, 2017.  Come July 1^st we are headed to Florida!

So there you have it, a new job and we are moving to Florida.  The kids will have one more year to go to school with their friends (Sylvia is starting middle school so that is important).  I will have more time to prepare for the move.  I am heading to Vero Beach, Florida in October for a week to start scoping things out.  Schools, doctors, therapists, and a place to live are on my list.  So much to do….

If anyone would have told me I would move across the country to Florida I would have never believed them.  I’ve spent my whole life living near mountains and lakes.  It’s going to be quite a change.  I’m going to miss Spokane, Washington state, the Pacific Northwest and all the friends we have made here.  Someday we may be back, or maybe we won’t.  Who knows what will come.  But I’m excited for the adventure ahead of us.  There’s a lot to see in Florida – the Keys, the Everglades, Winter (the dolphin with the prosthetic tail), Disney World (Florida residents get discounted tickets!), cruises to the Bahamas, Daytona, the list goes on.  What matters more than anything is that we will be close to Kevin’s parents and all his family in Florida.  The rest will all work itself out.  “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” – Eleanor Roosevelt