When one has spent the last three years with the steadiest 8-5 job/ routine one can imagine, quitting one's job takes some getting used to.
Shane and I moved to Wellman (Kalona area). However, we had some last minute changes to our game plan.
It goes like this: Last January (Ten Months ago!) Shane and I were asking ourselves what it would look like to stay in the Des Moines area for another year or two. We thought about it, we prayed about it, and we came to the conclusion that April was too soon for us to move, but a year from April was too long for us to stay. We had to re-sign our lease if we were going to stay, but we didn't know how long we were actually going to stay.
In February we settled on 6 months more, and turned in our new lease that would expire on 10/31/2018. So, we've known this was coming for a long long while. We spent some of our spring time looking for houses and figuring out finances. After checking out a lot of houses and finding nothing in our price range that didn't need major fixing upping, we decided we would purchase half of a duplex Shane's parents were building as a rental. It was in our price range and wouldn't need any fixing.
Shane began working for a new HVAC company in June as a "Part-time" employee.. meaning, they needed him for summer help but knew he'd be leaving in October.
Just after I turned in my official end date at my job, Shane's job asked what it would take to get him to stay to December. Our duplex isn't done being built so we talked, we discussed and Shane chose to extend his contract with his Des Moines company out to Thanksgiving in November, with the exception that he will work Fridays at Graber Heating and Air in Kalona.
So, this past Saturday we moved all but some of our belongings to our new, unfinished house and returned ourselves to Des Moines. Shane continues to work while I alternate cleaning and scrubbing down our empty little apartment and reading a book while sprawled out on the carpet in the living room. Even now as I lean against the wall, sitting on the floor, I wish we had a chair or a couch or something, but it's not a bad gig.
This weekend Shane and I will move the remaining items (Like the coffee pot and the folding chairs) to our new place and next Wednesday will start our great adventure of living in a hotel and traveling back and forth to Kalona. We will live in a hotel from Sunday nights to Thursday mornings while Shane works in Des Moines and then we will work our Fridays and Saturdays in Kalona.
After having traveled most weekends since before we got married, we thought that October would be our great month of settling down and not spending all of our money on gas tanks. As it turns out it is totally the opposite. We're not sad about it, though. If ever there was a time to have your company put you in a hotel for a month, it would be now, while we have no children and have more than enough experience living out of a suitcase.
Obviously the meals part will be the trickiest thing. We will be bring our Instant-pot with us and mastering all the things. We also will be saying yes to any one who would want to take us in and feed us supper in the Des Moines area during that time. We will have our breakfast provided but no kitchenette or anything.. so it will be an adventure.
On the weekends we will be staying at my sister's house in North Liberty that is in the process of being sold.. so we're not actually sure if we will be staying very many weekends there, but that's our current plan, basically.
We will officially be in the Kalona area during the week times by the end of November. We are hoping our new place is finished being built by then. :)
So, If you're in the Iowa City/ North Liberty/ Kalona area, hit us up on the weekends. If you're in the Des Moines, Ames, Ankeny area during the week day, have us over for supper, we would not complain. :)
