So, prior to this week, it had been 6 months since my last post and that post was just an announcement that I was shutting down this blog. So really, it's been 11 months since my last post with anything meaningful. Well...but that was just a photo dump. So my last post with real, written content was over a year ago. That's so crazy to me. It definitely doesn't seem like it's been that long, since I sat and typed some rambling dribble about my life to whomever randomly navigated over to my little section of the Internet.
And a LOT has changed in that year. So much so, that I need to break it up into multiple posts. Part 1 is what's been going on at Chateau Cooper in general. Come back Monday for a Momma & Miles update (which we all know is what's way more interesting)!
So a few highlights - I had pneumonia in October, which occurred as a result of my continuing to work through a cold, which had turned into the flu. Apparently, it is important to rest when you're sick...or something.
We took a trip to Tennessee in October. We visited the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel, went trick-or-treating at the zoo, went to the aquarium, a children's museum, and a petting farm. We had a great time, but basically reaffirmed that we would never move to Tennessee.
I made a big investment in my Jamberry business and decided to attend the Regional Jamberry Conference in Columbus, OH. I learned that in some dueling piano bars, the waiters will take their shirts off and dance on the pianos.
Despite never wanting to shoot or own a gun, my husband convinced me to go to the range with him one day. While there, the instructor on duty convinced me to try it. Turns out, I'm sort of a natural. By the end of the session, he had invited me to join his competitive shooting team. He did not invite Chad (teehee). I politely declined, but was excited to have a new skill. By the end of the year, Chad and I both got our CPLs - though I still have no desire to actually carry anything.
In January, I lost my great aunt, Sr. Kathleen. We had been very close when I was younger - she was really like a 3rd grandmother to me, but she developed alzheimer's and we lost touch at the end of her life. I feel very guilty that I did not continue to write and send Christmas cards each year. I'm sure she would have liked to be remembered, even if she didn't remember me. I thought about her all the time, but I still feel like I didn't do enough. My most fond memory of her was staying at her apartment and reading the Warm Fuzzy tale. After we had read the story, we made our own warm fuzzies then went around and gave them to the other residents. She always told me that the rule of fuzzies was that they must always come with a hug. So we passed out these fuzzies and hugs and it made all of our nights. So for her funeral, I made up a bunch of warm fuzzies and gave them to the other attendees, along with the required hug. I feel like she would have appreciated that.
In the time since my last post, I attended 3 Tigers games and TigersFest (which was a disaster and could be another post all on its own, so I'll spare you that). This season is not turning out well, but I love my boys and I will anxiously await a big turnaround next year.
So now for the big stuff. Remember how a few paragraphs ago, I said we had reaffirmed our desire to NEVER move to Tennessee? Well....
In May, Chad was recommended and hired for a new job. The catch? The job is in Tennessee and he started 2 weeks later. Woah. We had been casually discussing the possibility of making a move to Tennessee in the future to be closer to family, but our goal was to get there before Miles started kindergarten...not anytime soon. But it was an opportunity we could not pass up, so of course, he took it. And we started prepping for a huge move, and put our house on the market.
One of the big questions was what would I do for work? We figured if we sold the house quick enough, we'd be OK for a little while on one income, but I'd need to hit the ground running once I got there. Well...luck was apparently on our side. When I called my boss to give my 2 weeks' notice, I mentioned that I would be willing to stay on and continue to work remotely. Maybe it was just good timing (2 high level employees had also quit that day), but she agreed. I mean...could it have gotten any better than that?!
About 24 hours after our house went on the market we got an offer. It was a terrible offer, but in the end, we decided to accept it. The money we made off of it would cover most (if not all) of a down payment on a new house and we wouldn't have to worry about the mortgage. The closing process took entirely too long and we almost backed out a few times, but in the end, we got it done and we were no longer homeowners - which was awesome.
We had hoped that once we got settled in, we would find a new house and be out of my parents (who had graciously let us stay with them until we found other arrangements) in a couple of months. Well, our first weekend in town we found the perfect house. Only problem? It wasn't built yet. We have wanted to build since we got married, so we jumped at the opportunity. This means that we're staying where we are for a little longer than we had hoped...but if it means getting into an amazing house - it will be worth it! Our expected move-in date is December...hopefully we'll be in our new home by Christmas!
About 2 weeks into our new life in Tennessee, I got a call from an employment recruiter for a local company. They had a few departments looking for Business Analysts and he thought I would be a good fit (I didn't apply for this company...this guy found me on LinkedIn and reached out on his own). I went to two interviews and got 2 job offers. Holy Crap. I had an ideal work situation...working from home at a job I knew and did well. But this was an opportunity that would allow me tremendous potential for growth (something I didn't have at my current job) and a big salary bump. I couldn't, realistically, pass it up. I felt awful - because my company had made a lot of special accomodations to let me keep working. But...this was the best decision for my family and my career so I had to do it. I also agreed to stay on as an as-needed contractor with my (former) company for 2 months during the transition in case they had something that they just couldn't do without me. They haven't called yet... :-) But I'm loving my new job and I'm so excited about everything I'm going to learn here.
And now...I think that's just about it. You're caught up with more information than you ever wanted to know. So until Monday....
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