Plot Monkeys

Do you all remember about a month and a half ago when I posted a blog post titled “Where in the World is Janelle”? And the answer to that was Beaverton, Oregon. My husband flew up to Oregon where he was interviewed for a job, and I joined him so we could check out the area and decide if we wanted to move from Southern California to Oregon. We really and truly fell in love with the area — it was beautiful, the people friendly, and just what we were looking for when and if we moved out of California. The interview went extremely well, and after a lot of discussion and angst and optimism, my husband accepted the job a few weeks ago . . . which means we’re moving to Oregon sometime in 2008.

I have to take a deep breath here because the thought of moving to Oregon is both an exciting and scarey prospect for my husband and I, and even for my daughters Danielle (17) and Kellie (15). It’s an exciting thought because for years we’ve talked about moving out of Southern California because of how crowded it is here, the traffic, the smog, the fires, the extreme summer weather, the outrageous cost of living, and so many other reasons. We also wanted to take our girls to a place that wasn’t such a hectic way of life, as California tends to be. We wanted to be somewhere more country than city, more laidback than frenzied. And with this new job offer comes a complete moving package, which makes the expense of moving much easier to bear.

Now comes the scarey part. Every so often when I think of moving and living in Oregon, I get those nervous butterflies in my stomach. Why? Because we’re moving away from everything that is familiar and dear to us (mainly all of our family and good friends), and we’re chartering into unknown territory – with absolutely no one we know that will be close by. Don has lived in Southern California since he was born, and his family lives close by us right now. I’ve lived in Southern California since I was twelve, and my family lives close by us right now. Everyone is HERE, and no one will be THERE. No more spontaneous dinners with the families, no girls day out with my girlfriends, and my daughters are leaving that all behind, as well. It will be just the four of us, alone and on our own. Yes, that’s a very scarey thing to think about, when our immediate family has been such an intrinsic part of our lives for so long.

Don is leaving us in a few weeks to start his new job while I stay behind and pack up the house and get it ready to put up for sale (and it’s a HORRIBLE market to be selling a house!). I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about this new adventure of mine in my weekly posts, but I thought I’d share my big news for 2008.

Here’s a question for you all. Have you ever moved out of state or far away from family and friends to start over all on your own in a place or state you’ve never been? And if so, how was the transition for you? Did you adapt okay, or wish you’d never moved so far away?