On Moving to Coeur d'Alene

So, I've decided to set up a blog to chronicle the process of moving from Boston, MA back to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. For those of you who don't know, I graduated from Abilene Christian University in December of 2005. I auditioned for graduate school, with the hope of attending this school year, but unfortunately that didn't happen. So, in May we moved to Boston with the idea that I could hook up with a teacher, work, save money, and try again for next year. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened either. I have a job that I don't like very much, I'm not playing at all, and there's no way I could get back to where I was this time last year by February without a teacher. Even if I could somehow manage to become good enough to be accepted to a graduate school, there's no way we could afford it, since the only way we can afford to live here at all is with both of us working full time. So, as of Thursday, November 9, 2006 we made the decision that we're moving back to Coeur d'Alene. Both of our parents still live there, and Boston's just not working out like we'd hoped. Besides, being 3,000 miles from your family isn't all it's cracked up to be.

It's odd, though. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be able to spend time with my family whenever I want, to have friends again, to have a church home again. But, I feel as though I'm coming full circle, and in so doing, I can't help thinking about memories of growing up in Coeur d'Alene. Now, I had a great childhood, but we all get battered a bit in growing up. Some of the memories aren't the most pleasant. Although, thankfully, one of the central figures in many of my unpleasant memories is no longer there. I have forgiven him for his treatment of me (however unententional, he did a lot of emotional and spiritual damage), but I haven't been able to forget. Most things that truly require forgiveness cannot be so glibly dismissed by "forgive and forget." So, whenever those memories resurface I must make an intentional decision to continue to forgive. That would be much more difficult if faced with this person on a regular basis. I am thankful that I won't have to. Regardless of all that, however, I haven't lived in Coeur d'Alene for over five years now, and not at all since I got married. We'll all have some great big adjustments coming our way. Especially since we'll be living with parents again... Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for all the help supplied by both my parents and my husband's parents, and for their generosity in opening their homes to us once again, though we have both long since left the nest. In some ways I'm excited to get to stay with them for a little while. I love getting to stay up late talking to my mom, which is something we did regularly when I was a teenager, and still do over the phone at times. But, I'm just afraid of what might happen when a "little while" gets longer and longer. So, we're just praying that jobs and cars and money come through sooner rather than later, and that a "little while" remains just that.

So, here are my thoughts to be sent off into internet land as my first blog post. I'll keep everyone updated on all of the adventures that come with moving for the third time in 8 months. (Yes, 3 times. From Abilene to our first apartment in Boston, from our first to our second apartment in Boston, and now to Coeur d'Alene. Then we'll have to move again once we get our own place. All I know is that once we do we better stay there for a long time!)