For the 3 1/2 weeks that our house was on the market, I was a total stress case. I told Jeff, I felt like I was waiting for the cute boy to call...and he just wasn't calling! I will be the first to admit that I could have handled that month with much more grace than I actually did. But, the whole thing made my stomach in knots for so many reasons.
1. The constant gloom and doom that is the real estate market. No one ever has good news when it comes to real estate these days. Buyers know they have the pick of the litter and they're in no rush. 'Cause mine is a dime a dozen.
2. Jeff had committed to being up in WA by August 1st. Which meant if we hadn't sold our house, our family would have been separated. And, I was having constant anxiety about that. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I hate being separated from Jeff.
3. Three kids, house on the market...enough said.
4. Does anyone like having strangers walk through their house? We even had someone use the bathroom during a showing. How do I know that? We never leave toilet seats up, and the one in the master bathroom was up when I got home. Yuck.
But, thankfully, the pain was short lived. Relatively speaking, it sold very quickly. And, coincidentally, we go two offers on the same day. So, in this "low ball" market, we were able to bid the offers up and got very close to our asking price.
Really, I'm just super grateful that someone came into our home and decided to buy it! Their realtor told us that they looked at 18 homes in one weekend, and then flew back to the east coast. How our home stood out among 18, I have no idea. We're just very grateful that it did and realize how blessed we are.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Broken
Well, it's official. We're moving. And, we're all broken-hearted about it. In fact, some days I'm so sad about it, it hurts to take a breath in.
Many people in the school ask if we have family here, and when I tell them no, they say, "Well, at least you don't have to leave family." And what I want to tell them, is that what we have is probably just as good. While we don't have extended family here, my little family has thrived here. We've been so blessed to call this place home. We have a ward family who love us and we love right back. We have so many wonderful neighbors who we absolutely trust and love. I have loved the 5 years at our elementary school and come to know so many of the staff there. It is so hard to know we're walking away from all of this. I just feel broken as I think of it.
For the past two years I have had the greatest church calling! I have been lucky enough to be our ward Young Women's President. I have been given an amazing opportunity to be blessed by getting to know, and spending time with, 30 girls who I look up to. They are unwavering examples to me of faith, self worth, charity, love, laughter, compassion, generosity, virtue, fun (!), service and integrity. To say I will miss them is a gross understatement. To say that I will leave a part of my heart back in Illinois with those girls is completely true. I want nothing more than for them to know that they are loved. They are loved not only by me and their families, but most importantly by their Savior. And if they truly understand that love, they will never feel alone. They will always feel "of worth". And knowing their self-worth, they will be unstoppable in the things they will be able to accomplish!
So, where are we going? What the heck are we doing?
Chasing a dream, really. 8 years ago when Jeff was in business school he took an entrepreneurship class with a friend, and they wrote a business plan. They have carefully worked to make that plan a reality. And, the day has finally arrived.
I am thrilled for Jeff that he has gotten to this point. I wish I could say I'd been 100% supportive of every step. There have been many long hours over several years as he would work at night, after his "regular" job, to make this a success. And as is often the case in life, there are still no guarantees. However, the time is right. We are in a position in our family right now where it's either now or never. So, we're making a leap of faith, leaving a home we love and starting new. And, of course, Jeff couldn't be happier. And because of that, I couldn't be happier for him.
We are embarking on our new adventure in Washington. State. Not DC. We are leaving crummy winters behind for crummy rain all year! For some reason we can't score in the weather department.
Mother Nature is prepping us for the move, though. Here's what my favorite local weatherman had to say about April in Chicago.
"April's produced the most measurable rain days of any the past 50 yrs. It's still on track to become Chi's cloudiest April on record here. Sunshine records begin in 1893 and to date, April 2011's produced 31% of its possible sun!"
Right as we told the kids we were moving to the Northwest, the weather turned on us and brought the Northwest to us! We do hear it's beautiful up there, and I'm excited to get to see first hand, in a few weeks. In fact, that's the first thing people say when they hear where we're going..."I hear it's beautiful up there!"
Are we crazy? Probably. Do I feel crazy? Absolutely. Are we doing the right thing? Yes, and I'm sure. Am I broken, having to leave? Of course...but we are blessed and for that I am grateful.
Many people in the school ask if we have family here, and when I tell them no, they say, "Well, at least you don't have to leave family." And what I want to tell them, is that what we have is probably just as good. While we don't have extended family here, my little family has thrived here. We've been so blessed to call this place home. We have a ward family who love us and we love right back. We have so many wonderful neighbors who we absolutely trust and love. I have loved the 5 years at our elementary school and come to know so many of the staff there. It is so hard to know we're walking away from all of this. I just feel broken as I think of it.
For the past two years I have had the greatest church calling! I have been lucky enough to be our ward Young Women's President. I have been given an amazing opportunity to be blessed by getting to know, and spending time with, 30 girls who I look up to. They are unwavering examples to me of faith, self worth, charity, love, laughter, compassion, generosity, virtue, fun (!), service and integrity. To say I will miss them is a gross understatement. To say that I will leave a part of my heart back in Illinois with those girls is completely true. I want nothing more than for them to know that they are loved. They are loved not only by me and their families, but most importantly by their Savior. And if they truly understand that love, they will never feel alone. They will always feel "of worth". And knowing their self-worth, they will be unstoppable in the things they will be able to accomplish!
So, where are we going? What the heck are we doing?
Chasing a dream, really. 8 years ago when Jeff was in business school he took an entrepreneurship class with a friend, and they wrote a business plan. They have carefully worked to make that plan a reality. And, the day has finally arrived.
I am thrilled for Jeff that he has gotten to this point. I wish I could say I'd been 100% supportive of every step. There have been many long hours over several years as he would work at night, after his "regular" job, to make this a success. And as is often the case in life, there are still no guarantees. However, the time is right. We are in a position in our family right now where it's either now or never. So, we're making a leap of faith, leaving a home we love and starting new. And, of course, Jeff couldn't be happier. And because of that, I couldn't be happier for him.
We are embarking on our new adventure in Washington. State. Not DC. We are leaving crummy winters behind for crummy rain all year! For some reason we can't score in the weather department.
Mother Nature is prepping us for the move, though. Here's what my favorite local weatherman had to say about April in Chicago.
"April's produced the most measurable rain days of any the past 50 yrs. It's still on track to become Chi's cloudiest April on record here. Sunshine records begin in 1893 and to date, April 2011's produced 31% of its possible sun!"
Right as we told the kids we were moving to the Northwest, the weather turned on us and brought the Northwest to us! We do hear it's beautiful up there, and I'm excited to get to see first hand, in a few weeks. In fact, that's the first thing people say when they hear where we're going..."I hear it's beautiful up there!"
Are we crazy? Probably. Do I feel crazy? Absolutely. Are we doing the right thing? Yes, and I'm sure. Am I broken, having to leave? Of course...but we are blessed and for that I am grateful.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Too Brite!
This was the funny series of pictures from Easter morning, before church. We have had the rainiest April in 50 years so when that strange yellow orb showed up in the sky, their eyes couldn't handle it!
Watch Addie, as the pictures go on...
Yikes! It's bright, but she got one eye open...
Not for long, though!
Maybe if I use my hands to shade my eyes...
Oh, never mind!
Watch Addie, as the pictures go on...
Yikes! It's bright, but she got one eye open...
Not for long, though!
Maybe if I use my hands to shade my eyes...
Oh, never mind!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Still Here
Wow! It's been over a month since I last posted. Life's been crazy over the past few weeks, to the point where sometimes it's hard to breathe. Things are changing at the Clark house, and for now, I don't really want to talk about it. So, in doing the mature thing, I'm going to ignore it...because if I say it out loud, that means it's true, and I'm not ready to admit it. So, I'll do some catching up...
Addie started dance. I couldn't believe it. That girl has NO INTEREST in anything girlie, but thanks to "Despicable Me" she wanted to dance. She's been to two classes and really likes it.
Addie also moved to her big-girl-bed. Yes, she's almost 3 and was still in a crib. However, I had no problem leaving her there. And then she and I went to Dallas over spring break and the pack n' play was too short for her to fully lay down in, so I figure if Graco is telling me she's too big to be in a crib, it must be true. She loves her new bed, but still says she's a baby. See, she knows if she's a big girl, she has to go on the potty, so she's quick to remind us all that she's still a baby.
When I was pregnant I searched long and hard for a crib that converted to a full size bed, but wouldn't look like it used to be a crib. I'm really happy with it and her brother and sister are both jealous that she's got the biggest bed in the house. Don't they realize that the youngest will always get the better end of the deal? They may as well start learning now...
Delaney took 2nd overall in another gymnastics meet! And at this meet, her team took 1st place overall. What a fun experience for her. There's another meet in a week and I'm still prepping her that this won't happen every time. Work hard, have fun, and be happy with how you've done!
Jackson worked hard all month on his Illinois State Fair project. He wrote a report, put together a presentation, and built a Lego model; topic being Nauvoo. We didn't have a chance to get down there during the month, so thanks to our Bishop's fantastic photography skills, he had a really great presentation. All the 4th graders in his school displayed their projects in the gym and all the parents got to come see. No one had ever heard of Nauvoo so it was a great opportunity for others to find out about something they didn't know even existed so close by!
Addie started dance. I couldn't believe it. That girl has NO INTEREST in anything girlie, but thanks to "Despicable Me" she wanted to dance. She's been to two classes and really likes it.
Addie also moved to her big-girl-bed. Yes, she's almost 3 and was still in a crib. However, I had no problem leaving her there. And then she and I went to Dallas over spring break and the pack n' play was too short for her to fully lay down in, so I figure if Graco is telling me she's too big to be in a crib, it must be true. She loves her new bed, but still says she's a baby. See, she knows if she's a big girl, she has to go on the potty, so she's quick to remind us all that she's still a baby.
When I was pregnant I searched long and hard for a crib that converted to a full size bed, but wouldn't look like it used to be a crib. I'm really happy with it and her brother and sister are both jealous that she's got the biggest bed in the house. Don't they realize that the youngest will always get the better end of the deal? They may as well start learning now...
Delaney took 2nd overall in another gymnastics meet! And at this meet, her team took 1st place overall. What a fun experience for her. There's another meet in a week and I'm still prepping her that this won't happen every time. Work hard, have fun, and be happy with how you've done!
Jackson worked hard all month on his Illinois State Fair project. He wrote a report, put together a presentation, and built a Lego model; topic being Nauvoo. We didn't have a chance to get down there during the month, so thanks to our Bishop's fantastic photography skills, he had a really great presentation. All the 4th graders in his school displayed their projects in the gym and all the parents got to come see. No one had ever heard of Nauvoo so it was a great opportunity for others to find out about something they didn't know even existed so close by!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Miss Cathy
There is no one I'm prouder of than my mama. She's featured in an article on the blog, Mormon Women Project. She's amazing and I couldn't possibly be more grateful that she's mine.
Check it out here!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Delaney's Meet
Yikes, this happened almost a month ago, and I'm just now getting around to posting about it! Mostly because trying to upload and embed videos is a pain in my rear. So, I'll leave that part to Jeff. If there are more videos posted on here, it'll be Jeff that did it!
Delaney has been on a gymnastics team for almost 3 years, but this is her first time competing against other gyms. It was so fun to see her whole team dressed alike and ready to compete! No flash photography was allowed, so the pictures are blurry, but you get the idea...
Her first routine was the beam.
Here's a video of her routine. There are other events going on at the same time, so that's why you hear clapping and music during it.
Next up was her floor routine.
Next came her vault.
And lastly, her bars routine.
They did score the meet, so she got a score for each event. On the agenda was an awards ceremony, and we assumed that everyone would be awarded the same on her team.
Come to find out, they compete according to their ages, and she's the youngest on her team. It turns out, she came in 2nd place overall for her age group across the whole meet! We were shocked, she was shocked, and her coach was shocked! It was a fun surprise though and she was beaming from the podium.
This little one spends 4+ hours in the gym each week. She loves it so much and it's fun to see her working at it.
Delaney has been on a gymnastics team for almost 3 years, but this is her first time competing against other gyms. It was so fun to see her whole team dressed alike and ready to compete! No flash photography was allowed, so the pictures are blurry, but you get the idea...
Her first routine was the beam.
Here's a video of her routine. There are other events going on at the same time, so that's why you hear clapping and music during it.
Next up was her floor routine.
Next came her vault.
And lastly, her bars routine.
They did score the meet, so she got a score for each event. On the agenda was an awards ceremony, and we assumed that everyone would be awarded the same on her team.
Come to find out, they compete according to their ages, and she's the youngest on her team. It turns out, she came in 2nd place overall for her age group across the whole meet! We were shocked, she was shocked, and her coach was shocked! It was a fun surprise though and she was beaming from the podium.
This little one spends 4+ hours in the gym each week. She loves it so much and it's fun to see her working at it.
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