This past Spring, Christian had gotten word of a great position within Rockwell Collins - which is an aerospace and defense based company. They called for an interview and within two days were flying him up for a face to face... that is when I found out WHERE the job was... CEDAR RAPIDS - IOWA.
I had never even been to Iowa! I heard there was a lot of corn and it was flat and that the winters were harsh with a lot of snow... I cannot say I was exactly pumped.
Following his interview he was offered the position to Manage RC's Global Compliance division. His area of specialty will be Asia-Pacific which means a lot of travel... but it also usually means I get to tag along! I have traveled extensively in Europe but have never headed that far east - I am super excited!
Anyhow, the past couple months have been challenging while preparing to move. The company of course does all the work, but it is still extremely stressful. Keeping up with an 18 month old while putting your house on the market and searching for a new house in a new state has its challenges. I will blog separately about that later...
Upon Christian and I's first trip to Iowa together, it really sunk in. I was really sad to be leaving my friends and going so far from family. My sister warned me that it would be hard and I needed to put my "big girl pants on". Everywhere I have lived I have surrounded myself with good people and have never been a stranger - but in Iowa, I won't know anyone.
Cedar Rapids is actually a pretty cool little city. Contrary to a city like Atlanta, people here just walk up and talk to you! It is CRAZY! In Atlanta, it's every man for himself and if a stranger walks up and talks to you, it's probably because he is about to rob you! Cedar Rapids also has amazing schools, awesome parks, great neighborhoods and is super family oriented. This is a lot different from the A. I actually am looking forward to my new lifestyle - days focused on Bailey, the home, health, and faith.
Speaking of faith - in this market, you gotta have some! I had anxiety about listing our house in the WORST housing market - in one of the WORST cities! I spent days praying and resorted to a nun for whom I purchased a St. Joseph statue from. Now, this is a Catholic tradition that many others also practice... You bury the statue of St. Joseph in front of your home, prepare your house honestly for the market, fix any known repairs, and say a prayer. He promises to sell it...
Well, after less than 24 hours on the market - we got an offer! Asking at that! I was so pumped.
We closed on our home last week and it was bittersweet. It was not Christian and I's first house, but it was Bailey's. That is the house that we anxiously waited for her arrival in and it felt sad to go :(
With our heads high we found a new home in Iowa and I am so excited! It is much larger than our home in downtown Atlanta was and chances are, there will be less crime ;) LOL! No, I love urban living - but it will be nice to not have to think about it all the time. The company sent out a group to pack our things and prepare for our move to Iowa... but everything doesn't happen that easy...
Here are some pics from the past couple weeks :)
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| Flying into Cedar Rapids... it's real flat here |
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| Biggest rainbow I have EVER seen - I actually saw BOTH ends! I guess when it is this flat, you can see forever! |
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| Bailey stayed with Boppy while Christian and I searched for a house. |
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| Last days in Atlanta - planting some fresh flowers for our house |
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| Last pool day in Atlanta |
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| Driving to Winston Salem with the dogs |
