J and I have spent four lovely years in Denver (five for me), but we've decided for several reasons that it's time to set sail and explore new waters. We've enjoyed a great deal about Denver but there are also many things that ruffle our feathers (smog, asshole drivers, and the ubiquitous smell of weed, to name a few). J's been on active duty orders here since he returned from Germany back in 2012, though they've been interrupted at various intervals for training. In terms of my own career progression, it's time to move on. (An oversimplification perhaps, but that's the best I can do for now.) J's also been pulling frequent twelve hour midnight shifts and working three out of four weekends every month, which has been exhausting for us both.
So when J's civilian contracting firm offered him a position at RAF Molesworth, 45 minutes north of Cambridge, we decided to accept the rare opportunity to live overseas. Mind you, this was after many days of hemming and hawing, handwringing, anxiety, and making decisions only to change our minds several days later. Our indecisiveness was *ridiculous*. Big, life changing decisions require a great deal of thought and we were under far too much time pressure to think clearly. We literally made the decision last week.
When we finally settled on England (and yet still not actually settled, but I can't go into that now for several reasons), I decided to say good bye to the company I've worked for for the past four and a half years -- the longest I've ever spent at any one job. I'm leaving to spend more time with our kid (she frequently shuts my laptop or says "No, Mommy!" when she sees me working non-stop), prepare for the arrival of Baby Girl #2, figure out what I truly want to be when I grow up, and settle into life overseas. Mostly, the latter will entail helping our kid work through jet lag, re-learning how to cook real meals (as opposed to grazing on cottage cheese and green smoothies and soups), and nursing a newborn. I thought about continuing to work while overseas but given that my job has changed so drastically since I first started and there's a seven hour time difference between England and Denver, I decided that this was the chance to step back and start afresh.
The move will be an exciting (and exhausting) one. Who knows what challenges it will bring, but for now, I'm relieved to trade in the dryness and altitude of Denver for mild and rainy weather and life at sea level. Also, Kiddo (she's no longer a baby, sigh) and I will be flying to New York City, where we'll catch up with my friends and then hop on the Queen Mary II. We'll spend seven days sailing across the Atlantic on a luxury cruise ship to Southampton (turns out, it's far cheaper to sail during the off season than to fly direct to Heathrow). In the meantime, J leaves for England tomorrow while I play single mom for three weeks, wrap things up at the office, deal with the realtor and buyers on a host of issues, handle closing documents, figure out what we'll be shipping to England and what I'll be lugging with me in two giant suitcases, and oversee the moving and packing.
Onward.
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