It’s FINALLYdecided and finalized! We’re moving to Northern Colorado in June. I gave my two weeks notice to my day job this past Friday. This move has been a long time coming. Since December 2011 we were planning it. We just didn’t know where or when. People actually thought we’d changed our minds since we hadn’t left yet!

There are only a few regrets to this decision, even though I must go through with it for my sanity. And to explain my sanity, here’s a little background. Last September, my husband went out to North Dakota to work in the oil fields. At the time I had thought, “He’ll be sending good checks home. I’ll only see him every three weeks – it’s every woman’s dream!” NOT! He was gone two months. After the first month, we met in Virginia and drove back to North Dakota together. Who knew I would slump into a DEEP depression after I returned home. Who knew I loved him so much (and yes – I told him that too lol)! To explain my symptoms, I was hoping and praying that I was in pre-menopause. I even got tested for it! I had the classic symptoms of depression. I literally cried for a straight week after that. I didn’t talk to my mom on the phone. I didn’t see my uncle who had come to town, all the way from Chicago, for a visit. I lost several pounds (Can I hear an ‘Amen’?). I finally called my doctor and was prescribed Zoloft. I also had several sessions with a counselor. I was a mess!

So when an old manager of mine asked me if I had ever considered moving to be with my husband, I seriously thought about it – for about two seconds. I called my husband to tell him the good news. After all, he had moved to Florida for me, it was time for me to support him. I told my manager’s of our plans.And this is where the not knowing where or when comes in.

He had quit his North Dakota job because it was a joke. Many things that the owner of the company had told him didn’t pan out. We still thought North Dakota was our probable location with the main oil boom being there, and maybe even Texas. Colorado was on the list, but it didn’t seem like it was as realistic as the other two states. Thank GOD it’s not the amber waves of grain (North Dakota)! No offense if you’re from there. I just can’t handle the cold anymore and the Colorado climate is much better than that of North Dakota. Thank God it wasn’t Texas. I had just bought a great looking Winter jacket with matching mittens from L.L. Bean, and some great snow boots from Kohl’s. Photographically, Colorado will be awesome!

Back to a few regrets… Our 22 year old son has 95% decided that he’s going to stay in Florida because of his girlfriend. If we would have moved a little faster with our plans, they wouldn’t have met, and he’d be coming with us. Yes, I am happy that he is happy and she is a very nice girl. But…you understand…

I’m like Clark W. Griswold (the main character in the movie Christmas Vacation). Family is everything to me. We’vetold our son and his girlfriend that they couldlive with us for free.The other dayI evenoffered them the finished basement in the house we are going to rent. We’re even having them help us move, in hopes that they will see how beautiful it is out there, and will change their minds. Only time will tell.

Because of our 22 year old’s decision, our 16 year old is now not a happy camper. He was counting on his brother to move with us. AND, he too now has a girlfriend (whom he hasn’t shared our moving news with yet). I keep telling him that it is not good on a 16 year old girls heart to string out the news. He wants to spend one more time with her where it is just the two of them. I am literally having to unfriend all of his friends and him on Facebook, just so that I can spread our news to my friends! Sheesh!

Also, no matter how much I asked many people to pray – even the chaplains at work and my husbands great aunt – who is a nun and obviouslyhas a HUGE prayer chain to tap into- it breaks my heart that we’re going to have to split some of our four-legged family up. We were able to find a house that will rent to three, maybe four dogs. But not six. *sigh* We have decided that we need to look for good home(s) for the girls. Two brindle, 3 yr old Old English Mastiffs. The boys always push their way to get attention, and the girls are always in the background. I do know that they could get much more attention from people who have less dogs,or better yetnone.

Volunteering at our local SPCA as a photographer, I would see many animals that were “abandoned” thereby their families, who were moving, and could not take them with. I hated those people. How can you make a commitment to these loving members of your family, and then “abandon” them? We won’t leave them at the SPCA, but to me, leaving them with even someone I know and trust, is still almost unforgivable. *sniff* I swore I was not one of those people.

If we can’t find anyone to take them before we leave, our son will keep them with him for as long as he can. Our hopes are to find a farm house, or something that we can rent to own that is not in a subdivision, and thenbe able to put our family back together again.

Lastly, I’ll be leaving my mom, brother, sister, and their families behind. My brother and his wife just had three beautiful little girls. My regret is that they won’t get to know crazy Aunt Carol as well as my other nieces and nephew. I pray that we can and will skype each other often.

I’ve cried many tears over the past couple of weeks from all of the above, including a little issue at work, among other things (Didn’t you hear about the big flood in Central Florida? That was me!). I still pray that in the end, it will all work out. Maybe I should double my dose of Zoloft for the time being? (Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that without a doctors consent.)

To be continued…