We hope you enjoy a stroll through 2008 with us…it's been an exciting year for the Nicholson's!
In January, as the rainy winter was dragging on and we were looking for greener pastures, we celebrated Dani's 30th birthday with a trip to Minneapolis. This trip was to visit friends that had moved from Seattle as well as decide on the potential future of living in the cold-winter upper Midwest. Shortly after we got back, Sprint announced a voluntary separation package that they were offering employees. Basically, to reduce their workforce, they were paying people to no longer work there. This seemed like a fabulous idea to us; who wouldn't want to get paid to NOT go to work (at least for a few months)?
Late winter found Mark accepting the severance and preparing for his final day with Sprint at the end of March (after 7+ years of employment). We also began working with a wonderful realtor (thanks, Gene) to get our house ready for the market. In early April, we put our home up for sale and accepted an offer before the first weekend was over! (Thanks again to Abby & Frank for putting us up so we could be out of town for the open house). Dani left her Activities Assistant position at The Kenney retirement community after 16 fun months (she still misses her folks there).
Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) we said goodbye to Seattle from the bench seat of a Penske truck filled with all of our belongings (thanks to all those who helped us get packed!). We spent several days driving I-90, enjoying the beauty, books on cd, and small town stops. We arrived at Dani's parents, visited family, and put our stuff in storage. On May 20, we excitedly drove to Chicago to catch a flight to Europe. We had return tickets for July 18. Murphy would live in the lap of luxury at Dani's folks for a couple of months! Thanks Mom & Dad B. for helping make this trip possible!!!
We are so incredibly blessed and lucky to have had the opportunity to travel. We were able to visit Spain, Morocco, Portugal, France, and Ireland. Thanks to those who gave us tips, ideas, and places to stay: Amy, Pio, Tom, and especially our French hosts, Noelle & Michel.
We arrived back in Iowa in mid-July. We spent more time with family and began a month-long road trip (this time with Murphy in tow) that took us from family in Eastern Iowa, to friends in Kansas City and Texas, and to family in South Texas. Then we came back…all the way to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis & Saint Paul, Minnesota. We crashed on our friends futon (thanks Josh & Kerstin!) and began the job search. We traveled back and forth a couple of times to Iowa while interviewing and apartment searching.
In September we took the plunge and rented an apartment in St. Paul. A few days later, Dani had a job (Activity Coordinator at Prairie Lodge Assisted Living). We moved and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing autumn that we'd been missing! It lasted through the beginning of November!
We are now just getting ready to begin winter (despite already having had a few days where the temps never got above 0*F) and are enjoying the snow…but not so much the commute in "bad" weather. Mark has had some promising interviews and we've begun researching neighborhoods and looking for a home. We hope that by spring we can start scheduling visitors!
We both find ourselves amazed at the last year of our lives. Sometimes it's "We should've traveled a little longer…who thought two months would seem so short?" or "Can you believe we live in Minnesota?". Mostly though, it's, "How did we get so lucky? God is good!"
We hope that you can find ways this Advent season to see how that last one is true in your life, too!
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