Our Decision
2015 has been a year filled with great joys and some sad good-byes. About a year ago a job opening popped up at the company Korben was doing contract work for called A Place For Rover. It would mean moving out to Seattle, WA. The decision wasn't made without a lot of discussion and prayer. We had reasons to stay. My parents had moved to San Antonio a couple years ago. We had good friends that we didn't want to leave. I had a great job with awesome coworkers and a super supportive boss. Still, I knew that Korben could only last in Texas for so long until he would die slowly in the humidity and heat. We decided he should take the job and we would move to Seattle, Washington!
House Hunting in Seattle
Korben and I took a few trips up to the area earlier this year to do some house hunting. We wanted to buy a house and stop renting. I guess we figured that since we had finally escaped school debt we hoped we could plunge right back into owing obscene amounts of money again. We were living in a cozy, 2-bedroom apartment and paying $600 a month so sticker-shock was inevitable. We began to look in South Seattle where the houses were cheaper and the commute via bus for Korben would still be under 30 minutes. We ended up putting an offer on a house that was smaller than our apartment in Conroe and needed a LOT of work. It was a blessing our offer was rejected.
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| Affordable Seattle-area housing |
The house hunting trips were becoming discouraging and tedious. On one particular trip I sent our realtor a list of about 10 houses I wanted to see. By the time my plane landed in Seattle, 7 of those houses were gone. We drove to see the first of three houses and another realtor showed up and said the house had just been sold. My realtor checked on the second house and it was also just taken off the market. I wished I hadn't even seen the third house. It had a staircase in a bedroom closet that led upstairs to a nasty, dank attic containing orange carpet, an old mattress, and a toilet. In the basement you could see where a child had scratched out messages on the mold-covered walls (that probably read, "Help me!"). The entire time all I could think was, This house costs the same amount as that mansion that couple bought on House Hunters last week?!! Seattle is most definitely a seller's market. We decided to postpone house hunting and just get an apartment.
A Tale of a Colon
In case you wanted to know a little uncomfortable medical history, I'm here for you. I had been having some pain and finally went to the doctor's. It was decided that I should have the pleasure of getting a colonoscopy (and I thought I wouldn't have to do that for a few decades! Lucky me...). The doctor explained the procedure and was very apologetic. I simply shrugged and said, "You're the one who chose to do this for a job!" After all, I was going to be totally under for this entire thing so what did I care?
When I woke up from the procedure the effects of the anesthesia hadn't worn off completely, much to Korben's delight. I remember the doctor came in and said some things which I hope he didn't want me to remember because I have no idea. There was a red outlet on the wall that was a very similar color to my phone. I wasn't wearing my glasses and I thought it was my phone so I told Korben to make sure he grabbed it before we left. Korben explained that what I was looking at was an outlet on the wall and that he had my phone already. I told Korben he needed to grab it "just in case" and I got upset when Korben didn't comply. "If Ron Swanson was here, he would have gotten it for me!" I told him. (Ron Swanson is a fictional character from a television show.) I don't think Korben even knew what to say in response. A nurse escorted me out in a wheelchair to my car and I told her repeatedly what a nice lady she was.
Once I was in the car I was angry at Korben again for not letting me drive. Unbeknownst to me, Korben had started an audio recording once I got in the car. I told Korben that everyone was crazy to think that I couldn't drive and that I was capable of a great many things. I spoke with great eloquence and debated a number of topics with Korben during the 20 minute ride back to our apartment. It wasn't until later when I listened to the recording that I realized how drugged up I actually was. After I sulked sufficiently because Korben collected actual evidence of how ridiculous I sounded, I did thank him for not letting me drive home.
Master Rusek
There is no other outfit that looks so ridiculous and at the same time feels so good to wear as a graduation robe. I also received a "hood" which is basically like wearing a scarf in the most unsafe way ever. Probably the coolest thing was being able to be in the same ceremony as two students I taught my first year at ACAT. Before you get too confused, during my first year I also taught high school Spanish as well as elementary grades. They were both graduating with undergraduate degrees and were probably weirded out that I was crashing their graduation ceremony. But it's not every day that a teacher gets to graduate with her class!
The Goodbyes
It was very sad to have to say goodbye to my students at ACAT (Adventist Christian Academy of Texas). My sneaky students along with some scheming adults planned a surprise going-away party. It was a surprise! Lisa Shafer, a former co-worker of mine and the wife of my principal, created a book for me with letters from students I had currently and previously taught. It was the sweetest and kindest thing I had ever experienced. I miss my ACAT students and co-workers so much!
Our friends from the Conroe church also threw us a farewell party. Our friend Mitch decided to make it into a Star Wars party because he typically looks for any excuse to do that, but it somehow also became a Disney Princess party. It was a wonderful time and hard to say goodbye. We miss our Conroe friends!
Car Chaos and Moving Mayhem
The moving process was an adventure, to say the least. We moved from Conroe to stay with my parents in San Antonio for a week, and then moved the rest of the way up to Seattle. I had been driving a 2002 Ford Taurus and it had been giving me trouble all year. I wanted to get rid of it and sell it but I was waiting to receive the car title (that's another long story). After several mishaps with the DMV and lost titles in the mail, I needed my car to make it to San Antonio, where my parents are, so that I could sell it through the old title that had my dad's name on it. Naturally, my car decided to die a week before we were going to move, and not in a convenient place, of course.
Korben had wanted to eat at PeiWei and had called in our order... to the wrong Pei Wei! After driving to the nearer PeiWei and realizing our mistake, we headed an extra 20 minutes through traffic to get to our food. On the bright side, this PeiWei was next door to Trader Joe's and I was craving their mango sorbet. We grabbed our take-out and a pint of mango sorbet just as the heavens opened and everywhere began to immediately flood. Jumping in the car, I turned the key and the car was silent and still. We called for a tow truck and ate our food at PeiWei until the restaurant closed. An hour went by and the tow truck driver called to let us know he was stuck in flood waters. The mango sorbet melted into a giant, sticky soup. We called another tow truck company and watched an amazing lightning storm for a few more hours. They eventually called back and said they'd be there around 3 a.m. At that point we gave up and called my cousin, Jen and her husband, Dane. They came and rescued us even though it was nearly 11 p.m.
The next day another tow truck came and towed our car to our apartment. I didn't want to pay to get it fixed up because I wanted to get rid of it so we planned to tow it behind our U-haul to San Antonio. If you have never seen a group of people trying to push a dead car onto a trailer, it is a sight to see! It took multiple brains to figure out how to do it and multiple attempts to try and get it to go fast enough to roll up the ramp, but not fast enough to roll off the other side. I was in the car at the wheel and didn't have a good view of anything going on. I did discover that once the car is on the trailer you can't open any of the doors so I had to enter and exit my car via the trunk. Moving out of our apartment was an all-day job. We treated all our helpers to Fro-Yo, but they deserved so much more!
We did manage to get my car sold. Because it was completely dead I didn't get much for it. The frustrating part for me was that Korben had sold his dead motorcycle and got more money for that than I did for my car.
Another Goodbye
We stayed with my parents for a week. All of our furniture and boxes fit perfectly into my parents' two-car garage. Our three cats were clearly not welcomed by Sweetums, my parents' ironically named cat.
My dog, Nani, was not doing very well. We decided that it would be a good time to put her down, but that is easier said than done. I was holding her in my arms when she passed away. Her stiff body suddenly relaxed and she was at peace. I felt like we had done the right thing, but I also felt awful about it. Her little body was still warm when I had to pass her back to the vet. I wished I could have told the vet about how awesome little Nani was.
My family got Nani when we lived in Hawaii. Her name means "beauty." We had bought the little Yorkie-mutt at the humane society. She had black, round, little puppy eyes, pointy ears, wiry fur that never stayed combed, and a happy little prance that you could hear as her nails clacked on our floors. She loved digging, loved running, and loved the neighborhood dogs AND cats. One of my favorite memories is when she tried to save me from a wild boar that had chased me up a tree. It didn't matter that the boar was ten times her size; she only knew that one of her humans was in trouble. She used to get caught in the boar traps and my dad would have to cut through the brush and brambles to free her. She hated the water, but she would jump on a life raft or boogie board if it meant that she could be closer to her masters. Nani loved riding in the van and never liked being left behind. She'd tell us off if we came back from school later than she liked. She loved her humans and didn't like to share them with any other pets we had. She was easy to love and she loved us back in that loyal and trusting way that only a dog can.
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| Princess Nani |
The Summer
My parents drove up with me in my NEW car all the way to Washington. Korben flew up with his mom and our three cats. (For some reason we decided not to drive up with the cats.) My parents and I didn't go straight to the new apartment Korben and I had in Federal Way. Joni, my little sister, was graduating at Walla Walla so we got to watch her march. Joni had been busy finishing up school, getting engaged, and planning a wedding in Hawaii. The summer practically flew by with all the wedding plans.
Korben and I had put an offer on a house in Auburn, which was closer to where I had gotten a job. Our offer had been accepted. I wanted everything to stay packed up in boxes so that they'd be ready to move once we closed on our house. Korben wanted to unpack "necessary" items like the television and the kitchen utensils and the Wii. The cats were thoroughly enjoying the open and half-emptied boxes that were strewn all over our apartment.
Summers in Washington are glorious. The Washington natives were dying in the 80, almost 90 degree heat, but Korben and I were enjoying having a much cooler summer without the intense humidity. The weather was perfect to have the windows open all day and night. Everything was going great with closing on the house we wanted in Auburn, too. It was looking like we'd be able to move in right after Joni's wedding and right before school started for me.
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| Our first house! |
The Wedding
My little sister married Greg Woodhouse on Kauai this summer. She had met Greg at Walla Walla. A few Christmases ago my family was visiting Uncle Jon, Aunt Debbie, and our cousins on Kauai and that is where Joni first told me about Greg. I was very excited that Joni had found someone, but even more excited when I found out who she was interested in. I had met Greg when I was a student at Walla Walla. We worked in the library together and he was really nice. I kept thinking that Joni should meet him because they'd be such a good match. But I never said anything to Joni about him and I had forgotten all about Greg until Joni had mentioned she liked him. I was able to give Joni the big-sister stamp of approval (although for those who know my sister you know that she would have done whatever she wanted anyway!). Welcome to the family Greg!
Korben had never been to Hawaii before and I was ecstatic to show him the island I had lived on for a couple years. Kauai is a gorgeous island and my personal favorite. There was a lot to show Korben but we were only there for one week. I knew that with all the wedding stuff going on it would be difficult to see a lot, but we actually were able to see many of the sights. Korben was amazed by how beautiful the island was and whenever we took a picture he'd say, "It just looks like we're standing in front of a green screen. Nobody will think that's a real picture!"
My sister's wedding was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. The ceremony was underneath a large tree with vines and twisted branches and green vegetation all around. The reception looked out onto a mountain ridge with rolling green hills rising in front. The entire wedding was on my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Jon's property. Aunt Debbie coordinated the entire wedding and Uncle Jon built everything involved in the wedding and cooked the most delicious food you can find on the Hawaiian islands. My cousins, Lian, Kate, and Jake, were also in the wedding and it was so good to see them!
The Concussion
I was hired to be the new 3rd and 4th grade teacher at Northwest Christian School in Puyallup (Pew-WALL-up). We could say that the year got off to a bumpy start, literally. I had been in my classroom one Monday, a week before the teachers are supposed to report to work and go to meetings. All the cabinet doors in my classroom were opened up and things were all over the floor as I sifted through boxes and various items.
At one point I stood up from where I was sitting on the floor and didn't realize there was an open cabinet door directly above me. At least, I didn't realize it until I conked my head right along the bottom of the door. My head hurt really bad and I wondered if I had a concussion but I immediately dismissed that silly thought. A concussion from a cabinet door? A story that boring couldn't possibly result in a head injury. But just to be safe I decided to go home and rest.
Five days later, we signed papers to officially make us home owners. To celebrate this momentous milestone in our lives I asked Korben to take me to Urgent Care. I had not been feeling very well all week. The doctor immediately knew I had a concussion and told me to start Physical Therapy the next day and to get a lot of rest. I also found out later I had sustained a neck injury as well.
Rest does not mean what you might think it means. Rest meant that I could not engage in conversations, listen to the radio, read a book, or write. I was encouraged to go on walks, but I couldn't be in the bright sunlight, and I definitely couldn't do anything more than a walk. Watching paint dry probably would have been too over-stimulating. So I sat in a closet for what felt like years with the lights off. Grapefruit, our tabby cat, loved it and thought we were living the dream. I just about went crazy. I would imagine myself writing, suddenly remember that I wasn't supposed to be doing that, and imagine myself erasing what I had written.
My head-injury timing was the worst possible. I had to miss both weeks of preparation and the first week of school. I had horrible nightmares about missing work. I kept having a dream that on my first day back to school there was a talent show. Students from other classes would go up and do amazing things like solving advanced calculus problems while juggling sticks that were on fire. My students would go up and say things like, "My name is Jimmy and that's all I know because I don't have a teacher to teach me things." I would wake up in a panic. Luckily, an amazing sub covered for me during that first week. She had to make her own lesson plans because I was totally incapable of doing anything. I hadn't even met her yet, but she stepped up and saved me.
My parents and Joni and Greg did come to visit me a month or so after I hit my head. Laura and Gabe came up as well and everybody finished unpacking the house for me. They also did a lot of errands for us and made sure that I didn't do a thing. Family is a wonderful thing to have. Laura unpacked all my clothes. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have known where any of my clothes were when it was time for me to go to school. She also unpacked the kitchen. For a few months whenever Korben would ask me where something was in the kitchen, I'd tell him to call and ask Laura.
Korben was husband of the year! He hates to drive, but he had to drive me to all of my appointments. He also had to cook meals for me while I was in my closet/dungeon/prison. Most exhausting of all, he had to hear me cry every day about how I couldn't do anything. He was always there to give me a hug and always so patient with me even when I was being a pain! Korben even helped set up my classroom (with some help from Carin and Debbie who are coworkers of mine, and Doug, Carin's husband). Korben is most definitely a keeper!
Our New Jobs
Despite the less-than-ideal start, I love my new school. God has given me a wonderful place to work with great coworkers, a supportive church, and fun kids. It has been challenging learning the ropes of a new school and trying to catch up on what I missed, but God has been there for me through it all. Thank goodness for my amazing aides! I am also lucky to have a job teaching the exact same grades I taught last year.
Korben is loving his new job too! He likes the dogs that hang out in the office (and his coworkers, too). He works for A Place for Rover as the Senior iOS Developer. In case you don't know what that is, it is a dog-sitting website (so if you are looking for someone to pet-sit over the holidays, check them out!). He is somehow accepted by his dog-loving coworkers, despite the fact that we have three cats and do not own a dog (but I am hoping this will be remedied soon, hint, hint, Korben!).
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| Living near Mt. Rainier is glorious! |
Love,
Korben & Lori
(and Brewster, Rabies, and Grapefruit)
