Returning Home...

For those of you who do not know yet. We have officially decided to move back to Colorado. My job here at Qimonda is really not working out the way I had hoped. I really just do not align with the company's culture and values. I knew this from pretty early in my transition, however I wanted to keep an open mind and truly give the company a chance. I could continue working here, collect a hefty pay check and probably only put about 50% of myself into the job, and sadly enough, continue to be successful … BUT those of you that know me that will just not fly. I have strong moral and ethical values that run deep to my core, in addition I have this maddening need to "make a difference" and have "a purpose." Here, I have neither. AND to make things worse the climate here in Virginia has been really rough on the family. I would estimate that we get 1 good weekend a month where none of us are sick or feeling icky. Those of you who know me, I suffered from allergies before moving out here and now suffering doesn't even begin to describe the chronic pain I have had to endure. We are also finding out that Kaleb is more like his mother than we realized. He has suffered from a constant chest cold and has had several bouts of croup. Unfortunately to make matters worse, in the summer months when you are not crippled by illness we have been eaten alive by the bugs. The whole family can be sitting out on the porch together, Shawn and Skyler might get 1 or 2 bug bits, Kaleb and I will get “eaten alive;” we have concluded that the two of us are sweet … inside and out! :-)

Soooo, I have committed to staying with the company 1 year, which means we will be here, at least, until the end of May. Kaleb finishes school the middle of June, so we plan on moving as soon as the house has sold and are aiming to be settled in Colorado before the kids have to start school next year. Shawn has already started searching for employment; if anyone out there knows of some opportunities, please let us know. I plan on staying home initially, and then searching for work at a later date. I have been so disillusioned by this job that I think I need a break for a bit to do some introspection as to “…what I want to do with the rest of my life…”

In preparation, we listed our house for sale today…For those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit us on the east coast, here is the link to the listing you can see what you missed. MLS Listing

Shawn has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this house…(okay maybe not tears, but you get the idea). Unfortunately, we will not recoup any of the money we poured into the home for renovations, we are just aiming to break even and not OWE money to get out of it. The market has not tanked here as bad as other places across the country, but it is still a buyers market and we can only pray that God will take care of us.

Some of our friends will be happy, some will be sad, but I think it is the best decision for our family. You will want to continue to stay tuned to the blog in the coming year because we will make another large transition for the 2nd time in a year. Until next time…~Ariane