It has been incredible seeing how different our lives are in Spokane than in San Diego. We're actually thriving! Spokane is a perfect fit for us. We have made so much headway towards our goals. I listed a few highlights:
-Jason got a job through a temp agency at a bank doing tech support which lead him to a position with that same bank that is salary, full benefits, and a major stepping stone to a career.
-Jason finished his 6 years as active National Guard. This was a big reason we are so grateful he got the position with the bank since his medical benefits ended. He is happy to be done & is determined to grow out his hair & beard for an entire year...
-Jason took a motorcycle trip to Oregon with his dad & a friend. He loved having that time with his dad. They had blue-tooth installed in their helmets so they could talk the whole way.
-I found a wonderful job here as a paralegal for a personal injury law firm. I've only ever been involved in plaintiff work & I'm glad I was able to continue that out here.
-I am going to school full time at a university for my accounting degree while working full time. It has been stressful but Jason has taken over meal planning & grocery shopping which has been a huge help.
-We have both made efforts to improve our health & fitness. Both of our office buildings & our apartment have gyms so there's no excuse not to use them! Jason has been doing significantly better than I am.
-We are beginning financial preparations for buying a home next year. We met with a loan officer to review our credit scores & to discuss a plan for what debt to focus on & what savings goal to aim for.
-My church assignment is Activity Days leader with my mother-in-law! The bishopric ran it by me first & I was thrilled they were calling her! I'm grateful for my friendship with Stacey. I really lucked out.
-Family events are usually at Jandre's since she has all the local grandkids & a ginormous house. The family dynamic with the Noacks is similar to how it is with my family. The personalities are different but the love is the same (:
We've also been able to take weekend trips to Portland and Seattle. Seattle was a super quick trip just to go to IKEA. We left Spokane right after work & got to the Seattle area just before midnight. We stayed with Jason's uncle & the next morning quickly visited Pike Place Market & IKEA then were on our way back home. For our Portland trip I found a great hotel price in Hillsboro which is about 20 minutes from Portland. We used the trolley system to get to downtown. It was nice not having to worry about parking or having to drive through a crowded downtown. We also had a quick vacation in Utah to see our friends Dan & Emily. It was fun going to places we had gone to while we were dating. I have been back to San Diego twice for a convention & a wedding. Jason will be in Anaheim in November! This is why I wasn't afraid to move, I knew we'd have plenty of reasons to visit.
It's so nice knowing we are here to stay. We are going to be buying a home in the Spokane Valley area so what we have now will be relatively the same for a long long time. The dentist I have now will likely be my dentist for the next 20 years! I'm excited to have a home soon to make our own & see our children grow up there, & of course host family & visitors!
