New Year, New Changes

Every new year has a fresh start, and 2009 is no exception. But for our family, 2009 will bring lots of changes in our household.

Travis got a new job. An incredible job! With incredible benefits! Too good to be true almost! Except for this one really terrible thing...the training for this new fabulous job takes place in Portland, OR, and other sites around the country, and it lasts for 90 days. So he is leaving this Sunday and will be gone for 45 days, home for 5 days, and gone again for 45 days. He will probably not be able to be here when the baby is born, but you never know.

He will be an Assistant Site Manager for Vestas, International. He will be starting out in Ventura, and then will oversee the building of the Hampton wind turbine farm. He will manage the Hampton location and probably be transferred back to Ventura over time.

The job is an incredible opportunity in an exciting field and we are very thrilled. We were even more excited to hear about all the great benefits (free health, vision and dental insurance for our entire family, company vehicle, four weeks vacation the first year, and on and on). The job would be too good to be true...if it wasn't for the training. Travis will learn so much during the training, we just wish it wasn't for so long (and wasn't during my due date).

Travis leaves on Jan. 4th to fly to Portland for two weeks of "classroom" training in their leadership academy. He will then fly to an unknown location (he find out Monday where) to have on-the-job training for two weeks. Then back to Portland for my classroom training, etc. etc. He does get to come home on my due date, Feb. 13th, for 5 days of a break. For the first time I am praying that I make it to or go past my due date!

After the break he heads back to Portland for another 45 days of training and "graduates" from the program March 27th. In all he will spend 7 weeks in Portland and 5 weeks at wind turbine sites across the country or Canada. It will be an amazing experience for him!

It is a lot to sacrifice, but we agree it is the best decision for our family's future. We know from experience (um, truck driving anyone?) that sometimes you have to sacrifice big things to reach your goals. So we decided to go for it.

We both have a lot of mixed emotions...we are incredibly excited for the opportunity, AND incredibly sad that we have to be apart. We are so thankful that I have family nearby (mom and dad, sister Karen and her husband, Aunt Gayle and Uncle Louie, cousins, etc.) to help me through the last month of this pregnancy and the first 6 weeks of our little girl's life.

We have prepared the girls as much as we can, although it is incredibly hard for a 3 1/2-year-old and a two-year-old to understand that Papa will be gone a long time. He will get a company cell phone and laptop right away and we are planning on talking and e-mailing lots!

And because I am me, an incredibly emotional and hugely pregnant hormonal woman, I need to take a minute to gush about my guy. I am so very proud of him! He has worked so hard for our family so that I can stay at home with the kids and I am so thankful. He has put in a lot of long hours for years at his previous job (his last day was today) and it is awesome to see him get a great job that he deserves. Despite lots of tears of sadness on my part, I am so thankful and joyful about this new opportunity.

Please keep us in your prayers, especially on Sunday when we have to say goodbye. Travis and I aren't usually apart (remember when we lived in a truck together for YEARS?) and I know it will be hard. But our family will be stronger for this experience.

My new year's resolution is to make it through the first three months of this year with my sanity. ;)

Happy 2009!
Lori