Move Update

We leave in THREE WEEKS from today!  I can't believe it.  We are excited.  We have a lot to do before now and then, and a lot of friends and family that we would like to connect with.  In a way though, we're just ready to get the show on the road.

There aren't too many updates, but here's some things that have happened since my last update post.

• Michael is now officially done with the quarter!  What a relief.  Now he can focus on tying up some of the loose ends that we have left to do before the move.
• Our house is officially on the market.  While I know and believe that God has the perfect person lined up for our home, I also know He has the perfect time.  We will need to bring over $10,000 to closing to cover costs, taxes, etc.  We don't necessarily have that at the moment.  If it takes a few months for the house to sell, that will actually work in our favor so we can save money.
• We did find out that we CAN rent, and have it be a full year.  There is no date at which the renter has to be in, just a date when the renter has to be out.  We are reconsidering this option.
• The movers are coming on December 28th to pack and load things up.  If they don't finish in one day, they are also scheduled on the 29th.
• Michael will most likely try to find a full time job when we get to Texas and put schooling on hold.  There are two reasons for that.  1) Out of state tuition is about three times the cost of in state tuition, and you can't get in state until you've been a resident for a year.  2) We will need the money.  We are going to have to pay rent down there, which is much more than we pay currently.  PLUS, we are going to have to carry our condo (mortgage and association fees).  On top of that, we need to save money for closing costs, etc.  Plain and simple, we need him to work for the money.  Pray that he is able to find a good job and quickly.
• Our plan is to leave the morning of the 31st and drive to Michael's sister's house in Tennessee.  Her house is almost exactly half way to where our new home is.  We will spend the night there for New Year's Eve and leave the following morning.  We will drive to Texas on the first, and stay in a hotel that night.  We get our keys to our apartment on the 2nd.  The movers are suppose to be coming between the 2nd and the 4th.  The man who came out to our house said that after they pack things up they should be able to give us a better delivery date, but who knows.  We might be camped out in our apartment on an air mattress for a few days!

Dates:
December 13th--My  boss starts her job in TX, so my hours will go back to 50+ hours a week.
December 18th--Our birthday/going away party
December 20th--Michael turns 33!
December 21st--Bethany turns 31
December 22nd--Michael's sister comes to town for Christmas
December 23rd--My last day of work in Ohio!  I will be off from the 24th to January 3rd where I start working in Texas!
December 25th--Christmas!
December 28th--The movers come!
December 29th--The movers return to finish up.
December 31st--We leave town for our two day trip to TX!
January 1st--Huge raise for me kicks in! :)
January 2nd--We start our life in Texas

We are hoping to get in a lot of quality time with family and friends between now and then.  Unfortunately, it's a busy time for everyone.  If you are local and would to hang out before we go, we'd love to see you.  Just let us know!