CHANGES!

They say the only thing constant in life is change. Perhaps that has never been more true in our life than this very month ... As we prepare to have a baby in about a month, we are also preparing to move out of our condo and into my aunt and uncle's place. We were planning on staying there indefinitely so that we can have help with the baby and also not have to rush to find a new place. We were sure we weren't going to move back into our condo in Pasadena so we thought staying at my aunt and uncle's downstairs unit was the best option for now. So we've been physically and mentally packing to leave the west side. I've been trying to do what I could given my size but the bulk of the work still fell on Michael ... So that was Plan A ...

Plan B came out of nowhere this week. Michael got offered an amazing opportunity from one of his former clients at KPMG. They actually found him on Facebook since his KPMG info was no longer valid. They offered him the position of corporate controller! At first, Michael turned it down because it was too far (Carpenteria) and he had just started his new job with Singer just 6 months ago. When he initially told me about it, he brushed it off as a good opportunity, but wrong timing. However, they came back 2 more times -- each time "sweetening the deal" a little bit more. It got to the point where I told him we should really consider this opportunity. It was knocking on his door for a reason (a persistent knocker at that) so maybe God wanted us to pursue this path. As we talked more about it, we compromised on perhaps moving to Oxnard or Camarillo so as not to be too far from family and friends and our life in LA. Another good thing about this opportunity was that it would allow me to stay at home with the baby instead of going back to work. I never really let myself think about how great it would be to do that, but after talking with Michael, we came to a conclusion that there was no greater blessing than being able to stay at home with Zoe. I know it sounds funny, but I didn't really jump at the thought of not having to go back to work. I love my job and wasn't sure if I'd be one of those women who after 3 months of maternity leave would be dying to go back to normal "adult stuff" ...but Michael said the sweetest thing to me as we were discussing the possibility of me staying home with the baby ... he said more than anything he wants Zoe to be exactly like me and that he was so happy that she would be able to be raised by me on a daily basis ... how could I say no after that, right? But I still found myself getting pretty emotional during our talks (pregnancy hormones?) because I just felt so overwhelmed by all the changes. Having a baby is already a huge change and we decide to move not once but twice and also throw in all the adjustments that we would need to make in our potential new life. I felt like everything was happening way too fast ... so I prayed .... and I prayed ... and I prayed ... and at the end of my praying, I was at peace. I wanted nothing more than for Michael to have this wonderful opportunity to advance in his career. He's been so wanting to switch to the private sector and the fact that he would be a corporate controller before the age of 30 was just amazing. I didn't want to deny him this experience. I knew that no matter what, we would make it work. We were resilient (sometimes I forget that) and I trusted that God knew what he was doing.

So for now, the plan is still for us to move in with my aunt and uncle. I would stay there from Christmas until a few months after the baby was born. Michael would start his new job in Camarillo and would either commute back and forth to Eagle Rock or stay with his parents in Woodland Hills on the weekdays. Once I was fully healed and ready, me and Zoe would move to Oxnard or Camarillo to be with Michael. We would still go to mass at the Cathedral on Sundays and still be involved in our usual stuff.

I know it sounds like a crazy plan, but we trust God. Who knows were He's really leading our little family ... although I feel like nomads, I find comfort in knowing that the Holy Family were also nomads and they just continued to trust God no matter what ...