Yes, finally writing a blog post. Sorry it's been forever. Settling into our new life has taken so much adjustment and work, but it is wonderful. We are very happy and feel blessed every day.
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| Pretty awake for 3am! |
Our move happened with a bang... literally. We left Rexburg at 3am on the morning of July 28th, with our little Pontiac Vibe packed to the very rim with everything we owned. We sold or donated whatever wouldn't fit. :) The ride was smooth until we got to Rock Springs, WY. I offered to drive for Chris, as he was running on only a few hours of sleep. Unfortunately, we both had slight feelings of uneasiness about me driving that specific stretch, but didn't voice those concerns to each other at the time. So I took the wheel and started out for the I-80 highway.
We ended up in a very bad situation, being in the blindspot of two semis, who sandwiched us in between them upon merging onto the highway. We literally ended up squished between them, and I had to put on the gas in a last attempt to break free before we were crushed all the way. Our car burst forward, scraping the sides against the semis, and we were struck on the right back side of the car by the semi on the right. The impact shot us back behind them and sent us careening off the road. We prayed aloud in desperation as our car sped across a ditch, caught air and skidded, and I was able to stop the car less than a hundred yards from a deep ravine.
It has horrified me in my sleep over and over the "what should-have happened's". That last desperate burst of gas saved Chris from being crushed in the front passenger seat, Westley's carseat being in the left-side back seat so we could fit our back seat down put him in a safer place, having it happen right out of a major city with the resources we needed, and so many other little things remind me that we were watched over and specifically blessed. It was a horrible experience, but we were given what we needed to cope with it.
Our poor little car... it's still drivable (another blessing), but definitely not going to be same again. Our BRAND NEW tire got shredded in the accident. So we got another one. ;)
It was a rough start. It took a long time for Chris to be able to secure a full-time job. But once again, the Lord was just waiting to give us an ideal situation. We were searching for several weeks, applying and interviewing like crazy. It seems like the biggest financial dry spell we've ever had. Luckily, my parents let us stay with them while we were waiting for our housesitting job to open up at the beginning of September. We loved our time in the hectic, busy house with all my brothers. It was a really special experience to be with the family after such a long time apart from them.
About a week before our housesitting situation opened up, Chris got a call back for his dream job! He was hired on as a contract research worker for a scientific agricultural Innovations team with Pioneer-DuPont, one of the largest agricultural innovators in the industry. He works every day in a team of three research associates/assistants, supervised under a scientist, to do research and data collection in the Soybean Growth Chambers there. He gets to experiment, collect and analyze data, share his educational experience and insights on a daily basis, and overall work as a team member to produce some pretty neat stuff. That's in my words... I'm sure he could give you a much more accurate description if asked. Hee hee! :D
So for now, we are enjoying our new place immensely, loving our respective jobs (Chris at Pioneer, me being a full-time Mommy), and glad to be here in Iowa. The people are so genuine, the gas prices and groceries are cheap, and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the time of year.
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| Beat, after a long day of playing with Daddy |
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| Looking at FISH with Daddy at Bass Pro Shops |
Our little baby girl is growing like crazy. Had my 27 week appointment yesterday, along with my glucose test and a flu shot. She is incredibly active and has a sweet feeling about her. They were originally concerned because she was measuring pretty long in her legs, but after a second ultrasound at 22 weeks, they just said she's going to be very tall. Guess she got some Hadden genes this time! Her profile was similar to Westley's, so obviously she is going to be a cute little thing. As far as names, we have a few different ones picked out so that we see her we can decide. We are pretty sure her middle name will be Angela, after Chris's mother though. It's fun to be preparing for a girl this time. My mom cried when she realized after 24 years, there is finally going to be another girl born! Chris said, "Hey... now we boys won't outnumber you anymore!" So glad I'm going to have an ally ;)
Well, I'll write more later in the week. We are going to a corn maze and pumpkin patch this weekend so look for cute pictures if we can get our rambunctious 2-year old to sit still for a nano-second!
