Listening to a Calling

The story I am about to unfold is one that many have already heard.  However, it is my duty to document this historic journey in order to preserve one of the more exciting moments in our family's life thus far.  And so, I give you the first installment (of many), of how we listened and followed a calling to move our life up to Oregon and build our first house!

Late last spring, Brant was given word that his job with APU's University College was going to be made into an entirely remote position, effective June 30th.  This happened to be the same day that we were set to make a trip up to Oregon for a 2 week summer vacation with our families.  We drove up I-5 pondering all of the change that had just occurred, mulling over just how we would "survive" having Brant work from our small 2-bedroom townhouse, particularly over the summer months when the kids were off of school.  Living in SoCal had its definite perks, but possibly the biggest setback for us was the lack of momentum we felt with being able to have a sustainable lifestyle down there, let alone ever being able to afford a house.  This sudden remote job change was definitely rocking the mind with feelings of being "stuck" and leaving us wondering what to do next?

As we crossed over the border in the late afternoon, Oregon was on its best behavior: warm summer evening, clear blue skies, with a sunset that was beginning to paint itself over the mountain range and hillsides.  Quietly, but almost simultaneously, Brant and I began to feel a prodding in our hearts.  There was a stirring inside that was undeniable: God was telling us to open our eyes and our ears, and to listen, because he was about to reveal some pretty spectacular changes in our life.  

Over the course of the 2 weeks we spent in Oregon, we fell back in love with our home state.  We are both born and raised Oregonians, and we've always considered Oregon to be "home," but only in the sense that all family lives here, so naturally, we come back to visit often enough and then leave again.  This time, however, we felt the strong, clear calling that it was time to come back home.  

Our vacation had us in central and southern Oregon, and we were feeling a tug to consider what life might be like to move to this side of the state, rather than the Portland area, where all family is located.  We grew attracted to the idea of Bend for many reasons, but the lifestyle and invigorating vibe that pulsates year-round was highly attractive.  Pulling us in was the beauty of the mountains, the trees, the blue sky (300 days of sunshine!), and all 4 seasons, giving outdoor recreational options for the family a plenty!  The work-life balance in Bend seemed to resonate deeply with us, so we started our pursuit.

During the span of just over a month, we explored what housing could look like and stumbled upon the idea of building.  We found this wonderful company that builds custom homes, Adair, and the pieces just fell into place, one right after the other.  Our financing went through without a hitch; we found an incredible piece of land in a great school district; we snagged the property for less than the asking price; Brant was granted permission to work from anywhere.  We were listening and God was moving.

With the help of Brant's parents traveling over to Bend in our place, a wonderful realtor and modern technology, we viewed the property via Facetime, and made an offer that night.  The obvious occurred, and our offer was eventually accepted!  As a side-note, Brant and I have discovered that in our marriage, we tend to make decisions unconventionally and do things sight-unseen (we even bought our dog over the internet from Indiana, without ever meeting him first! Who does that?!?).  This time, though, we decided it would be in our best interest to make a trip up to Bend to view the site in person, as this decision was clearly a pretty big deal.  Once more, the pieces all lined up perfectly, including childcare in our absence, and the two of us flew up for a quick weekend trip to check out the property.  We were floored and absolutely in love with the land, the neighborhood, the house plans we had picked, the school, and the city of Bend itself.  

Guess what we did?!

Our property!!

See that giant lava rock?  Yeah.  So cool, but it has to go.

This will be the front of the house and the driveway.

The view from the front of the house, up to the green space, where there is a playground, and just further, a pathway that leads to a canal.

The backyard....work with me, here. ;)  We've got all kinds of ideas brewing!

The canal that is just behind our neighborhood, with a pathway that goes for miles in either direction.  It's wonderful!

We celebrated that evening with a nice dinner at the Pine Tavern in Downtown Bend.  It was a wonderful meal and a memorable start to our life in Bend!

We concluded our trip in Bend with a spontaneous visit with my sister and her family, who happened to be on vacation in Sunriver (which is 20 minutes away).  It was a lot of fun to be able to meet up and show them the property this early on.  We enjoyed a lunch together at the Deschutes Brewery and one final stop at the lot for some survey work, before heading out.  

We'll be seeing a lot more of family now!  Hooray!!

Excited to be living closer to my sister, and looking forward to making many memories together in Bend!

The Hemphill crew

A man of many talents.  He is so excited to get to work on this project!

And so begins our transition.  The journey is ever-going, as God continues to weave our story together.  Our adventures have only just begun, and we are so excited to see what's in store for our family as we become Bendites. 

Cousins first, friends for life!

My sister and her three kids came down to California for a fun visit last August, while Brant was traveling in Europe for a conference (tough life, I know).  It was a fun filled couple of days that included some school days, park visits, swimming, a trip to the kids' museum, and even an extra night of fun when their flight was cancelled!  Our townhouse was filled to the brim with laughter, toys, sibling mischief and family love.  We had a blast!

We celebrated Ellie and Ben's birthdays -- but most importantly, we celebrated being reunited!

A little trip to the air field while Maddie was in school, with these beauties!

And these cuties!

We went through Old Town La Verne, and scored some sweet donuts!

Joy really was having a good time - she just didn't want to be held by her big sis!

And, because there's always time for more sweets, we made sure to get frozen yogurt that evening.  The kids (and adults) didn't mind!

After school on our last full day together, we drove to Pasadena to spend a couple of hours at Kidspace Museum, which was a big hit for all!

There are holes and tunnels to climb through all over the place.

And giant platforms that climb three stories high

Working on a painting masterpiece!

The four big kids loved the trike roadway and would have spent hours there, if we had let them!

What better way to end a hot day out at the museum than by getting wet (from head to toe) in the stream?

On Saturday, we had half a day together, before the crew was set to board a plane, so naturally we spent it poolside!

Swimming and In-N-Out ---> perfect way to conclude our time together!

We cleaned up and drove out to the airport for a teary goodbye.  The cousins were all terribly sad to be parting ways, and as I was driving home, consoling my heartbroken kids, the phone rang.  My sister was on the line, explaining that their flight had been cancelled until the next morning, and asking if we could turn around for one last night together. :)  Well, the cheering that took place in my car was deafening, as we turned the car and headed back to the airport!

Just kidding!  We're back for 1 more night!

The entire trip was a blast and we had so much fun hosting our family - especially with the extra bonus time!!

First day of 2016 school year

I have a very difficult time neglecting any one moment in our family life and not blogging about it, so here we finally arrive to the first day of school for Maddie (2nd grade) and Geoffrey (Pre-K).  When school began this past fall, we had a pretty strong conviction that we would be moving to Oregon mid-year, which made these particular "first days" a little bittersweet.

Maddie started 2nd grade at La Verne Heights, in Miss Frontino's class, along with several of her friends.  We love LVH and were happy to begin another year at such a great school!

Maddie, and her friends, ready to take on the 2nd grade! 

Maddie and Miss Frontino

Geoffrey began his second year at LVPPP, where he was in Room 3 with Ms. Lisa as his teacher.

Cousins were in town on vacation, during Maddie and Geoffrey's first week of school!

My baby starting his final year before elementary school!

Ms. Lisa and Geoffrey

We loved both schools and teachers in La Verne so much, and although we still think of them often and fondly, the kids are making a solid transition into their new schools in Oregon, and love their teachers and new friends.  We are blessed wherever we go!

Union Creek, Oregon

I learned very early on about the near sacredness that is Union Creek to my husband and his family, and with good reason!  It is a special place, filled to the max with beauty, adventure and family memories - both old and new!  We spent our final week of vacation camping at Union Creek, teaching our kids how to fish, going for hikes, exploring lakes, eating ice cream and making a visit to Crater Lake.  With a 24 hour detour mid-week for Brant and me to attend my Pop-Pop's funeral, it was a fantastic and fun-filled week in Southern Oregon!

Wasting no time, literally 30 minutes after arriving to our site, Brant was out on the creek, teaching the kids how to fish.  This had been a conversation for months leading up to the trip and they were all excited and ready to go!

Our original plan for the trip was to have the kids share some of the adult poles, since they had never been fishing before and we knew we'd be busy assisting them anyhow.  That lasted for one outing... ;)

Ready for the first fishing adventure!

The newest additions to the Himes' fisher-folk! 

Seth, Maddie and Kylia, off to the next fishing hole.

Crossing logs is just what you do at Union Creek!

Maddie caught her first fish!!

Geoffrey was on the heels of anyone fishing, no matter what.  He so desperately wanted to see the action and be a part of the action!

Adalie and her fish! 

April, Leilani and Maddie, cheering the fisher-folk on.

Kylia and Seth.

That afternoon, Brant and I snuck away to the general store and found two kid-size fishing poles and surprised Maddie and Geoffrey with them.  They were pretty pumped to discover, not only their very own poles, but *also* the fact that one was adorned with "Frozen" characters and the other with "Mickey Mouse."  Do we know our kids, or what??

He was in awe.

Another fun activity is to walk down to the ice cream shop for a sweet, cool treat, followed by a hike to the Rogue Gorge.  Who can say no to ice cream?

Leilani and Maddie

Father and sons -- Dale and Seth took note of Brant's new hat, and followed the trend.

Grandpa Dale loves to treat his grand kids to ice cream!  And they don't mind one bit!

The picture doesn't even begin to capture this impressive falls!

Brothers

The Himes Men

These two cousins are the sweetest!

Just stop!

Later that afternoon, we had a chance to go fishing as a foursome.  It was wonderful to be out in nature with the kids, exploring God's creation, attempting to catch fish, and exposing them to things they had never seen or done.

Officially a fishing family! (Say that 5 times fast!)

Perched upon the log that sits high above the mouth of the creek, as it empties into the Rogue River. 

Quite possibly one of his favorite spots in the world.

Pristine.

Learning from their favorite teacher.

The following day, we made a trip over to Diamond Lake, where the family enjoyed playing in the water, doing paddle boats and stand-up paddle boards.  The outing was a blast!

Maddie and Zoie, eating lunch by the lake.

Off they go!

The youngest made sure to bring her wooden boat along for the ride.  Smart!

Why, yes we did!

Seth and April conquered the water.

The kids definitely wanted to get in on the action...they had excellent balance!

Of course, it didn't last long, and they both wanted to attempt standing on the board.  Geoffrey lasted a few moments, before falling right in.

Maddie impressed us all, and absolutely dominated that board by herself!

She was amazing and never fell in!

The following day, before Brant and I left camp to attend my Pop-Pop's memorial service, he went on a special river-float fishing trip with a few of the adults and the two oldest kids.  Our kids and I remained at camp with Grandma, Auntie, Zoie and Leilani, where Geoffrey caught his first fish and we went out to Beckie's Cafe for lunch.  I'd say we definitely got the better end of the deal!

Hooray!  He was so proud!

Grandma, with her youngest grandchild.

Who doesn't appreciate eating at a restaurant while on a camping trip?!

Sweet sisters!

Our last full day of vacation was spent up at Crater Lake, which never fails to disappoint.  We drove around the rim of the lake, and stopped several times for short nature hikes, enjoying the beauty of a warm day!  Be forewarned:  for some reason, on the final day of any family vacation, I tend to get a little "trigger happy" and take way too many pictures.  Additionally, I'm not too great at narrowing down what I want to share with my readers...you've been warned!

He doesn't mind being the only boy!

I'm crazy about him.

My beautiful niece, Kylia, and me...with my oddly dis-proportioned leg! 

This child truly embraced becoming one with nature...and my washing machine had to work extra hard when we returned home!

All the cousins, minus the youngest.

Too many photo-ops!

My wonderful in-laws.  Not a day goes by where I am not grateful to be loved by them and enveloped into their amazing family.

Adalie Grace, my not-so-little flower girl, and true sweetheart.

Nothing like a cheery picnic lunch in the beautiful wilderness!

The Himes' Crew.

Sweet girls.

It really is a spectacular blue.

We both married into the family, and our bond only continues to deepen as sisters.

Again, I swoon!

It was a pleasure and a joy to spend the week with this fabulous family of 6, and we can hardly wait for them to move back to the Northwest!!

My littlest buddy.

These three are my world, and I am so happy to be living life with them!

You really can't capture it, nor can you stop taking pictures of it.

We had such an incredible two week vacation in Oregon, which marks the beginning of our big move back to the Northwest.  What wonderful adventures we've been on and will only continue to venture forward on as a family.