moving overseas!

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moving to saipanHello friends! I have been meaning to write this post for, well, for the last few weeks, but attempting to cross all of the must-do items of my list each day has just about swallowed me up.

As you probably gathered from the post title, we are moving! Overseas! To Saipan, more specifically, a little island north of Guam.

Since I’ve put bits and pieces about the move on social media (hint- if you follow us on instagram, you’ll know everything first!), I know that I have plenty of questions to answer for y’all (on that note, thank you for the sweet notes/emails/comments- you guys are the best!). A few of the most common-

moving to saipanWhat in the world!?! Has this been in the works for awhile???

Honestly, my head is still kind of swimming at the news. Though I’ve been praying for the last year for a change (our current life includes a lo-ong commute, too many hours spent working [for both of us], and dental school loans that hang over my head constantly), moving overseas wasn’t even on my ‘change’ radar. In fact, I’d never even heard of Saipan until March 8th (yep, just one month ago if you do the math).

moving to saipanHow do you feel about this?

Hmmm…. equal parts sad to leave our fabulous community in Denver, excited for this new adventure, and overwhelmed too! But each step of this move has just fallen into place- a job offer for Adam at a hospital in Saipan that affords us more time together, a way to pay off his loans, and virtually no commute. Plus, living on the beach is kind of a dream come true for me. It’s pretty exciting really.

When do you leave?

June 1. Gulp.

Are you going to sell your house?

Yep! In fact, it’s already under contract. We put it on the market a few days ago and got full price offer (and a couple of backup offers!) that same afternoon. I am more than a bit sad to say good-bye- this house has been a true labor of love. And it’s the first house that we’ve ever really just chosen finishes that we want (not ones that will do well for resale), so I see our ‘stamp’ everywhere I look- in the white kitchen and green backsplash and in the white painted wood floors and in the raised beds in the garden. It’ll definitely be bittersweet to say goodbye to this house.

moving to saipanAre you going to keep the blog?

Yes again! Though, the lack of access to supplies and ingredients (and the fact that we’ll be renting, probably even renting something that is at least partially furnished) will certainly tweak the projects I attempt. However, watching Jordan put together parties and dinners and projects for the last few years without any access to a big box store gives me hope. Plus, our island is a US territory, so we’ll have a US address (woohoo!). Maybe I’ll get better at planning ahead and ordering supplies for my upcoming projects and parties? We’ll see…

How do Burke and Piper Jane feel about the move?

It’s a mixed bag- Piper takes change in stride while Burke is more anxious about it (plus, he has a better idea of what moving is and what we’re leaving behind). They’re both thrilled to be near a beach (they loved having the ocean so close on our February trip to the middle east) and beyond excited at the chance to see Adam a little more. Plus, they both want to visit Tokyo and Australia and Saipan isn’t far from either one.

I think those are the questions I got over and over again from y’all, but if you have others, send ’em over! Can’t wait to share more as we get closer to June 1…

 

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16 Comments

    1. Thanks friend! We will be headed back to denver in the next few years, so if an opportunity arises, TAKE IT. ๐Ÿ˜‰
      And YES bittersweet leaving the house for sure. Especially since it isn’t even finished! So bittersweet!
      Thanks for being excited friend!

  1. How amazing! How did you guys find out about this opportunity?? I’ve never even heard of Saipan….lol! But the pics are amazing! Can’t wait to follow along on your journey :))

    1. Thanks Leigh Anne!
      The job is through National Health Corps… an organization that helps with loan payback if you serve in an underserved area- like Saipan (did you hear of it when you were in pharm school?). We were looking into various NHSC jobs and ended up accepting this one.
      Thanks for the encouragement, friend!

  2. Sounds like a dream come true! Funny that I’ve been following your blog for quite a while and didn’t realize you were living here in Denver. Either that or I don’t pay close enough attention. Enjoy your time abroad!

    1. Jill, so fun that you’re in Denver too! I was hoping to meet up with a few Denver people before I go- want to join us if we do???
      And thanks for the well wishes. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. Wow! Such a huge leap of faith…I love it. Prayers for a smooth transition…especially the mama. If you’re anything like me, you’ll make sure the move is easy on everyone and forget about yourself.

    P.S. I’m totally jealous about the beach location! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. Thanks Dayna! ๐Ÿ™‚ It is definitely way more difficult to move with kids- so many more things to worry about for them! Thanks for the prayers sweet friend! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Hey! I am just a follower from Utah but I wanted to say that my best friend moved her family to Saipan a few years ago and they love it. Their names are Nadia and Jeremy Richards (he is a psychiatrist–they are on the NHSC program like I assume you are). They have two boys, age 10 and 7. It is a small, tight knit place and the beaches are beautiful! There were some adjustments–like the lack of shopping is quite an issue even for everyday goods, but overall they’ve had a good experience.

    1. Melissa, you have SUCH a great best friend! Nadia has spent hours (and HOURS) answering questions that I have… and she’s receiving a fleet of boxes that we’re shipping ahead of us… AND they’re picking us up (with TWO cars) at the airport. She’s a godsend. I am beyond excited to meet her! ๐Ÿ™‚
      Like I said, you’re lucky to have a friend like her!

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