Moving Into Exile?

Everyone Pray For Us...


I've put off writing about this subject thus far, but I guess that now is as good time as any to mention that we received some distressing news back in August, just as we were settling into the new house here on our little island.

The ink was still wet on our one year lease when Pat was advised by conference call that, as a result of the merger of the company employing her for the past 24 years with a larger competitor, that her office in Illinois was being closed. Actually, merged with another Midwest office owned by the new partner company.

Everyone was instructed to keep the news confidential, which limited her new job search ability within the company, but if she stuck things out until the end of November to assist in the transition she would receive a generous severance package, and possibly the offer of another job.

The only problem is, the number of tele-commmute jobs are limited, and since Pat has telecommuted for the past five or six years we've sort of grown used to the idea of meeting for Green Tea on the sofa in the morning prior to going our separate ways in our PJ's or shorts for the day.

All of that might be changing come December, and instead of living here on our little slice of paradise, there is a distinct possibility that we may be facing 46 inches of annual snowfall living adjacent to the Mississippi River in the great state of Iowa.

(cue the sound of crickets chirping...)

That's right, I said IOWA.

Somewhere north and west of Chicago, just slightly south of Minnesota.

THAT Iowa.

My feet get cold just thinking about the prospect.

Another problem is that the house fire took all of my winter clothes back in 2001, and right now I own exactly one Izod jacket and a couple of windbreakers.

I've never lived north of Atlanta in my entire life, and had no intention of moving north of south Alabama/Georgia in the next fifty years...

I guess that I might have to go shopping.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, so would everyone please pray that we get a last minute reprieve?

After all, I prefer a Jet Ski to a Snowmobile any day.