Woodland Here We Come

So we did it! Our dream of moving to Northern California is coming true! Kirk just accepted a job at a state hospital in Northern California, which is 15 minutes away from Woodland, where we will be moving. My parents live in Woodland, my sister lives in Oakland, and Kirk has cousins in Fremont. This move represents years of dreaming and planning. We long to be closer to family and to be part of a community. We want more openness, more undeveloped land, less traffic, more outdoor adventures. We want to teach our daughter about sustainable living, and growing vegetables, and a slow paced life. We have worked so hard to make this happen that I think we're both in shock that it is actually happening.

Of course this move has implications for our adoption process. Moving doesn't change our place on the waitlist, thank goodness. But we have to redo our home study, which is a somewhat lengthy process. And here's where it gets complicated. We will be moving in with my parents in order to look for a home and save money. If we redo the home study while we are living with them, they have to be included in all of the background checks and multiple finger printings. This is something we would like to avoid as it creates a great deal of unnecessary work and stress. We have to find a house soon enough to buy it, move in, and then redo our home study with this new address. We are low enough on the waitlist that we have some wiggle room. If we were higher up, we'd have to redo the home study right away. But it's kind of a gamble because you never know how fast you'll move up. And the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our standing on the wait list.

It's safe to say that we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed! We must begin packing and planning, deciding what will go to storage, and what will go to my parents' home. Then we have to somehow get everything up North, while keeping it separated. I know this will all get taken care of. Kirk and I are an excellent team.

We also have to redo any notarized documents where the notary public's license has expired. We have been in this process for over 2 years now, so some of our medical documents will need to be redone. We'll have to find doctors in Woodland and re-explain our situation and get that taken care of. Despite all of this, all the logistics and the stress and the change, I feel a deep calmness because we are doing what is so right for us. It is amazing to realize how everything has led up to this moment, preparing for our daughter.