Thursday, March 27, 2014

Update!! (Finally)

First of all, 
I'd like to thank you all for praying for our family!
Your prayers have given us the grace to handle 
whatever comes our way.

I'm going to try to explain 
in simple woman's terms
(I am the simple woman)

Thanks to the new healthcare system 
that is being forced implemented, 
my husband's business and many others like it will need to sell,
find another way to do billing, or close down.

My husband runs a drug and alcohol treatment center
(halfway home)
We've known big changes were coming since last fall.
Basically, treatment centers and half way houses 
will fall into the blanket category of "Healthcare"
and will need to be billed by a "healthcare facility"
since they technically are not a "healthcare facility",
they cannot bill as such.

Let's just say that once this is all said and done
(after October 1, 2014) 
There will be a lot of people needing treatment, 
and they will not be able to get it.

Oh, as long as everyone gets "Healthcare", 
Thanks Obama.





WE HAVE BIG NEWS THOUGH!

We decided in January 
that this could be an opportunity.
An opportunity to move to a warmer climate.

We won't want to move away from our kids 
when they grow up and move out,
yet, we do not want to be shoveling snow when we are 80.

 Think yellow....
 Phoenix, Arizona has become our first choice

San Antonio, Texas is our 2nd choice

(Thank you Patty and Neen for selling your state!)

I have lots of other friends in Texas, but had to keep this on the 
"Shhhhhh.....don't tell anyone yet" 

So they are the ones I asked for information about their state 
and homeschooling information, all that stuff!

  1. He will look for a job
  2. We will be remodeling our home and listing it as soon as we can after the business is sold.
  3. We will move when the #2 and #3 are done.


Thank you for all your prayers for our family
We trust in God's will
(I will try to blog the whole process)

Love to you all

I'll post my Thankful post tonite!
(SO you can link-up)

42 comments:

  1. Oh Jamie I am SO happy for you that you're doing what's best for family and you're excited about it. And that the prayers have helped your family. But I am sad because Iowa to Minnesota has always seemed like a real possibility of meeting you and your family in real life someday. Arizona or Texas seems a lot harder. I also have mixed feelings about the business being under-offered for. More prayers for a smooth and easy transition for you!

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    1. Madeline, for some reason, I thought you lived in Southern MN....like close to the cities though. The Grand Canyon is in Arizona...You might be taking a family trip there someday....you never know!! We have mixed feelings about the business being lowballed too, believe me, but it might be our only choice. (they kind of know that too, which doesn't help!)

      Thank you for your prayers!

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    2. I grew up by the cities and my parents still live there. So we go a lot! :)

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  2. ugh... my comment was eaten up!
    Happy things are working out for your family.... I already have a BFF in AZ, so if that's where you end up, plan on me dropping in once a decade or so! ;-)

    I'm bummed that our kids won't get the chance to meet IRL and get to know each other...but that's not the worst that could happen.

    Love you lots.... and hope it all works out the best way possible.
    Blessings~

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    1. Woo Hoo, wouldn't that be fun? To see each other down there? (where it's warm?)

      This why I decided to not go to the conference, we are watching our money, we don't even know if Tom will have a job soon...

      I am so very blessed to have met you and you know, we will still be here this spring, maybe even all summer...we have to wait til Tom gets a job and we sell our home!
      It's all up to God, His timing!

      Love you lots too...God bless!

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  3. Wowowow!!!!! Well, you know where I'm hoping you'll move, to the one that is just 2.5 hours away from me!!! Continuing to pray that all works out. Oh, if anything happens while I'm overseas, you have to email me!

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    1. Shelly!!! I've been dying to tell you!!! We first were looking at Corpus Christi!! I think that is pretty dang close to you!! BUT there were no jobs for Tom there and not many houses available.

      We still would love to visit there though.
      I have been pushing for Texas...my husband really doesn't like the humidity though...and I'm pretty sure San Antonio is humid...but believe me, it's better than here. And we will go wherever he gets a job...so it's ALL in God's hands. The milder climate will be so much better for his depression too, these past 2 winters have been the worst for him. His health is our number one reason to move.

      I will email if we make any decisions!! (and I'll be praying for you while you are gone, I'm so excited for you!)

      Thank you for being such a good friend!

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  4. Continued prayers for you and your family!

    If you move to San Antonio, you'll be about 5 hours from us :)

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    1. Thank you Kari!
      5 hours? That's awesome!! We were looking at Houston (League City) for a while, that has to be even closer, right?

      That would be awesome. Really awesome!!!

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    2. Oh yes, Houston is about 2 to 2.5 hours away depending on the traffic!

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  5. Jamie!!!!! Such excitement!!!!
    So happy for you all!
    Will be praying for all your intentions.
    But are you sure you want to move even farther away?
    Have you cleared this with Christine?!?! ; )
    Love you!

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    1. It is excitement and fear and just about every emotion you can imagine!!

      Stress, I tell you STRESS!
      Christine is not happy with me.
      She still loves me though.
      My heart will miss her so much.

      Love you too, thank you for your prayers!

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  6. This makes me sad...like really really sad.

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  7. Although I knew this was a possibility on the horizon, I am still bummed. Just when it seemed we'd actually get together and our kids could play :( Big, big stuff for your family though and I will keep praying for you, Tom and your family. May God put all of the pieces together and help you in your decisions.

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    1. We are not gone yet!!

      Thank you for your prayers Sarah!

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  8. I'll pray for your decision but Sherman Texas is awesome...look into it. I live here and love it!!!

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    1. I SO wanted to tell you 9peas!! Sherman is not too far from San Antonio...drivable!! It all depends on where Tom gets a job!

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  9. We are moving too! And though we never planned to move out of state, I dreamed for a while of moving to AZ! I have friends there, right in the Phoenix area! You will love it, and I hear that St.Joan of Arc church is very good and very orthodox! (Also in Phoenix.) I am not sad or bummed, because I know exactly how you feel. Moving is full of mixed emotion; you miss those you leave behind but look forward to something new and different! It's like a new chapter in your book, wondering what God is doing next with your life! And I know that those who are your friends here will continue to be in Arizona (or where ever you go.)

    Oh, and in case you're wondering, we aren't moving far (I kinda wish we were!) , just to another city out here. It's more about finding a bigger house for the family than it is about location. Looking forward to hearing about the process!

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    1. I have to admit though, I feel bad for Christine! :-( After reading your post, I thought "what about Christine?!" But now maybe she'll have an excuse to visit some place warm?

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    2. Thanks, Becky, for thinking of me. Jamie is like my bestest friend...ya know..someone you can just call up and tell them anything on your heart and they get you....someone who I can relate with on the faith.

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    3. I know Becky, I've seen some of your things on Facebook--it's exciting! Wish you were moving down south too, we'd be built in friends!! It is exciting.

      Hmmmmm St Joan of Arc...I'll have to look it up. There seem to be a ton of Catholic homeschool groups and churches.

      Awwww, that's so sweet what you said about Christine...I do feel bad for her, she helped me so much, I met her right after my closest friend moved to Fargo. We've been friends for like 10 years!!

      You will all have an excuse to come visit!!

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  10. Oh...that would be wonderful if you moved to AZ. We love Tempe, AZ! Our Catholic parish (OLMC) is great. It is more of a lively church and lots of family with many kids. We have 5 kids and many others have close or even more than that so we can relate to each other. There is a K-8 school on grounds but also I know many home schooling families that go to the parish too that are great friends. I have been at the parish for 13 years my husband more. St. Joan of Arc (Becky's comment) is the parish I grew up in! We had our wedding there. It is very nice but I am drawn to OLMC that is why I moved to Tempe about 30 miles away from St. Joan of Arc. Also, ASU is close by for some family events that go on there. Not going to lie though, AZ summers are HOT, but there are public pools, indoor family fun places and San Diego is a 6 hour drive away to visit the beach and any Northern AZ town is BEAUTIFUL in Summer. God Bless all of you and may the Lord lead you to the perfect, perfect, spot.

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    1. OH, thank you Lorie, this was exciting to read! I've only heard good things about AZ...except the heat. We'd rather have heat than cold. I'll have to look up those parishes! From everything we've looked up, there are a TON of Catholic churches and homeschool groups, it's very exciting. We live in an area with a TON, so it would be hard to go somewhere where there were not many churches...We plan on if we move to Phoenix going to San Diego someday!

      I have family in Southern CA, so they'd be a lot closer!
      Thank you for your prayers, maybe someday I will meet you!

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  11. After being through a similar situation myself, facing all the fears of the unknown and leaving family and friends, God does provide! Truly. Except for missing our family and friends, I have not one regret moving south. The winters were so depressing up in Illinois, (and MN is worse). The climate and southern hospitality...it is a win win. Praying for your continued guidance. God will provide!

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    1. Patty, we'd move to where you live, but after this winter, we do not even want to SWEEP snow in flip flops and capris. (hahahhaha)

      Your emails have helped us a ton. I also love what you wrote about the mourning that happens after a move. Boy does that bring back memories of my childhood and all the moves we did.

      You hit the nail on the head. That unknown...that is the biggest fear....right now, everything is familiar. I go to the noon Mass at the Cathedral in town and I look around and I see at least 10-15 people that I KNOW. I got to Adoration and am sitting with 4 other people that I KNOW. I know where the doctors are where everything is in this town and how long it takes to get there. Those are the things that will be hard for me. The unfamiliarness of it all. Wherever we end up. It's all up to God and He already knows where we are going.

      Thank you for your prayers and all your help!

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  12. Go in peace, go somewhere winter does not last six months! You will be missed but I would do the same in a heartbeat, given the chance. So very happy for you! Great job Tom!

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    1. I LOVE how you said "Great job Tom!" because it is a big decision and risk to do this and as head of our family he wants to do what is best for all of us. He needs to do this for his health. He just doesn't think he will survive another winter here. These last 2 were really awful for him.

      Thank you so much Tracy!

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  13. Wow, that is exciting news. Change can be hard but it can also be very good. If you move too far south you will miss the beauty of fall and winter. San Antonio can be so beautiful. Texas is wonderful for homeschooling and it is full of catholic homeschool groups. I am so excited that you are seeing the changes that you long for. Prayers for much happiness in this adventure.

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    1. Your email helped us a ton. I loved how honest you were pointing out the good and the bad. (which was hard for you, I know, but I appreciate it so much)

      We still do not know where we will end up, that is up to God to provide the perfect job opening...one where they will accept someone who does not speak Spanish!!

      Thank you so much!

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  14. WOW! Big news!! Praying that all goes well with the job situation ... and that everything else falls into place for you and your family!

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    1. Thank you Sarah! We trust God will lead us.

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  15. Just heading into my morning prayer right now (yes, I checked Facebook first). Jamie! Tom! Such a hard decisions...but sometimes it's the most painful decisions that bring the most peace. Just ask my husband, who having had to start his own business after two years of unemployment is happier now than he's ever been.

    Taking your family's intentions to prayer right now. Also? It's my daddy's 89th birthday, so please pray for him too! Love you.♥

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  16. Prayers for peaceful decisions, and His plan revealed in it all!

    My husband works in healthcare right now, and it's not a good place. He's a fundraiser...who will want to give money to a hospital system when the government is footing the bill? No one! He feels very insecure about his job because it's all about the bottom line. I think looking outside of your geographic area is smart. Prayers it all falls into place for you.

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  17. Oh, what excitement and what a big change! I'll be praying for you!

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  18. How exciting Jamie, my prayers are with you as you make all these tough decisions and changes, God is Good!!

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  19. So happy for all of you, but sad that you will be moving. My mom and husband live in Tempe, but are selling their place to move back here. I. Don't. Know. Why. Good luck to Tom on the job search!

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  20. That is a big change, but I love how you've accepted it and are looking forward. I will miss the annual 'stop to see Jamie on the way to the MN homeschool convention' that made/makes you an IRL friend. Hopefully I can fit in one more visit before you are off to a warmer clime.

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  21. That is so crazy!! I love it up here! I'm from Nebraska originally and have lived south of Tuscon AZ and also near Austin TX for over 6 years and I really really really missed the seasons. BUT, the cost of living is awesome down there! You'll be able to get a mansion for what we're paying up here for a house in the burbs. Prayers coming your way!!

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  22. Hi Jamie Jo -it's been a busy week and I missed this post. So glad that Arizona is your first choice! We would sure love to have you down this way. Praying that all goes well for you as you make this big decision! God bless you. Hoping to join your Everyday Thankfulness link-up later tonight (hopefully).

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  23. Praying for you all! I've lived in both places and both are great!!! I would happily go back to either one!!!

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  24. So many prayers Jamie! Arizona is a bit closer to us! LOL

    God will guide you all.

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