Life is about to change

I guess the time has come to spread the news....as the song says "it's hard to find the perfect time to say something you know is gonna change everything." After lots of sleepless nights Ike and I have decided to move to Oklahoma City. Ike has accepted a position as a drilling engineer. Over the next 4 months our lives will drastically change. Ike will be leaving for OKC in 3 weeks to start his new career and I will be staying behind to finish my year as a teacher. We will be living separately...I know how hard this is going to be. I think Ike will have the hardest time being away from his sweet baby girl. We got an iPad so he can do FaceTime with us. That way even when he is not with us he can see Kinley. A lot of traveling is in our future! While Ike is away we will be staying with my in laws who have offered to put up with Kinley and I during this time. It will eliminate travel time in the morning and make the days not so lonely. I have the best and most supportive in laws.....without them we may not have had the courage to go. We are hoping to sell the house quickly! We shall see....once we get it sold we will get a rental home. Until then Ike will be living with my father. Lots of questions have been asked about what I will do when I get there. The answer is that I have no idea. Teachers get paid $11,000 less than what I make now and I am somewhat looking at it as a new start. I am driving myself crazy trying to figure out what I want to do. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there.
I cannot tell you how incredibly bittersweet this is for me. It has always been my dream, even as a little girl, that my family would all be together. My bother and I have been apart since I was 9, my father and I since I was 5, and my mother and step father for the past 2 years. That doesn't even cover the cousins and grandparents. Ike is making one of my wishes come true and one of his! He is becoming an engineer just as he wanted to be. We know that it will open many doors and create a better life in the long run. Financially we will be able to support Kinley through college and become more stable. On the other hand, we are leaving the only thing we have ever known and leaving behind Ike's parents and his brother. My heart is so torn and aches for the pain I know they will feel when they miss Kinley. I feel guilt every time I think about it and know that there are many more tears to come. I pray every night that their hearts find comfort. I know how much I miss my family....so I know how much they will miss us.

As for now, we are taking it a day at a time. We will miss our friends and family here dearly, but will visit often and they can visit us. Stay tuned for the updates.... It will be quite the ride!