Seasons of Change

Ok…(big sigh) (deep breaths)…we are moving.  Less than four years after building our house on a fantastic acreage, we are moving over 250 miles south to Columbia, MO.  I'm not sure who still reads/looks at my blog, and I realize it has been awhile since I have posted anything, but The Britton family will be experiencing quite a bit of change in the upcoming months.  When I think about change, especially of this magnitude, I am left with feelings that are hard to describe.  Excitement, anxiety, sadness, hope, gratitude, fear, and overwhelmed are all understatements of the roller coaster of emotions I have been on for the past few weeks.  Change, for many, is challenging and I’m sure as some read this, the feelings will be understood and very relevant.  Most of the time I find it best to find humor in situations and try to make lemonade out of lemons.  While this will be a really great thing, there is so much apprehension that I feel going into this.  So, I will start from the beginning of how this all came about.

Thanks to his networking connections, Nick found out early in the summer that there would be a position opening at University of Missouri sometime in the near future.  Of course, I was thinking, "ok, whatever."  Avoidance, procrastination, and denial are a few of my strengths.  Late in August, the position finally became available and we decided that it might be something that would be a good change professionally and personally for our family.  Again, the thought that this might really happen was not really sinking in at that time.  Nick was able to interview in Columbia at the beginning of October, which led to the eventual offer of the position of Director of Facility Operations for University of Missouri Athletics.  This is a very brief synopsis of the last months’ events. 

Taking this position was much more difficult than I think Nick anticipated, and from the time it was offered until he accepted, there was an almost unbearable amount of weight on his shoulders trying to decide if this, indeed, was the best direction for us to take.  There are so many variables that come into play when it comes to a move like this.  For instance, I like my job here, and my colleagues, and the students, and the community.  There are so many great things about our lives right now.  But it’s not just about me.  Nick also has a very successful career and many part time jobs that have built relationships; relationships that are NOT replaceable.  We both struggle with leaving so many of those to pursue an opportunity that still has so many unknowns. His coaching and mentoring have affected so many student athletes and their families.  It's also hard for me to imagine having as much support somewhere else as we do here, both personally and in the relationships built professionally.  However, this professional opportunity for Nick couldn’t be ignored or turned down.  After five years of wrestling, building an education, and over thirteen years of working at Iowa State, we will say goodbye to this university and hello to the black and gold of Mizzou. I never in a million years thought I would wear those colors.  Nick will begin working there on November 30. 

Well, here we are, so many things to think about.  When should we list our house?  How long will it take to sell the house?  Am I going to find a job?  What are the school districts like down there?  How will our kids adapt?  Where are we going to live?  How often will we get to see Nick when he leaves?  WHEN AM I GOING TO HAVE TIME TO RUN?  I’m sure many people believe this should probably be the least of my worries, but the time I spend alone running is when I can clear my head so I can be a more productive and better person during the rest of my day.  This daily hour on the dark streets in Huxley keeps me from going insane at times.  So yes, this is a big concern of mine regarding my upcoming role living as a single mother until we can figure things out.  So many things to think about.

And another thing…I’m not sure how many recent photos I will be able to upload here, as I shattered my phone just over a week ago.  I’m still trying to figure out how to retrieve files from it since I can’t unlock the phone due to the screen being completely destroyed.  Leave it to me to neglect backing up my phone to a cloud of some sort.  I think I might start doing that. 

I will try to get some photos uploaded.  I took some last week during Halloween with an old phone and Nick might have a few on his phone.  The next few months should be very busy and I’ll try to post updates when I get a chance.  I realize this is a little long winded, but I needed to post so people know what’s going on and also for myself.