I will never...

...be pregnant and move at the same time ever again.

And so it begins...

We're moving to our new temporary home this weekend. We were going to do it Tuesday but the owners of the house gave us the keys on Friday and said we could start whenever we want. Justin and our friends Ryan and Jen made a few trips over there to primarily take things we had boxed up a few weeks ago. Our other friend Joe is letting us borrow his truck this weekend so that's helped a lot. Joe, Ryan, and Jen said they could all help us tomorrow to move the big stuff like beds, dressers, etc.

This is a pretty difficult process for me because not only am I not allowed to do too much lifting because of the pregnancy but I'm also really the only person besides Justin who can watch Madeleine. I feel guilty for not being able to contribute much in a physical labor sort of way. The hardest part of this for both of us is knowing that we'll most likely be doing it again in a few weeks.

I haven't posted much on Justin's job process because things change with every day. While we're still waiting to hear news from the Vet Center, Justin's also taken initiative to seek out alternative options. He's already lined up an interview in Helena for next Monday and plans to map out a few more over the coming weeks. We're hoping we'll have some offer in hand by the third full week in August because there's a chance our homeowners will be closing on their house around then. Of course they didn't start getting any interest in their house until we agreed to rent it. At times we feel like we're operating under Murphy's Law but yet we hope beyond all hope that this is all for the best.

I have to go and keep packing for most of the night so we can get almost everything out while we have the help tomorrow. Be glad if you don't live near us because otherwise we'd be enlisting your help too (but then again you'd get free beer and pizza so it might be worth it).

Bangs

I couldn't take Madeleine's comb-over hairstyle any longer so I decided to cut her some bangs Sunday morning. Justin was slightly taken aback that I made such an authoritative decision and he initially complained that he missed her crazy hair. To prove that she still has some "crazy" in her hair genes, I put her hair in pig tails one morning and this is how she looked after waking up from her morning nap. I'm just glad I don't have to keep hair clips on me to make sure she doesn't eat her hair with every bite of grape (or yogurt or broccoli or whatever) now. What do you think?

Stupid fireworks

I hate fireworks people buy at little stands for super cheap and then use to annoy the crud out of their neighbors. We're almost a month past Independence Day and kids around our neighborhood are still lighting them. This led to some excitement this past Saturday night when some of those started a grass fire behind the townhouses at the end of our street. Fortunately some friends of ours who live there noticed, called 911, and solicited help from all of us to put it out. I didn't do much more than talk to someone from 911 and direct the fire chief but Justin and another neighbor hooked up hoses to get water on it. Others were out with shovels. Most of the fire was out by the time the fire truck got here thanks to the efforts of everyone. We all had bloodshot eyes from the smoke and ash fell on our cars but besides that there was little damage. We consider ourselves fortunate because if one of the homes had caught fire our entire development would have been in danger. Even though we had a wet spring and early summer, fire season is still in full swing and this was a good reminder to all of us to be careful. And to call the cops whenever those kids start up again!

It pays to do your research

Or in my case, it didn't pay because I didn't do my research. I'm referring to a china plate we put in with our other Goodwill items that Justin dropped off Monday. I had a feeling it might have been worth something but hadn't gotten around to verifying my hunch so Thursday afternoon I ran back to Goodwill to see if it had been set out and sold. Unfortunately it had.

Justin's mom got this plate for us from a Goodwill a few years ago (for a few dollars) after we had taken our first vacation together up to Niagara. We drove that thing across the country and it sat in a closet for three years, appreciating in value apparently. Here's what it would have been worth today: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/dottiesglass/item/2725. Oh well...I guess you can't win them all. I hope the person who bought it has more sense than I did. At least someone is interested in buying Justin's guitar.

Our life in progress

Today we met with the homeowners of the house we'll be renting for at least one month. What awesome people! We worked out some details and spent a little time getting to know one another. I feel so fortunate to have this situation sorted out, at least for the moment. If you want to get a taste of the place, go to http://www.prumt.com/property/detail/804820/. They are letting us move in on July 29th but said we can begin moving our stuff in next week if we want. I'm so grateful this will work out (as long as the house doesn't sell in the next two weeks...and even if it does they said they'll try to work in at least a one month stay for us with the buyers).

Justin has spent some time calling various mental health clinics inquiring about open positions. I'm impressed with his ability to make cold calls and be so confident on the phone. He has sent his resume off to a few different places and has an interview tomorrow afternoon. If nothing else this will be a great exercise for him to brush up his interviewing skills. I hope it also increases his sense of being a highly qualified and employable therapist.

I'm still working on packing up the house. With every box I realize how much more junk I have as compared to Justin. I am trying to purge (and sell) many things but I also realize that the home is simply my dominion: I live and work here so the majority of it will likely be used by me. Nevertheless, I'm getting tired of pondering questions such as should I keep the partially used bottle of facewash. By this time next week I'm sure I'll be answering questions like that by chucking items into big black garbage bags. I just hope I have good aim.

A profitable day

Justin looked at me dubiously whenever I first told him I wanted to try to sell some of our stuff on Craigslist. After today, his looks are full of glowing pride. I made $70 by getting rid of things while also making other people very happy. Then, to top it off, I asked Justin to take a bunch of our giveaway books to a used book store and he got $75 in store credit and $48 cash! Not bad for a stay-at-home mom. I'm thinking that if his whole job search doesn't work out he can stay at home and I'll make millions selling stuff I find at thrift shops. I've already made almost $100 by taking clothes to a consignment shop over the last year. Who knows where it could lead?

Baby steps

As we've continued to pack boxes in anticipation of moving, we have also taken a potential small step towards finding a solution for our pending homelessness. Actually, our real estate agent is the one who took the step. We did receive a counter offer from the homeowners of the house we put a buy/sell on but we've decided not to accept it even though the terms were relatively fair. After looking it over we realized we were mainly drawn to the idea of leasing-to-own because it provided us with a place to live as of August 1st. Ideally, we would find a place to rent month-to-month. Now where could we possibly find such a place in Missoula?

In steps our realtor. She called me yesterday asking if we'd consider renting a house she had shown us earlier in the week. The house itself is out of our price range but the owners could use the financial support as they currently no longer live there but are still paying the mortgage. They would let us stay month-to-month and give us 30 days notice to leave if the house sells. I'll have to keep the place "showable" for whenever the realtor needs to bring people in to see it but the owners are okay with our pets being in the home.

I don't believe we could ask for a better solution. The rent is more expensive than what we're paying now but the home itself is by far nicer than any rental option we could find otherwise. Unfortunately Missoula's renters market allows companies and individuals to charge outrageous amounts for dumpy places. This home we'll be staying in is only a few years old and may even come partially furnished (to our benefit since we don't have a couch). And I really appreciate the idea of a mutually beneficial situation coming out of all of this: the homeowners just had a premature baby who is still in the hospital. Our rent will help alleviate some of their financial stress while their home provides us with a temporary living situation.

I still don't quite understand how things are going to come together but this small step reminds me that there is a bigger picture that I can't quite see and it is my responsibility to pray and trust that God will provide for us, as he always has. I have a feeling we'll be sleeping a little easier tonight as we dwell on that thought.

Beauty in our midst

Today we had our second ultrasound. Everything is perfect and we're still having a baby boy. Here's one of the wonderful pictures we received. We think he already looks like Madeleine. What do you think?

On fire

Last night Justin and I went on a date because our friend Beth insisted on us needing to get out during this stressful time. We happened to leave about the time a fire broke out on our local Mt. Sentinel. We ended up eating ice cream cones (which only cost $1 total thanks to my psychotic coupon-clipping habits) and watching the mountain burn. We found this slightly ironic because in some ways it feels like our life is that burning mountain: erratic, unpredictable, and out of control.

Of course we've found small ways to maintain an appearance of control. We got boxes and started packing today; we took a load of items to Goodwill; I put a buy/sell on a house yesterday. Woah, did you catch that?

Yes, we found a very suitable townhome when we looked at places with our realtor on Tuesday. This home is priced right and would be the exact sort of home we'd put a normal bid on if Justin had a job offer. But as it currently stands with us still waiting for the job--any job really--to happen, we've suggested a lease-to-buy option. I doubt the owners will agree to the terms but if they do we'd be in a position to at least have a home option for a few years while Justin establishes himself as a professional therapist in this community.

It seems crazy but we could actually have smaller mortgage payments if be bought than if we rent. That is one of the greatest appeals. However, while this job situation may not work out, for whatever unknown reason we still feel peaceful at the idea of being here in Missoula. I am at a point now where I really want to be able to start being excited about welcoming this new baby into our lives and I feel like we have to make some serious decisions regarding our housing situation in order for that to happen.

I have to thank all of you for your continued prayers, words of encouragement and support, be it tangible or otherwise. We are incredibly fortunate to have a loving community of people who affirm us in our attempts to live faithfully. We are grateful for that more than ever.

I'll keep you posted with any updates. Thanks again.

Hitting bottom

Just when you thought life with the Clines couldn't get more exciting...

This just in: we have to move out of our townhome by July 31st.

We called our landlord two Sundays ago asking if he would still be interested in selling this place (mentioned to us earlier in May) because we'd be interested in buying it. We left a voicemail. Actually, we left 4 voicemails over the course of the week. Turns out he was out of town for 10 days. And he has new tenants moving in August 8th. So we can't even rent this place for another year. Not only that, but I started my 3rd trimester today. ARGH!!! Needless to say, there was a bit of tension in our house this morning as we all processed this information in our own ways, i.e., I cried a lot and Justin swore. Madeleine cried too but only because I was crying. She's so sensitive.

This leaves us with two options: find a place to rent for 6 months to a year or buy a place in the next few weeks. We have no idea what is going to happen for sure but we're at least getting a fast start by viewing a few places with our real estate agent tomorrow afternoon. Please, please, please pray for us. We need to know exactly what to do. We have faith that this is all going to work out; however, there will be some big decisions for us to make and we need all the wisdom we can get to make the best decisions. Thanks so much for your continued support. We'll keep you posted as always.

Food and fireworks

Yesterday Madeleine enjoyed a multi-ethnic meal of flaffel with cucumber yogurt sauce. She loved it. She also enjoyed eating and wearing peanut butter.



Today we celebrated the 4th of July with friends at a bbq. Madeleine sported a festive outfit for the occasion. We hope you and your families were able to find a special way to celebrate as well!

Time ain't money

Singer Greg Brown has a line in a song that goes, "Time ain't money when all you got is time." That's become our mantra over the last few months since waiting for Justin's job situation to get sorted out. The position he applied for closed three weeks ago and there's still no word. While we wait, we're trying to take advantage of this early retirement freedom without the financial support of our 401ks. That means lots of hikes (hence all the flower pictures), good home-cooked meals, and fun times as a family. We know we may look back on this time and think that we should have taken a trip or done something extravagant while we had the time to do so but with so much unknown (job, housing, etc.), we're playing it conservatively. If you know of other fun, local, and free things to do in Missoula, feel free to pass along suggestions.

Sticky Geranium

Queen's cup

Mountain Ladyslipper

Yummy taco salad...the true meal of summer in the Cline household!

Doesn't she look like a little golfer?

Finally a picture of Daddy! He's usually behind the camera.

(Notice Madeleine doesn't fit as well on my lap anymore.)

Even Maggie got into the fun of things rolling around on the grass like a crazy dog!