Packing Up, Once Again.

Iowa has been somewhat short lived for us this time around.  We have been here for seven months, and we will be packing again in a matter of weeks.  It was not expected, but life is calling us back to Alaska.  Who would have guessed?

I will admit that some of our decisions are made quickly.  We appear to have no problem picking up and moving on to something new, but I think both of us had our eyes set on coming back to Iowa for the long haul, so quickly moving here when the opportunity presented itself seemed like a solid plan.  Being near family here has been wonderful.  Henry is the greatest example of it, as he could not be happier than he is now seeing his grandparents so often.  We are so sad to leave that aspect of it, but there is still a home for our family in Alaska.  Our jobs are still there, our opportunities are there, and so we too, will be there come the end of March.  It's bittersweet, of course.  We do not want to leave the family that is here, we wish Alaska was much closer, and the timing is hard with a baby due this year.  Undoubtedly that is the hardest part of it all, for all of us. But at the same time we have only been gone a short time so in a way it feels like going home.  I would have never thought I would be one of the people who leaves Alaska and ends up right back there, but apparently it happens often.  There's a strong pull coming from up there, so watch out if you go!  We have things we love so much in both areas, but for now we have to pick the right one for our growing family, and the answer has been made clear.   

Eric needs to be back at his office, and thankfully I too, have things to get back to.  I will be birth assisting again, and trying to accompany our lactation consultant on as many visits as I possibly can to complete the hours to be an IBCLC.  I had high hopes that reaching that goal was possible here in Iowa, but sadly it is not in the time frame I am aiming for.  

We are excited about the fact that wherever we move next, whether it be to Iowa again or somewhere new, I will be able to take that with me.  I feel so lucky to be welcomed back and able to continue in a field where my heart has surely stuck, and with a group of women that have honestly become my family.  

It still feels a bit unreal, as everything once again happened over just the course of a couple months.  It is going to be an adjustment, saying goodbye to family again, settling into a new routine once again, but that is life for us now.  We are getting quite used to it!  Huge changes have taken place every year since we first got together, so why stop now right?
So that's the short version of it.  Obviously we have lost sleep over the decision and had endless discussions and feelings galore, but I will spare you some of that for now.  I won't promise that some of it won't pop up later, however.  For now, I can just say we are leaving what has always been home, and heading back to the place we made home. It won't be forever.  More adventures to come...

These were taken during our visit over Christmas.