Some stories need to be told in full, not through limited text headlines or summary. This unfolding story is one such example. To say '
we are moving to Oregon' does not reflect the provisions that have been made. So you know the punch line, but here are the details!
Since our last dual career search in 2015 (which ultimately led us from VA to IN) I have had a search engine set up to email me any time there are higher ed jobs in the Pacific Northwest within student affairs. I get maybe 2-3 postings a month because of the limited qualifiers I have in place, and there has not been any job notice I received that made me feel like I would consider applying to swap out my current gig and family rhythm for a relocation. So I passively glance at these emails and then delete. Well at the end of September I was emailed a posting for Assistant Director of Student Engagement at the University of Portland. I did a deeper dive into the listing because the title is a combination of my previous institutional titles and UoP is in the city I love and a small private faith-based institution which has been my dream context to work.
FAQ: Were you job searching? No.
Was Jonathan? No.
Were you trying to get out of Indiana? No.
So after reading the 4 page position description, I reflected 1- this is an intentional context/supervisor/institution I would love to work with and 2- the details of the work were a conglomeration of all the previous jobs I have held in higher ed, making it what I have always described as my '10 hats dream job.' I talked with Jonathan about my interest in dusting off my resume materials and applying. In full disclosure, this first conversation did not go well. We were grateful to have good community near and far help support us individually and our marriage, allowing us to work through our communication and ultimately have a deeper connection with each other. Marriage is hard. I'm thankful that J and I are committed to putting the hard work in.
So the application process moved forward...
October 4- I applied.
October 11- They contacted me about moving forward to the next round and writing a work sample for a case study in lieu of a traditional phone interview.
October 21- I submitted my case study report.
November 1- They called to invite me to an on campus interview.
November 12-14- I flew to Portland for a whirlwind 36 hours, interviewing all day on campus the 13th.
November 15- They called and offered me the position, I asked for the weekend to consider and discuss.
November 18- I accepted the position and negotiated the start date/moving. Background checks ensued.
December 10- My formal HR offer letter was received and signed so the announcement could go public.
January 6 will be my first day of employment at the University of Portland.
If you are not in higher ed, this timeline might seem like a long time to you. But if you are in the field, you know that this is actually a fairly fast-moving process- especially considering fall break and Thanksgiving break fell here. The upfront communication I received throughout the process was by far the best/most clear I have received in a job search process, making me feel valued. Their alternative to a phone interview approach was such a relief for me to have the self set pace of time to use my strength of writing to communicate my thoughts and ideas, instead of feeling pressure to articulate over the phone on the spot. When I was on campus I felt such a great peace to explore the grounds, hug some evergreen trees and spend quiet morning reflection in their chapel.
When the offer came the day after I got home, I had not even had time to debrief my trip with Jonathan yet because of the midweek life with 3 kids and work. So over the weekend we made time to check in with each other and listen. The start didn't go well. We took a break. Then we had some meta-communication (talk about how we are talking), and after a reminder that our ultimate investment is in each other and our marriage, we were able to look forward together at the possibilities instead of talking at each other. I think this is important to note because in a few years these details will become cloudy to me and I may assume (perhaps as others do) that our marriage is easy and we are always in sync. Instead I want to remind myself that tough conversations can be learned from and we are building our skill set with each other for every future talk.
The financial package that was coming with my job offer was/is not enough alone for a family of 5 to live on in the much higher cost of living city of Portland. One of the things we did that weekend was create a budget for our needs there, accounting for the cost of carrying our mortgage in Indiana until it sold. The numbers were bleak, but we could dip into our savings to cover for short term if needed. I made a phone call with my great Uncle Rick to inquire about housing options in the area, and specifically if he would be willing to share his north Portland home (5.5 miles from UoP) with us that he does not live full time in. The summary of that phone call is Uncle Rick said 'of course- you are family.' So we felt God's provision of continuing to open the door for us, even if all the details were not clear yet. I accepted the offer the next day and negotiated to begin at the start of spring semester.
FAQ: Where are you going to live? At my great Uncle Rick's house in north Portland until we figure out what the next best step is for us.
Where will the kids go to school? At the neighborhood school only a couple walking blocks away from Rick's house.
Jonathan had been in communication with his supervisor so that she knew I was in a job search process and had visited on campus. When he had his 1:1 with her that week, he updated her on the offer/acceptance and proposed a moving forward plan that would have him remain working on campus through January 17th, then work remotely until they fill his position. Quickly his supervisor agreed with that plan to keep him on and affirmed that they did not want to post his job now mid-year, but wait until the typical spring hiring for summer start schedule. She called HR to see how they needed to make it work and called the next morning to say they would extend his contract at 3/4 time because of the time zone difference but he would still be earning benefits. You might be asking, doesn't J work with on-campus student housing stuff? Yes. In my opinion, because Jonathan has built great relationships across campus and done such an amazing job these past few years, they are graciously extending him this opportunity to help cover the otherwise gap his absence would leave behind. And also, God.
FAQ: So does Jonathan have a job? Yes, he will keep his Purdue position starting at 3/4 time in January until the department hires his replacement, or, until J moves into another Portland-based job.
Is Jonathan job searching? Yes- as soon as we accepted my offer his searching in Portland higher ed went from passive to active. If you have any leads to connect him with, send a note! There are quite a few university options in the immediate area (Portland State, WSU-Vancouver, Clark College, Lewis & Clark, Concordia, Warner Pacific, Portland/Clackamas/Mt Hood Community Colleges, Reed College, Linfield, Multnomah, and further out from the city- Pacific University, George Fox, Willamette).
The logistics of moving a family of 5 across the country 2,200 miles has been slightly more daunting then each of our shorter distance moves with less children each time. Thankfully we have built a skill set around this moving thing to know our resources and keep moving ahead. One fast decision we made was that hauling all of our things was expensive and not worth it, so we have been flexing that minimizing muscle and purging items the past couple weeks. It is fun to be in the Christmas spirit of giving in this way and get to gift some of our bigger furniture items to friends who can benefit. We will pack up the remaining items into a Haul U-box (or 3) which is a self contained storage unit that they will haul for us. As we looked at the map route from Indiana to Oregon it seemed wise to not haul our own trailer through northern states in the middle of winter.
FAQ: So when are you moving? How are you all getting there?
January 4- Lyndsy and Ande fly to PDX
January 18- Lyndsy flies back to IND
January 19- Lyndsy, Heath and Reese fly one way to PDX with closets packed in checked luggage
January 20- UBoxes delivered to IN house that J and his folks will load up
January 21-25 somewhere in this time frame J will drive our van with our friend Ryan on the 2,200 mile journey to join us in Portland
February 8- Our Uboxes of stuff will arrive to us in Portland
Who is going to help with the kids?
My dad is joining me in Portland January 4 to do Ande care while I begin work. He will stay around until Jonathan arrives at the end of the month. My mom will fly up to join him MLK weekend with Ande while I do the round trip flight to get Heath and Reese. My in-laws will join Jonathan and the older two in Indiana after I leave in January to help be on hand with school drop off and pick up and general household help. We have never asked our parents for this kind of assistance and we feel so grateful that 3/4 of them are now retired and they are all so willing to be of help.
What about after you are all out in Portland and both of you are working, what will the kids do? Ande is on a waitlist for the childcare at UoP, and I am looking at other options of where she could go once my dad leaves. Let me know if you have recommendations! Because of Jonathan's 3/4 time schedule that he will begin in Portland, he should end his work day at 2pm (5pm IN time) and be available to Heath and Reese after school. Their campus also has YMCA after school programs that we can pursue if needed.
How are the kids feeling about the move?
The kids are reacting similarly to J and I with both excited and sad emotions fluctuating, expressed in their own 5yo and 9yo ways. Ande I'm sure has picked up on the additional stress we are all navigating and her sleep schedule has been out of sorts with newborn-like wakings in the 2a-5a hours. Reese says she is sad to leave her friends but is excited to start school in Oregon and has declared that she will do gymnastics once she gets to Portland! Heath initially responded the hardest through tears saying he does not want to go. But within the hour, was asking about the Children's Museum in Portland and planning to connect with friends from a distance via video games. Heath has created a powerpoint presentation on his school iPad with facts about Portland, all on his own initiative. There have certainly been more tears (from everyone) in our house these past couple of weeks and we are coping with a full December schedule with family visits and winter performances. On good days we give each other grace and hugs. You can help by praying for us to have the most kind of grace-filled days possible in our weeks of transition ahead.
What about #thisoldhouse? We met with our realtor and will list the house the last week of January once we have fully moved out. We considered listing right away, but who wants to show a house in the middle of the holidays while hosting grandparents back to back and living with 3 young kids?-- ya, no thanks on that one. We are putting a new roof on our garage next week and addressing small needs to have it ready to list. If you know someone looking for a fantastic family home in the best neighborhood community Lafayette, IN has to offer- send them my way!
If you have more questions, I probably don't have the answers...yet. It seems each new day brings us closer to having more plans solidified. It has been a wild ride for sure and we are
excited for the adventure ahead while managing our grief of saying goodbyes and the rhythm that we know and love here in Indiana.
