January 29, 2013

• Maybe sooner, rather than later?

  Last night, Jamie and I were talking about the move, new jobs, career changes (more about that later), life, etc.  Jamie told me that his boss would welcome him back whenever he wanted, and that he's not sure he wanted to stay in the NL through March.  Initally, we were going to stay this quarter because he told his replacement he would (to help the guy ease into the transition), because the expat package here is sweet-ass (we get a COL adjustment and other perks, so it's all just extra padding for the savings), and because we wanted to get in that last bit of living in Europe that we could, before we went home.  

  And then we went home to houe hunt.  And it just felt so right.  It's hard to explain, really.  I mean, we have LOVED living abroad...it has changed us both so much, definitely for the better, and we've grown and expanded our experiences by so much.  But, on the flip side, there are a lot of sacrifices that come from living abroad...and not a lot of people truly understand that.  Most people think that we just living a jet-setting lifestyle where the sun is always shining and the wind doesn't blow our hair.  So not true, but that seems to be the impression a lot of people get when they think about "living overseas."  So yeah...while we have loved it, and we've gotten so much out of this experience, being home only solidified that we made the right decision for this next part of our lives.  It felt so good to be back, to see friends and family, to reconnect with everyone.  As we were flying back, for the first time in our lives, we were talking about how we didn't want to go home (well...I wanted to come home to get my cat, but otherwise, I could have stayed back in Indiana).

  And now, while we had planned to stick around until end of March, it looks like it might be sooner than that.  Jamie is thinking end of February, which is really only one very short month away!  The only problem is, if we leave before our bonuses come out, I might not get mine (since when we move back, I'll be a contractor again).  I need to talk with HR, and it's only a couple of thousand, but it's money I earned!  Granted, Jamie made a point about whether that money was worth us sticking around here when we really wanted to be home, but on the other side...it's only an extra month.  Hell...I can do anything for a month.

  So yeah...looks like the move home could potentially go a lot quicker than we originally thought.  I would much prefer it that way, as I HATE when things drag on and on, so that would be good.  It's just really strange to think about how, in a month, I will be living back in the United States!  These past 3 years have absolutely flown by!

  Hope everyone is doing well!

  XOXOXO,
  K.

   

  • 8:46 am
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