Settled In To Small Town Life

We have been in our new home for about three weeks now. Truthfully we are happier than we have ever been. I am loving the small town life. We went to Cheyenne (40 miles away) this past weekend to go to the mall and I hated it! I have become so in love with no crowds that when we got there my anxiety increased 10 fold. Kids screaming, crying, people bumping into you...ya I don't miss these things a bit!

Ben and I went out for the first time by ourselves last weekend as well. We had a good time, walked through a few different breweries, had dinner and did some shopping. Here we are, of course this is a iPhone photo so the quality sucks but hey...aren't we so cute? ;)

Also good news I had two interviews last week and was offered both jobs. I accepted the one that has the most room for growth and more closely matches my degree. I will be starting next week and because I am working evenings we do not even have to have childcare, except once a month, that is where my totally blessing of a sister comes in.Best of all, I am working 10 hours two days a week and that is it. I love that!

The kids and I made an incredibly fun art project....melter crayons! This is Hannahs finished project, we are doing Jers tonight.

 Jerimiah was clearly in the middle of telling me something very important...haha

Hmmm...what else is new? Oh Ben and I have officially started planning our 10 year wedding anniversary. We will be renewing our vows, so my sister and I will be checking out some venues this weekend. I know that because of the distance, very little people will be able to attend but what matters most to us is that our children will be part of our ceremony. I know that with our two little ones by our sides it will be an incredible day for our family.

Okay, that is it. Life is good and we are blessed!

Stephenie

Welcome Home!

Well we are here...the great state of Wyoming!

The kids and I took an early morning flight on the 17th and Ben and his brother showed up with the moving trucks the following day. My sister and her husband live 2 miles from us so they were here to help unload the huge truck! As we were unloading I got a call from my dad, he just happened to be driving right through our town on his way back to Washington for work....Lucky us..another set of hands to help out. It was really strange seeing my dad here though lol

On that following Monday my little guy had his testing at a top school, I was so nervous. There academic program is ahead of the other public schools. In first grade they do second grade math, so while he was testing I was full of anxiety. If your child is not going into the school as a kindie they require testing to be sure they can handle the tough curriculum.


It took two days before we heard anything but I finally got the call that he had made it in. There was only one spot open so the timing could not have been better. As soon as we heard the wonderful news, I ordered his uniforms... (pictures to come) I had them shipped over night and oh...my...gosh does he look so cute! Yesterday we met with his teacher and she said he is doing wonderful! The best part....he LOVES it, he is so excited about school each morning. He even gets to go on his first ever field trip on Friday...to the Ballet :)


Hannah will start kindie there next year, she is guaranteed a spot since Jerimiah is already enrolled, we are thankful for that.

Ben starts work on Monday, his company has a total of 4 people (including him). They are a family business and Ben will be their only welder which is nice.

I just started the job search yesterday...the good news? Every where I go I am told they are hiring. This is such a contrast to where we were living before and there was no job openings. I have my eyes set on a facility for troubled youth, there my degree will be utilized...we shall see.

We are just loving it here. I thought that it would be a huge adjustment but really, I am in love with how small it is (30,000 people). Every where you go the people are so nice! I love that everything is within a mile from my house and love that my sister and brother-in-law are here. The only issue I have is that the wind is insane! We had 50 mph wind, I thought our windows were going to blow in, in fact the wind gets so bad that they close the highways! Crazy!

Well I hope everyone is doing well, I do miss my family and friends. However,we certainly made the right decision for us. We are so happy to call Wyoming home.

Our Big News!

No we are not pregnant! But we are moving! Yay!

In three short weeks my family and I will be relocating to....Wyoming! Yes, I totally just said that! Ben and I have thought long and hard about this decission. We spent months deliberating on what was the best thing for our family. So what inspried this huge move?

Small town...the town we will be moving to has a population of about 30,000 which is something that both Ben and I love. I love that everyone knows everyone, I love that no one is in a hurry (this is something I will have to work on).

Jobs...Ahhh, gosh I have already had two employers call me and I am not even in the state yet. I am hoping to land a position at the college. (I am currently under consideration!) It's a great position with good pay and great benefits. Ben will transfer his apprentiship and already has a job lined up. He will be going to Denver for his military mumbo jumbo, the good news? I will be going with him most the time! Yay! A weekend a month to just us...really?

My sister Christy.....I am so thankful that she lives there! She has made the process so much easier on us. I have sent her to look at rentals, sign contracts, make payments and even buy me a new garbage can Lol. I am so excited to live within miles of her....I cannot wait! My brother-in-laws family is great and have already embraced us and demanded that we show up at family functions. It feels wonderful to already be included before we have even arrived.

Quality of life- this is the most important reason for our move. We are ready to slow down, focus on our family and for Ben to have a normal schedule. Don't get me wrong I am incredible thankful and grateful to his employer here, he has blessed our family by giving Ben steady employment. However, he works so much that both he and I feel like he is missing out and frankly we are both exhausted. He of working non stop and me of not being able to work due to his variable schedule. We are totally outdoor people so being in the Rockies is going to be amazing! Camping, fishing, hiking, and boarding yay!

Bens family....being in Wyoming, we will be much closer to Bens family in Iowa. Visits will be much more possible and I know that it important to us and his family. I think it is important that our children know both sides of their family. 

Now the ugly.....
I have truly agonized over the fact that I am taking my children away from their grandarents and aunt. This was an incredibly difficult desission to make, knowing that sadness that this will bring  my children,my parents, my grandparents and my sister. I have spent many hours crying over this and angry at those who have put up a fight. Now, that everyone has gotten used to the idea I have been able to see past the anger and know that it really meant, "Please do not leave, I love you and will miss you and your family." I think about how it would feel if my children moved my grandchilredn so far away that I would rarely see them.....it would break my heart. The good news is, my mom recently told me that she knows we have to do this, she knows we have to give it a shot. So we have decided that we will Skype once a week so that she can stay in contact with the kiddos. My dad drives through the town we are moving to all the time for work so thankfully we will still see him often.

My sister Angie, uh.....what can I say? This has been really challenging for both of us, for various reasons. She was the one person that I had the most difficult telling, I knew it would hurt her and it did. My heart still aches over it and I hope she forgives me. There is no easy way to tell your sister..."Hey we are moving 1700 miles away." However, we will get through this and since we have always taken our family vacations with her and will continue to do so, I know we will be okay.  My relationship with her is one that I do not take lightly. It is incredibly important to me to remain close and to have her in my childrens life, and if it takes everything I have, I will make sure it happens. Loving some one so much makes telling them your moving so much more difficult. I am so thankful for everything she has done for my family, blessing us with her home and being the best darn landlord ever ;)

My best friend Lindsi.....what can I say to you to express my gratitude for everything you are and are not. Thank you first of all for being so supportive even when I know it was hard for you. Thank you for carrying my emotions through this, thank you for grounding me when I got irrational and upset and most of all thank you caring so much about my families happiness. I love you and your family like my own. I know that regardless of the distance between us, we will always share a bond that very few people experience. You are so wonderful to my family, and we are so thankful to have you guys as our best friends. 

Okay here are some photos of our new place! I love it...even though I have never see it lol. It's good size, 1600 sqft, kids have their bedrooms down stairs and there is small play room down there as well. Everything is new, updated and my sister says its beautiful. It even has a huge detached garage/shop. The owner of the house was selling his hottub, I told him if he gave me a discount on the deposit I would buy it....so We have a hot tub! Yahoo! Our landlord is wonderful, he is easy going and even called us just to wish us a Merry Christmas...once again small town folks are so nice. :)

Kitchen

 Hot tub

 View from the house..this is the detached garage and shop

 Back deck

 View from the street, there is also a attached small garage

So that is it...our big news. Thank you to everyone for your support even when it was challenging. We appreciate more than you will ever know. <3
Stephenie

Courageous

My husband finally made it home last night! Yay! I was certain that he would be stuck on the west side because of the weather but thankfully he made it home safely. It is so good to have him home, things can somewhat return to normal, at least for a little while :)

Get ready for a very...."faithfilled" post 

I rented a movie that I had wanted to see for a long time and while it was in theaters we never could make it. Its called Courageous, it is made by the same filmmakers as Fireproof. I strong suggest you see the both, they are incredibly insightful movies. I suppose I should tell you that they are "Christian" films, they have a very faith filled message.

So on to Courageous, the plot of the movie consists of a group of policemen in small Alabama town. They go through heartache, trials, love, excitement and confusion. It really puts things into perspective on the crucial role that fathers play in their child's life. My husband and I were both moved to tears (sorry babe) while watching this film. It drives home the importance of leading by example, being a honorable father, and most importantly teaching your child about the importance of trusting in the Lord.

The film made me realize how many moments I have taken for granted. The moments that I will never get back..moments that I did not embrace my children or take an extra 5 minutes to snuggle with them. This film, this amazing, wonderful film, made me realize even more that I as their mother and Ben as their father need to ensure that our children have a strong faith, a faith so strong that they will always know that they can trust in the Lord.

Neither my husband nor I grew up in a faith based home. There was no education on the subject, no introduction at a young age and I have to wonder that if we had would things have been different for us growing up. (I know everything happens for a reason) I know that there were times in my young life that I felt like I had no one to turn to and I think if I had known that I did have someone (God) that I would not have struggled to constantly find somewhere to belong as a teenager and a young adult. So this is our hope for our children, that because of their introduction into faith at a young age that they will find comfort even in the worst of times, that they will seek Him when they are in doubt,  and that they understand the unconditional love that He has promised them.

My children, are my everything, so at night I will be sure to pray now more than ever that God shows me the kind of mother that He wants me to be, that He will show Ben, the father that He wants him to be.

I really encourage everyone to watch this movie, even if you have a different faith than me, this movie has so many important messages that anyone who watches it is bound to take something positive from it.

 

RESOLUTION

I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

It&apos;s been good...

So it's been a week since I left Facebook. My husband put my name on his as well because there are a few people that I can only check in with on Facebook. I think I have been on there twice for maybe three minutes at a time.

I am enjoying being distant from that part of the cyber world. I'm actually talking on the phone more to my friends and family. It's been a blessing.

We have big news, but I can't share it just yet! In the next few weeks we will have a major life change!

This weekend we are heading over the mountains for my besties little girls birthday party. She is just a month younger than Hannah. Her mommy and I spent much of our pregnancies together and I love their family like my own. I cannot believe how much our little girls have grown!

We will also be visiting with my family in Seattle, and poor Jer has been begging to go to the top of the Space Needle so that is also on the agenda. I'm praying my vertigo keeps itself under control!

Alright, that is it. School started for me yesterday so it's time to dive in!

Sincerely
Momma Bechen

Our little getaway...

Ben and I went yesterday morning to The Marcus Whitman in Walla Walla. I love, love, love old buildings and we totally scored on this one. When we walked in, I was totally in love. There is so much detail in every part of the building. I spent at least a half our just looking around the lobby. The staff was the nicest I have ever encountered at a hotel. After we paid for our room, we were told about all the complimentary services that they have...there was a lot! The owner lives on site, I met him his bull terrier Katie, which totally made me miss my pups.

Ben and I went our room and were just amazed. Again completely beautiful...

 We got ready to go and went down to the lounge to have some snacks and drinks.

We then walked a few blocks to hear some live music. We were the youngest people in there which is completely fitting for us. We are not club people, we love just being in a relaxed atmosphere and chatting. We spent the next four hours there, chatting, catching up on what we have missed out on the last 12 days Ben has been working nonstop. I just love my husband, we are no where near perfect alone and we do not have the perfect relationship but we absolutely perfect together. 

We were bummed that it took us so long to discover this beautiful hotel, I wish we had found it long ago so that we could have visited it more. 

Long days and even longer nights...

My poor husband, he has been working every night since the 26th, 13 hours shifts. I guess there is a huge job at some plant that has to be done asap so they have crews working round the clock. So basically I spend about 1 hour with him a day and that is when he is getting ready to go to work. I miss him...sigh


He has been too tired to do anything, which I totally understand, so the entire house load is on me, including taking care of the children. What makes me ever more sad is that these next two weeks he is in Seattle for the military. Thankfully the kids and I will be going over for four days to visit some of my favorite Seattle people. This visit will mean so much more to me than any other but I will get into that some other time.


Truth be told I have really been enjoying being on break from school, I get to spend so much quality time with my babies. I think I have built more Lego creations in the last two weeks than I ever did as a child, and I totally love it! My son is incredibly talented with Legos and the whole "12 and older" sticker on the box means nothing to him. He just sits down with the book and starts building. Now little sister is starting to do the same, I found her in her room with a little book from her girl legos building a car. Smart little cookie! Jerimiah who just turned sever started his first chapter book! So proud of him, he loves reading and I could not be happier about it.

As for me, right now is incredibly stressful (again I'll get into that some time soon) but I am dealing with it the best that I can. I have found that when things get stressful, I totally shut others out. I guess its my way of dealing with it on my own, which I am really trying to work on! On the plus side I did finish my first semester at WSU with straight A's so obviously the stress is a good motivator.

Ben and I are spending the night in Walla Walla this weekend before he leaves. We booked a beautiful room and plan on having a nice dinner and just enjoying each other after all of this time we have spent apart. I am so excited!

Alright that is all for now...Hope everyone is doing well