Bittersweet

Ahhh... where to even begin. As everyone knows, we were completley caught off guard when Derrik was released last August from the Reds. We had really been in survival mode financially ever since then. We did what we had to to get by, but it resulted in Derrik working 70-80 hours a week. Luckily he's an amazing guy and did what he had to do, but obviously we were looking for more then that for ourselves. We really tried to hold off as long as possible with hopes that baseball was still in the cards for us, but as much as we tried to make something come together it just wasn't happening. Essentially, he was just too much of a risk to any team having only been back such a short time after two surgeries.

Moving on now.... while we had really hoped a baseball oppourtunity would come along we weren't dumb about the fact that it might not come along. Derrik had played around with the idea of going back to school, police academies, and jobs in many different areas. We really weren't sure what he wanted to do. I can't tell you how many job applications we both filled out for him. Some we were hopeful and waited on and others we never even submitted because we'd just change our mind. Last month another "hopeful" job came our way. It had great pay, benefits, and lots of room for advancement. After an interview, Derrik was offered the job, and he took it!!

The catch in all of this, the bittersweet part of it, is that it is in Pennsylvania!! Bittersweet is the exact word to describe this job and this move for our family.

The Sweet.... Derrik's family is from there, we are BEYOND excited for the boys to get to know his family, we are excited that Derrik's job is 4 days on 3 days off... 3 whole days with him at a time!!, we are excited for stability, to plan vacations, and to feel like things are finally "normal" for us :)

The Bitter.... oh the bitter.... I'm having to pack up and leave my family, friends, my home town, and everything i've known as "home" since I was nine. I know i've done this a million times before, but it was never forever. In the last year the boys and I have built such a life here. I've gotten so use to seeing my family almost daily, having a great group of Mommy friends we hang out with multiple times a week, found Ryder a great school, and finally made a home with all of our belongings in one place... and pictures on the walls! The idea of moving on from this is obviously heartbreaking.

So bittersweet it is. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel about it all. I honestly feel good about it all. As hard as it is to have to say good-bye to friends and family who I love with all my heart, technology really keeps everyone so much closer these days and there will be lots of visits. I know this is a good move for us, and we are excited about it!! Derrik has already been up in Pennsylvania for just under two weeks. He's been working for over a week and is really liking the job. The four days he works are twelve hours days so they are exhausting, but worth it for three days off. He is staying at his mom's now. We have signed a lease on a house up there already. Next Friday, the 25th Derrik flies down to help me pack up a moving truck to move all of our stuff. The boys will be staying with my mom. We decided it was best to keep them in an environment they were comfortable in while we got things settled up there. I will fly back to Florida the following Friday to get the boys and spend one last week soaking up precious time with our family and friends before we say our final good-byes. Blogging might be lacking a little during the move, but you can be sure that once we are settled up there that blog will be up and running better then ever.... or my mom will kill me! So that's all for now... I guess it's time for a new chapter for the Lutz family... we're excited :)