Excitement

Soo a couple exciting things happened in our life this past week. Nick was called in for a second interview last Friday and was offered a job on the spot. He will still be doing care taking in a residential setting but will be going back to working more with the mental health population, which he has enjoyed in the past! It is a filler shift so he could be working any shift that is needed, but the nice thing is if no one calls him for a shift then he can still go into the office to do work so that he still gets full time.
The other excitment in our life is that I have accepted a full time job with the Health Department in their HIV/STD/HEP program! As I mentioned in my last post I have no intention of leaving the health department for as long as we are in Portland, so I am super excited...and of course...benefits...which included is a free bus pass. For those who don't know, I mostly take the bus so I am super excited abut that perk lol. I have also been told that I got hired in super fast even for my current on call position, so I am feeling incredibly blessed and thankful. So I will still be doing the same stuff I am doing now in regard to needle exchange and naloxone training but in addition to that I will also be doing HIV/HCV testing, getting certified in phlebotomy, some wound care and medicaid and insurance enrollment. So I am super excited this is exactly where I wanted to be right now in terms of a good mix between social work and public health!!
Anyways that is our good news! We are extremely wonderful. Portland has been amazing to us!!

I will make Nick get on here and update as he finds out more about his new job!!

update

okay okay...I know we are long over due for an update...but in my defense I've been without my laptop for almost a month, as the screen cracked and it was in the repair shop...we finally got it back but the part was faulty...soo it is now back in the shop and I am using my old laptop, which really isn't reliable. But here's hoping it last long enough to get this post out!

So what's new in the Crazy Life of the Stephens? Well, not a lot really. Nick has been doing a little searching for a new job, or at least hoping to go full time at his second job and either quit or move to on call at his primary job. I have been picking up a few more hours at work which has been great. I also am now in the beginning stages of prepping for the GRE and preparing to apply for the dual MSW/MPH program at Portland State University. My hope is to do school part time if I can. I have a great foot in the door at the Health Department, and I have no intention of ever leaving them for as long as we are in Portland.

We have attended a few more events and have made a few friends. We went out for drinks with one of my coworkers and her partner a couple weeks ago and that was fun. We also have another friend who promises to take us on lots of awesome hikes this fall and winter. So we are super excited. We try and spend a lot of time especially on the weekends with our cousins, Heidi and Mantu and their girls who we completely adore! I got to participate in girls day last weekend with Heidi and her oldest daughter. We spent the day at the mall. What happens at girls day, stays at girls day. But I can tell you it was filled with shopping, chocolate and delicious food. Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend Nick was a super trooper and worked a double each day, basically 6 am to 11 pm both days, and again had to be back to work at 6am today! I spent yesterday at Apple Festival with Heidi and Mantu and the girls, we tried lots and lots of different apples, had delicious dessert, and then later Heidi and I went and got Vietnamese food for everyone and it was delicious! I surprised Nick when he got home with some warm apple cobbler with ice cream on top =)

So just a quick update for everyone, as I know many people have been asking.

We will try to write more often!

A letter to myself: The things you knew, but didn't really know about moving

It’s lonely, not in this deeply depressing “I am all alone” kind of way, but in subtle manners. You have a bottle of two buck chuck that you can’t wait to share with your bestie and watch Netflix and bitch about your day…but you realize all you can do is send texts and snapchats and imagine they are there with you. You see  your friends back home going out, playing board games, going to the bar, dancing, going to yoga together, having dinner parties and while you have absolutely no desire to move back, you miss those moments. Packages and letters bring a whole new definition to the word joy and sometimes you stare out the window waiting for the mailman in hopes maybe today he is bringing you a small piece of home.

Your husband is no longer your best friend because you chose him, but because he has to be and vice versa. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a new thing and a hard thing. You want a true test to your newlywed marriage of only one month at the time…move across the freaking country. You will scream, fight, not talk, love, laugh and smile with this person and then you will do it all again over and over. You will struggle against each other until you learn to struggle with them, just like you promised them in your vows. You may have gone through those same motions back at home, but then you had your girls to save you, to tell you when you’re being rational and when you’re being bat shit crazy. Now it’s your husband who has to tell you when you’re acting crazy…and that does not always go over well. Communication becomes real important, real fast. You’ve never been good with communication, so girl you better learn real quickly. Now every time there is a fight you both have to stand there and face it, there is no running, no venting to the girls. But the amazing part of this is, you will learn to understand your husband in ways you never have before. You will really learn what he truly means to you and you to him. You will learn to embrace the uncomfortable because it is in those moments that you learn how to grow as a couple.

Your life and the person you thought you were will be turned upside down and you will be confused….but you’ll figure it out again…one day…hopefully. You used to love going out, being social… but you realized that is because you had friends to do so with. So now you stay in and binge watch Netflix with your husband and play video games, something you also used to enjoy. But hey you’ve been binge watching Netflix with the same person for 4 days straight. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! You won’t know what you like anymore. You want to go out….but then you do and realize you don’t know how to be social with strangers. You want to stay in, but feel guilty for not being out exploring your new city and attempting to make friends. You get excited about going to work because you actually get to communicate with other people.

You will finally learn to be gentle with yourself. You will remind yourself you’re strong for making this move, that making friends takes time, that it’s okay to sometimes stay in and just cry and miss home, and that it is also okay to go out and completely enjoy your city and not think about home.

You will take your husbands hand, kiss him and smile because you know that together you made the best decision for your relationship, and that this is just the start of an absolutely beautiful, wonderful and challenging life together. 

almost a month....

Wow! as of the 27th we will have been living in Portland for  month! Time flies!

Also, we are excited to say, we already have our first visitor coming to stay with us in September, so we cannot wait!

As many of you know, Nick landed a job his first week here, and has had a few other job offers as well! He is currently working as a care provider in an assisted living home. This is Nick's first time working with an older population and it definitely has had its challenges. One of the many reasons I love Nick is for the way he looks at life and the genuine way he cares for people, many of you know this about him, especially if you've had the great pleasure of being his friend! Nick has a philosophical way of thinking...I mean why not...he does have a bachelor's in Philosophy =) Listening to Nick talk about the people he cares for at his job, to talk about nearing the end of life and quality of life versus quantity. You can hear his passion for people when he talks and it is beautiful. Now of course I am typing this while Nick is at work, having no idea I'm sitting here about to share my views on the many reasons why I love him for whoever wishes to read. So I will stop here, and if he wishes he can share any more thoughts with you about his job!

As some of you know a few months ago while still living in Michigan, I interviewed for a position here out in Portland with the Health Department. I did not get that exact position due to not being a certified medical assistant. But was told they were super impressed with my interview =). Last week I accepted an on call position with the Health Department in the needle exchange and Naloxone (Narcan) refill and training program. So we've been here less than a month and we have housing, and jobs! Yaay!....now to start studying for the GRE and thinking about that grad school app...ughh.

Some other great things that have been happening in our lives. Bernie Sanders came to Portland....and we got to see him...whaaat!! It was a great event, completely maxed out....people outside the arena listening on speakers because there was no room inside. For people back home, think of the Van Andel completely filled and then more people outside listening! It was awesome!

We've also joined a meet up group and have been to a couple events, mostly board game nights, it's been a lot of fun! Slowly starting to meet people! I think our favorite hang out time is getting to spend time with our fam! Hanging with Heidi and Mantu and the girls is wonderful, and of course Lake and Polly. We love them so much and are so grateful to have them here. I am already excited for spending Halloween and Thanksgiving with them, and we've already discussed Christmas baking and decorating! I love theeee Holidays

We got to dogsit this weekend for our friends. It was great because it was a small glimpse into what having a dog would be like....one dayyyy. If you are our parents you can just skip this paragraph and go onto the next;)......okay...now that they are gone......I want a dog!!!...there...I said it. Actually I am pretty sure everyone already knows this about me....I am an animal lover....always have been, it runs in the family. My mom always says, this will be the last animal...no more dogs.....but we all know this isn't true! ;) I mean she told me once she almost bought a whole heard of alpacas! I grew up raising dogs, it's just in my nature. I love you mom =) But mom's know best and that is why they tell me to wait....ughh I know...and I will. See I can be an adult? ;) I know that right now we are still getting settled, we don't know what type of time commitment we can give to a dog yet, I mean I will be in grad school next year. We need to  be sure we are financially ready for a dog as well.....and there is always the fact that my dear lovely husband is oh so allergic to animals. BUTTTTT he loves dogs too!...he wants one....he does.... he's just a bit better at being the adult in this situation. Another reason I love him, he keeps me grounded...well for the most part...until I drive him insane and he gives in. But I will do my best to be good and wait it out.

 I think in reality it's life way of telling me I need to get out of this house and meet some people. I haven't started working yet, and our house is a bit far out, not really a lot to go explore. I love our house, it is so adorable and affordable and even has a fenced in backyard (see perfect for a dog ;) ) But when you think Portland....this is not the area you think of...at least we didn't. It's not that hip, fun...have to say it....Portlandia feel to it =P. We are more towards the suburbs....we live near a Walmart....uggggh and several fast food places, not really what I want to be out exploring. And yes there is the bus, so I really don't have much of an excuse, but it still takes about an hour to get almost anywhere by bus from here, yep that's me whining. So currently most days I sit at home until Nick gets out of work....ummm yep I definitely need to get out more...I need a bike! I promised Nick we would see a movie today since we discovered we do actually live in walking distance of one. But maybe tomorrow we will go see the Columbia Gorge as that is something we've really been wanting to do. In more depressing news....it's been hazy here and you can smell the smoke from the forest fires. We need rain...desperately, this heat is bad and these fires are devastating! Prayers and thoughts for rain and safety for everyone out there doing there best are much appreciated!

For now that is all, enjoy :)

<3 <3 Abbie

We made it!

We have officially been in Portland for a week now. The drive out was beautiful...and long. We arrived in Seattle on Saturday morning and got to meet up with some of our friends and congratulate the newly weds! On Sunday we headed to Portland. Our wonderful cousins let us stay with then until we signed our lease. Our family here has been wonderful and so incredibly helpful. It's been great to have a support system, someone else we know out here!
Actually everyone has been so kind, people at the grocery store love to talk and are so helpful!! We signed our lease on Wednesday....we were a little hesitant. The neighborhood is quite a bit further out from the city then we wanted. Only about 15 minutes by car but 40 by bus. This neighborhood is right next to the expressway, quite a bit of fast food chains and not really any of the "hip" coffee shops and bars we were hoping to walk to....after I (Abbie) spent some time thinking about this I realized I was too easily becoming comfortable and even expectant of gentrification. I mean why not? Grand Rapids is huge on gentrification and I can't say Portland is any better. That is not the type of person I want to become.  I am learning to embrace my neighborhood and so thankful for its diversity in terms of disability, sexual orientation, race and income.  And as far as the neighborhood goes...our neighbors are lovely! Everyone has been so welcoming! The property management has been great and even the owner of the property is out here all the time doing work. He put in new cabinets and countertop tiling before we moved. All of our neighbors know and love him and there is even talk of putting in a communal fire place!

So we are finally starting to get settled. Our little place is coming together. Nick had 2 job interviews this past week, one at a bar and one as a care taker in a youth boys home. So please keep him in your thoughts!! I have put in several applications and there are 2 I am really hoping to hear back on! We finally went grocery shopping and can get back into cooking! Nick has decided to go back to being vegetarian as he felt healthier when he was. I am still trying to decide. Our cousins have recently gone back to being vegan and they have provided us with some wonderful meals! For now I think I will stick to mostly vegetarian unless I partake in a farmshare. I'll let you all know how that goes! =P

Today we get to meet up with some friends of ours who recenter moved out of Portland over to Eugene. My biggest fear in moving is what if we don't make friends. I know many of you have told me I'm silly for this. But it's a fear I have all the same. Soo I am excited to get out there and hopefully meet some new people today!

That's all for now!
♡♡♡
~Abbie

Finally on the road...

So as many of you know, Nick and I were supposed to be on the road from Michigan to Portland starting on Monday. But many of you also know that didn't work out so well for us as we didn't get our car back from the shop until Thursday afternoon. All week we've been super frustrated and angry as our car had been in this shop for over 2 weeks (since the day we came home from our honey moon....due to hitting a large piece of metal) We were supposed to be in Seattle by this afternoon for our good friends wedding which we are now very sadly going to miss. But we are now officially on the road and still trying to make a stop in Seattle to see the newlyweds and some other wonderful friends! We left Grand Rapids around 7pm on Thursday with our little Kia (Pearl) completely packed full. We've now been on the road for just over 13 hours! I am proud to say I drove the first 9 hours and even let Nick sleep some!! We switched around 4 am and I got some sleep, waking up about 20 minutes ago to a beautiful sign welcoming us to North Dakota! If we continue to drive straight through we will reach Seattle around 3 am. Which seems kind of silly so I'm sure we will stop some.
We appreciate everyone's thoughts, prayers and best wishes! Thanks for reading =)

-Mrs. Stephens! (Hah...the joys of being a newlywed!)

Are We Crazy?

Hello! I am Abbie and I am recently married to a wonderful man named Nick. This blog will be a way for our friends and family to follow us as we make a big move from Michigan to Oregon!

So a little bit about us. 

Abbie is a graduate of Grand Valley State University and has a bachelor degree in social work. She has worked the past year as a health care coordinator and has found her passion in providing communicable disease education.

Nick is also a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a double bachelor degree in German and Philosophy.

Both Abbie and Nick have lived in Michigan all their lives. They were married on June 27, 2015 and have decided to make the move to Portland OR on July 20, 2015. They might be a little crazy.

Many of you have asked us why Portland. And the answer Abbie has given you is, grad school and simply it’s not West Michigan. The answer Nick will give you is because Abbie wants too pursue grad school there. But when we honestly get down to it, Portland was not in Abbie’s top locations for graduate school. But it was the top location for living. The most simple answer to “Why Portland?” It’s because we can. We are young newly wed couple in our mid-upper 20′s with no children and nothing holding us down. So why not Portland? Are we terrified of basically starting over? Yes. We leave in a week, neither of us have jobs and we still don’t have a place to live. But that is part of the adventure. This is our chance for something new, to minimalize everything in our lives…in fact whatever doesn’t fit in our lovely little Kia Soul…Pearl…is not coming with us! 

Many people have asked us if we think getting married and making a big move across country within just a month of each other is a good idea? Can I say it’s our best idea? Maybe not….. Do we feel very prepared for this move? Not really….Is it happening? HECK YES!  Do we think it’s going to be easy? NO WAY….We are both aware this is going to be very challenging for the both of us and for our relationship. But we are committed to our relationship and this adventure is part of it. We are aware there will be times we strongly…..strongly dislike each other…..that happens already, without throwing a new town, new home, new jobs, new friends….new everything in there. We are open to all advice, words of encouragement from all friends, family…strangers. But together we believe this move will be good for us, for our relationship. 

Throughout the journey we will both be posting about our adventure….exploring new things….finding jobs…a place to live, the struggles. (Lets be honest…Abbie will be doing majority of the posting =P ) 

So for now that is all…off to look an apartment once more =)