Our Unexpected Move

We've been in Kelowna for two weeks now.  It is crazy to think that we ended up here so quickly.  We were planning on staying in Edmonton for a few more years, but when the opportunity came to move, we couldn't turn it down.  Here's how it happened.

Our upstairs neighbors in Edmonton were the managers of our apartment building.  They had just finished school, and were looking for jobs out of the city.  If they got a job, they would be moving away and the manager position would be open.  The family in the apartment next to us were in line to take the job for manager, but they no longer wanted it, meaning that the job would be open for us.  This was exciting news because being manager means steeply reduced rent, a much larger apartment, and the ability to save money for the future.  It also meant a commitment to stay in Edmonton for 5 or so more years.

We were kind of torn as to what to do.  We really wanted to manage, and we really wanted our friend to find a job so that he could support his family, but we didn't want our friends to move away because we loved them.  We prayed for us, we prayed for them, and we just hoped that it would all work out.

All summer long we waited to hear whether or not a job was coming for our friend.  He is a teacher, so the closer September came, the more stressful it was becoming (for us, and for them).  As August came to an end, and still no job offer, we reluctantly conceded that our friends were staying (hooray!) and we would not be managing (boo!).  But it was okay; nothing had changed.

As consolation, Keith and I went on a big shopping trip.  We just kind of went crazy at the store, restocking our freezer, buying legs of lamb and other unusual items, updating with new dishes and small kitchen appliances, and spending money to make ourselves feel better.

The day after our extravagant purchases, Keith received an early morning phone call.  It was his head supervisor, asking if we would be willing to transfer to Kelowna.  We had hoped that this request would come eventually, we just weren't expecting it so soon.  We asked for a day to think about it.  The more I considered the idea, the more I knew that this is what we were supposed to do.  There was a reason why our friend didn't find a job, there was a reason why we weren't going to manage, and this was it.  We weren't supposed to stay in Edmonton. WE were the ones that were supposed to move away.

In the end, we decided that Kelowna was where we needed to be and we said yes.  I can't help but be amazed at how it all happened.  We had prayed that it would all work out, and it did, just not in a way we were expecting.  Heavenly Father closed one opportunity, but He opened another.  I'm not sure yet what our purpose in coming to Kelowna is yet, but we will figure it out eventually.