And now on to Plan C....

So....yeah, ok, so we were a little overly naive and optimistic.

The plan upon returning to the States was to check in with our family in Portland for 10 days while we started making some job contacts and sending resumes in response to job postings. After that we were going to head back to Minnesota. In the Twin Cities we planned to get our house on the market, and then spend time doing any needed projects on the house, taking care of other financial and logistical matters relating to moving, and saying goodbye to friends. We figured this would take us 3-4 weeks and then we'd be heading back to Portland to officially begin the next phase of our lives.

Okay. Well.....it was a nice thought.

What we are discovering is that the housing market here in the Twin Cities is way bleaker than we had realized. The inventory is at record levels and the buyers just aren't out there. In 2.5 weeks on the market we've only had two viewings. Not exactly what we were hoping for. So now, as we see winter approaching, we have some hard choices to make.

We can continue as planned: packing up our house and moving self and belongings west. That allows us to start looking for our 'real'/permanent jobs (and the associated health insurance) as well as focusing on building a life and community in Oregon. However, it leaves our house empty and alone during the winter. Not only is this potentially risky in terms of possible freezing damage or other house breakdowns, but it makes it hard to keep it dusted, clear of snow and looking good for showings.

We could also move back into our house and hunker down here for the indeterminate future. That would allow us to keep on top of house maintenance and keep it looking as good as possible for showings. We're pretty hopeful that we could find some contract or retail work here to help offset the bills and help us knock the rust off of our job skills. The downside of course, is that this puts off our planting roots in the northwest and getting things like full health insurance coverage or job contacts.

The final option would be to divide and conquer. One of us could stay here to take care of the house for as long as it takes until it gets sold while the other heads back west to get started on our new life. This might be the most logical option, but after almost a year and a half of almost total togetherness, it would be awfully lonely.

So that's the fun and games happening here. Whenever we get frustrated by the ambiguity, lack of control, or lack of going-to-plan of events, we try and remind ourselves that we got a pretty darn neat trip and experience out of it.

Wish us luck (and tell people there's a cool house for sale in the Twin Cities.)

Becca

A huge thank you to Wade and Chelle for opening the doors of their house to us. The VanBetta Inn has been a wonderful base and home away from home for us.

Picture is from Kings Canyon, outback Australia