MOVING!

After 2 1/2 years of living in Portland, the place we both spent our teenage and young-adult years, and 'home' to almost all of our extended family, we are making a huge move to the midwest! Here's how things happened...from the beginning.

• Just 3 months after Hailey was born in Orem, Utah, Kyle graduates with his degree in Manufacturing Engineering from BYU, and we move in with family in Portland to help us get started in the workforce!
• Kyle lands a temporary job as a operator at a large electronic wafer plant while scouring the area for jobs and interviewing like crazy! With Kyle working 45-60 hours a week just to pay the bills, Becca returns to work part-time with the help from family babysitting! Hailey spends this time learning to crawl, walk and living a quiet-paced life in a small apartment, as we all enjoy the company of having family just down the road!
• 9 looong months of searching, applying, interviewing and disappointment in job hunting, Kyle's hard work and diligence pays off when he is offered THREE engineering positions all within 2 weeks! He accepts a job with Maxim Integrated Products in Beaverton, OR- ensuring that our family will be sticking around for at least a few more years! 
• After a full year on the job, Kyle starts to get restless as he realizes his job opportunity and growth with Maxim isn't going the way he had planned. Without opportunities to increase his knowledge, value and 'move up' in the company, he begins checking out the job market once more. Becca supports his search to find something that is a good fit for his career goals, but encourages him to keep his search on the West Coast (or at least West of the Mississippi River) !!
• The job market for Engineers is back! With just a couple years more experience, and improving his confidence and interview skills, Kyle finds himself landing job interviews left and right! He entertains almost all the opportunities he is given, which include flying to Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois to interview. He also interviews in Washington, and with some small Portland area companies as well. Although many of these companies are not "West Coast", the opportunities they offer are great enough to get even Becca's attention!
• After receiving offers from Pennsylvania, Illinois and Washington, we begin the arduous process of examining our needs and which job, if any, would be the best fit for Kyle's career, and our families' long-term goals, which include: 

                                1. Pay off remaining student loans 

                                2. Purchase a safe, affordable, home with a YARD!

                                3. Save, Save, Save $$$

Thus, this brings us to our HUGE decision to make the 2,000 mile move from our comforts and family in Portland, Oregon to begin anew in Peoria, Illinois. Just three weeks ago Kyle accepted a position with Caterpillar Inc. as a process engineer and the opportunities with them appear endless. We are both very excited about his future with Cat, but a little apprehensive, nervous, and sad about moving so.far.away! To make things even crazier, they are asking Kyle to begin employment on June 4th (in 13 days), and we are having a BABY just 6 weeks later! Sometimes I just sit in a tear-filled daze surrounded by of all my 'to-do' lists, suitcases, and health paperwork thinking, "I can't do this!!" However, Kyle is my rock, and immensely positive about everything (almost annoyingly so :) ) and I know that with his help I will get through this happy and healthy!

We've already set aside travel funds for the next few years, and we plan to make our first trip back to the Northwest at Christmas! When the inevitable loneliness hits, I'll have that trip to look forward to. Other than that, we are looking forward to this next stage of life for our small family, the challenges it will bring, and the growth we'll gain together!

Wish us luck!

Welcome to Caterpillar!!!