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This adventure all started a few years ago, when our family looked something like this:

Steve stumbled upon some information from international physician recruiters.  After a bit of online searching, he made a few phone calls, and we began to be flooded with information, frequently receiving packages in the mail or correspondence via email.  It was so exciting to think about the possibility of living in another country (New Zealand or Australia).  A few obstacles arose quickly...namely, we had just moved into a new home that we had spent months building.  More than that, though, was this recurrent thought:  'Who would be crazy enough to take four young children on such an adventure?!'  So, as romantic and fun and adventurous and life-changing as it sounded, we essentially talked ourselves out of pursuing the opportunity at that time.  We felt deflated and a little heartbroken, which feelings were not shared by our kids.  When we first brought up the idea of leaving the country to our kids, and anytime it was mentioned for several months afterward, Rachel would cry.  I'll never forget how relieved she looked when we announced that we had decided that we weren't going to pursue the opportunity. . .

. . .but, the idea never left our minds.  

Fast forward to a few years later:

The most obvious change was that our four young kids turned into six ('Who would be crazy enough to take SIX young children on such an adventure?!').   Once the twins turned a year old, and we felt like we were starting to see straight again (it's amazing what full nights of sleep can do for one's mood and judgment), thoughts and feelings about leaving the country were resurrected.  It was interesting to see how, as our children had grown and matured, they began to not only accept the idea of leaving the country, but actually seemed genuinely excited about it (even Rachel -- ESPECIALLY Rachel).

Many quiet evenings, after the kids had gone to bed, were spent discussing the idea.  Could we really DO this?  What would it mean for our family?  What would we do with our home?  Would Steve be able to keep his job here if we left for a year?  We began discussions with the recruiting companies again, and with Steve's physician group, but the most pressing issue was our home.  When we realized that Steve's compensation in New Zealand or Australia would most likely not be enough to support our family there while continuing to pay our house payment at home, we decided to put our house on the market.  This brought about tender feelings for our whole family.  We absolutely loved our home in Mountain Green, and especially our wonderful neighbors and friends, and the thought of leaving was painful.  We reminded ourselves often that there was a definite possibility that we would not sell our home...but, after several months, we accepted an offer and (eventually) closed on the sale.

Since we couldn't move forward with plans to leave the country (past a certain point) until we had sold the home, and since it takes several months to complete the process of securing a position out-of-country, we found ourselves needing to find a place to live.  We secured a rental home right in our neighborhood.  Our kids would go to the same schools, we'd continue to worship in our same church congregation...it seemed like the perfect "next step."  Meanwhile, Steve's parents announced that they would be departing on a one-year LDS mission.  They have a lovely home with plenty of room for our family, and the thought immediately crossed our minds -- should we live in their home instead, and save ourselves a year's worth of rent?

I struggled so much with the decision, for my children's sake.  I absolutely hated the idea of the kids having to switch schools for just a year, then having to change all over again when we left the country, but we simply couldn't ignore the perfect timing and potential benefits of moving into Steve's parents' home.  Once that decision was finalized, I committed that I was going to drive our children to Morgan from Kaysville for school every day.  I knew it would be a huge sacrifice, but one that I was willing to make for the well-being of the kids.

After about three days, though, I started to feel like throwing up when I thought about doing that drive...an hour round-trip, twice a day, not to mention that we would have three different start and end times to deal with (high school, middle school, and elementary).  I came to my senses, and realized that if I really cared about the well-being of my kids (not to mention my own sanity), I would abandon the idea of commuting to Morgan for school.  We moved to Kaysville and enrolled the kids in our neighborhood schools...then I crossed my fingers and toes, lost sleep, and prayed constantly that we had done the right thing. :)

All that worrying was for naught.  Our kids have adjusted so well to their new schools, have made new friends, and are genuinely happy.  They miss their other friends dearly, but overall have transitioned seamlessly.  I have never been more grateful for resilient and good-natured kids.  This "practice" move has strengthened my faith and confidence that we really can pull off this crazy adventure.

Over the past few months since moving to Kaysville, we have spent hours researching possible locations in New Zealand and Australia based on potential job openings provided by the recruiters.  We have narrowed our attention to two cities on the North Island of New Zealand:  Taupo and Wanganui.  If anyone who may read this blog has ever traveled to NZ, or more specifically to these areas, please contact us!


Although we have our hearts pretty set on New Zealand, there is still a possibility that we may end up in Australia...we actually just heard of an opening in Tasmania!  The next few months will be exciting as we finalize our location.

In the meantime, we are working on obtaining passports for the kids, and generally gathering as much information as we can about housing, schools, etc.  Our plan is to depart sometime towards the beginning of summer.  We'd like to finish up with our year-long commitment and return to Utah with a few months to spare before the kids start another new school year.

The reality that we are essentially "homeless" at the moment weighs a bit heavily on our minds!  We've considered buying a home and renting it out while we are gone, or buying a lot and having a home built in our absence, or (the most likely scenario), just waiting until we return and purchasing an existing home. 

Thanks so much to you dear family and friends who have given us your support and encouragement in this endeavor (at least to our faces :) ).  We love you all.  Stay tuned!