Moving...

These were the other night when Norman and mom were over. Susan made a cinnamon roll recipe with bisquick-they were pretty good!



Then we played with these balloon rockets my mom bought lucas---they are fun because they make a noise and fly everywhere, but Olivia was kinda scared of them:

they are laughing because I told Norman not to hold it like a weiner and Olivia won't be scared!


We are trying to spend lots of time together because it's crazy, but the Hodge's are leaving VA for a while...We leave in 17 days! I will try to explain our decision here..it's hard to understand the complexities of the strange transition that is getting out of the military and into the civilian world.

We can't sell our house any time soon because we would take a hit on it, so we intend to rent it out--although we also like Williamsburg and may come back. So we figured, when John gets out and gets a job, we will relocate and buy a new house, while renting this one out. But in order for us to be able to afford another house, we will need to count this rental as income...and after meeting with a few banks, we realized when lenders assess your debt to income ratio, they only count rental income if the renters have been there for a certain amount of time...most banks right now have a strict rule being a YEAR minimum. Wachovia has offered to count 3 consecutive months as valid reliable proof. SO, John is taking advantage of his leave time next month to move us all out to CA to temporarily live with his parents. He is going to stay for most of November, and then fly back to serve his last 3 or so months on the ship. That way, when he gets out in February, we will have already rented for 3 months and qualify for a loan for our second home. It is hard for everyone involved, but I am appreciative of the chance to be the most prepared for this scary transition. Even if we end up back out here in VA, it will make it so much easier to find a house and settle down to let John adjust to a new job without worrying about where we will live and how we will afford this or that.

Also, Lucas and Olivia will get to spend time with the rest of their family back in California. Olivia hasn't ever met anyone out there! We will see their great grandma Croce probably everyday--she lives close by. John's aunt and uncle, cousins and possibly brothers. I hope to see my older brothers Reggie and Jon, my sister Sarah and her kids. We will hopefully get to meet my sister Michelle for the first time! And we are praying that Grandma Emma will stay strong and recover from her newly discovered lung/kidney condition, and that Grandpa Charles will stay strong too. Susan is moving out there too--she's going to be staying with them and helping out in anyway she can.

I will miss my mom and brothers dearly, as will the babies, but it's only 4 months, and regardless of where we go next, we will still be close to them and see them as often as possible. There are a few interested companies that have replied to John's resume that I send out all the time, so far in Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia and Eastern Georgia. It's crazy, scary, and exhilirating to think that in just 5 or 6 short months, we will be settled down somewhere new, without the threat of deployments. Can you believe it's been almost 8 years he has served? Very grateful for what it has afforded us, but more grateful to be through with it!

Our property manager has shown the house a couple times, and one party was interested and ready to move in, when a credit check revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt due to a divorce, mortgage and owed child support. Too bad. I hope we find one soon. And I hope the drive isn't too difficult with both babies...Mom, don't be sad---I am sure you'll live close to us again and see the babies grow up! We will make it work :)