Nothing Runs Like a Deere

Ten years ago, if you had asked me if we would ever live in New Hampshire, I would have laughed.

Five years ago, if you had asked me if we would ever live in New Hampshire, I would have laughed. 

Two years ago, if you had asked me if we would ever live in New Hampshire, I would have said, "It's a possibility."

And one and a half years ago, if you had asked me if we would ever live in New Hampshire, I would have answered in the affirmative.

And I'm so glad we live in New Hampshire. 

Ten years ago, if you had asked me if we would ever live in Iowa, I would have laughed.

Five years ago, if you had asked me if we would ever live in Iowa, I would have laughed. 

One and a half years ago, when we moved to New Hampshire, if you had asked me if we would ever live in Iowa, I would have said, "Nope."

And half a year ago, when Ryan was interning at a company based in Illinois (right near Iowa), if you had asked me if we would ever live in Iowa, I still would have said no. 

But today, if you were to ask me if we would ever live in Iowa, I would answer in the affirmative. 

Because today, Ryan accepted a full-time position to work with John Deere at its headquarters in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. 

We are Iowa bound. 

We are heartbroken to not be making our way back to the California bay. We are heartbroken to be leaving our now-beloved New Hampshire. And maybe in 5-10 years, I'll be heartbroken to leave Iowa? Or maybe we'll never leave. I'm excited to begin a new phase of life with our family of four. I'm so proud of Ryan and the hard work he has put in throughout his time in business school - and juggling it with his responsibilities at home {which have been many}. And I'm super proud of John Deere for choosing a man as smart and hardworking and amazing as Ryan to come and work for them. 

Way to go, Deere. And way to go, Dear. 

p.s. Ryan is starting out his employment on the right foot. This summer, we purchased a John Deere wagon for the girls. When it came to our house, it was damaged from shipping. So, we returned it and they shipped us a new one. When we got our bill, they had billed us originally, then reimbursed us when we returned it, but they never billed us again. Ryan called to set things straight. It's something they never would have noticed and it probably wouldn't have even come close to making a difference in their bottom line. But it would have made a difference to Ryan. They were impressed and grateful and, as a small token of their thanks, they sent him a nice green hat.