We're Movin' on Up...

"Well we're movin' on up to the east side...to a deluxe apartment in the sky..." 

-Theme from the Jeffersons

Truth is, we're actually moving west and up...to the Mile High City. This is the official blog post to confirm the official decision that we've unofficially told most people about: next stop, Denver!

In less than 60 days we'll be saying goodbye to Army life, packing up, and shipping out so that Peter can start his MBA program at the University of Denver (go Pioneers!). We've planned for awhile now to get out of the Army at the end of our five year commitment and start our 'grown up' life. I've always known hands down that I want to devote myself to caring for the kiddos, but Peter has vacillated for a bit between three options: going to school full-time for his Master's, going to work full-time, or both; working while attempting to do an executive (part-time) MBA program. 

After much thought and prayer, we decided for a number of reasons that Peter should get his MBA first and if at all possible choose a full-time program where he'd get the benefit of a peer group and classroom experience in addition to the diploma. This will mean lots of loans and budgeting, but we're ready to embrace the poor and happy lifestyle for the next year and a half in order to have the best job options possible on the back end. We've been bound by contract for the past five years to our jobs; having multiple options is imperative to avoid being trapped in another unfulfilling job!

So this past summer Peter began the arduous process of writing essays and filling out applications to five different MBA programs, and once the dust settled six months later, we were faced with three very different offers: Denver University (with some generous aid), Rochester University (also with a very cushy offer), and Dartmouth University (an Ivy League with one of the highest-rated MBA programs, and also one of the highest price tags). With no financial aid offer from Dartmouth, it came down to the big bucks, and Denver won out. 

DU!

This is a good thing for us for many reasons. The program starts in March, so we don't have to wait around the whole summer to get to our new home and start our new life. It also runs through the summer and only lasts 18 months, so we'll have less debt to pay off when all is said and done (less being the key word). Peter's parents and brother are in Denver, so we'll be surrounded by an amazing support system, and the kids will have the time of their life being so close to Gran, Granddad, and the cousins. We know the area, love the community, and will have so many wonderful amenities at our fingertips--shops, kids' activities, the great outdoors--it's almost too good to be true. Added bonus: after a few weeks of struggling to breathe the thin air, I'll even be in tip-top shape!

But it's not all roses. I'm an East Coast girl at heart, and let me tell you, I'm not a fan of all that brown out west. I love vibrant spring and fall colors, living in close proximity to real bodies of water (have you seen the "rivers" they have out west?! You can step over them.) and not having to follow high-altitude baking instructions. I'm also quite partial to my family and I'm not loving the idea of being 1,617 miles from them (give or take a few feet).

Don't be deceived; those sprinkler
systems that make the grass appear
green cost a fortune.

And on a more serious note, deciding on Denver was tough since it involved some personal sacrifice on Peter's part. So I'd like to take a brief moment to brag about my wonderful husband. For as long as I've known him, Peter has set incredibly high standards for himself and worked his tail off to achieve them. But he's also been selfless enough to re-route his own dreams and goals to accommodate those he loves. Before even graduating from West Point, he set aside his goal of applying to be a Medevac pilot as well as his chance to pick a more desirable Army installation so we could live in the same place together as husband and wife. In the past few years he's given countless hours--more than many fathers would even consider--to constantly be there for our children, who adore him. And he just turned down his clear first choice of an Ivy League MBA so that we could all have the best family life possible in the next few years. We knew fending for ourselves in the backwoods of New Hampshire for two years (and ending up 200 grand in debt) would have been tough, but it was still seriously difficult for Peter to walk away from the Dartmouth offer. Think about it. You may know it's worth it to take an almost-free Toyota, but wouldn't it still pain you to know that you could be driving that shiny new BMW next to it...if you only paid full price? I know full well that if Peter were still a lonely bachelor chasing his dreams, he'd be headed Northeast, not West. So although we're in this together, I am humbled by my husband's sacrifice on our family's behalf, and so proud of all he's already accomplished. Ivy League or not, he's got a ton of hard work ahead of him, and I'm so thankful that he's prepared and willing to do so much in the coming years to give our whole family the life we're dreaming of. 

Wish us luck as we embrace it all--pros, cons, and the great unknown--in less than two months. 

Denver, here we come!

"Furthermore, Abraham went forth, not knowing where he was going..." 

-Hebrews 11:8 

-Also my dear mother's words of wisdom