Big Changes!!!

This summer, the Philbys made big changes. Michael chose to take a severance package from Intel, Jill resigned from her teaching job, and we all picked up and moved to Iowa!! Jill got a job teaching Title I Reading to Kindergarten-3rd graders at Lynnville-Sully Schools in Sully, Iowa. (That's about 40 miles east of Des Moines.) A friendly local realtor helped us find this farmhouse to rent about 4 miles south of town. It's an idyllic setting with endless space (mostly filled with corn and soybeans). The kids love the 13 farm cats + 5 kittens, and they love being able to run free outside. The inside of the house is not what we'd like to live in forever...the carpet and drapes seem to be as old as I am, though they are in great shape. Bathroom space is extremely limited. We can deal with all that for a while, though. We have incredibly sweet landlords and are really enjoying the community as a whole, so far. The super-small town atmosphere is a nice change, though it makes us a bit unsure of what the future holds for us. Pictures of the kids and Iowa life will be coming.