Big Changes Part II: That Time We Both Quit Our Jobs on the Same Day

I think we both knew from the beginning that we would be taking the job offers.  I just needed the few days to process that and let it sink in.  I also needed time to work up the guts to quit because, ew, that is kinda nerve-wracking.

Doad went first because I spent half the morning having a panic attack in the bathroom.  I'm kinda friends with my boss which made things feel even more awkward for me.  It was pretty uneventful though, and once I finally got it out and my heart started beating like normal again things were fine. My boss took it really well and once everyone else found out, they all responded like normal, sane human beings.

Doad, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.  First of all, his boss was out for the day.  Of course.  He couldn't wait though because he wanted to be able to give the full two weeks notice and he was going to be out of town Tuesday thru Thursday.  He decided that even though it wasn't ideal, he would have to call him and tell him over the phone.  But then he found out that the reason his boss was out was because he was at the hospital with his wife who was having surgery.  So awkward.

He finally got the chance to tell him, but didn't get to discuss it with him much (understandable) and that was that.  So we thought.  It turns out that Doad's company is a little smarter than I gave them credit for because they realized how valuable Doad was to them and that they were really in deep doo-doo without him.  They spent the rest of his two weeks trying to convince him to stay.  All except for his direct boss who took it super personally that Doad was leaving and basically shunned him.  Oh, but first he got all aggressive and made some really rude remarks.  Thanks for being understanding man, and appreciating all that my husband did for you for five years. Doad worked his butt of for this guy and yes, I'm pissed that this small man had no respect or character when all was said and done.  He doesn't even realize all that Doad did to try and make his life easier in the workplace.  What a disappointment.

If his boss bought him a goodbye cake, this is what it would have said.

Ok sorry, rant over.

So Friday was our last day at both of our jobs.  A coworker brought me Starbucks in the morning and the office took me out for lunch and gave me a sweet card.  Doad's work buddies took him out for lunch too and at the end of the day we packed up and headed home.  It was a quiet ending to a kind of hectic two weeks.

This Monday we start a whole new chapter in our lives and I'm super excited and also freaked out.  I hope it's a smooth transition and that we both ease our way into our new positions quickly.  Sometimes I'm happy that we're both experiencing this together and can relate to all the newness.  Other times, I worry that we will both feel unstable or stretched at the same time and struggle to be the rock for each other in a shaky place.  But I feel God's peace and know that He was the one guiding us to these decisions and new jobs this whole time.  I've been praying so hard for His clarity and direction and I know He will be with us as we step into these new roles.  I'm looking forward to what's in store and hope that soon I will have some new, cute stories to share about life as a nanny.  :)

Big Changes Part I: Making Decisions

If you know me and Doad in person, then it's no secret to you that we were not super fans of his job.  If you didn't know us in person well,

... we were not super fans of Doad's job.  

I've basically been praying for him to find a new job since he was hired five years ago.  That's not to say that he didn't have ANY good experiences there.  He did.  He learned so much.  He gained loads of experience.  And he  bulked up his resume a ton.  But I hoped and hoped that this would not be his job for years and years.  

So when an opportunity to interview for a new company plopped itself in his lap we were very excited.   Well, and nervous, and cautious, and slightly concerned because who plops job opportunities down like this?

So he interviewed, and we prayed, and we waited.  And prayed some more.

Meanwhile... although I wasn't necessarily unhappy with my job, I was very unhappy with the commute.  I have a special "gift" for attracting all the crazy drivers and when combined with my slight "road rage-y" tendencies... well, I'm just a treat to come home to at the end of the day.  

One day, after an especially rough commute, the kind where you throw the meal plan out the window and just go out for dinner because oh my gosh, please get this girl in public so she stops with the tantrums! Doad sweetly suggested that maybe I should look for a job in town (town is walking distance, literally 60 seconds away from our house, NO COMMUTE!)  ;)  

I entertained the idea half-heartedly, because we all like to fantasize about our dream jobs, but I didn't really think much would come of it.  But then I couldn't get the idea out of my head.  And then Back-to-School happened and traffic got even worse and I was done.  I downloaded the Indeed app to my phone, I googled for any job openings in the area, I even looked on Craigslist for 2 seconds before realizing that no job offer from there actually results in respectable work.  Oops!  

Sadly, there wasn't much to work with, but I did notice a lot of ads for nannies.  Hmmm... babies?!!  I like babies!  Then I stumbled across care.com and hello!  Lots of job openings!  I created a profile and had several messages from families within a few days.  Within a week I had found a great sounding job with a super sweet family.  

So I interviewed, and we prayed, and we waited.

Doad's job offer came on a Thursday.  He felt a little hesitant at first.  It's a scary thing to take a leap like that.  Even though his current job was not a good fit, it was familiar and "comfortable".  We talked about the pros and cons and couldn't come up with very many reasons not to take the job.  We decided to pray about it over the weekend and make a decision on Monday.

My job offer came that Friday.  I also felt hesitant at first.  It's a scary thing to take a leap like that.  Even though I hated my commute, my job was familiar and comfortable.  We talked aout the pros and cons and couldn't come up with very many reasons not to take the job.  We decided to pray about it over the weekend and make a decision on Monday.

...to be continued.

2014 Resolutions: August Recap

Ah, August.  My birthday month.  The end of summer.  The beginning of a new school year.  How was my August, you ask?  Delightful, thank you very much.

We started of the month with some fun birthday celebrations for my sister.  We went to a baseball game with some friends on my birthday and ended the night with fireworks - one of my favorites!  We also took time to go to the demolition derby at the county fair - a highlight for sure!  My brother-in-law and his family moved and we got to help them and see their beautiful new house. Went to "happy hour" at my sister-in-laws house and stayed up late catching up with them and drinking hard cider and pumpkin ale. Mmmm, Fall, I can feel you right around the corner!  And we hosted a game night for some couples at our church.  So fun!

It was a good month of quality time with lots of the people we love.  That really fills me up and I'm happy with the way our summer turned out this year.  :)  I'm excited for fall and hope that I soak it up just as much as I did with this season.

Now lets see about these goals:

1. Run 100 miles this year. 

Whoops!  August just kind of came and went and somehow no running happened.   We ran .71 miles.  Our total to-date is now 22.65 miles leaving 77.35 miles to go.  I'm thinking this goal might need to be changed to 50 miles instead of 100.  

2. Get back to my wedding weight. 

Check!  So far I have been able to maintain!  I fluctuate about two pounds here and there but my "high weight" days are actually what my wedding weight was and my "low weight" days are two pounds under! Wahoo!

3. Read 12 books. 

Check! This month I read a book my friend loaned me called Created to Be His Help Meet.  It's about how you can strengthen your marriage through your role as a wife and help meet.  This lady is very blunt and what some might call "old fashioned" but I read with an open heart and took her words with a grain of salt and ended up really loving it.  This book is pretty controversial because it's easy to take out of context, but I found a lot of helpful advice.  I also have an awesome husband so that makes it pretty easy to want to love him better. ;)

4. Read through one book together with Doad.

Check!  You guys!  We finished our first book together!!! :)

5. Find a cleaning routine that works. 

Still working on this, but my work schedule is about to change so that it will be way more consistent and I'm very hopeful that it will allow me to get into more of a routine when it comes to housework. (More on this to come!)

6. Get new items listed on my online shop.

Spent too much time outside enjoying the beautiful summer weather.  Maybe soon?

7. Go to a marriage conference.

Still looking :/

8. Go on a date with one of my sisters each month.

Check!  I took my littlest sister, Jade, out this month for her birthday.  We actually just went to the grocery store lol.  But we also went thrifting together, found some super cute clothes (adorable purple skinnies, eeeeee!), and then came home and made delicious mocha fudge brownies with the stuff we bought at the grocery.  A successful sister date in my book! :)

9. Learn Spanish

I'm up to lesson 2.6 lol.  My goal for September?  2.8  These lessons are getting harder!

Yay August!   I'm choosing to focus on the positives this month and hope that momentum propels me to run and clean a lot this month.  ;)

Tell me about your August!  How are youuuu?