Apart, but NOT Separated

What a title...but it's true. Once again Joe and I are living apart, but this time he actually got the job in Idaho Falls. YEAH! Two days after I last wrote on this blog Joe was offered a job. He'd just scheduled an interview in Salt Lake when a head hunting company in Idaho Falls contacted him about a phone interview for a position at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) where he was trying to get a job last year. I just laughed since we NEVER heard a yes or no regarding a job there. All INL ever told us was that Joe was one of the top two candidates, but they had to do some restructuring first. I was flying back to Memphis after a tax forum in Las Vegas and visiting my mom when I got a call at the Houston airport. Joe told me the phone interview had been cancelled because the people at INL remembered him from last year and told CRI to hire him - no more interviews required. I sat in the airport and my eyes were tearing up. I called my mom who had told me at the Salt Lake airport she thought we'd see each other soon. She was driving in Ogden Canyon when I told her about the offer. She was trying not to cry as was I. People in the Houston airport probably thought I was having a rough time when in fact I was thinking that my dad was sending me a wonderful birthday present. Joe finished the gift by taking the job. He actually did do the interview in SLC, but it didn't feel right, so he took the job in Idaho Falls, ID.

There are some minor issues with the job - a slight paycut and virtually NO relocation coverage, but you do what you must. We'd wanted this for so long and it felt right. Joe might not have gotten in through the front door, but at least a back door was open. :-) He started work on September 27th, so we left Memphis on the 23rd - all of us. Less than three weeks to put together a move. Thank goodness we still had lots packed from LAST year.

It was still a monumental task with a nursing baby as one of six kids. The boys would keep playing with the toys that I was making them get rid of or making price lists for toys to be sold at the garage sale. They thought they'd get LOTS of money for various items. They did volunteer to sell old bikes and scooters, and they got the money from those items. I kept the money from the sale of clothes though. Not much in the way of hand me downs now! I'll be hitting the thrift shops for warmer clothing, that's for sure.

Some how we managed to get things packed, even though it took us literally until the last minute. Even then, much was left behind. Thank goodness for Joe's sister that stayed in our house with her daughter to clean and paint. She hauled lots of stuff to Goodwill for us, and probably made a trip to the dump, too. Joe's brother flew out to drive the moving truck to Utah then Idaho. It took the largest U-haul truck AND trailer to get us out here, and we still couldn't fit everything. Luckily I did get my washer and dryer since I didn't want to replace them. We don't know how we got as much on the truck as we did. It was like the truck kept swallowing boxes and asking for more.

I never was a HUGE fan of Memphis as a city. I did like that they rarely got snow (although it wouldn't be bad if it would stay off the streets and sidewalks), but I didn't like the extreme heat and humidity in the summer. The kids only ever wanted to play outside in the spring and fall. As much as I disliked the schools, humidity, racisim, and politics of Memphis, I did learn to appreciate many of the people there. A bit of a hermit, I had a hard time figuring out which friends I could call for help. I was surprised as to how many people came to help us - before and after we left. The guys that Joe worked with came and helped load the truck. They were disappointed to see him leave, but what a testiment to Joe's leadership that the guys he managed would bend over backwards to help their former boss move away, even when that would mean a HUGE increase in their own work loads.

Joe and I have been west for two weeks now. The kids and I are living in my mom's house while Joe lives with my uncle and aunt in Idaho Falls. The kids are enjoying school again - even Heather. The high school is working with us so she can get caught up and graduate on time. They registered her as a junior where as the school in Memphis would have set her back a year. I told Joe there was a reason Utah was a promised land!

Although the kids like Utah and have friends here, I will be relieved to get all of us to Idaho where we hope to build. This time I'll get a house that I like, that isn't decorated in 70's and 80's fashion. It will be big enough for our family with plenty of storage. We even plan on an apartment either above the garage or in the basement for parents or married children to stay in if needed. Now if our budget will accomodate our wishes...

I'm so glad to be here. It's been an eye opener for me as to how the Lord will bless us when we do what He asks. We were patient (although my patience was getting short), and prayed for help. We got it in spades. Joe's family is amazing. Mom is amazing letting me move in with the six kids. I've told them NOT to trash her house. They're being good, and Jeremiah is stepping up to be the "man of the house" since Joe is in Idaho Falls. It won't be easy, but at least we're closer to family now. Closer...but not TOO close. :-)

New Job

Well, Joe finally decided today to take the job in Sierra Vista, AZ. He has stressed over this decision since Thursday. He had some questions answered on Friday, but there were more that he had. It was so frustrating for him over the holiday weekend to know that he wouldn't get any more answers until today, but he had to decide today.

At one point he said he was going to turn it down because he hadn't talked to anybody at L-3 (the company he'll be contracting for). Actually, he'd talked to a manager in Virginia who basically read the job description but maybe met the people in Sierra Vista once or twice a year. So, he called TEKsystems (the company hiring Joe for the contract) and said he didn't feel comfortable taking the job without talking to somebody there in Sierra Vista. As he put it, you don't buy a house without looking at it and you don't buy a car without test driving it. So, the recruiter at TEKsystems got him in touch with somebody at L-3 in Sierra Vista and took away all reasons for Joe to say no. He came home and we knelt in prayer together as his last confirmation that this job really was what he needed to do. He still wasn't totally sure of himself until after he accepted the job. Then the peace he was looking for came.

I'd talked to my mom about this decision and she can't remember ever struggling like this. I think that Joe knew deep down that this job was what he was supposed to do but wanted to look over all possibilities before accepting it. He isn't comfortable with the contract-to-hire aspect, but I think he'll find that the job comes through. Now we just have a boat load of stuff to do before he heads out.

Yes - it's just Joe going for now. I'll be a single mom for about six months. The kids and I will be getting the house ready to sell (or rent if we can't sell). I'm going to try and throw together a yard sale to get rid of a ton of stuff so that we have very little left in the house. I should sell or give away all the toys so that the house stays clean! Of course I'd have a bunch of mad kids at that point. Since Jacob's already packed his GeoTrax, I guess he could keep them. :-)

Now we've got to finalize a short-term apartment rental for Joe. I've already found a place that's holding a studio apartment, and Joe's already wondering what will happen if he breaks the lease. I guess it's the case of me being a "glass half full" person and his being a "glass half empty" person. It's not always that way. We flip-flop sometimes. He's right to ask the question, but I don't think that setting up a rental agreement for a shorter period of time and increasing the monthly rent by $150 is worth it. Since his sister knows some people in Sierra Vista, he asked her to see if anybody knows somebody looking for a roommate. We'll see what happens. Hopefully we don't lose the apartment...

So, we're off to Sierra Vista. Farewell to Memphis, our home for the past ten years. Memphis has been good for us, but I'm definitely ready for a change. This isn't going to be easy - the six month separation - but I do think that it will be worth it in the long run. And, I'm hoping that the house sells fast. If it does, I'll take the kids to Huntsville until January when the contract is up. We'd stay in my mom's house and the kids would go to school there since they already know people. I'd love to be out of here in six weeks so the kids could be there at the start of school, but I'm not sure it's possible. I can always hope for a miracle though...