The blog I've been waiting for!

The blog I've been waiting for...maybe not anything you've been waiting for but for me, I have good news.

We have a job!

And a car!

Let's start with the job...they say never put all your eggs in one basket but we kind of did.  Jesus really wanted to see if his old company in MN would take him back before applying anywhere else. Things went so well on two phone interviews from the Dominican Republic that we really felt he had a good chance although they didn't want to finalize anything until meeting with Jesus in person after we got back to the states.  (To be a little safe during this time, Jesus did contact his old recruiter who put a search out for some other companies but this was as far as any other applying got...see what I mean about the eggs in one basket?!)  We got back to the states and left Minnesota right away for a week with family in Utah.  Then we returned on a Friday and his old company said they would meet the following week.  Well this was the longest week of our lives as they didn't contact him again until that Wednesday and didn't schedule the face to face interview until the following Friday!  During this time I was getting nervous and started a job search for myself...should I substitute teach, will I need to work full time, when will Jesus find work if this falls through...you can imagine the thought process.

On a side note I have got to tell you how much my big head has grown!  MN is one of the most competitive states to find a teaching position.  Every application takes hours to complete and then it sits in a data base of over 100 applicants for EVERY position.  How anyone gets chosen is beyond me.  I remember my first year applying for jobs and then again a few years later when I was burnt out from my current employer...each application was torture.  For every position, I had to tell how much related experience I had which was little to none and I really didn't have much to set my resume apart. I saw evidence of that by the small number of interviews I obtained.  However I was lucky to have found a job both times and am grateful for that.  But here's why my head is so big now...as I began searching for jobs this time around and sprucing up my resume, I got so so excited to apply!  I now have English as a second language, inner city, behavior management, special needs, online and teaching abroad experience over the course of 7 years!  My resume has got to stand out more now right?!  It really made me want to apply for a full time teaching job in a dream school but I want to keep at this stay at home mommy thing a while longer.  It was just fun to see how I've grown and then so sad to think it may never be noticed, at least in a professional setting, if I don't go back to work.  Oh well, I'm happy with my choice for now.

Back to Jesus...he went in for his face to face interview and was offered the job on the spot!  The position hadn't even been posted online yet.  We are so so grateful and as of now we are comfortable with the salary that I can continue to be a stay at home mom...here's to hoping I find play groups, story times and little toddler classes and activities to keep us both busy!

We have had this whole week off work and he starts on Monday.  During this week, we found a car! We bought a 2008 Audi A6 and it is lovely!  I had a hard time giving into my husband's luxurious wants but it's such a good car with high safety ratings and all wheel drive for the snow.  There was a pretty good youtube video of its' snow handling that really sold me.    And honestly, the luxury amenities like the back up camera and Bose stereo do not hurt a bit.

 

So there you have it...a successful two weeks.  I have to admit though, being back in MN has not been easy so far.  For some reason, it doesn't feel like home anymore.  I'm grateful to the friends that have already stopped by or invited me out to remind me it's going to be ok and I'm especially grateful for my family for their time and to my brother for lending his car to get us around!  But my point is, being in the Dominican Republic was a really good experience for me because it was so fresh. I felt like it made me become a better person.  I had so many opportunities to serve and I know there are just as many here but here, I was too comfortable in my own life.  There, I had no choice but to start a new life. There was something special about no one knowing me, no one having judgements on me, no chapters of my life to be re-hashed...I was just new. And while the whole experience was hard at times, that feeling of being new was something I guess I loved.  Now I've returned to my mom's house, the congregation at church I spent my teenage years in, old parts of my life are re-opened, and I'm having some anxiety about it all.  This is my own battle and one I am getting excited about overcoming.  I want to be a person that serves and that loves because I believe that is what will make me happy. Happiness should come from who I am, not where I am.  This is easier said than done but it is my goal. We are finally going to make it to our ward (congregation) on Sunday after two weeks of missing it for lack of wheels.  While part of me is not excited, because I fear I'll be know as my mother's daughter and not myself, or that I'll still be treated as I was when I was a youth, another part of me is very excited because finding a good congregation has always been a rock in my life to keep me grounded, happy and provide me with friends so I'm really hoping I can find that here...stay tuned.