The Start of Something New...AGAIN!

My last post was over a month ago...yikes! Now I've really lost the small audience I once had, haha. :) Writing doesn't come naturally to me and Jesse's blog is much more interesting so I feel...unmotivated most of the time. However, I'll give it my best shot and try to be more consistent.

This summer has been....interesting to say the least. It's been fun, stressful, spontaneous, unexpected, etc. I've learned a lot through my job this past year....one of those times in life where I can look back on and think, "Oh yes, this situation taught me _____." Nothing earth shattering or traumatic, just lessons learned through different experiences. I've had to step outside my comfort zone and deal with touchy situations that I would have much rather ignored. Ugh. Such is life!

Another reason I've been absent this past month is because I couldn't/didn't want to share a lot about our latest adventure....job searching. Until now. Jesse's current job has always been a temporary thing (contract) and we knew it might not get renewed for another year. So, we wanted to be proactive and update his resume and start the DREADED task of applying for jobs. We knew how long it took last summer, so on June 30th, we sent out the first resume. This particular job description sounded very similar to his current job and we thought, what the heck, let's do it! The position was in Charleston, SC. Last summer Jesse had an interview for a different job in Charleston, but they hired someone with more experience. I remember being so disappointed and sad. Not only because it was, at the time, the only "bite" we had had, but also because I loved Charleston! So this time, I was trying to be more guarded and careful with getting my hopes up.

A few days later, they called Jesse to set up an interview for the following morning. He sent me a text message at work and I gasped out loud when I read it. That evening he read and researched and did everything he could to prepare. He had the interview at 10am the next day and I clutched my phone all morning, waiting for him to tell me how it went. He sent me a text that said, "Done. I didn't think it went so well but I have a follow-up interview later this week. I'm going to work now. Love you Mrs. Grass." (A joke we have because a lot of my kids at work call me Mrs. Grass...I don't even correct them anymore, haha). Hmm, well it must have gone better than he thought. So, they scheduled a group interview for the following morning, Wednesday July 7th. Another night of preparing, ugh. At this point, our nerves were shot and we weren't sleeping the best. The next morning I wait again for his text. This one said, "Done. I thought it went better, but no new information. :( I'm sending them a thank you email." Later that day, they called back to schedule an on-site interview the following week!

I think I was more excited than he was! He kept saying, "they have nothing to lose, while I have a lot to lose: time, vacation days, money, etc." I told him right away that I wanted to go with him and I think that helped calm his nerves a little. I said, "just think of it like a little adventure. If they offer you the job, in the end it will all be worth it."

So, Tuesday July 13th, we headed to South Carolina. We got there around supper time, drove around for a few hours and then headed back to the hotel to prepare a little more for the following day. The next morning we got ready and I noticed how quiet and serious Jesse was, which is not like him at all! It made me nervous, but I tried to keep things light and not worry him more. He was going to drop me off at an outlet mall a few miles from where his interview was being held. We sat in the car for awhile and just talked last minute details. I tried to tell him every reassuring thing I could and could tell he was a little more relaxed by the time he left.

Shopping was a great distraction for awhile, but then I was over it and was dying to know how it was going. I walked in and out of stores in a complete daze, growing more and more anxious. Finally he called and said he was on his way and that it went really well. RELIEF. He picked me up and we started the long journey home. He talked about it for the first hour and we were both more and more confident with this possibility. They told him they would let him know the following week.

This week we anxiously anticipated hearing back from them. Monday came and went. Tuesday came and went. Wednesday came and went...almost. Every day that passed we grew less and less confident. Wednesday night at supper I was "feelin the blues." I played everything over and over in my head and tried to come up with every excuse as to why they hadn't called yet. And then, at 7:25 a missed call and a voicemail on Jesse's phone. It was the hiring manager calling from Hawaii (they have an office there). Jesse quickly returned the call, while I waited in our bedroom with a pillow over my head, haha. My heart was pounding!! He walked in the room and while still covering my face I said, "good news or bad?" He threw off the pillow and his face said it all. :) I was/am so proud of him and it was a moment that I won't forget for a long time.

While this job hunting experience was so different than last summer, we are so grateful and excited about moving to Charleston. Well, maybe not the actual moving part, but we're pretty much keeping Penske in business at this point, haha. Our time in VA Beach has been short and sweet, but his new job would have never happened without the experience he's had with Northrop Grumman. We feel that North Carolina and Virginia were stepping stones to get us to a more "permanent" home in Charleston. Starting over in a new place isn't easy, but it becomes less scary every time because God always works out the details. He always takes care of us and provides everything we need. While I'm sure I'll still have my moments of panic in the following weeks, I just need to remind myself that God was, is and will always be faithful to us. He has proved it over and over again.

So there you have it. The last couple of weeks in a nutshell. My family is coming to visit this coming week and we are SO excited!! With that said, I have lots of cleaning to do...