Archive for October, 2009

a complete 180…

Friday, October 30th, 2009

In the last 3 weeks, our life has turned around 180 degrees.  Rewind one month.  We were desperately hoping for a job offer and feeling like we were in the dark about our future.  Fast forward to today.  We now have a job, a rental house, a school district and most importantly, a plan!

The job search was exhausting.  The stress and worry was always there in the back of our minds wreaking havoc on our sleep patterns.  You try not to let it affect your life and your relationships but that is near impossible.  At least for us.

But I digress.  We are quickly settling into our new life.  Work is good.  School is good.  The house is good.

Basically, life is good!  We thank all of our family and friends for their love and support.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

wait for it…

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

How is it that an activity as effortless as waiting can be so exhausting?

I am currently waiting for Robert to call and report on his day-long interview.  I have almost worn a hole in the carpet from pacing.  I can’t focus on anything else.  I have plenty of other things I need to be doing but I can’t get my mind to switch off of the topic at hand.  But it’s not just this.  Any kind of waiting can be tedious.  Waiting for the phone to ring, the baby to arrive, a ride, test results, the doctor, the end of a meeting…

I think you get my point.  I know that we are currently dealing with a generation of young people who are accustomed to instant gratification.  Technology is a wonderful thing but I think it has depleted the already scarce patience in many people.  Emailing and texting are instant links to most anyone.  Type an address into your GPS and you instantly have the easiest and quickest way to get anywhere.  Order something online, pay extra for overnight shipping and almost any product will be at your door in less than 24 hours. I don’t find waiting for that perfect sweater or pizza to show up particularly difficult, but waiting for the bigger things in life can border on torture.

Robert and I have been together more than 14 years.  We are about as close to sharing a brain as you can get.  Unfortunately, we are professional “what if” players.  You give us any situation that includes waiting and we will “what if” it to death.  It is ridiculous.  We have finally admitted that this is a problem and we are able to stop each other before it gets too out of hand.  Need an example?  This job search has been full of difficult waiting and what-iffing.  When will he/she call back?  What if they heard something negative about Robert?  What if they don’t think he’s a good fit?  What if they are just pumping him for information?  What if no one calls?  What if?  What if?  WHAT IF???  Whew….I need to relax….

The girls and I had dinner at a friend’s house last night and after supper we went outside to throw the ball for her two precious dogs.  They were beside themselves.  They had both been so well behaved the entire evening but as soon as they heard the word “ball” they could not wait any more.  They couldn’t get out the door, down the steps and into the yard fast enough.  I didn’t think anything about it until this blog article started to form in my head.  Even these cool canines were beside themselves when they had to wait a mere moment for something that is very important to them.  Sound familiar?

My whole point is that I have spent most of my day wandering around the house waiting and playing “what if” and I am completely drained.  Exhausted.  Worn out.  Stressed to my limit.  Somebody get me some chocolate…

off to the races…

Monday, October 5th, 2009

I have just bid my husband adieu as he heads out the door on a four day whirlwind tour of the southeast.  The purpose, you might ask?  Two very promising job interviews.  Finally!

Robert just completed a year back at Auburn University to finish the degree he started 15 years ago.  After graduating (cum laude, I might add) in August, his part time job search quickly became all encompassing.  It has been a roller coaster of emotion.  Waiting for the phone to ring or email to ding.  Watching the job postings dwindle as the economy continues to suffer.  Listening to Robert report on yet another phone call with someone who thinks he’s great but doesn’t have the money to hire him right now.

Frustrating does not begin to cover how we feel.  For me, I know that Robert can do anything if given the chance.  He has been successful with everything he’s ever done.  But with most companies requiring an online application just to get a phone call, it is very difficult to separate yourself from the masses of other applicants.  Last summer, Robert couldn’t get past the online stage because he never finished his degree and could not check the degree box.  Automatic elimination quickly ensued.  I understand that companies have their pick of the litter these days but I think they are missing out on a whole group of highly talented and capable candidates just because they don’t perfectly fill the cookie cutter.  Now that Robert can “check the degree box”, no one is hiring.  It seems that the job market is all about who you know.  What happens when everyone you know is just trying to keep their own head above water?

Enough time on the soap box.  We are down to our last month of job searching.  Robert has these 2 interviews and we have a back-up plan. I know in my heart that everything happens for a reason.  I believe that we have been through this trial on purpose.  We have discovered more about ourselves and each other and grown closer as a family.  We have learned who our true friends are and how fortunate we are to have them.  But we are tired.  Limbo is an exhausting place to be.

As our Uncle Will says, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”  My alarm is ringing…time to get up!

social networking?

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

I just wanted to post a link to my husband’s blog entry about social networking…interesting…

“The real impact of social networking while at work”

Have a good one!