Well, the reason April's posting has been a little delayed is because I wasn't really sure how and WHERE to start. I've actually had 3 different drafts of this post and finally decided that I just needed to settle on one! SO, I hope this posting doesn't overwhelm you - it's a LONG one!
When I started back to work last August, life was GREAT!! Don't get me wrong - it was hard dropping Jack off at daycare every morning, but I knew he was in good hands. His "teachers" at the daycare got Jack on a schedule for me, which I thought was wonderful! They loved and spoiled him like no other (I could tell he was the class favorite!!). Jack started sleeping through the night as soon as I started back at work, so I was getting plenty of rest. I missed working SOO much that I was EAGER to jump back in! My boss was great - he slowly eased me back into my "normal" workload, so I would have a few months to adjust to this new life. As easy as things were at that moment, I never thought that I would ever struggle. Life was great! As the economy worsened and after 2 rounds of lay-offs, I started to put pressure on myself to step it up at work. It was hard to watch some of my closest friends leave. I wanted the company to thrive. I cared about my co-workers and their families and felt responsible for getting the company work. And THAT is when I started to struggle.I struggled with my priorities. It seemed like work had become my number one priority. I made less time for God, for Josh, and for Jack. Somedays, Josh and I would have "discussions" as to who would need to leave work on time to pick up Jack before the daycare closed. Often, we would only get to see Jack for an hour before he had to get to bed (we'd put him down at 7:30 since we needed to be out the door so early). When I worked late, I would only see him for the 10 to 15 minutes I had him in the car. When he was sick (and fortunately he wasn't sick often!), we'd have to figure out who was going to have to stay home from work. It was tough.
For months, Josh and I started to pray for direction as to what needed to change. We weren't sure if I needed to find a different job, quit and stay home, or find a part-time job. We met with some close, WISE friends that had been praying for us as well, and they brought to light a lot of things. That weekend, I drafted an email to send to my boss to see if we could meet to discuss me reducing my hours. Well, that next work week, I didn't send the email because it was a busy week and I didn't want to spring it on him. Then, then next week, Jack got sick and I missed most of the week. When I got back to work, I deleted the email because I started to feel bad. And quite frankly, I was having a hard time letting go. Well, not but a week later, I was laid off of work. It was clear that the Lord was saying, "You know, if you don't do it, I'll do it for you." Wow. I can't tell you the joy and relief I was feeling of being free from the burden that I was carrying. It was a bittersweet departure.
We've kept in touch with my Key family and I've even taken Jack by to visit - WORK HARD, PLAY HARD. Maybe he'll want to be an Estimator one day... I wouldn't wish it on him!!
Life is GREAT again. And you know, our marriage is even better. We didn't even know how great our marriage could be until now. In the meantime, I AM looking for something part-time, so if you know of anything, call me!
Jack also got to play with his friend Clay. Clay is about 2 months younger than Jack. Clay's mom and I grew up together in Amarillo and have been great friends for a long time! Unfortunately, Clay and his family are moving back to Amarillo in mid-July. Jack's really sad to see his friend go. :(
Speaking of moving... our good friends, the Nelly's abandoned us. Chris got a nice gig in Spring, Texas so the whole family packed up and left town. I hope they are enjoying Houston's AMAZING weather. I don't know why Chris just doesn't travel back and forth. He used to work in Rockwall. Isn't Spring just as far? (Just kidding Laura) We had one final get together a while back. In our younger years, we would hang out almost every weekend and stay out 'til wee hours of the night. All four of us have kids now, so that doesn't happen anymore. Maybe one of these days, we'll rent a 15 passenger van again and take a road trip to Colorado!! Anyway, we miss you guys, and I'm really sorry I haven't called you back, Laura! I'm still trying to get over you guys leaving. I'll call you when I've forgiven you. Haha!
This is Usher. I don't listen to his music, but some of you might. Shakira and Alicia Keys were also there for the half time show. We went to the Pro Shop and were fortunate to miss Shakira's cage dance performance to that Wolf song. We did catch some of Alicia Keys on the way back to our seats. I like her.
Our sweet boy Jack at 11 months...
