New Jobs

An update is definitely in order!

If you haven't heard, two weeks ago, I started a new job working in childcare at our church. I don't really have a lot to say about it, but I do really like it. I work with 2's and 3's. I actually got sick about a week ago and now have bronchitis, so I have actually only worked a handful of days so far.

After our announcement about a month ago that Nate was hired by AT&T, he went through orientation to learn more information about the job. We discovered more about what the position required than the job description actually explained, and apparently about 1/3 of new hires for premises technician do not make it past the first week of training. Nate was determined to give it his all, and he absolutely did, but by the second day, we knew it was not to be. Nate felt very discouraged because he really wanted to succeed, but after much prayer, we really felt an overwhelming peace that it was okay. We should have been very freaked out by the unknown future, but we really weren't. Only a few short days later, our church was having their annual men's conference, called Men's Summit. I strongly encouraged my introverted husband to attend knowing how much I enjoy the women's conference, and now that his schedule allowed, he did decide to go with my brother. It was so amazing for him to have the opportunity to take time away from our employment troubles to spend time with God and other godly men. If the job at AT&T had worked out, he would not have been able to go. God's timing is perfect.

Before the conference, Nate applied to a few new jobs and on the last day of the conference, he heard back about an available position in Flower Mound (a suburb north of us in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex). If you knew us before we moved to Texas, you'll know that Nate worked for a campground in southern Michigan for about 5 years. He worked outside in all seasons doing mostly groundskeeping and lawn maintenance type work. This new position is similar, in the city parks and athletic fields. Anyway, he was hired, and he just completed his first week. It offers really great benefits, and he is doing amazingly well considering it is only his first week. There is definitely room for growth for Nate to move up from this entry-level position. We are really excited that we are finally on a road to some semblance of normalcy, and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for us now!

Texas: The Story

Chapter 1: Yes, Texas

“Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” -Fredrick Wilcox

About two weeks ago, I was offered a job to be a full time nanny for my niece Elanor Grace Wills in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas. Through much prayer and consideration, Nate and I feel very strongly that God is calling us to move to Texas. For more information on the events that brought us to this decision, please read my blog entry Texas: The Prequel. Nate currently has a few job prospects but nothing specific. Here are some of the reasons we are saying "Yes" to Texas.

We need a fresh start. I pretty much covered that in Texas: The Prequel, but Nate and I feel like we've been in a rut for almost three years. It isn't getting better. Nate currently has a full-time job he really enjoys. We met at Somerset, and we love the people there. But the commute is an hour each way, and we can't afford to move closer. While it's true I just got hired to a new job, it isn't exactly what I want either. I was and still am excited about that job, but I am pretty sure I will still be able to work for the company from home from Texas rather than from home from Michigan. I don't see it being a problem. If it works, it will in effect double my income. We are trusting that God will provide a job for Nathan after our arrival.

Texas' economy is not Michigan's economy. That is really important for Michiganders to remember. When driving around an average town or city in Michigan, it is not uncommon to see strip malls with shop vacancies. Unemployment is not uncommon in Michigan. In Texas, finding a job is not so difficult, and businesses are continually booming. "Texas is kind of a red state," as Valerie so eloquently put it. Michigan is, well, very blue. (Okay, that's not true. Michigan is red except for Detroit and Grand Rapids and Battle Creek and Lansing. Those cities make Michigan blue. Anyway, I digress.) While I am not attributing the economies wholly to the states' respective political persuasions, I do think they are a major factor. Texas does not have state income tax. Michigan does. Property tax is higher in Texas and sales tax is a percent or two higher, but if you cannot afford to own property, you basically get a tax break. I think that is a huge incentive to poorer people. Jobs are much easier to come-by in Texas, which makes moving without Nathan being employed a lot less scary. While it's sad that Michigan's economy is so bad, we have to do what is best for us and our family, not what is best for Michigan.

No daycare for Ellie. This one was a huge factor. My mom (and lots of others as well) has been worried about Ellie going to daycare. Not that daycare centers are evil or, as a rule, force a child to grow up without guidance from his or her parents, but my mom feels (and I agree) that being a stay-at-home parent in order to be able to raise one's own children is really important if it is feasible. When she heard that Valerie was going back to work, I think her heart sank a little. She so wanted to live closer to be able to watch her grandbaby. I'm sure Ellie's other relatives felt the same way. But the timing was just not right for them. It just felt SO right for me. I could watch Ellie when Andrew and Valerie were at work, and she wouldn't have to go to daycare. This would answer a lot of people's prayers. I really feel so, so humbled that they trust me so much to ask me to watch their child on a daily basis, and I'm thrilled that I will be able to get to know her and watch her grow.

Everything's bigger in Texas. Even the cities. But really, it's pretty exciting. Name a restaurant or business you've ever heard of, and they probably have one. Or ten. In Coldwater, we live about 40 miles from the nearest Target. In Dallas, there are about 10 Targets within 20 miles, even Super Targets with grocery departments (not that I would EVER grocery shop in Target...too expensive). Sonic. Chick-fil-A. Kroger. The only thing they don't have that I know I will miss is Meijer. And Belle Tire.

And some more minor reasons:

Friendly Southerners.

Gas is MUCH cheaper. It doesn't stay so freaking cold all winter. Closer to my brother and his family and having their help in getting settled.

If you know Nate and me, you know that Nate is not much of a risk-taker, and I'm not really that independent though I am a bit of a dreamer. If this was our own doing, trust me, we would not be moving to Texas. There are just too many potential risks involved, and it's just kind of scary. But believe me when I say that this is God. It totally is. When I think about that and about Ellie, I just get so excited. Do we really want to live in Texas? Honestly? No, not really. But I just can't see myself doing anything else. I can't imagine saying "no" to forty hours a week with my niece. And Nate feels the same way. We are definitely unsure as to what God has for him, but we are trusting and praying that even now, God is causing things to happen that will present the best job Nate could ever wish for.

Chapter 2: Skepticism Takes Its Toll

"Now I'm fearless with nothing left to hide / All the doubts of yesterday, love has driven them away" - Fearless, dcTalk

How can they afford to hire you?

We've gotten this question a lot. Andrew and Valerie have budgeted in the cost of putting Ellie in an average daycare. It's not cheap. But, if they can afford daycare, they can afford to hire me instead. I don't know about you, but it seems pretty simple to me.

Moving is expensive. How can you afford to move? Well, God's got it covered. While that should appease most of those who have asked us these questions, the practical side of them just needs to know. Andrew and Valerie are helping. We will stay with them for the first month or so, which will help us find a great place to live and will save us money. In reality, I'm not really sure how we can afford not to move.

But childcare isn't your degree nor your passion. Aha! You are correct and also incorrect at the same time. One of the very biggest reasons why I chose graphic design is because I knew I could do it from home. (Another reason is the "undo" button, but that's a story for another time.) I wanted to be a wife and a mom more than most anything. I love graphic design. I really do. Sometimes it's stressful, but I'm good at it and I just love doing it. But family is so important to me. I wanted to choose a career that I could do from home like my mom did with me. She sold Tupperware and ran a daycare so that she could stay home with us, though her degree is education. I am so thankful she did that, and I want to do it too but in my own way. Childcare is important to me, and I'll gain so much experience watching Ellie (and ideally future Baby Wills children) until and maybe even while I watch my own children. But I can also pursue a career I am passionate about at the same time. There is no better arrangement, in my opinion, which is why I can't even imagine saying "no" to this opportunity.

And just so you know, if it works out the way I hope it will, it means double-pay.

What's Nate going to do?

So while we are moving without a job for Nathan, we are pretty certain he'll get one within a few weeks of our arrival. Andrew could not offer Nate a job, but he has enough faith in Nate as a hard worker and good employee that he can convince the right people to consider Nate for a job at Gateway Church.

Maybe Nate will get hired, maybe not. Maybe we'll end up loving Gateway Church, and maybe we'll find somewhere else we'd rather attend. With as frightening as it is for us to move without him having a job (or insurance), we are remarkably calm about it. I guess with faith in God, it isn't so remarkable that God would ease our fears about this.

When are you moving? I can't believe I haven't mentioned this yet. Our departure date: January 25, 2011.

We chose this date so we'll have a few weeks to look for a place to live and find Nate a job and also because it's after Nate's birthday. It was important to us to be here to spend Nate's 28th birthday with Nate's mom.

Nate's official last day of work is January 15, so that we have time to pack our things. My first day of work is February 14, the day Ellie turns 12 weeks old.

Are you taking both your vehicles and all your stuff right away? Yes. While it's true that we will be back to Michigan at least twice between January and September, it is important to us to try to take everything in one trip. We don't want to continue to take advantage of free storage at our parents' houses. I feel like we have a ton of stuff, too much stuff for a couple with no kids. But, that stuff includes a whole second set of bedroom furniture that we have inherited for when we do have kids. I'd rather take it with us now than try to move it later or rather than have to buy new furniture when the time comes. We will have to store our stuff for at least a month but hopefully not a whole lot longer than that. Trying to wait to take it when we come for Jonathan and Rebecca's wedding in June just wouldn't really be feasible. I think my mom will be thankful to be rid of the rest of my stuff, anyway. Also, if we didn't take both vehicles, Nate and I would probably have a difficult time getting to work as we are not likely to be able to commute together like the arrangement we had when I worked in Jonesville.

Chapter 3: Moving and Not Looking Back

"The hardest part of moving forward is not looking back." - Felicity

I believe that quote with all my heart. It's so easy to doubt a decision you make once you've made it. Skepticism creeps in so easily. Nate's mom, Polly, told us about the December 25, 2010 (yes, that's Christmas Day) entry in Our Daily Bread, the famous daily devotional. It amazes me that a message so poignant would be on just the perfect day. Please take a minute to read it here. It's really short, I promise. :o) I especially love the quote they included from Oswald Chambers, "

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading."

Also, Pastor Robert of Gateway Church said something the weekend we were in Texas that really hit home to us, "I know some of you are going through difficult times, but God would like to birth a miracle in your situation–in your Bethlehem–He wants to birth a miracle in the problems you have right now." I feel like He really did.

I hope you will continue to read our blog and to follow us on our journey as we start this adventure in Texas. We will miss all our friends, family, and colleagues in Michigan more than they will ever know, but we know that we are doing the right thing for our lives.

Texas: The Prequel

This story feels so long to me that it feels like I'm writing a book series. So I'm just going to use novel terminology. Bear with me. Or don't. You can skip to the end if you want. :o)

Chapter 1: The Smallest One

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." - Galadriel, Lord of the Rings

Several months ago, some time in May, I received a phone call from my brother. After several minutes of small talk, he eventually asked me if I would design a mural for him. It was an out-of-the-blue request, even coming from him, but it was also his creative, roundabout way of telling me they were going to have a baby. Of course, I squealed with delight just bursting for them to make it public on Facebook so I could feel free to tell all my friends that I was going to be an aunt. (I have 3 nieces and 2 nephews, who are children of Nate's stepsister. I love them dearly and wish I could spend more time with them, but somehow it's different that my brother is starting a family.)

Fast forward a few months to my forced parting with my former place of employment. (Read about it here.) Also, I filed for unemployment with the stupid State of Michigan, who can't make up their minds what they are going to do. I qualified, didn't qualify, they filed my claim with the wrong business, they wrote me a letter saying they had erred, and then told me I qualified again. It's been ridiculously frustrating. After almost four months of dealing with them, I still haven't received one single check. Coincidentally, my brother is still receiving bills that he hasn't paid MI income tax for me working for him, though he ceased employing me July 2009. You'd think being one of the states with the worst economies, probably the worst, that they would be more careful about sort of thing if for no other reason than out of necessity. So no thanks to the State of Michigan, things were looking grim for us, financially. I did end up going with my mom to Texas, to paint the mural in August (just after I quit my job), but I didn't see how I was going to be able to afford to visit again after the baby was born.

Well, with Baby Wills (gender unknown) being due the first week of December, the Wills family decided to travel to Texas for Christmas. Nate and I spend every other Christmas with my family and then with his family on the alternating years. This year was our year to spend it with his family, and even with a new niece/nephew coming, it was important to me to honor that. There was going to be no way we could go. I was now out of a job, and finances were going to be super-tight for Christmas. Well, Nate and I talked about it a lot. I wanted to go meet my niece/nephew more than anything. We budgeted the cost of the trip, factored in Nate's unused week of paid vacation, and with a little extra help from Christmas gift money received early, we planned to go to Texas for a week. It worked because we planned to be back in time for Christmas to spend the holiday with his family.

It turned out that Baby Wills, Elanor Grace (named after her maternal great-great- grandmother Elnora and her paternal great-grandmother Grace Arlene, and spelled Elanor after Samwise Gamgee's daughter in the Lord of the Rings), was born two weeks early: November 22, 2010. This worked out beautifully for us, as had she been born on her due date, her grandmother (Valerie's mom) would have been staying with them, and we would have had to pay for a hotel room for a few nights. As it happened, Valerie's mom came early and left before we arrived. That was a huge blessing for us.

It was absolutely wonderful to see my brother, sister-in-law, and Baby Ellie. See pictures here. She was so tiny and so precious. She pretty much stole my heart before she was even born, but when I met her, words can't even describe the joy I felt holding her. I mean, she isn't my child, but I just felt this huge love for her. We had a very enjoyable trip and a wonderful Christmas. We enjoyed the warm weather and relaxed. But I would be remiss if I said that's all that happened.

Chapter 2: Our Position

"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right...." - Martin Luther

During our recent trip to Texas, our lives were forever changed. That sounds cliche, but really, they were. I have to be honest. Really honest. Times have been tough – very tough for us. It's not an unusual story for a newlywed couple living in the State of Michigan. We have college loans and vehicle loans that aren't going to disappear on their own (but I'm proud to say we have ZERO credit card debit...and always will). And we want to start a family someday...but as each day, week, and month passes, we are in no way closer to being financially ready for that.

[PAUSE FOR RANT]

Okay, so I've been told more times than I can count that if we are waiting to be financially stable before we start a family that we will be waiting forever. While I understand what these information-bearers mean by this, I cannot agree that it applies to us right now. Of course it takes a huge amount of money to raise a child, but I don't think people seriously understand how important it is for us to do so after we are mostly out of debt, not while we are wallowing in it. Besides that, we're fairly sure we want to have our future child(ren) in a birthing center and not a hospital. Most insurance companies do not cover births in birthing centers, which means we would have to come up with the money ourselves. I am not really willing to sacrifice that desire just because it costs more money than the alternative. I am willing to wait until we have a more secure financial situation.

[END RANT]

Nate and I just felt stuck. When we got married, we thought we would be able to rent our current house (from family) for a few years and be able to start saving up money to afford a deposit on our own home. Two and a half years later, we are in the same situation we were in when we got married...no closer to having even a penny extra for a house downpayment. We so looked forward to our week in Texas to just get away from everything for awhile. In fact, we actually asked for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University for Christmas. There are a people who have a lot more debt than we do, but then they probably make a lot more money than we do, too. We are thankful for what we have, but we so desire to be in a position of financial peace.

Chapter 3: The Smallest Decisions

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can pretty much change your life forever." - Felicity

As do many married couples, Andrew and Valerie have this awesome tradition of going on dates weekly with each other. Nate and I do as well. On our second day there, they asked if we would babysit Ellie for an hour or two so they could go out for dinner. We promptly agreed. Ellie was a bit fussy that night. Nate and I had an awkward time managing her and trying to get dinner around for ourselves. Looking back, it's actually kind of funny. At some point in the evening, probably after we finally got her bottle heated up, I said to Nate, "Wouldn't it be great if we lived closer so we could babysit her all the time?" We both kind of laughed about it.

Then Andrew and Valerie came home. I finally got Ellie to sleep and was holding her when they sat down and asked if they could talk to us. They told us that they felt really strongly that Valerie should return to work after her 12 weeks of maternity leave. Valerie absolutely loves her job - it's her calling, and she's very good at it. They had been praying for a long, long time about what to do with Ellie when the maternity leave was up. They felt God was telling them that Valerie should go back to work, but to not worry about what to do with Ellie. They looked at several daycare centers, but nothing felt "right." While they were out at dinner, they talked it over and it occurred to them, what about Laura? They knew a lot about our financial situation, and it just dawned on them that they should hire me to provide full time care for Ellie. They offered me a job paying equal to the job I just got hired for and sort of just started in Quincy.

Nate and I were shocked. Of course, Andrew has been bugging me for years to move near him...to Texas. Since we were teenagers, we decided we wanted to live within close proximity to one another so that our kids could grow up knowing their aunts and uncles. We sort of wished we'd had that in our own lives, but we never really had the chance to know my dad's siblings very well and my mom is an only child. But Texas?

Chapter 4: Our Reactions: But Texas?!?

"Things happen to us, but it's our reactions that matter." -Felicity

It's too hot in Texas. I like seasons and I like snow (for brief amounts of time) and I don't like 115 degrees in the summer!

They live in a suburb of Dallas, and I don't like HUGE cities. I like medium-sized cities that have a small town atmosphere while still having a variety of stores and activities and culture like the big cities. Dallas is the 9th largest city in the United States. It's the third largest city in Texas, after Houston and San Antonio. If you combine Dallas and Fort Worth, which really are twin cities, they create the 5th largest city in the United States, right under New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. So, it's a crazy-big city!

Texas is too far from our families. We want to live within a reasonable day of driving from our families and from anywhere we would ever want to drive. For us, that's mid-central-eastern US. We like Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina, for starters. They have the climate and the driving distance we really want. You can get just about anywhere (besides out West) in 8-10 hours. Dallas is NOT any 8-10 hour drive. It's 18-19 hours!

The traffic. I really don't think that needs any explanation.

But even with all of those strikes against it, Andrew asked us to prayerfully consider it but asked us to give them our answer before we went home to Michigan. We agreed. Through the course of my life, I have told God many times that I'll go wherever He wants me to go, whether it is my ideal place or not. Afterall, I moved to Michigan 9 and a half years ago with a similar mindset as I now have about Texas. I knew that this could be no different. If God wanted us to move to Texas, we'd move. If not, we'd stay in Michigan. So with that, Nate and I began praying. We went out for lunch the next day to discuss our options. For several days, we prayed and talked and weighed our options. We were nervously excited that we were even considering such a move.

We attended two services at Andrew and Valerie's church, Gateway Church, in Southlake (another suburb of Dallas), Texas. I was pleasantly surprised at how apparent it was that God was using this church in a major way. I was definitely skeptical as megachurches have a reputation for being impersonal and lacking spiritual depth. This was not so! Sometime over the course of the weekend, we felt very strongly that this was where God wanted us to be. When we pictured ourselves living in Texas, it just felt so right. Never have I felt so strongly that God was asking me to do something (well, besides quitting my job), as I did over those few days. Nate and I were in 100% agreement. He was maybe even more sure about it than I was when we came to the decision. The only thing that was holding me back even at the very end was that Nate didn't have a job. While I was all for embarking on an exciting adventure, the practical side of me was telling me how risky this was...to move without us both having a job.

But I knew that was the faith aspect of this decision, while we initially had all of those strikes against moving to Texas, all of the signs were pointing to YES, TEXAS.

I Can't Believe I Quit My Job

I did it. I quit my job. I had many, many, too-numerous-to-mention reasons, but I am no longer employed there. I have never done something like this before. I quit a job without giving two weeks notice. I even wrote up a formal notice when I quit McDonald's, for heaven's sake. I never do things like this. It is completely irresponsible to quit a job without having another job to start. I've been taught this from day one. I know that you should not allow yourself to be between jobs unless you are fired and can then get unemployment. But I did it.

I have been praying about this, considering it, discussing it with my husband for seven months. Seven months!!! It wasn't something I did on a whim. I have been looking for another job just to have a steady income so that I could quit, but nothing came through. Finally my employer basically gave me no other choice, and I felt like it was like God was smacking me in the back of the head, saying, "Laura, I have told you for seven months to trust me. I will provide for you. If you have faith in me and trust in the skills and abilities I have given you, I will make your dreams come true." As we were walking into Meijer last night, I told Nate that. Well, minus the God-smacking-me-in-the-back-of-the-head part. We prayed about it. We read God's Word. We consulted those around us whose opinions we value most especially in this matter: my mom, Nate's mom, Nate's dad, Mike, and Laura. All of them told us variations of the same thing. The behavior of my employer was intolerable, and I needed to give them an ultimatum. Nate and I agreed that this was the right and necessary next step for me. I confronted them in the way I knew I could handle and they would handle best. I emailed them. This way, I would have a written record of our conversation if the need arose. I was also able to carefully consider every word, being sure to say what I meant and not say things I didn't mean out of anger. I sent it last night. I tossed and turned all night. I didn't sleep a wink over 4 hours all night. I had this nasty, queazy feeling in my gut. This morning, I received a reply of apology and a request for me to stay on if they made the situation right. I replied with appreciation but said no. I have this amazing peace about it now. I might even be able to arrange for them to outsource work to me. Which would be a steady income. And I'd get to work from home still. Amazing. Thank you, Jesus.

My goal for the next week is to trim down our expenses and come up with a proper business plan. I've also applied at places like McDonald's and Kohl's. I'm not above doing what has to be done in order to make ends meet and to pursue this. We don't make very much money as it is, but finally have some savings and I know we can do this. I am a talent designer. I know this to be true. Now I just have to tell the world that I am and that I'm affordable and for hire! I found this quote by Oprah Winfrey, "Devote today to something so daring even you can 't believe you 're doing it." I'd say this qualifies! I'm ready for the challenge. Bring it on.

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." - American Proverb