As I quickly mentioned in my last post, I have been busy. Like the crazy busy that doesn't stop and consumes even your sleep. I didn't know I was going to have a busy week, but on Monday we got a phone call that would rock our world.
While in Idaho this summer, my cousin had mentioned to me that the INL was hiring. I passed on the information to Scott and that was that. Well, as weeks went by and we caught wind that his current company might not be renewing their contract with the government, Knowing there was a chance that he could be jobless at the end of September if the contract was in fact not renewed, he kept his eye open for different opportunities here in the valley. Namely, going back to JT3, which for me would have been awful., Down right, no good, awful. Then, remembering what Kelsey had mentioned about the INL, Scott decided to look it up. Sure enough there was a position that he was qualified for, in fact almost the same job that he does here with DRS, just in Idaho and with a different company. He applied for it.
A few weeks later they called requesting an interview. We were elated. Since we have been married, Scott has never had an interview that he hasn't been offered the job. So I kind of thought he had in the bag from the beginning. However, after having to answer no to some of the qualifications questions of the interview, Scott was less than confident. At that point to not get our hopes up, we kind of wrote it off and started to looking at JT3 if the contract went south.
Well, as I'm sure you have guessed...we got a phone call Monday with a job offer from the INL and the opportunity to head back home. I cried with excitement and an overwhelming sense of pride for Scott. I am just so dang proud of him for getting the offer.
The salary was at our lowest point of acceptability to move. Like the lowest dollar amount possible. And financially, there was so much to consider. Idaho has state taxes, where Nevada does not. The benefits are more expensive in Idaho. We just built a house...less than a dang year ago. And the pay was really not what we were hoping for.
And then emotional side was equally as challenging. We have a good life here. We have friends whom I love. Whom I love as family. They are the closest friends I have ever had in my entire life. The thought of leaving them breaks my heart into a million pieces. Tayden just started kindergarten and playing T-ball. Beckett is in speech and started preschool, Cache loves his nursery and we are in a good groove of life. Emotionally the decision has left me weepy all day every day. This was not a decision that could be taken lightly.
So over the next few days after the offer was extended, Scott and I prayed. We pondered. We talked and communicated. We went individually to the Lord. We wrote pros and cons. We played out different scenarios and situations. We stayed up countless nights trying to figure out what the heck we were going to do.
As I spoke with one of my dearest friends, Melissa, about the offer and wondering what we should do, she reminded me of a quote from the Relief Society the previous Sunday.
"“Faith, to be faith, must center around something that is not known. Faith, to be faith, must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence. Faith, to be faith, must go into the unknown. Faith, to be faith, must walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness. If everything has to be known, if everything has to be explained, if everything has to be certified, then there is no need for faith. Indeed, there is no room for it. …"
Boyd K. Packer
She spoke to my heart. Scott and I had been crunching numbers and worrying about the house. This darn house that we felt so strongly about. The house that was now standing in our way of giving our children the lifestyle we so desperately long for. We needed to know an exact way that this was going to work. All too often we preach about living by faith, but when the moment comes down to do-- I tend to lack the faith necessary. I thought about this quote all week. Scott and I talked it over again and again. We knew what our answer was. And as scary as it seemed, we decided together to take the leap of faith and take the job.
After we accepted the job, we received mounds and mounds of spiritual confirmation that this is the right road for us. First and foremost, peace. When I think of the move and life in Idaho and I don't feel stressed or concerned. I feel peace. When I think of my kids getting to go pick pumpkins at the local patch this fall, my heart soars. And Thanksgiving with my inlaws, sitting in my spot being surrounded by family. Waking up on Christmas morning with snow. Having space and clean air to breathe. Having room to see the sky. Allowing my husband to go hunting with his dad and soon pass the tradition to his sons. Lunch dates with my mom. Shooting with my dad. Gingerbread houses with my mother in law. Being home when my brother in law comes home. Watching the leaves change colors and witnessing the first snow of the season. Listening to silence. Every single thing I took for granted when I lived there. It all sounds beyond magically. And the peace in my heart is undeniable.
Another experience I think of is when I had the opportunity to go to the temple with some of my friends a couple of weeks ago. During the entire sessions my heart kept feeling, "He is in control". At the time I thought it was because of the world turmoil I was worried about it and it brought me peace. As I went to the womens conference last night the messages were about temples. Someone mentioned how the temples are a place of revelation and sometimes we get answers before we know the question. As soon as I heard that I knew my answer had come. He is in control. Trust him. He is aware of not only my family, but me individually. He is in control and it is my job to trust. Fully and in faith.
One other thing we think about is few days after Scott applied for the job, I had an overwhelming feeling to get pictures taken of the house. Just in case something happened we would be prepared to get a blog up to sell it or rent it. That way we could start getting the word out as soon as possible. So we did, We took the pictures and after the offer was extended I was able to throw together a real quick blog in one night. We have decided to sell the home ourselves and by following this small prompting, we didn't have to waste extras days getting things in order.
We feel that when Scott took the job at DRS, it was opening a door for the INL. While unknown to us, this job was preparing Scott for Idaho. It is essentially the same work and the three months experience he had at DRS, no matter how small, gave him the upper hand he needed to secure the INL job. Also, had it not been for the chance of non renewal, he probably never would have even looked at the INL website.
Today as we were getting ready for church, Scott mentioned another reason he felt this was the right choice. A few months ago they released him from his calling in Primary. He waited and waited for a new calling, but it never came. Finally, the bishop called and asked to meet with Scott. The bishop apologized for the delay and asked Scott to go back to his primary class. He explained that there was a stake calling for him that had been approved, but right before it was extended the stake called the bishop and told them they had a change or heart. They didn't feel the timing was right. We feel that was the Lords doing as he knew there were different plans for us.
Non of this has been easy, The stress that comes along with selling a new home is immeasurable. The thought of leaving my friends rips me to pieces. Leaving this place I have learned to call home is going to be hard. But I know we have so many blessings in Idaho in store for us. I know there is a purpose calling us home and I have faith that everything will work out.
