The end of last year Mike's company National City Bank was bought out by a bank in PA called PNC. That was the start of major life changes for us....
We had been talking about starting a family this year and in December we decided to start trying this year. Right around the same time Mike learned from his boss that PNC would take over the company on January 1st and that job cuts would soon follow. This put us into job search mode. Mike had several interviews with various companies and universities, but none were the right fit. He always got the job offer, but there was always a feeling of uneasiness with every job. Always a reason we could turn it down. Not enough money, location, job description, etc. Always a feeling in our guts, a lack of peace that made us say no. All the while, we started nesting, preparing for a child (even before we started trying). Knowing in the back of our minds that Mike would be leaving NCB and that we would most likely be leaving the state.
At the end of March after a long Friday at work we discovered that we were expecting. This threw our future planning into over drive. Daily prayers for Mike to have a secure job doing what he loves, and the occasional request of God that he work it out so I can stay home with our child once he/she enters the world. Searching for jobs became a daily event. Yet it still was not sinking in that we would most likely have to leave our friends and family in Ohio to move forward. By mid-May Mike had given up actively searching. There wasn't anything out there that he liked, that allowed him to do what he love and does now...CICS. There were lots of jobs out there, but all required Mike to use his other computer skills and take steps backward in terms of his knowledge and skill set.
We continued forward with planning for our little one. A few days or a week after we stopped looking, Mike's co-worker Kris asked for his resume. She had overheard two women from Charles Schwab at a IBM class talking about how they had lost one of their CICS programmers. Kris got their info and forwarded Mike's resume to them on a Wednesday. By that Friday, Mike was contacted for a phone interview. The following Monday evening Mike spoke with them, and before the call was over they asked to see Mike is person. By the end of that week Mike had confirmation of an in-person interview. This was the fastest that any job interview process had ever gone for us. The only problem...the job was in Phoenix. So my natural, pregnant, reaction was to freak out.
I went off on Mike. There is no other way to say it. I yelled and screamed and stomped my feet, that I wasn't leaving my family, friends and ("most importantly") doctor in the middle of my first pregnancy. The funny thing was I knew in my heart the whole time I was yelling at him that we were moving. Then I got mad. Mad at God for opening the door (stupid I know, but I'm an emotional, irrational pregnant woman who was working on 2 hours of sleep), mad at Mike for wanting the job, and "making me leave" my life in Ohio.
How could I say no to my husband's dream job? How could I be the one to say no? I had prayed for months that Mike would find a job with a solid company that allowed him to do what he loves. It was being handed to us on a rather large silver platter. How could I not be thrilled? Towards the end of the interview process Mike told me the news that made me feel even worse for my freak out...with his bump in salary we could now afford for me to stay home with our baby. I felt horrible. I felt horrible not just for getting mad at Mike for wanting the job, but for getting mad at God for giving me exactly what I had been asking for. He answered my prayers and I got angry. To say I felt humbled is an understatement.
Mike found out he got the job the day after returning from the interview in Phoenix. I was so proud of him, I am so proud of him. As we have gone through this whirlwind process, and processed all of the emotions, we feel only one thing. Peace. Knowing that we are following the path that has been laid out for us is Peace. Relief that Mike is out of the volatile job situation and daily stress with PNC & NCB is Peace. Having the ability to create a loving and financially secure home to bring our first child home to is Peace. Living in God's will is Peace.
The only thing that has been asked of us in return for all of this blessing is for Mike and I to spend the next two months apart. A small sacrifice for answered prayers. Mike drove off this morning leaving the only home we have shared in our 7+ years of marriage. Watching him walk out the front door this morning was one of the hardest moments in my life. But I know that today is the first day of our new life, and the first step toward everything we have prayed for.