The Job!!

Derek was laid off about 9 months ago and his severance runs out August 21. He has had no luck finding a job. We focused in on Sacramento as our ideal location and have really felt that is where we should be. But there are basically no jobs there so we looked both there and here. He went in for an interview with PG&E (the electric company in Sacramento) a couple of weeks ago. He had applied for 2 positions and the interview for the first job went really well. They told him he was a very strong candidate and that if he didn't get that particular job, there was the other job he had applied for that he would be a strong candidate for as well.

Last week the guy from the second job called and asked for references. On Monday we heard from some of Derek's past coworkers that PG&E was calling them for references on the second job he applied for. We were trying not to get too excited because he hadn't even gone in for an interview yet. On Tuesday the guy called to talk to him. He took the call upstairs and the kids were downstairs running and playing (in Arizona they have to use the house as their playground since they can't go outside). I kept telling them to please keep it down. Finally I told Kendall that daddy was on the phone talking to the guy about the electricity job. She said "Oh." Then she said "Just a minute" and she walked over to the couch, knelt down, folded her arms and started saying a little prayer. Then Presley went over next to her and started to do what she was doing. There was some giggling involved, but finally she said "I have to pray because daddy is talking to him RIGHT NOW." Then Derek came down the stairs and I whispered for him to look around the corner at Kendall praying for him. But then he told me that the phone call didn't go well. They asked him about systems that he hadn't worked on before (though he could learn them) and that the guy said he would let him know if he wanted to bring him in for an interview. He said it didn't sound like he was even going to get another interview. He was so bummed because not only was it a job, but it was a job that he really wanted and thought he would enjoy.

The next day, Thursday morning, I went to the dentist and on my way home Derek called. He said he was having a bad day and needed to talk to me and asked how close I was to home. The plan was for him to take the kids to Landon's OT appointment and he should have already been there. I figured he must really be having a rough day. He has had some rough days here and there. He was laid off 9 months ago in the worst economy in our lifetime, his severance was running out in less than a month, and we have 4 small kids to feed, so I figured today was just one of those days. I pulled into the driveway and he was out in the garage. He told me he needed a hug, hugged me and then whispered "We just need to pack everything up. I GOT THE JOB!!!" WHAT!!!! I was in shock. We were jumping up and down and crying. I felt like I did when I made it for cheerleader in high school. I was in total disbelief! The rest of the day we just paced around the house because we couldn't sit still. We went to the China Buffet restaurant, the same one we went to when we found out he was getting laid off 9 months ago. His new job starts just 11 days before his severance runs out. There will be no break in our income!! It was the best day of our lives, except our wedding and birth and gotcha days of our kids of course. :)

Then yesterday reality set in! How in the heck are we going to pack up this house, find a place to rent, and move in just 3 weeks!! His new job starts on August 10. Hopefully somehow we can buy a house very soon. We have had one very big miracle and still need one more!! We know that is where we should be and it will all work out somehow. It has been an incredible and stressful past 9 months. We have another month of stress and then hopefully we will start to feel some normalcy in our lives.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. We have had so many people praying for us. We know there are so many out there that are still in great need during this time. We are so grateful for what we have and are thankful for what we have gone through. It has made us even more faithful. We know Heavenly Father cares so much for each one of us and he truly does answer prayers (especially those of little children) and blesses his children in His perfect timing.