As most of our friends know, my husband will be retiring from the Navy soon. He put in his paperwork, it was approved, and we have an official retirement date. He will go on terminal leave November 2017. Which is wonderful and scary and crazy and nerve-wracking, all at the same time. But it was definitely the right time, and we are all looking forward to what this new chapter will bring, hopeful about the change that is to come.
Once he retires, Jeremiah is looking at a job that will still require him to go overseas, for months on end. So that part of our life, unfortunately, will not change just yet. However, there is freedom in that this job does not require us to live in a certain location, nor does it require us to live in a certain place for a specified period of time. So, what that means is that for the first time since we have met, we can move to a place based on where I get a job. And not vice versa.
I have worked as a marketing coordinator from home for over a decade. I was fortunate enough to be able to grow in my position and keep my job regardless of the fact that we moved often. Working remotely has been great for giving me so much flexibility in this season of my life. But now that season is drawing to an end. Soon I will have all 5 kiddos in school. And honestly, I am really feeling the need to work OUTSIDE the home. For all the reasons working from home is wonderful (flexible, money saving, ability to self-manage and work independently), there are just as many drawbacks (no separation from personal life, never truly having "off" hours, etc). I am so thankful that my boss has believed in me, empowered me, and supported me-- the hardest part of this new journey will be having to leave behind such a wonderful team of people. But I don't want to let that stop me from trying something new. So off I went, resume in hand, ready and eager to find something new.
I've applied for several jobs all over the world. We fell in love with Spain this summer and would love to live in Europe and get to see more, explore more, and learn about a culture different from ours, so we (me, more than anyone else) would love to find a job overseas. While I would love to get a job in Spain, I have also applied for jobs in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Bahrain, the UK, Japan, and I think a couple more that I am forgetting.
I was actually in the process of applying for a job in UAE when I scrolled down and saw that the position required the applicant to be able to wear 40 pounds of body armor. SAY WHAAAA?? I shared something about this on Instagram, which is kind of what prompted me to write this post. The body armor requirement had nothing to do with the job tasks-- it was solely because of the location of the job as a precaution, I'm guessing. (I had a couple friends reach out and ask what kind of job I was trying to get that required me to wear body armor! haha!! Like this entire time, I was training as a Knight, and y'all had no idea!!) While I have certainly cast a wide net in my job search, I decided not to apply for that position. Because, while I definitely think I could wear the 40 pounds of body armor, being able to actually move in the body armor is a completely different story. And even if I could move, it would not be very fast.
I have been on the job hunt for 3 months now, and whew, can it just suck the wind right out of your sails. I have faith that the job that is right for me will appear, or maybe it won't and I will be forced to consider another path... I am trying to find a peace in either outcome. While I believe that He will open doors for me, I know I have got to knock first. So I am knocking. But so far, nobody is answering :/ Boy, is it tough. I've waited several years to be able to apply for jobs regardless of where they're located, and now that I can, I am finding that it obviously isn't as simple or as quick as I thought it would be. I am learning a great deal about patience and am being forced to truly sink into what I know to be true.
I applied for a new job this morning, and for the first time since the very beginning, I feel pretty good about this one. The freeze on federal hiring is definitely proving to be a roadblock, but I am trusting in His timing.
If you happen to have any tips on securing a federal job, I would love to hear it! Or if you know of an opportunity that sounds like it would be a good fit for me-- holler at me!
Right now, our plan is this....if getting a job overseas does not work out, we are most likely moving back to Florida. So either way, we have so much change ahead and with that change, a lot to get done. Like getting our NC house ready to put on the market! If you are the type of person who loves to clean, sand wood floors, and paint every single wall/baseboard, let me know because I have just the thing you are looking for. (haha!!!)
And because a post without pictures is bland, here are some pictures of a few colorful mini quilts I have completed recently!
