The Cruise, The Job, That is the Question.

Seriously, does it just always pour when it rains or what?

For 25 years our lives moved along fairly smoothly with few bumps in the road (just normal happy bumps, at least 6 of them! Okay that last little one took her good ol' time getting settled in here in the real world.) and a few not so happy bumps, but others have tread these waters, we can too. Money troubles pass, sickness gives way to health or renewed energy to deal with continued poor health, one house with 3 tiny bedrooms gives way to the "dream house, 4 bedroom colonial with an inground pool on a cul de sac (okay dead end but we loved it) and then came 10 years of fixer upper and that house was gorgeous so what to do? Put it on the market and move to the country (ha!) make that the McMansion in the suburbs. We really do not care who doesn't get it or thinks it's ridiculously large (let them try to live with 4 and 5 kids in a house!) or whatever they think when they visit the first time and within minutes say (so. . .what did you say Mark's does for a living?) Folks, that just isn't being suttle (how DO you spell that word???) anywho, life is good. And? We love our home. And I think I've already mentioned my man's excellent employment history and advancement through the ranks. Yes, indeed life is fine. Even church issues have calmed down. THAT was a super tough road to walk but knowing God was in it all? My HOPE was truly never shaken, my walk? Maybe, my Hope? never. God is good all the time.

What in the world did That diatribe have to do with a job and a cruise? HA!

Life was about to get unpredictable for sure. As the calendar ticked down to the take it or cancel it date for this wonderful vacation (as in, no tickie, no ride on the fancy boat, tickie now? no refund later kinda thing) the job was still being tossed around ever so slowly. Would Mark stay at the bank with buku vacation days and flexible time off making the cruise easy enough to take or would the new job come through before/during/after the cruise and how would that play out?

And the economy got worse. I probably should have been inserting that phrase into the whole storyline every 2 sentences or so. But then I would have had to mention aging parents health concerns, swine flu on a cruise to Mexico, and impossible odds of getting any information ahead of time from the job front.

I believe at one point Marks's words to me where something along the lines of "There is a hurricane coming and you are planning a picnic" Not the kindest words but he got his point across and his frustration level with where our lives currently were. I had my cry and prepared to give up my "dream vacation" I had been actively planning for close to 6 months. I knew peoples names we would cruise with. I was in charge of things. We had signed up for Fish Extender Gift Exchange. . .I had purchased foraml wear for kids. HUGE SIGH There would be vacations again. We could always visit uumm, I don't know, isn't this where we started? I Guess we will just stay home. thud. slam. ouch. ok.

It was not until I had nearly given up, the week we had to make a payment beyond deposits and not turn back that Mark began to ask questions and realize this was not going to happen for this price ever again. And that the pediatrician really did think it was okay to take Jillie on this cruise and she would not die of swine flu And that our parents would probably live out the week we happened to be in the middle of the Carribbean. And. . .

The job came through BUT no idea when we will get a start date. Are you kidding me? A call to the contact person who dealt with vacation time revealed he could actually request off before he even had a start date!

No way it would be the exact week they wanted him to start right?

We took the plunge and paid our bill. WE ARE GOING TO CRUISE (picnic remember?)
The economy (hurricaine remember?) actually looks a bit more promising (at least in our house, WE ARE LEAVING BANKING)

And I just have to say here. I never prayed and stayed quiet so long over almost any other decision we had to make that involved that level of money, time, etc. Okay, there was the weeks without a car for the last 2 months of pregnancy but that was years ago. HA!

Sometimes, I guess guys just need to think about stuff instead of hear us talk about it ya know? Okay at least my guy does.

So I will go ahead and type it.

The old job ended and the new job started and we had one fabulous vacation in the exact middle of the two! Isn't God awesome to make it all work out that way? Yes, it was crazy hectic, yes it was insane scheduling, yes, I thought it was lousy timing in a lot of ways and yes, it still all worked out.

More later! My insomnia is receeding and maybe I can sleep now!