Mimmsical Creations

So, I'm still not feeling like writing much. There is a lot to share, but as stressful as life has been recently, I sound whiney even in my head, and I didn't want to put that out there!

What I DO want to put out there is our Plan B. Since the job we were really hoping for fell through for Mike, we've been discussing (I almost wrote disgusting...) every possible option. Options like Mike quitting right now, taking about 4 months off while he looks for something else. Options like Mike looking for lower grades than his current one (he is a federal employee and they use a grade system for pay scales) ... Mike flipping burgers, etc.

The option that we are going with (and makes the most sense) is this: (thanks to my sister Mary for planting the idea in my head - blame her Mom!)

We had a trip planned in mid-May to California. We were flying into San Francisco where we would see Mike's brother Jeff. Then we'd drive down the coast - taking several days to reach the LA area where we'd head east to Desert Hot Springs to see my parents for a couple days. We'd fly home out of LAX. (This two city flying trip wound up costing BUNCHES not in airline prices, but in rental car charges. Did you know you can't go one-way without huge fees?! I did not!)

Well, timing of this trip wasn't good. Mike is job-hunting (here in Colorado, all over WA and OR, and in NC). Here we were trying to figure out how to get ourselves moved, and going to spend a bunch of money on a vacation. Well, timing is also such that it feels really good - what we did instead! We made a change to our itinerary! We are now leaving on May 17 and flying to Portland, OR instead. We'll take our week of vacation and look at Portland, Salem, coastal towns, and Mike can actually look for jobs. We'll look at the towns as potential residents instead of tourists.

This feels right! The airline ticket changes totalled less than the rental car would have cost in CA! I will miss getting to see my folks, but I talked to Mom before we ever decided for sure. She understood and agreed that this was a good plan. So that helped cement our decision!

If you can spare a thought - send out some energy. There is a good opportunity in Salem, OR that Mike is working on. If it were to come through, we might know something BEFORE our trip! If that happens, our trip could be a house-hunting expedition instead of a job-hunting one! I'm not setting all my hopes on this one job this time, but I am hopeful! It is a downgrade, but it is a handleable one! (Is handleable a word?) Downgrade = Less Stress for Mike, and that is WAY more important than money. Cost of living in Salem is less than here too.

If anyone is still visiting my little blog, I will keep you posted. Thanks for thinking of me! Some day this stress will subside - sooner rather than later! Luckily, my work is NOT stressful! (And my work comes with us - I have a job to bring along!)