2014: A Year Full of Changes
We are only two weeks into 2014, but it promises to be the BEST year yet! While 2013 was tumultuous, we are looking forward to our lives settling down and what the 2014 holds in store.
Some of you may know that Chad had received an 'offer' to work for a large industrial contractor in Illinois. While we were excited at the idea of moving closer to family, we weren't thrilled when we found out that we'd be living in Morris, about 2 1/2 hours away. Since this 'deal' hadn't been finalized, we weren't certain just when this move would take place. Moving is taxing enough, but when you add on pregnancy - that's a recipe for disaster! Chad met with this company this past week and while the compensation was nice, there was the fear of the unknown. They still had no idea when we would be moving, and they also didn't know for sure the length of the contract. What does that mean?! Well, if they didn't secure more work in central Illinois, once the contract was up, we'd be on the road yet again. Yuck!
Let's take a step back a few days...Chad received a phone call from another large industrial contractor that wanted to interview him the next day. He figured what the heck and went in. The interview went well, and while he had some questions about the job, he left with a good feeling. On Wednesday, he received a formal offer from this company. Thursday, Chad made a counter-offer and a few hours later the counter-offer was accepted and any of our concerns were buried. On Friday morning, after listening to our guts, Chad accepted the position at Performance Contractors (aka: PCI) and turned in his resignation to Jamail & Smith.
This wasn't an easy decision to make, especially because Chad really enjoys working at Jamail & Smith. But, the benefits of the job with PCI (if you've been following our story for awhile, this PCI thing could get confusing) are amazing...they will allow for me, if I so desire, to be a stay at home mommy. I'm thrilled that this is now an option for me, as we were both concerned about finding a daycare. The most amazing thing is that we both feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders.
Probably the most interesting thing is what he has to thank for this job...a super cute & crazy kitten named Penelope Ursula Coffman. See, the lady we got Penny from and I have become good friends. Her husband works in the construction business, and actually requested that Chad send him his resume. This was back in early December, so we didn't think anything of it. Lo and behold, we got the phone call. Chad never would have applied to this company had we not gotten Penny. So, that being said, thank you Lydia!!! Y'all are awesome!
Chad will finish out the month with his current company and then fly to Illinois for our first baby shower and a few days of break before driving back to Texas with our mini-zoo. He will be leaving the following Monday for training in Baton Rouge. That will be the trickiest part for us. Training is normally a 3-6 month process, but because of his experience, they think he can complete it in a month. They are providing his accommodations and food and have told him he can come back for doctors appointments and any issues that may arise. He is also planning on coming home every weekend. The company is well aware of my 'status' and want this to be an easy transition for our family. After training, we will be staying here in the Houston area, which I am thrilled with. It's hard being away from family, but when you're wearing shorts in January why would you want to live elsewhere?!
Moving along to less exciting news...
Chad's new nickname....The Quitter, courtesy of the Kummar brothers.
We went to register at Babies'r'Us yesterday, and holy cow was that stressful and annoying. Now that we have it started we can finish it up online, saving us a trip to the store. Wooooohoooo!!! It's nice having that weight off of us, too.
Today we took Cappy to the local dog park and were pleasantly surprised with his behavior. We were concerned that he would get aggressive and possibly bite somebody. Cappy did excellent, though. Even when a large boxer got aggressive with him he took it like a champ. He was very intrigued by the labs, whether or not that has anything to do with Elijah, I'll never know. We then moved him over to the small dog section, where he did exceptionally well. He finally felt comfortable enough to explore on his own and even started playing. He enjoyed playing with another hot mess of a terrier named Frankie - they were the perfect size for each other. He made a little Beagle girlfriend who had a crush on him and followed him everywhere. The cutest thing, however, was the bull dog puppy. She was the smallest, cutest thing I'd ever seen. She just stood there, overwhelmed. Cappy went up to her, checked her out, and just stood with her. The little one was so small that she wasn't very sure on her feet and even fell over a few times when walking. We knew it was time to head home when Cappy laid on the ground, too pooped to play.
We were very pleased with how this went. It gives us hope for when we have a baby. We now know that Cappy can be gentle and is just a good boy. Even now, 10 hours later, Cappy is still pooped. We have decided to try to bring him to the park (in the small dog section) every weekend if the weather is nice.
Illinois baby shower invites will be going out this week, and if you're worried that I forgot you or wanted to come (even to my Houston one in Apri), please let me know and make sure I have your mailing address!!!
2014 - The Best is Yet to Come!!!!
Hugs!,
Diana
Some of you may know that Chad had received an 'offer' to work for a large industrial contractor in Illinois. While we were excited at the idea of moving closer to family, we weren't thrilled when we found out that we'd be living in Morris, about 2 1/2 hours away. Since this 'deal' hadn't been finalized, we weren't certain just when this move would take place. Moving is taxing enough, but when you add on pregnancy - that's a recipe for disaster! Chad met with this company this past week and while the compensation was nice, there was the fear of the unknown. They still had no idea when we would be moving, and they also didn't know for sure the length of the contract. What does that mean?! Well, if they didn't secure more work in central Illinois, once the contract was up, we'd be on the road yet again. Yuck!
Let's take a step back a few days...Chad received a phone call from another large industrial contractor that wanted to interview him the next day. He figured what the heck and went in. The interview went well, and while he had some questions about the job, he left with a good feeling. On Wednesday, he received a formal offer from this company. Thursday, Chad made a counter-offer and a few hours later the counter-offer was accepted and any of our concerns were buried. On Friday morning, after listening to our guts, Chad accepted the position at Performance Contractors (aka: PCI) and turned in his resignation to Jamail & Smith.
This wasn't an easy decision to make, especially because Chad really enjoys working at Jamail & Smith. But, the benefits of the job with PCI (if you've been following our story for awhile, this PCI thing could get confusing) are amazing...they will allow for me, if I so desire, to be a stay at home mommy. I'm thrilled that this is now an option for me, as we were both concerned about finding a daycare. The most amazing thing is that we both feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders.
Probably the most interesting thing is what he has to thank for this job...a super cute & crazy kitten named Penelope Ursula Coffman. See, the lady we got Penny from and I have become good friends. Her husband works in the construction business, and actually requested that Chad send him his resume. This was back in early December, so we didn't think anything of it. Lo and behold, we got the phone call. Chad never would have applied to this company had we not gotten Penny. So, that being said, thank you Lydia!!! Y'all are awesome!
Chad will finish out the month with his current company and then fly to Illinois for our first baby shower and a few days of break before driving back to Texas with our mini-zoo. He will be leaving the following Monday for training in Baton Rouge. That will be the trickiest part for us. Training is normally a 3-6 month process, but because of his experience, they think he can complete it in a month. They are providing his accommodations and food and have told him he can come back for doctors appointments and any issues that may arise. He is also planning on coming home every weekend. The company is well aware of my 'status' and want this to be an easy transition for our family. After training, we will be staying here in the Houston area, which I am thrilled with. It's hard being away from family, but when you're wearing shorts in January why would you want to live elsewhere?!
Moving along to less exciting news...
Chad's new nickname....The Quitter, courtesy of the Kummar brothers.
We went to register at Babies'r'Us yesterday, and holy cow was that stressful and annoying. Now that we have it started we can finish it up online, saving us a trip to the store. Wooooohoooo!!! It's nice having that weight off of us, too.
Today we took Cappy to the local dog park and were pleasantly surprised with his behavior. We were concerned that he would get aggressive and possibly bite somebody. Cappy did excellent, though. Even when a large boxer got aggressive with him he took it like a champ. He was very intrigued by the labs, whether or not that has anything to do with Elijah, I'll never know. We then moved him over to the small dog section, where he did exceptionally well. He finally felt comfortable enough to explore on his own and even started playing. He enjoyed playing with another hot mess of a terrier named Frankie - they were the perfect size for each other. He made a little Beagle girlfriend who had a crush on him and followed him everywhere. The cutest thing, however, was the bull dog puppy. She was the smallest, cutest thing I'd ever seen. She just stood there, overwhelmed. Cappy went up to her, checked her out, and just stood with her. The little one was so small that she wasn't very sure on her feet and even fell over a few times when walking. We knew it was time to head home when Cappy laid on the ground, too pooped to play.
We were very pleased with how this went. It gives us hope for when we have a baby. We now know that Cappy can be gentle and is just a good boy. Even now, 10 hours later, Cappy is still pooped. We have decided to try to bring him to the park (in the small dog section) every weekend if the weather is nice.
Illinois baby shower invites will be going out this week, and if you're worried that I forgot you or wanted to come (even to my Houston one in Apri), please let me know and make sure I have your mailing address!!!
2014 - The Best is Yet to Come!!!!
Hugs!,
Diana
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