The Bumpy Road to Here

So as I said in my last post, I am going to explain in short detail our bumpy roads that lead us to here. While bumpy we have definitely had some smooth roads too, but we want more smooth than bumpy so that’s what has started us on this journey.

Michael and I met around the middle of my senior year in college and I immediately knew he was “The One.” I graduated school with an awesome degree, Business Administration – Accounting… that I didn’t want to use! I didn’t want to be an accountant. I didn’t want to get my CPA. I just didn’t want to. So here ensued the job hopping that has been my life for the past 4 years.

By job hopping I mean that I have had 1 2 4 8 jobs in the past 4 years! Yes, you read that right… 8. That 8 include the temporary job I’ve been at for the past 6 months that we are in continuous prayer goes permanent. Losing those other 7 were all involuntary, 4 layoffs, 1 quit (it was temporary and I got a permanent job) and 2 terminations (that were truly unjustified (not just saying that either) and long stories that while unjustified, still taught me lessons). The longest I was at any of those was a year and a half before being terminated over a technicality. But that was truly a blessing, because that job led me to the darkest point in my life.

I honestly had so much to be thankful and happy about, a wonderful husband, wonderful family and friends, a beautiful home, a brand new car, and more; but when you have no time to enjoy any of them, you work odd hours (every weekend on nights), you work short staffed and the responsibility gets dumped on you involuntarily voluntarily (because I’m not one to sit around with work undone), things really start to bring you down. I know it may not sound like a lot, but add all of that to being unappreciated and never receiving a simple “Good Job” at work plus never seeing my family and friends and even my own husband who lives in the same house as I and you may begin seeing the picture I’m painting.

I pressed on knowing that there was a reason for it all that I may not understand, but I never placed enough faith in God when I should have. I was always feeling, for about the last 4 months or more while there, that I should just trust God and quit. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I didn’t know what we would do financially. I couldn’t do that to my husband who has been an amazing supporter in me. Well this past October, God gave me no other choice when I was terminated from that job (one of those unjustifiable and technicality things, and long stories). I knew then that it was a blessing, but soon after the fear set in. I knew I had to trust God to provide for us. So I set forth to do so.

Within a month of losing my job, I received the phone call for a 6-8 week temporary position at FUJIFILM. With mixed feelings, I took the position simply for the money. Little did I know it would end up being the best decision I could make. I have not found a job, I have found a family. And those 6-8 weeks has turned into six months with no current end in sight. Granted that can change, but I’m remaining faithful. I know that God has a plan.

Within a week of me starting at Fuji, Michael got a new position at his work that took him for a swinging and rotating shift to Monday thru Friday, 8 to 5. God was really working!! It was/is amazing! For the first time ever in our history of being together, we were/are actually on the SAME SCHEDULE! Now, I get to go eat dinner with my husband, go to bed with my husband, wake up with my husband, and most importantly spend the weekend with my husband! Those sweet weekends we missed so much!

Through all of this, we have had to make huge adjustments. I’m making less than I was before and by living beyond our means over the previous years, we made bad decisions that resulted in a lot of what I call “stupid debt.” With the plan to always pay it off in a couple of months, we would open a credit card and purchase something that we really, really needed wanted. And of course, that plan/budget to pay it off in a couple of months never happened. We were living beyond our means and now, we are paying for it.

But armed with our Baby Bucket List (to come in another post), our other List, and most importantly God, we plan to overcome all of those bad decisions and obstacles and become the organized and debt free people we know we can be!

What challenges have you faced and how have you over come them?

For more details on these things, you can contact me. I like to share my stories because I know that God puts us through things and brings us out of them to help others when they are going through the same.