The Events Bringing Us to Ohio!

I have wanted to blog about this for a really long time, but never wanted to share with a public blog. I feel so much better having a private blog, with only a few people we care about checking in on us once in awhile. I love blogging so that I can catch up on everyone's life, who live far from us. I also LOVE having a private blog, my main and most important reason for having a blog is for journaling for my family. I intent to give each of my children copies of this blog. With a public blog I felt like it was for impressing the world. Now, I feel like I can post whatever I want and no one has to know. It's for my family. Anyways, with that said I want to write the events that lead up to our move, which were too sacred otherwise.

Nate was in a one year program at ND. He had been interviewing and applying for jobs off and on for the full year. He had a few bites, but nothing worked out. towards the end of the year he was offered a position for an internship in Wisconsin and they basically said if he proved himself they would hire him on full time when the internship ended. Nate seemed interested in the position, I on the other hand was NOT. I did not express this to Nate because I wanted us to each make our own decisions without the other shutting down all possibilities and after all he was the one doing the job, not me. They sent him all the paperwork for accepting the job and he filled them all out and was to FedEx them right away. I was so uneasy about this, but decided to keep quiet and if it was wrong, let Nate find out on his own. I only hoped he would asap. As time was running out I did let him in on a little of how I was feeling, but he seemed fine with the job. He left to mail the paperwork but, called me from FedEx and said, "I didn't do it, it just didn't feel right!" I was so excited and told him I didn't think it was the right thing either and that I had a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders. Then of course he said to me, "why didn't you say so?!" So here we were, weeks from graduation, no job, 8 months pregnant and as thrilled and at peace as we could feel!

Now, to back up, in December Nate went to a meeting with Smuckers, that was just informative of their company. The girl there told everyone up front that she would not be taking resumes, just simply informing. After her presentation was over Nate went up and talked to her, she told him, "I'm going to break my rule and give you my business card. I think you would fit well in our company". I picked Nate up from school that evening and he told me what had happened. I remember our drive home like it was yesterday. We were passing the stadium and fitness center when I had this thought, "this is where Nate will be working........man the location sucks ;)" To clarify, this was a distinct thought that popped into my head immediately. I never said anything to Nate because I started second guessing myself and if the opportunity was to arise I wanted us to each pray about it separately and get our own answers and then come together and talk about it. I figured if I said something there was a chance he might go with that and not truly form his own opinion. I kept my mouth shut for months.

Now, fast forward to spring. Nate was in contact with the Smucker's employee and there were no openings. I kept thinking, okay if that was revelation than surely something will come up soon. I would casually ask Nate how the Smucker's searching was going and often check their website myself. Nothing, nothing,nothing. Finally an opening (I believe it came right after graduation). He applied and got an interview. In my mind I was planning for this, but still said nothing to Nate. During all of this we had to move out of our housing, (yes, with a 6 week old baby) and we went to Utah to stay with my Mom and Gary until a job came up. Nate flew out for a second interview from Utah. Then the SAME week a company in NYC called and said they want to interview him. It was for a job at Citi Bank that he had done first round interviews with during the end of winter. Then they later told him they had lost funding for the job and it no longer needed to be filled. So two days later he flew to NYC for an interview. In addition to all of this he had been networking with a guy in Austin TX from Charles Schwabb. A position there had just opened up and the guy told Nate to apply. We were really hopeful because this guy really seemed to like Nate and was always taking the initiative to help him, even with finding jobs at other companies. This guy would have been Nate's boss. After that week of interviewing he was offered a job at all three companies! We couldn't believe it! We were so excited and knew that one would be the right fit for us. We did a decision matrix (Thank you Ron) and narrowed it down to two companies Citi and Smuckers. We really liked Schwabb and the pay was great  and we had family only two hours away, but it never seemed like a good fit. NYC had family REALLY close and the pay was just okay. Smuckers ha, well lowest pay of them all, no family, rural community and Nate was to market Folgers Coffee.....lose, lose, lose in our eyes, but we kept being drawn back to it, and of course I kept reminding myself of my experience in December. It was frustrating because I kept going back to what had happened earlier in December and knew deep down this is where we were supposed to go. Nate and I fasted and prayed about it and wanted each of us to come up with our own decisions, then say what we each felt after it was all over. Both of us said Smuckers hands-down. It made no sense, less money, no family, coffee, and rural living. We felt we could live with everything except the marketing coffee. We felt SO strong about this job so why would the Lord be okay with us marketing coffee (part of what we have concluded is that abstaining from coffee is a commandment for the saints, not the rest of the world) . That night we were trying to think of a story in the scriptures where someone was prompted to do something that they knew was breaking a commandment. Nate opened up to 1 Nephi 4 and we read the chapter together. The spirit was so strong. I think I can count on 2 hands how many times I have felt the spirit so strong.

10 And it came to pass that I was ^aconstrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.

 11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the ^aLord hath^bdelivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had ^ctaken away our property.

 12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;                                                                                                              

We didn't, still don't for that matter, understand why we are supposed to be here other than to serve. So here we are. In addition we feel like we are supposed to be in the ward we are in. We had the choice of living in 5 wards and initially narrowed it down to two (neither is the current ward we are in) We found housing in one of the areas and decided to live there, but felt very uneasy about it. Finally we looked in the town we are in, initially I said there is no way I will live there. We found a townhouse here (not my favorite) but knew this is where we needed to be! Now we are in the Wooster ward and love it so much. I was so nervous at first, but life here has been great! I have made great friends, Adalie loves school, Nate is so close to work!