March Madness

...you can say that again!

March made me realize, again, how involved God is in our lives and how He always has a plan that will transpire in His perfect timing.  Let me clarify that I am in no way claiming that my life is perfect, but I want to reveal how timing seems to be a recurring promise that God keeps making in my life.  Hmmm, He must know that I'm a Super Planner or something! From meeting and marrying Trevor, moving to Washington, finding a good job, to now relocating back to San Diego, God has once again proved that his timing is PERFECT and He has never let me down.

February 23, 2012-
Trevor and I had a serious heart to heart conversation about the realities of moving back to California verses the benefits of staying in Washington.  We are getting to the point where the reality of starting a family is quickly approaching and we are faced with a major decision on where we want to establish our home together.  After several hours of excitement, tears, frustration, and discussion, it was decided; we are going to move back to San Diego.  We both feel that our hearts are in San Diego.

Ok, good, we picked a location, but now we both have to find new jobs, figure out how we are going to pay for our lease up here while renting in San Diego, and being able to afford the move in general.  Nothing is ever easy-- or is it? 

Let's rewind to last July...remember my blog post about the changes and adjustment to Washington?  Well, for those who know me, I am a California girl from the inside out and my adjustment to Washington has been extremely difficult.  From the commute, not finding a church,  the dreary weather, and the people; Kristen+Washington=Bust. 

Now, I have adapted to the  lifestyle change and have been doing my best to continue rolling with the punches to remain happy where I am at now-- How can I not?  I have an amazing husband, good job, and a pup that all remind me how blessed I am. But, there are many other aspects that contribute to our life experience that is missing.  We both need family, friends, our church that we love, and sunshine. So knowing this, we have been praying earnestly for clarity  and guidance as to where God is leading us.

February 27, 2012-
This day marked a pivitol day in our marriage.  Trevor's dad, John, called Trevor with unreal news; his company is looking for a master welder and they wanted to offer it to Trevor first.  Wait- what? Yes, a company in San Diego wants to hire Trevor and only Trevor, AND they are willing to hold the job for him until May to give me enough time to line up a job too.  Prayer "Part 1," -Answered!  Now it's time for me to start applying for jobs...

March 7, 2012-
By this time I had already had about 20 applications (I know.. I'm a little type-A) out in San Diego and I had just arrived to Reno, NV for a convention for work.  While I was there I ran into a friend from San Diego and I explained to him our situation and wanting to move back south. Oddly enough, he had just spoke with the Assistant Director of Sales at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, who is also attending the convention, and encouraged me to "find" him connect with him.  His description help me find the guy? "Look for a guy about this tall, with blondish/redish hair, no jacket, and carrying and iPad."  Ha, this would have been a wonderful description for any other day besides today-- EVERY person at the convention had an iPad, and there were over 5,000 attendees.  Kinda like finding a needle in a haystack? 

About an hour into the convention, I was sitting in a seminar, and right in front of me was someone who matched the EXACT description of the person I should connect with.  Sure enough, it was the Assistant Director of Sales for the Manchester Grand Hyatt! I introduced myself and we exchanged business cards and he encouraged me to send him an email so he could follow up with my application when he gets back.

March 9, 2012-
I was visiting my parents in El Dorado Hills the remainder of the week and I woke up to a voice message from the Manchester Grand Hyatt wanting to interview me via Skype that day! Interview #1, complete.

March 12, 2012-
Hyatt wanted to set up another interview! Woo!

March 16, 2012-
Interview via Skype again.  No more than an hour later, I received phone calls from two different managers at the property asking me priliminary interview questions again (this hotel was thourough to say the least!). 

At 3:30pm, Hyatt called me once again, however, this time with VERY exciting news!! They extended a job offer to me; not only increasing my salary, but offering significant relocation assistance! Prayer "Part 2,"-Answered!

Today, March 27, 2012-
My last day at my current job is this Friday and I will be moving to San Diego next Thursday, April 5.  It is absolutely insane to me how perfect God's timing has been in all of this.  Basically two jobs fell into mine and Trevor's laps over a period of a couple weeks; in which both are amazing opportunities for us professionally.  If the series of events aren't a clear sign as to what direction we should go, I don't know what is! 

We are so overjoyed, happy, scared, and stressed all at once that it makes our days quite unpredictable.  They say that moving is one of the biggest stresses on a marriage and I am prayerful that the stress stays at a low and the excitement and happiness overflows in our marriage over the next couple weeks.  Since I am moving next week and Trevor is moving two weeks after, we are going to put our thinking caps together and work in sync as a team.  This will be our second move across the country (North/South) in less than a year, and I know that every challenge we face is making us stronger together.  Now that most of the stressful logistic stuff is done, we are able to talk and be excited about everything we look forward to again: SUNSHINE, Mexican food, friends, chuch, family, and fun things to do! 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you all the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4