Storm Before the Calm

We have all heard that phrase "calm before the storm," and it always stirs up one of two thoughts: either "I can do this, I can do this," or "Oh crap." But over the last three months I have realized that there is a constant cycle of calms and storms. And lucky for us, this means that sometimes we're in the storm before the calm. I have had to keep this in mind many times over the last four months.

Some know and some don't, so here is our official announcement. Jon decided to quit school in June. It was anything but a hasty decision--we'd been talking about it and weighing our options for about a year, and we finally decided it was time. With his learning problems, a growing family, and our deepening student debt, we decided to set aside college, at least for a while. This misery caused by school was not worth possibility of "maybe someday" having a degree. We decided to stay in Rexburg and find a temporary job until our apartment lease was up (the end of October) and we decided where to go and what to do next. For two months Jon searched Rexburg for a job. He had a few interviews, but nothing ever came of them. Finally, just a few weeks ago, a position opened up at Deseret Industries. The work is boring, but Jon is grateful for the work, and we both think the training program will be good for him.

We are still far from the calm, though, because once his six months at D.I. are up, we are without a job again. Jon has applied for a custodial position in the Tacoma School District, and he is planning to apply in other Washington school districts as well. Once he has secured a job we will be moving to Washington to stay with my grandma for a few months. Her health is not great, so until we find an apartment of our own, we will be living with her to take care of her and, above all, give her some companionship.

We are excited to move forward with life, but a little nervous about what exactly that means. I've lived in Rexburg for eight years, and I'm a little sad to think about leaving. I have grown to love this community, especially our current ward. However, we are excited to live closer to family (two of my siblings and many of my relatives will be in close proximity), and we are looking forward to feeling a little more stability and permanence. All of our married life has been filled with temporary housing, classes, jobs, etc., and thinking about anything that will last more than a year seems too good to be true.

I know that life will always be busy and a little chaotic, but lately the calms last for only a few moments, and the storms last for days, weeks, and months. Hopefully we have longer calms headed our way, and I can't help but feel that those calms will come once we are more settled. I can't wait to start building a more permanent home with my husband and children.