Doing it His Way

A couple days ago everyone at my husband's employer was called in to a staff meeting.  At this meeting they were told they were going to be cutting staff in half.  They are going to accomplish this by asking everyone to re-apply for their jobs and then they would fill the "open" positions from those applicants.  There are 3 people that do what my husband does, and at the end of this process there will only be 2 positions filled.

So after a couple nights of thinking on it, my husband has decided he's not even going to apply for the position.  I completely support him in this decision.  "Say, what?!?!?" you ask.  We saw the writing on the wall a few months ago when his company was bought out.  We knew this was going to happen.  In fact, we were thinking the company would be shut down in the next couple years.  We have since adjusted that guess to a few months.

We figure why delay the inevitable.  Not only that, but the two people that would remain need the income and benefits more than we do right now.  I am so thankful I decided not to give up real estate because that's allowing us to feel at peace about this decision right now.  I know the two left behind are going to be looking for a job (with so few staff it's going to be tough going), but this will at least give them more time do to so while still getting paid.

My husband has already been online searching to see what openings are available.  He's working on his resume and getting things together to present at any interview he may go on (he's a Computer Engineer so programming and circuit / computer design's he's done could play into whether he gets hired).

I am so proud of my husband for all that he's done with this employer over the last 17 months.  He's awesome at what he does and they know it.  In fact, one of the managers is so upset my husband plans to not apply so the other 2 can keep their jobs that he's trying to find money in the budget from somewhere else so they can keep all three of them.  And the thing I'm the most proud of... that he's thinking about the impact on his friends and coworkers just like I would do if I were in the same situation.  I guess that's one of the reason we work well together.

Life in a Camper

Now that we've been living in less than 200 sq feet for over a week, I think I can offer some insights...

Down side:
1.  Moving around inside the camper can be a bit tight.  If it weren't for the "bump out" in our camper, it would be impossible.
2.  In order to fit into a space this small we had to either store some things or get rid of some things that I wish you had access too (a full-size couch would be nice).  I also wish I had my full-size freezer and additional pantry space.
3.  We miss having a cat.  To help fill the void we've adopted some squirrels that we feed regularly (one has even eaten out of hubby's hand).
4.  We have to have a stash of quarters on hand to do laundry.

Up side:
1.  It doesn't take long to clean.  Another down side... it doesn't take long to get messy either (especially since we are camping on sand).
2.  We've really gotten an opportunity to learn just how much stuff is extraneous and what is necessary.  I've found multiple uses for things just so I wouldn't have to lug around additional items.
3.  We're spending more quality family time.  What else is there to do when you've got no TV?
4.  Traveling around in a camper has given us opportunities to see and do things that we wouldn't have otherwise.  We've also been able to meet some interesting people.  For example, we visited a church last Sunday that had 2 guest speakers.  They were the adult children of a family who was recently featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  What this family does is wonderful and the kids are amazing in their attitude and support of their parents.  To learn more about them go to http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-home-edition/episode-detail/hurston-family/703772.

Overall, I would say this has been a very positive experience thus far.  Is it something I would do for an extended period of time?  I'm not sure.  Ask me again in a a few more weeks.