HR Orientation

You would think I really enjoy driving with all the miles we're putting on the cars. Today, Carrie drove us all to Charlottesville. I had an HR orientation for my new job and she was meeting contractors/landscapers at the future home. We had to leave the house by 7:15 AM to make sure we arrived early or on-time for my 9 AM start.

We're getting there. Still lots to be done to move and then chores to be done around the house to survive in the now. Like groceries!

Shane helped Carrie by running back and forth from her to the cart!

All the Other Stuff

Our top priority is moving, but a lot of other things have been happening in between.

I made Shane take a break from electronics and he started annoying us. To encourage him to draw, I drew an alien using the crosswalk at Jackson-Via with a corgi.  

It sort of evolved......drawing is not really one of my talents (And yes, that's Carrie asleep on the couch).

Shane was inspired to draw a monster.

We went to check on the house at another point.

Carrie likes to keep tabs on things and send updates to her parents.

We should move in mid-July.

Carrie has a lot more pictures of the interior. I'll eventually make a "The Construction Process" post.

The non-stop rain has been disheartening Carrie. She really wants the barn builders to start, but they keep delaying for one reason or another. It's over a month from the original start date without any progress. The barn needs to go up, so that Carrie can start moving forward with other parts of the project like plumbing and electricity for the barn, advertising for boarders, etc.

We dropped by the post office on our way out of Scottsville (May as well be efficient about things!).

I filled out and took a large packet of papers to the County's HR department to prep for my new job.

I almost got it all on the first run. The only thing I was missing was my teaching license (Not that that's important or anything...). I had to ask for a copy from my current HR and we dropped it off another day.

I'm almost fully disconnected from my old job. I went in to work on Monday and spent multiple hours Monday and Tuesday writing up the educational report for a student going through eligibility.

For some reason, me working cued Shane to want to talk. He'd been ignoring me whenever I tried to check in on him. He couldn't take a hint or a dismissal.

Carrie took him to the summer movie camp at Alamo one day to help me have some quiet to work in. I got a few emails I had to respond to and my school's counselor texted me on Friday about some students.

I find it ironic that what caused me the most anxiety at work were emails from a person I only see several times a year. I've been cussed at, threatened, hands on in crises, and the opinion of a person who looks at forms is what started my heart to flutter?

It's not logical, yet there it was. I did my best to power through and wrap things up. I made a mental note to remember how it felt to help empathize with the next person I crossed in the same boat. Next week, I'll disconnect my city work email from my phone and call it a wrap.

I went to my last trivia night for the summer. It's five minutes from our current house, but will be 25 minutes from our new house. The 40 minutes of extra driving may be the death knell for it other than the odd night out.

We went 8 for 8 on the visual round this time. John McM and Fabrice had it all sorted out before I even arrived! Tom was on vacation in the Bahamas, so I said, "Happy Summer" to him last week.

I found the key to the truck in the cup holder when I parked. Thankfully, Carrie didn't need it.

Wednesday, we dropped my car off at a new shop (Edgecomb's) for a safety inspection and a check on my AC. The usual shop was booked solid. The cold air in my car stops intermittently. It seems to stay okay for longer when I keep the air flow low.

The shop seemed good, but they charged like they were the best thing to happen to Volvo's. They charged $55 to diagnose what was wrong with the AC (the compressor was dying) and quoted $1100 to fix it!

I'm just going to survive the summer with the flow low and windows down whenever it craps out. I do most of my work driving early in the morning and in fall, winter, and spring. 

There some other fixes they talked about needing at some point (one piece sunroof drains: $400ish, etc) and the car would fail inspection due to needing new wiper blades and some bulbs. It cost just below $200 in taxes to get three bulbs, front wipers, a sticker, and the diagnostic. 

I'd prefer to order that all online and do it myself if not for the moving crunch. Carrie found the wipers on Amazon for $56 instead of $70, etc. 

Friday, Shane, Carrie, and I went to sign all of the closing paperwork. 

It was an interesting place. There was a broken water fountain that sprayed water over my head, an aquarium, and a vintage Pac-Man machine.

The neighborhood was mostly quiet. Shane spent most of his waking hours on electronics, or getting carted around to places as we did errands or moved things (He got to eat out at CFA and Tropical Smoothie Cafe on separate Lowes runs!). 

We never saw Raheem, but Henry and Sam were out a couple days.

On the final day, Carrie put the toddler 'roller coaster' outside for a curbside pick-up. Henry and Sam were playing on it and Shane didn't want to go outside because his "guts hurt."

It didn't take long for Shane to change his mind. "Wow, they're having a lot of fun out there," and zoom! He was out the door.

There was no big hug goodbye or anything like that. I think Shane was aware on one level that it was, "Farewell," but there were so many other things going on and Grandma, Grandpa, the beach, and cousins to look forward to.

Made it!

It's spring break! Phew!

It's been crazy with work, staging, and vacation prep.

I had an interview early this morning before work that went fairly well. One of the answers I thought went well on Tuesday fell flat today and I had to readjust, but that's part of the process. The county's HR contacted me for a screening interview that I'll do on the phone tomorrow on our drive north (a month and two in-person interviews after I applied for screening).

We have an open house planned for Sunday while we're out of town. We only had one appointment for someone to check out the house all week and there's nothing pre-scheduled for the weekend I know of. Carrie's on pins and needles because of it.

Shane still doesn't know about our trip. Carrie loves surprises. He knows he's packing for something now, though. I honestly haven't had much time to think about it. There's been too many things to deal with in the moment each day. It'll be good to check out for a while.

First Interview

I had my first job interview today. I'd hoped to do it after school, but they scheduled me for a Skype call on my planning period.

That had me nervous.

I frequently don't get to do much planning on my planning period. There are kids who come and go and the threat extended our weekend I expected the school to be unsettled.

Turns out the kids did fine. The technology came up short.

The interviewers said my voice kept going in and out except when I looked to the left. So, I looked to the left as I talked!

When that quick-fix didn't work, I turned off the video to save bandwidth and eventually switched to a regular phone call.

It was far from what I would consider ideal, but the show carried on without interruption. I was looking at this as possibly a practice interview to get back into the swing of things, but I'd be happy if the school offered. They said they would let me know one way or the other shortly after spring break.

Charlottesville Work

I liked what I saw at the alternative program that offered me a job. I did not want to accept the job sight unseen. However, it looked like a program I could believe in. It was not a detention center minus the security! It would have been nice to talk to the program director in person, but she was out with strep.

Originally, I wanted to see what it would be like to be a 'normal' teacher, but I feel like I was pushed this way. While I considered my options, I flipped open my Bible at random. The first passage was from Jeremiah ("For I know the plans I have for you...") and then the second flip to the New Testament was in Matthew 18 (The Parable of the Wandering Sheep). You can call it odds, but it was clear to me. Maybe I'll be with the program a year; Maybe the rest of my career.

Carrie was relieved. She really wanted me to have a position before the house closed.

I got another rejection Monday. I got another offer to interview, too, but I told them I accepted a job.

Job Offer

Two months and many rejections later I have a job offer. It was not my first choice, but it feels like I'm being pushed in that direction. I interviewed online because the prius died. I don't think it's prudent to accept a job without attempting to breathe the air on site, though. I drive down on Friday to take a closer look.

Never Heard Back

Never heard back yea or nay from the one job. They were supposed to call on Monday.

Time to apply to some more, I guess.

UPDATE: Heard back this morning. They went with someone else. Rats. That was the job I was most interested in. I applied to two more jobs last night and four more after school today. I have another Skype interview set up for Friday. I should hear back from one of last Friday's interviews by this Friday, too. Lots going on! I wonder if my references get an email/call for every job that I apply to. If so, I hope they have something saved somewhere so they don't have to reinvent the wheel constantly.

Lots of Interviews

I have had five interviews now.

The first two were in march. One was March 16th in Greene County. The other was March 24th over Skype for a high school.

This week I drove down twice for three interviews spread across two days: One Wednesday, two Friday. I was told I would hear back yea or nay Monday for one and by Friday for another. The Juvenile Detention Center said they would make their final decision the first week of May.

I am very interested to hear back from the Hospital Education Program. If they offer me a position early next week, I will take it. I thought the Juvenile Detention Center was also very interesting. It reminded me of my alternative school roots. If I was already secure and in the area I may have been in a weird spot wondering which to pick. I'm not, though. I thought my last interview with the high school did not go as well (and I wasn't as interested), but if I don't have any other offers...

If no one gets back to me, I'll apply some more. There was a crop of new positions that opened up this week. I felt like I did really well in my interviews, but you never know if you were a match until the call comes. I thought my first interview in March went well, but I never heard back one way or another from them. The second one told me it would "be a while," so that wasn't a surprise.

I have driven over 700 miles since last Sunday. I have applied for ten positions online and was offered interviews at four of them. It's been a busy week. Another school district from farther out called me for an interview, but I declined. It would be a minimum of a forty minute commute (and that's assuming I don't strictly follow the speed limit). I'm not that desperate (yet). At this point, I would rather sign up to be a substitute teacher than commute that far each day.

A Snowy Gamble

I took a risk.

Based on the weather report, I decided to drive down to Charlottesville Wednesday night. A snowstorm was inbound.

The original plan was to drive down on Friday. I needed to drop Shane off at Nana and Pop's first, though. There is a recruitment fair in Harrisonburg Saturday morning. Carrie, also, works Saturday, so someone needed to watch Shane.

The storm offered an opportunity. Thursday looked like a sure snow day. Carrie was scheduled to be off work, so she could work Saturday. She mentioned she was going to be lonely and bored. Shane and I could drive down and keep her company. 

But what about Friday?

There was no guarantee school would be cancelled on Friday. If the storm was a flop, I would find myself possibly over two hours away from a 7:00 AM report time (and possibly stuck in bad conditions if the storm hit harder to the south). A parent meeting for one of my caseload was scheduled for 9:45 AM. A delay would make it easier to report in, but then I would have to drive back and forth to Cville in one day.

Thankfully, my phone buzzed several hours ago. School is cancelled Friday.

One problem left: Saturday.

If the job fair is not cancelled, Carrie and I have to figure out what to do with Shane. She doesn't want to call out of work on Saturday, because every other Saturday she's supposed to have worked has been cancelled due to weather. It's been a month and a half and she still hasn't helped on the weekend.

Should I bring Shane with me? Would Patrick watch him play in a fast food playground while I interviewed? Can Carrie find a babysitter in Cville? Is it worth driving all the way back up to Fairfax to drop Shane off with my parents and make the return trip?

I hope I'm right and they cancel the job fair. The snow date is next Saturday. Carrie is not working then and it would give more time for my preferred work locations to post positions. The counties/cities present at the job fair are part of my backup plan if I can't find a position closer to where we want to live. It will be good to practice, but I don't want to be in the awkward position of being offered a job I don't know if I want. 

It will be what it will be, I guess!

Prepping to Move: Carrie's Journey South

Carrie and I picked up the moving truck Saturday after 1:00 PM. We spent the rest of the day (until 10:00 PM) filling it.

The next morning, we woke up slightly after six. We threw in a few last items and were on the road by 6:45 AM. Carrie drove the truck. She's more comfortable with large vehicles than I am (lots of horse trailer experience).

No one is on the road Sunday morning at 6:45 AM. The trip took approximately two hours.

We're really not moving super far away geographically. There are (scarily) people in Charlottesville who make the commute north to Northern VA. On one hand, I wanted to farther away from the economic gravity sinkhole, but it will be nice to know old friends and haunts aren't too far out of reach.

We arrived to find the townhouse in disorder. Carrie expected it to be rough, but further along than what we found. Good thing we brought our swiffer.

Shortly after we arrived, a pair of contractors arrived to work on some trim work. They parked right on the lawn!

Carrie cleaned and talked to Comcast. I unloaded.

Once Carrie and I finished what we could, we left the house to give the contractors some space. We did errands, explored, and ate a restaurant built from a re-purposed gas station. We returned to more unpacking, furniture arranging, and errands until I left around 4:00 PM. Snow and rain were on the forecast. I didn't want to drive a moving fan with half-flat tires in the dark and wet.

I made it back to NOVA and dropped off the moving truck a little before 7:00 PM. Then I drove to my parents to pick up Shane. We returned to a quieter and emptier house for bedtime around 8:40 PM.

We would never have been able to blitz through all the packing and cleaning if Nana and Pop hadn't watched Shane. Thank you for your support!

From a Talk to a First Step

Carrie accepted a job offer on Monday. She starts next week.

Moving just took one step closer to reality.

Carrie's new company will let her spend her first week commuting to a satellite office closer to us. The following week she will be in the Charlottesville office. Carrie will pick up the keys to the townhouse on Friday, January 23rd. If there is not a snow-storm, we will move her down that weekend.

I don't remember when Carrie and I first talked about moving. It was months ago. She applied to jobs far and wide all December. Nothing much happened. There was a lot of research. We took a day trip to Charlottesville for fun and to look around. That was my idea. Carrie and I have discussed a lot of things to stay on the same page. We're a team.

It was all hopes and dreams until a busy week in January. From slow to fast in an instant.

Our Realtor and our handyman both came by on Wednesday. We could put the house on the market as early as the end of February. Our Realtor was inclined to move quickly; I wanted to wait and see how Carrie likes her new job. We decided that she's at least committed until July (when the rental lease expires), but we're in a position for her to scout out the area without having to fully commit.

Plus, I still need a job. If I can't find work within a reasonable distance of the city we will have to rubber band back north. I won't sever ties with my current job unless I know I have somewhere else to go. I have 9.5 years earned towards my retirement plan whereas Carrie is starting afresh.

Then there's the house. When we do put it up for sale, Carrie's parents have offered to take Shane off our hands. That way I can keep the house in showcase shape. If it goes early, great! I will stay with my parents or friends in the area. If Nana and Pop sell their house quickly, too, I'll manage. There are showers at the school and I can sleep out of my car if I have to. I'd live.

If the house doesn't go quickly we will be in a different kind of spot. Would we lower the asking price? Would we look for renters? Would we maintain the property and wait for next spring? There are still two years before our ARM can change, so it's affordable. Not easy, but doable for the short-term.  

Lots of food for thought. It all happened quick, so some of it is still digesting. I didn't think we'd be this far along when I'm not even halfway through my school year! God works at his own timetable.

Awkward Moment

My AP walked in to my classroom today and asked to talk.

"So what's this I hear about another County?"

When my old principal received the reference email out of the blue, he emailed to ask what was up.

That cat's out of the bag now!

Empty House

Just me and the cats tonight.

Shane and Carrie are at Grandma and Grandpa's. Shane will stay and play with them while Carrie drives into what looks more and more like our future town. She has an interview, appointments around town to look at rentals, day-cares to visit, and a job offer to respond to. The job offer wants her to start on the 19th. Carrie asked if she could start on the 26th instead, but they have not replied yet.

While they're out of town, my job is to try and pick up whatever I can. We have a real estate agent coming over on Wednesday to look at the house, and Carrie scheduled Nelson to visit afterward.

Things were moving slow and now they're moving fast.

Originally, I had hoped Carrie would get job offers further out; March or April, perhaps. When she started getting interviews for Charlottesville, I asked if she could try to not start until February. Wrestling season and half the school year would be finished. I have to keep revising my timetables!

If Carrie accepts the job, she will go down south to start while Shane and I stay up here. Shane will re-enroll in the day-care up the street. I will go to work as normal, but get to experience life as a single parent. It should be eye-opening.

Meanwhile, Carrie will learn her new job, settle, and get ready to transfer Shane to a day-care in Charlottesville. Child care prices are much cheaper down there. Then Carrie will get to experience life as a single parent! There's no rush yet. The transition will be stressful enough without throwing Shane into the mix. We know and like the day-care here, and my parents are still in the area. Plus, Carrie has a good friend, Katie, (one of her old YCC co-workers) who lives in Charlottesville. They can catch up while she has her freedom.

The next five and a half months are going to be interesting. I don't look forward to splitting the family, but you do what you have to do. Military families have it way worse. They move all the time, split up, and their loved ones could be in a combat zone half a world away. Carrie, Shane and I will all be within a couple of hours of each other.

That's the news for now.

My Job Hunt

When the snow hit, I used some of my winter granted down time to start my job hunt. I filled out an online profile on Tuesday. 

My references were contacted Wednesday. 

Thursday, I contacted all my references to say "Crap! Sorry about that! I meant to check in first! Hope you don't mind!" (Oops). 

Friday, I got an email to set-up a phone interview.

I'm pretty sure this is only a screening interview. If I do well, I'll get to talk to schools next. I have no idea when any of that will happen. This part happened much quicker than I expected. There was only one time slot on one day where I would not be teaching or coaching, so I signed up for it. I'll have more news after Monday, January 26th. 

Things are moving along. I signed up for a job fair for several of the surrounding counties in March, and since the cat's out of the bag I may as well apply to a couple more places, too.

Carrie's Job Hunt

Carrie told me that she has applied to over 80 jobs all over the state of Virginia.

She had one interview in our area.

Nowhere else in VA has gotten back to her.

Nowhere except around Charlottesville, that is.

That's okay with Carrie, too. Charlottesville is where she wants to go!

Four different opportunities contacted Carrie. She's made it through screenings and through skill tests and got her first job offer.

Subbing Again?

Carrie gave her two weeks notice last Monday. She went to work in a knee brace Tuesday. The constant getting up and down hurt and the front desk ladies weren't sympathetic, so she came home early. That was her final day on the job. They haven't called. She's not calling them. It's basically done at this point.

There is a job interview scheduled Wednesday. You never know if it will be the one or the first of a hundred. The job sounds up Carrie's alley, but we shall see. In the meantime, Carrie's about to be a substitute teacher....again!

When Carrie first moved to the area, I recommended she substitute teach while job-hunting. A full five years have not passed, so she can be re-instated in a flash of paperwork! It's good timing, too! I need a sub next Friday, and guess who I want to hire? I'm going on a road trip with the varsity boys, and it's Shane's last day in day-care until another full-time job appears.

I will miss having Carrie at home, though. It's great coming home to chores done and stew. We got to take off the whole weekend instead of playing "catch up!"

UPDATE: Carrie contacted the sub office Thursday. They revamped their system. She can NOT quickly be re-instated anymore. That means they won't clear her in time to sub for me next Friday. Rats.

Backlogged Part 3: Day-Care is Ending

Friday will be Shane's last day at day-care.

Carrie will begin working part time next week!

At first, Carrie will be have normal office hours twice a week. Shane's Elders+Dog Conglomerate (IndyPopPopNanaJama) will watch over him then.

Eventually, the job will transition to more evening work and Carrie will switch to a day-shift with Shane. Depending on when she has to report to work, I will either be coming home after four or Carrie will be meeting up with me at school for a hand-off.

It's all very much up in the air as to what will actually happen and what we will actually do.

The bottom line is: we'll make it work!

Shane will (mostly) be happy. He doesn't like going to day-care in the mornings, but he loves running over to the blocks when we get there. His teacher normally leaves them out for him. He often sings songs he's learned from music time, as well. Lately it's been "Days of the Week" to the tune of "The Adams Family."

Carrie and I won't miss paying $345 a week, though! Carrie will have to find local programs and play-groups to keep him occupied during the day!

Shane's going to play hooky tomorrow to visit Gran-Gran (a possible name for Grandma Lois?) and Thursday will be his last day-care visit from Georgeanne. She'll stop working with Shane on his third birthday this December.

Lots and lots of change is on the way. I think kids take the change quotient in your life, quadruple it, add two, and then square it.

Interviewed

On Friday, I had my interview. I was more nervous and rusty than I cared to be.

I would say it was no home run, but it wasn't a train wreck, either.

I started trying to switch into this position over a year and a half ago. I had my first interview to get into the hiring pool February 2012 and was turned down. They gave me a retry in March. I made it in. A year and a half later, I've applied to almost 30 schools. I've been interviewed 4 times.

Will this time be the one?

At the Park

Carrie, Shane, and I went down to the park as a family unit last Saturday. Carrie wanted Gaston to see how much Shane had grown! When Carrie and Gaston went to work, Shane and I went out to play. That's what parks are for right?

Shane's First Day of Day Care

Carrie dropped Shane off for his "discovery day" today. He's going to be starting daycare soon, since Carrie's new job starts on the 13th.

He loved it.

Carrie said he was excited to see her when she arrived. He ran over, grabbed her hand, and then dragged her around to show her different toys he liked. The day care people said he ate, napped, and got along fine!

A part of me was hoping he'd be a little more attached to Mommy and Daddy! Not likely, ha! The boy is an explorer at heart.

I think this will be good for Shane. I hope he makes a lot of new friends at Day Care and enjoys the new toys, sights, and people a couple of days each week.

I'd like to scope out the center myself one day, but (shock) Shane will normally be there when I'm working! Maybe I'll take a "mental health" day after SOLs...