Excuse the Boring, Part Two

So, back to the whole "I've been so boring" thing. Not sure what I'm talking about? You can read the first part of my schpeel here.

Anyway. So, hey Arli, why are you so boring?

Why Arli Was Boring

Chapter Two: The Job

     I don't have a corny intro to this part. My bad (it's late and I just got off work, don't hate. And that also totally rhymed). I digress. So, both me and the hubs graduated from college last year (from the best college in the WORLD). The original plan was for me to work while the Mr. worked on his graduate degree. So we were all excited when I got my degree in December. Until the state cut 6 billion dollars from the education budget a couple days later. And the teaching market went to you-know-where. So, the whole I-teach-to-put-you-through-school thing wasn't looking so good. While I explored other possible employment options, my wonderful husband got offered a surprise job super early in the semester. We could have stayed in our college town, budgeted like crazy, and stuck with the original plan. Or, we could take the super awesome job in a really neat part of town, move back home really close to our families, and live comfortably for awhile without having to worry too much about money. One of those choices, obviously, sounded a lot more fun than the other. Especially after two semesters of being super poor married-while-still-in-college students.

      So, we moved back to Houston. Hi Houston! (which, incidentally, is definitely not that green) We (mostly me) LOVE living in Houston. We got an AMAZING apartment (although, to be fair, we didn't have much to compare to. Student housing in a college town is sad and scary). Being close to family is really, really important to me. So being 45 minutes away from any given family member was awesome. I got a job here that, while temporary, lets me work with super awesome people that I love to little tiny pieces. The heat and humidity and 4000 pound air are not my favorite, but that's okay. The Mr. loves Houston too, and liked his job, but it wasn't doing exactly what he wanted to be doing. You know?

      Don't you love it when you think you have everything all planned out and God has another plan entirely? I find that this happens to me a lot, lately. I feel like he just rolls his eyes at me and laughs  when I plan things.

      So, mid-October, Phillip (the hubs) gets a call from one of his former professors. A position with the university has opened up. The job is a full-time, state-funded job will full benefits that pays for your graduate degree. And with a little negotiation, the salary is almost exactly what he earns at his present job (before you factor in the tuition and fees and all the other stuff it pays for).  So, obviously, it's an opportunity that we kind of have to take. Down side: the chances of me getting a job in this town are slim to none. There are about 10 times more teachers looking to 80% less jobs. But, I don't mind putting my career on hold for awhile. It's not like its exactly going anywhere right now anyway. And who knows? Maybe I'll figure out something that is exactly what I wanted to do all along. You never know.

  

(It's the closet thing we have to a skyline. Yeah, it's not a big town.)

      So, December first, we will be moving back to Aggieland. Yes, December first. Which, in case you don't have a calendar handy, is in about two weeks. Crap, I just looked at my calendar. Exactly two weeks. Have I packed a single box? No. Did I unpack everything I own when we moved 6ish months ago because I thought we would be here a long time? Yes. Sigh.

     When we started looking for places to live up there, seeing all the rentals made me a little sick. Well... a lot sick. It broke my heart a lot knowing that I would have to leave my apartment. The apartment that I love as much as a person can ever love a building. With the crown molding and garden tubs and resort-style pool. The rentals in Aggieland are desgined for college students, which means they are small and old and lame. But, I guess that's a story for another time. (Hint hint: chapter three).