Career Change

Tomorrow is my last day at work for the foreseeable future. Surprisingly I feel very little emotion about it...not bitter, not sweet, not bittersweet. It feels like a very organic transition, actually . I guess if I feel anything it's a little excited for some change. I thrive on change.

Every since last summer, when Dylan spent much of the time traveling and Gavin and I spent much of the time trapped inside or otherwise fending off the heat, I realized that I didn't ever want to do that again. It's not that it was so bad, but if I knew that I could do something to make it better, then why would I not?

So we brewed up a plan by fall that would involve Gavin and I occupying the guest area at the Millers' house on the Oregon coast for the summer. By spring they gave us the green light on this plan. And then everything else fell into place. We'd all drive to San Diego for the family reunion at the end of June, then Tom and Dylan would get the car to Oregon after that, and G and I would fly there with the rest of the family. Mikaila and Jace are getting married the first of August, so Dylan would come back for the nuptials and help to get us home afterward.

Between San Diego and the wedding, the plan is anyone's guess. The only thing I know for sure is that we'll play outside (even in the rain) as much as we can, hit the beach most days since we're a stone's throw away, get a lot of quality time with Gavin's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and RELAX. I am very much looking forward to it.

What we'll do to fill our days once we get back home is also up in the air. I'm fortunate that I have the option to go back to work. Or not go back to work. The latter would certainly involve a lifestyle change, but probably one that would make us all the better. I might go crazy in my own head staying home every day, especially when Dylan is gone for those long stretches, but I'm just not worried about what I'll do to be productive with my time. That's always been my worry when thinking about making a change like this, and for now, I just have faith that I'll figure it out.

On the other hand, this job has been so good to me for the last six and a half years. I've been full-time and part-time, and right now I have such a gravy schedule for a pharmacist. I'll never get that anywhere else, and I know that...but I'm pretty sure I missed my calling in life when I became a pharmacist anyway, so there's that. It's so interesting to look back on how things have progressed in my life, both at work and outside of work, since I started working there, which was just a few months before we got married. A lot of really good people work inside those walls. Some of the best, and I will absolutely miss them like crazy. But the company has changed immensely and grown faster than a weed since its inception, and I know it has a promising future as a company...but I'm not so sure what that means for people like me, one of the minions who works there.

So anyway, we have a ton of organizing, planning, and packing to do to pull this off, but I have a feeling it will be completely worth it. We will most definitely miss Dylan, but we'd probably spend a lot of time missing him if we stayed home, too. And after having him gone for 16 of the last 19 days and a record stretch of above-110 degree days around here, well it pretty much seals the deal that we're doing the right thing. The lack of nerves about it and the ease with which it's all come together has helped, too. We are so, so excited for San Diego and Gavin's first time at Camp Three Tree and the summer ahead!