Updates! Sort of...

Hey everyone, it has really been too long since I spent any time to update the blog. When I realized that over a year had gone by, I asked Kristin to get me some photos of what we did last year so that I could do the updating. We did, and I was about to update the blog with nice pictures of our family trip to Stanley, Idaho in the Sawtooths for a snowmobile trip; Conner getting his Bobcat award in Cub Scouts; Tyler getting his Webelos and Arrow of Light awards in Cub Scouts; Erin doing volleyball, basketball and getting her Young Woman's Regcognition award; and Jason doing cross country and getting his Eagle Scout award. We had some great photos of all our events and I was committed to spending some of my Christmas break reflecting back on this wonderful year and all the neat things we did as a family, and also looking ahead to 2011 and what interesting things we are planning for the new year...

Then came December 14, 2010... That is another "date that will live in infamy" with me. I was let go from my employment at Engineering Incorporated due to lack of work. It is an understatement to say that it was a big bombshell event in my life. I had never been in the place where I was ready, able and willing to work but didn't have someone to work for.

So I have spent the last few weeks trying to find a new job to support me and the family and do what the Lord wants me to do all at the same time. It has been a very humbling experience for me and I will admit that I was a little afraid of the unknown. But from the moment my former boss told me that "I have to let you go" I have been comforted by the Spirit. I knew that the Lord was in charge and that he would provide for my family. I was concerned, but not worried about what was in store for the family.

One of my former co-workers gave me a lead from a recruiter that called him a few days before I was downsized. I started following up on this lead right away. Then I also had a lead from attending one of my professional societies. The past president stood up in the meeting and told everyone that his company had some openings. I took these two leads and pursued them. It was the normal phone tag sometimes because it was during the holidays, so between Christmas and New Year's, I didn't see much movement in the job search. Soon after the New Year began, I had good phone interviews regarding both these leads, which ultimately ended up in face-to-face interviews at both places; McKinstry Company in Boise and MKK Consulting Engineers in Billings, Montana.

The McKinstry job opportunity was for an Energy Engineer. This person would be doing energy audits, calculations, modeling and reports for the clients. I had done all these things intermittently for my projects as a design consultant, but this would be working for the contractors on the other side from what I was used to. I felt comfortable that I could do this work, it was different, but not unfamiliar to me.

The MKK opening was for a Senior Mechanical Engineer; very, very much similar to the position I had been occupying at EI. The biggest challenge for me would be moving and the logistics of selling the house. With the current market conditions, we are quite underwater in our house (I imagine like most all homeowners out there are), but I knew if this is what the Lord wanted for me, that things would work out.

Well that brings me pretty much up to the present time. I have been offered a position with McKinstry (the Boise job) that is better than what I had with EI before. I came to the realization that MKK would have to make an offer that was out of this world in order for me to accept it. There were so many things that would have needed to be figured out to make it work. I am relieved that I don't have to figure them out, but I know if that is what the Lord wanted me to do, He would have made it possible for me to accomplish it.

In any case, we will be staying in Boise because the Lord still needs us here. I start work on February 7th. I am so grateful to everyone who has done anything to help out me and the family during our trial. We had such an outpouring of love and concern and prayer and food storage and just thoughtful advice during the past 6 weeks. We know that we have been supported in our cause by the Lord and take our job offer in Boise as evidence of all the tender mercies that He gives to us as His children.

I still have the pictures and I will be working them in to future updates. If you want more details on anything, just drop me a line. Hope to hear from you all soon!