The Shakespear Bed & Breakfast

Well, we're off to Minnesota! And we're taking the best route--through Ann Arbor for a night, and Cedar Rapids for two weeks to celebrate the holidays.

The Shakespears were so generous in putting us up for our night in Michigan. Our boys had a blast running around for hours on end while we talked and talked. I think we all practically fell asleep in the living room, because we could have just kept talking all night. Megan and Jeremy are the best. We heart the Shakespears!

How cute is that, coincidentally matching jammies? Awesome.

By the way, Megan is 35 wks along with twins, and is hands down the cutest pregnant woman ever, ever, EVER! I'm so excited to see pics of the little ones when they arrive! And then all meet up again in Nauvoo sometime soon!

Brian, Meet Your New Boss...

And, allow me to introduce you to your new coworkers...

That's right, Brian has accepted a job as an Associate Marketing Manager at General Mills!!!!!

We are in complete and total shock. It really has just barely begun to sink in. A complete answer to prayers (thank you SO much to everyone who prayed for us, or even just sent your empathy for our situation!)

It's an absolute dream job, in every way. He'll start in mid-Jan, so right after the holidays we'll be heading to Minneapolis . (Mills has its headquarters in Golden Valley, just west of downtown).

Brian is on cloud nine, and I'm thrilled out of my mind too! I am so, so, so glad that Brian didn't give up on his dream. Felix still thinks we're heading to Pittsburgh, but he's starting to say "Minnin-napowis!" when we ask him where we'll be moving to. He calls Minnesota, "Minne-snow-ta", which is probably more accurate.

Oh, and speaking of the cold... ummm, all I can say is that I haven't let myself think about the weather yet. Ignorance is bliss, right? But really, who moves to a tundra state in the middle of January

Anyhow, let's hear it for BRIAN, General Mills' newest AMAZING MARKETER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going to the OHIO

We're off! Tomorrow morning we'll pack up our lives and go to Akron for an extended visit with my family. Don't get this confused with moving in with my family. That would require moving boxes (we're just using suitcases), changing our address (we'll be pretending we still live in MI), and humbling ourselves and facing reality (nope).

So here's to my mom for putting up with us for the next few weeks! (Or months? We'll see how long this job search takes.)

A note on the job search: Brian's dream is to work as an Assistant Brand Manager at a major Consumer Packaged Goods company (like Kellogg's, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, etc...). That means he'd like to market everyday products to you all.

His background is a little non-traditional (undergrad in Music, experience in music retail, dual degree in Music and Business, and an internship in Marketing at Steinway & Sons), and CPG Brand Management is notoriously hard to break into. Combine those factors with a frigid economy, and you see why we're in month eleven of our job hunt!

We've considered conceding Brian's dreams to the reality of bills and rent. Maybe we could find a lower-level job at a CPG company (like an Analyst position), or a Marketing job at a smaller-name or non-CPG company? We've finally started to apply for some jobs like that, but we haven't been having much more luck than with the "dream" jobs and companies. It's hard to get your application noticed, among the hundreds, without a current empoyee's name in your cover letter, so Brian has been networking like crazy at like every company ever. This helps him get a decent number of phone interviews, which almost always leads to a fly-back interview, which almost always leads to rejection...

Days have turned into months, and now semesters, and we're seeing just how bare-bones our budget can get so that we don't have to start spending our savings. So now summer's drawing to a close, and we've decided to move Brian's job-searching headquarters to my Mom's house.

(To be honest, it's hard to think that I worked my perfectionistic tail off during high school with my immaculate gpa, perfect attendance at early-morning seminary, intense sports involvement to make it to BYU on scholarship and put myself through undergrad and grad school, marry Mr. Right in the temple, have two perfect babies, and help my husband through the rigors of two master's degrees... all to return home jobless, with a husband and two kids in tow? )

But that's the shortsighted, self-centered way of looking at our situation. In the grand scheme of things, this is a little hiatus in our otherwise pleasant life. A time to refocus on our beliefs, our values, our motives for choices and goals. A time to realize we can't--and never did--do it alone. A time to develop humility and faith. And a time to pray and fast for answers and direction--and the blessing of a "dream" job, in the Lord's time.

You see, the answer we feel we've received is to continue to press forward in our quest for a job that will allow Brian to most fully use his talents, skills, and knowledge, in a field and function that Brian can fell passionate about and rewarded by! So, we've decided this means making some sacrifices, and heading into the unknown for a little while longer, with faith that we will land this evasive job eventually.

This is a trial for us. But since when should we shun opportunities for character development? This life is a time for us to prepare to meet God, and I've got a ways to go... Honestly, my character and faith grow most when I need to stretch and work hard, and sincerely pray for help and guidance because I desparately need it. So, this trial is requiring patience, tears, faith, and earnest prayer. Answers and comfort have come in very subtle but powerful ways, and I have a deep sense of peace about the future that I lose only when I start to feel depressed or angry. We've grown closer as a family through this process, too, and hopefully a little more humble as we've realized how much we truly need the Lord's help!

There are blessings though... the thick silver lining to all of this is all of the time our family is going to be able to spend time with my dear Mom, brothers, and Dad!

We've Moved!

To a charming blue house near a park. With a fenced backyard. And the world's best neighbors, who are keenly interested a Brian's job search, and in getting our kids to laugh. (I just want to add that we got a screamin' deal on this sublet due to the decreased demand in this college town in the summer for housing.)

It's a great place to be for the summer, but hopefully we'll be able to move out fairly soon when we find a job!

Felix calls it the "blue home-again" because when Grandma Polly came to visit a while ago, she would always chant, "Home again, home again, jiggity-jig" as we pulled in the parking lot".

Nauvoooo!!

OK, this post is entirely past due, which fact I could blame on a 5-day hospital stay (for asthma)with Felix, (during a simultaneous 5-day, 3-child babysitting job)...

...or family coming to visit...

(we love Grandpa Hall! Oh, and yes, Felix is in the mastedon display. Yep, I'm one of those parents.)

... or the general frenzy associated with moving...

(not actual photo)

...but I'll just opt to blame it on the procrastination bug.

At any rate, we went to Nauvoo, IL with our pals the Shakespears, and had a BLAST! I would do it again in a heartbeat, as long as gas doesn't tip $12 a gal or anything.

The drive was great, including the run-around breaks (oh, except for the little tornado experience an hour from Cedar Rapids. Welcome to Iowa!)

We stayed for one night in Cedar Rapids with beloved and generous Grandma Hall (it was definitely sad to leave in the morning...)

And then soaked up Nauvoo culture and scenery!

ok, and Felix just LOVED the temple! I'd been looking forward to getting a few shots of him at the Nauvoo temple since he was just a twinkle in my eye, but I was blown away by his enthusiasm to climb the stairs, run around in the portico, and touch the walls and doors. So sweet!

So fun! (oh, no comment on the slightly less-than-ethical method of entry there...)

Felix was really sad to leave the grounds though, which made for a grumpy-looking baby in the family pic... Oh well!

I love Nauvoo!

Culture Shock

Twenty Signs We’re Not in St. George Anymore:

1. I took Felix outside to witness his first thunderstorm the other day. He was mesmerized the entire time. :-D
2. We walked through puddles the next day, because they hadn’t dried up overnight
3. I haven’t worn lotion for like a month. And I’m slowly getting over my addiction to lip gloss too.
4. I have wavy hair? No way!
5. Fans are dead serious about football (but it isn’t helping)
6. Cereal gets chewy if you forget to fold the bag down
7. Lightening Bugs!
8. No more cockroaches!
9. There are no Jello aisles in the grocery stores
10. There are separate beer, wine, and liquor aisles…
11. Our church ward is more than 3 blocks wide!
12. Temple trips take a whole day
13. Roads change name and direction without warning
14. Towns that are right next door really aren’t right next door, because there’s 3 miles of unincorporated nowheresville separating everything (thanks to the public land survey system)
15. An LDS temple recommend is not a valid form of ID
16. There are “Impeach Bush” signs everywhere
17. Pop cans are like gold. Or at least dimes
18. The soothing sound of a lovely Midwestern accent
19. People here know where Akron is, but not Kirtland anymore
20. When I make a comment about the nice weather, people quickly remind me that winter’s coming, and it’s going to be cold this year. Very cold.
    
    Can you think of more? Leave them as comments!

This is the PLACE!

Hello from beautiful Ann Arbor! After our last long day of travel, we arrived on Wednesday and since then have been unpacking, taking care of errands, and meeting lots of new people. We're living in about a mile and a half south of the business school (safely out of the undergrad zone!) in an apartment/townhouse complex called Woodbury Gardens. People refer to it as "MBA gardens" sometimes since lots of other MBA families live here too.

Maybe it's because Michigan is so similar to Ohio (demographically, socially, and climate-wise) but I really feel like I have come home, without actually going home. My mom is planning monthly trips up to visit us too, which is awesome! Felix could never have too much of Grandma in his life!! (And I could never have too much of my mom!)

Brian has dove right into school with a pre-term Accounting course. That's 5 days straight of 8 hrs of class, and then a big exam to see if you learned enough to not have to repeat the material this Fall. Brian will take the exam after his M-trek, which begins next week. I'm tired just thinking about all that he's doing! The benefit of cramming this class in now is that it will open up his schedule (a little) for a music class or two, helping him check off a couple of the 20 credits required for that degree.

The M-trek is an optional experience for incoming MBAs, which offers them the opportunity to travel and bond with their classmates before school starts. There are Mtreks that go to different places all over the world, and students can sign up for one that suits their preferences. Brian chose the one that went to Isle Royale here in Michigan (12 hrs North--above the UP), since it was cheap, involved lots of strenuous hiking, didn't have too much partying, and also, it was cheap. He's really looking forward to the trip!

More from the Road

We're one time zone closer to our destination--in Iowa now, after a pretty long drive from Denver on Saturday. Did you know that Nebraska is really the longest state in the country? Because of the way maps are drawn, Texas appears bigger. But in reality, Nebraska's nearly six thousand miles wide. So says our recent experience.

Well, before this long drive we had a great time in Denver with Brian's dad and brother. Spencer taught Felix Cat language, and they're now working on Cow. I wonder what will come next? This kid is going to want to be a zookeeper! Since Dave is self-employed he was able ot take a few days off and drive us around to explore the area. We went to Pike's Peak and the Anasazi Manitou Cliff Dwellings (real sandstone 'apartments' built ~700 years ago that visitors can walk around in)! Both were incredible!

On the way up to the peak:

At the top!
At the Anasazi dwellings:
Peek-a-boo!

Luckily, Felix found a fast food place... (aka, mom)

So well preserved for how old they are, and how much traffic they get! We can hardly build a home to last 100 years now.

Now we're in lovely Cedar Rapids for a while. Felix met the LAST close relative on his list: Aunt Christy! They had fun together, and when we first arrived Felix showed off his new speaking skills by saying, "ma ma ma". He had been working on that in the back seat in Wyoming (another deceptively LARGE state!) Way to go Felix!

Of course Felix and Grandma Hall can't seem to get enough of each other, which is just the way it should be. Felix love to rock with Grandma, and he even made up a little jig for her! Hopefully now that we'll be living closer we can make more trips to visit family out in this area.