Today I had two surprises. The first one, a small one, is very "we plan and God laughs". I planned to put Impatiens next to the stairs where I took the Pachysandra out. I already planted a Hosta in part of that space by the staircase. Since I have mentioned Hostas so much you can probably guess they are one of my favorites. Enter God, and the landscaper who told me that this year there is Impatiens blight going around the area so they can't be planted this year. I left a note with Paula, my upstairs neighbor, asking if she thinks we should wait until next year or plant more Hostas instead.
I'd prefer the Hostas. They would be a one time purchase saving money. I already plant a lot of plants so as much as I love planting, more perennials sounds nice. Interesting how this happened a week after Paula said, "are you sure you want to plant the Hosta there? The only ones that will see the Impatiens behind it are us?" I told her "so, then they are something special just for us." I suspect she'll like the Hosta idea too.
But that's nothing compared to Josh's surprise from God. For the last couple of weeks there has been a rumor around his warehouse about them closing the warehouse when the lease is up at the end of July and moving some Employees and offering a severance package to others. That started when some guys in suits showed up checking things out. Today it started to happen for real, but it might mean more for us then most.
It's confirmed that he's keeping his job and moving to the new warehouse. A company they do business with had bought the distribution center warehouse (where Josh is). I'll remind you, he works as the Quality Control Manager for a company that makes imported Italian cheese under names like Ceilo and Bella Rosa (Costco, Restaurant Depot ect.... yes you might have his stuff in restaurants). They also make some cheeses for Sargento and other brands.
What hasn't been confirmed is his pay, this is why. At minimum he will continue to earn his current salary of about $32,000 a year. But he made an offer. Josh told his boss he would be willing to do both his current job and his co-worker's job for $65,000 a year. That is a lot less then both their salaries combined so it would be a money saver for the company, a possible selling point.
It's the only way we'd be able to even do the math to see if we could afford a second child. God's plan? I did do the math about a year ago and determined that yes, $65,000 would mean financial independence from my parents and enough rent money to afford a bigger place as well as a second child. Anything above $60,000 we can do. Josh had been job searching without getting called for an interview. This is the only way we possibly could afford a second child, his partner leaving and Josh getting a bigger salary to do both jobs. It seemed so impossible. But the opportunity is here and I'm proud of him for making this offer to his boss.
We do know that as of August 1st he's working in a new location even if that means same job at the same pay. He's been guaranteed it won't be less. I'm trying not to let myself be hopeful about this but the instincts are kicking in something fierce!!! Is this God's plan? I said before that my instincts say Zach will be in the 1st or 2nd grade when he becomes a big bro but it took 2 years to get pregnant with him. This very well could be the start of that. He only has one more year of preschool. Two years from now he'll be finishing up Kindergarten.
I do believe God has a plan for us. In my OCDed mind I wish I could at minimum know what it was so when I make decisions they would match the plan. I have to let that control go. There are happy surprises in life. It happens with my family and my garden all the time. There is one house on a walk I do basically daily that has a row of Hostas in the Summer that never fails to take my breath away. Now I might have that at my own home. Unplanned. I never thought my first boyfriend would be my soul mate but there is no doubt in my mind he's the one. That was after 3 years of High School feeling bad because no one had asked me even out on a date. In my heart, God knew what I really wanted was to get it right the first time. It was his plan. Somehow, when the second line appeared on that Dollar Tree test I knew this baby would stick around. Now, he's in Preschool. When we started trying for Zach instincts said 2 years. Sure enough, he was conceived 2 years later. I can't seem to stop hoping that this is God's way of saying "it's time to start on that second child". Why does that stand out? Why can't I let it go? Why do I hear the "ding ding ding" going off in my head at this revelation that possibly as soon as the magic month of September we can try again? September 2006 is when we started trying for Zach and he was conceived in September of 2008. It's also my birth month and the month that, for me, has always felt like the real start of the year, a new beginnings month. What is God's plan for us with Josh's job move? I'll keep you posted.
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