You
would think it isn't a big deal, but 20% is a big chunk of change, like
$200 less a week and over the next 11 weeks, so $2200 less overall, it
will make a difference. I was worried at first, but I think it will be
alright. Yea, I'm referring to the government sequestration of all
government employees and contractors as well. Of course we lowly
contractors don't get the benefits that the government workers get but
we will get the same 20% less. I suppose the rest of the Americans
will, or should, enjoy the fact that they don't work for the government
in this day and age.
Other news . . .
Jason and I will be
moving out of this place that we've called home over the last nine
years. There have been wonderful memories but many of them were made
with our best friends with whom we will be moving in with. I know I may
have told some of you about this already, but please bear with me here.
Background
is we first met them (David and Darlene) when we first moved here . . .
January 2005. He and my husband worked in the same place downtown. I
remember him coming over I think the first or second day that we were in
town. We stayed in one of the hotels downtown which the company paid
for I believe. Anyway, David walked in, was very kind, considerate and
friendly. His huge smile as our eyes met was reassuring. Jason, my
husband of about 10 days at that time, no, we did not get a honeymoon,
was energetic and excited to have a great job after graduating less than
a year earlier. I couldn’t be more proud of him. David told me that
his wife, Darlene, and I, would get along great. I don’t think he
thought of it the same way I did, but nobody really knew how I would
think of it, let alone my new husband. It was a new place for both of
us and a bit larger of a city than where we had come from. When Jason
left the next morning for work I was left in the hotel alone once again,
but it was a beautiful place. I didn’t sit around long and went
downstairs to grab something to eat and go for a short walk around the
area. I was home, I found a Starbucks and went inside and must have sat
there for a couple hours. My phone rang and I looked at the number,
thinking it was Jason, but didn’t recognize it right away. I answered
it and was wonderfully surprised to hear the voice of a thoughtful,
sweet lady whom I at first was perplexed how a stranger could first call
me then be so sweet. She introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Darlene,
David’s wife. Is this Amy?” My face lit up with the hopes that I had
my first new female friend in this new city. We talked for a while and
she told me about the area which helped in my search for a possible home
for us. She invited Jason and I over to their home for dinner that
Friday. When I met her for the first time the Friday evening I was
surprised such a beautiful woman, about my age, long dark hair and a
gorgeous smile, would be a stay at home wife. She welcomed us and gave
me the biggest hug I’ve had for a long time, which just made me feel
welcome and relaxed.
The next day, Saturday, they came to the
hotel. I was eagerly awaiting their arrival as staying in the hotel for
large parts of the day were getting really boring. Once again, seeing
her and David just made sense. Two happy, energetic people, big smiles,
friendly as ever, I knew right away they would be special people in our
lives. It wasn’t freezing outside, of course I was used to the cold
weather coming from northern New York, 40 degrees is actually nice
unless you have a cold breeze. She had on a form fitting jacket with
one of them hoods with the fur around the edges. Anyway, enough about
her looks and classy outfit and yes, my obvious intrigue in them, we
hung out for the day, seeing the sights and getting to know each other
more. Before the day was done we had walked to a few museums and
monuments that I had only previously read about in books and ended back
up at a nice restaurant. It was the kind I didn’t think we could
afford, being new to the job and me without a job. It literally was
extravagance from floor to ceiling. We had dinner and I didn’t want to
even know what the final bill was and to this day I still don’t know but
I have come to realize that the company reimbursed David for it. I
really felt Jason had reached the top of his profession with his first
job in his new field, but I knew Jason pretty well by that time. He is a
dedicated, hard-worker and his portfolio showed his desire and
understanding of the many forms of thinking that went into his art, or
rather his architectural designs. The company was rather impressed as
well.
Jump ahead to present time, actually about six months ago.
Jason and I were happy and were wondering how this 20% cut would affect
us. It all turned out to be just worry as it really hasn’t affected us
much. Jason, and now I, are well versed with budgetary issues in our
young marriage. At first I had simple jobs, which didn’t bring in much,
but eventually I got on where I’m at now. The people are wonderful,
even the boss, and I couldn’t be happier. Of course having your best
friend work across the street isn’t so bad either. We were at our good
friend’s home for one of our weekly gatherings and the idea of moving in
with them and their large beautiful home came up. Well, my husband has
also had a dream of opening his own business and as it turned out,
David too had that same dream. They figured, since they were such great
friends and they had the area for it right at their house, why not
combine and make a new start as a team. They’d been working so well
together and had many contacts throughout the area that they felt it
would work great.
Their home is a large older home built in the
late 1800s that at one time belonged to his great grandparents and sat
on 200 acres of land. It was passed down from generation to generation
left to his family and the land was split between his siblings. Most of
it sold off but his roughly 50 acre share stayed intact until only
about ten years ago. He and his father wanted to remodel the old home
and bring it up to standards for safety sake and to make it a home he
and his new wife, this was just before they got married, could live and
raise a family in. Well, unfortunately, as it would turn out, Darlene
is not able to have children and the idea of adopting has come up on
many occasions. However, they have been a very busy couple and time
seemed to fly past. When we had finally met them in the winter of 2005
they had pretty much remodeled most of the interior of the home and had
sold off most of the acreage, give or take maybe ten acres around the
home.
They put in for the permits to build an addition off the
back of the home which would be their office and showroom. They even
thought that when the time came they could easily find a small part of
the acreage and build a home that Jason and I could live in with our
family, when the time came of course. Are you thinking, “no way, this
can’t be true?” Well, you’re not alone in your thinking as I was taken
aback when I first heard the idea of us moving in with them, then the
part about possibly building a home for us on the property, that just
floored me. Of course we are a close, tight nit group the four of us
and have gotten to know each other quite well over the years. But
still, this just seemed unreal but not so far-fetched when I think about
it. Yes, I’m not telling you the complete story, but this is true as I
write it.
Forward five months or one month ago. The work has
already begun on the office space so their home is a bit discombobulated
at the moment. By the time we move in the office will be nearly
complete and the larger portion of the construction completed. Their
house itself is not torn up, just the area around where the new
construction is occurring.
Today: We will be moving out of our
place next month and into their lovely home. I’m excited and nervous
all in one and this will be a new chapter in our lives.
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