Man, Oh Man...

There's a bit to catch up on...since I've turned into one of those lame bloggers. But I've been busy. So here goes:

The end of December was an interesting time for us. Zac was supposed to be finishing his very last semester. He was also supposed to have a job offer. Or at least an internship offer. I mean, come on...we had thought it through and really prayed about it and felt like he should stay in school for fall semester. So...we did it. Then he had an interview with Pixar in November. And a second one at the beginning of December. And then an email saying something like, "we liked your stuff. But we aren't looking for modelers/texturers right now. But keep applying...most of our employees have applied three or four times..."

So there we were, between Christmas and New Years, completely unsure about our future. Because, hey, we thought it would have been figured out by now. But alas, it seemed just as unclear as it had in August when Zac decided to do "one last semester." So what did we do? Decided "one FINAL semester" would have to do.

Now I know it sounds like Zac is going to be a professional student the rest of his life, but this is what is really going down: After talking to some of his professors, he realized that his chances for a job or a residency or an internship probably wouldn't come until after the winter semester. Recruiters typically want people for larger chunks of time and therefore typically visit campuses during February and March. And when Zac's professor showed him the schedule of recruiters visiting, that's exactly what he saw. Dreamworks in February, Microsoft (yay!!!), Pixar, Sony, and some new FX company based out of Dallas, all in March. So, the Final Semester ensued.

And though we are praying and hoping something good comes out of these campus visits, we realize that it is a real possibility that Zac could get passed over. And while he doesn't need a recruiter to get hired, it sure helps. Because in this industry when applying cold for a job, companies are looking for "Senior" artists and people with 4+ years of experience...not some kid right out of college. Ugh. So we started looking into the world of "contractual work." And we know people that it's worked out just fine for (I'm talking about you, D!!!) so it seems like a viable option. The only problem? we would need to move where the jobs are. Like:

SEATTLE!!!!!!!!!

Which we are wayyyy psyched about. But I did say "problem." To be perfectly honest, we looked at our financial situation and came to the conclusion that moving was just not an affordable possibility with our (then) current situation. I mean, we would have to pay for moving expenses, find a new place, (find a place to stay while we were looking for a new place), pay the deposit and rent when we found a new place...it was getting all very expensive in our minds. And Seattle is not the cheapest place in the world. So we decided a change of employment was in order. And the job hunt began.

And I found one first! Long story short (since this post is already long enough), I was hired by a company called Guckenheimer. They were opening a new restaurant for APX Alarm here in Provo and were hiring a whole new staff and I got hired on to cook AND serve. It all seemed a little overwhelming at first...but the hours were decent and the pay is GREAT for now! I work 7-3 and make about $12 an hour. My first paycheck had some over-time included and it was $1,200.00. Which is more than we were making in a MONTH before!

Now I was apprehensive to accept the job offer because I had decided two and a half years ago that I was going to be a stay at home mom. It was something that I wanted to do because I didn't have that growing up. Both of my parents worked (which I am grateful for...I mean, by the time I was four or five we were living in a brand new house that my parents owned!) and I hung out with my grandma all day (which I am also super grateful for!!!). But the thing is, I wanted to be with my babies. I didn't want them to have to go to a sitter or to family. So I didn't know how I felt about working and leaving them. Until we realized that the 7-3 schedule worked out so well. They don't even get up until 9:00 most days and as long as I am home by 3:00, Zac can be home with the kids!!! (Disclaimer: Zac has class at 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays and It takes me 15 minutes to get home, so we do have a bit of an overlap where Zac's friend, Chris, babysits for us!!!) I was also having issues because I am still breastfeeding. But that has all worked out, too. I have a double-electric pump and take a break to do it every day around 11. Then she has two 4 oz bottles for the next day (plus the baby food she now eats!!!) and I nurse her in the evenings. It's turning out to be a convenient situation for all of us!

So, that's where we stand now. Zac is at home with the kids during the day while I work 7-3. Then I come home and he goes to the lab for a few hours to work on his film/portfolio/demo reel. Then he comes home for dinner and we put the kids to bed...TOGETHER. Which is something we haven't consistently done EVER since he used to work from 9 pm to 1 am (which he no longer does...we figured if he was working that late, I would never see him and he would be way too tired to get up with the kids in the morning.) And then we actually have time together at night. So I'm putting my S.A.H.M. plans on hold for a few months, but I think it's going to be really good for us in the long run.

And that's what we've been up to!!!

Oh, and for reading such a long post, here is your reward: