Life since mid January has been anything but normal around
here. That is when hubby got laid off for the first time this year. It lasted 2
½ weeks. After being back for only 3 weeks, he was again laid off. Second
layoff was much more selective than the first & this one lasted 5 weeks.
During this last layoff, we learned some things about the
company, behind the scenes. Armed with this info, we did a lot of talking &
thinking. We decided that if we could not find something for him here, we’d
expand our searching down to where my dad lives.
My dad lives 2 hours south of us. The area is different than
here. I cant honestly say better or worse because there is so much that goes
into that. His area is bigger. It’s also flatter. Living here we are very hilly
& surrounded by foothills of the Cascade Mountain range on one side & a
plateau on the other. The Columbia & Wenatchee Rivers create the divisions.
The towns lay in the Valley created by all this. It’s a very nice place to
live. One could describe it as almost perfect. Well, if one has enough income
to sustain themselves with the rising costs of living here. But, when you have
a job that has the potential to lay you off every winter (& now with the
other backside info we know) it becomes less than perfect for sure.
So we began to check out my dad’s area more closely. It’s
bigger as I mentioned. It is indeed more flat as well but not without some
smaller hills still. It is in more of a desert like region. But it is still
along the Columbia River. It is also at the mouth of the Snake River. The area
there is comprised of 3 towns, which have, because of the landscape, been
allowed to grow bigger than here where we are confined by the hills. The growth
for them is not bad. It has allowed the area to be known as a very big shopping
& tourism hot spot. The climate is a bit milder than here & their
growing season is longer. They have more of everything … including things that
we like. More Farmer’s Markets, craft shows, festivals, events … & the community
embraces the arts more. It is much more pet friendly too. Could I write a book?
Perhaps not quite, but I sure could write a lot more about it. Now, our area
here has some great things as well. They are just on a much smaller scale. And
I could write a lot about it as well.
I really don’t want to move; mostly because of what it
entails. But, after spending time down there yet again this week, I (we) can
see us living there & being quite happy. Given the right job of course.
This week we decided to go down there & take a couple
week days to see about applying for jobs & such while also checking out the
area. We left on Tuesday afternoon after I finished volunteering at the food
bank here in town. We got to visit that
evening & begin a plan of attack for the following 2 days. Wednesday
morning & early afternoon provided quite an informative & successful
day which we spent totally focused on the job side of things. As we headed back
to dad’s house we missed a turn so we had to turn around. As we sat waiting to
pull back out onto the road, hubby got a call. It was his boss from the company
he had been laid off from. He was asking if he could come back to work the next
morning. What? Seriously? So hubby told him where we were & what we were
doing. Would Friday be okay? Sure. And so … our trip was cut short just like
that. What was truly odd is the fact that never, in call backs after a layoff,
in all the years he’s worked for this company, have they called & wanted
him back the next day. Never. It has always been a ‘come back Monday’ type of
thing. We both could not help but laugh at the chain of events that just happened.
How odd. We were both happy & bummed at the same time.
We decided to at least do a little (mostly window) shopping
at some stores we don’t have here, before we left. So we headed back to dads so
he could change into more comfy clothes from the fancy clothes he had been
wearing to do the job stuff. Then we came back home in time for dinner &
told dad & his wife about the day … we enjoyed a nice dinner together &
headed down to her brothers house (just down the road in the same neighborhood)
to visit & play some cards. It was wonderful fun. Thursday morning we
caught a couple more stores before we began our ride back home. No exploring
the area this time. We’ll plan another visit soon tho. And with so many seeds
planted there in just one day, who knows what may come of it.
It has indeed been a
strange & certainly not boring few months. Tons of thinking, exploring,
reevaluating things & so much more. For now, we get back into the working
groove. We’ll keep our eyes open for work tho… in both areas. Maybe actually
going down there & doing all that footwork will be a launching point to a
better future for us.
Funny thing … before we headed down there I had gone to the
bank to get some cash for the trip. Being so friendly there, we chatted a few
minutes about what’s going on & the teller said to me … maybe by going down
there something will open up here. Yup, sure did. Unfortunately, it’s not a
permanent solution.
I know, no pictures. Sorry! On our next visit, I will be sure to take plenty!
