Cute little Tooshes

Too much experience and not enough experience

So we're in Missouri now awaiting to hear from the company's in Michigan and Texas, and Jared also applied to a place in Dallas about 3 weeks ago...

Well we've heard back from 2 of the 3. The one in Dallas informed Jared that he had too much experience for the job available (even though they were hiring for a junior copywriter - which is exactly what he is, and even though they loved his book). Hmmmm, it's interesting that being in school for 6 years = too much experience. And we also heard back from Michigan... finally. After being strung along now for at least a month they decided to "PASS" on Jared because even though they wanted a junior copywriter, and they loved his book, he doesn't have enough experience. Awesome!

So in 2 days Jared has been "passed" on due to too much experience and not enough experience.

Lovely....just lovely. Well now it's Texas or Carlie going back to waitressing. Everybody PRAY. PRAY. PRAY.

We Just Weren't Ready...

to say goodbye to Virginia yet, and our good friends Nate, Kenzie and baby Kenna Winn let us crash at their place for almost a week to provide an opportunity for us to say our goodbyes to the ward, to have some relaxation time before our two day drive to Missouri, and to do some last minute sight seeing. We also got take some pictures of Kendal at Maymont and take a family photo (above). We also got to take some family pictures of the Winns. Needless to say it was a great week and it helped to ease our transition from Virginia to Missouri. Thanks again guys for the hospitality. We are so so grateful. Below are some pictures from the week.

Mt. Vernon

We wanted to see so much more before we left Virginia - we wanted to go camping in Shenandoah, and visit Yorktown to see more of the sights, we wanted to see Monticello, and Mt. Vernon. So we decided to pick one thing out of our list, and Mt. Vernon won and did not disappoint. The only complaint I had about the day was the huge amount of heat we had to endure that day. High noon, in Virginia in August is not what I call a pleasant experience, but we made it through. We got to tour George Washington's house, the grounds, the gardens, and the museum. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about George Washington and his life.

Nate, Kenzie, and Kenna

I got to take some shots of the Winn family while we stayed with them, and I loved snapping these shots. These guys made it so easy, and baby Kenna was a gem.

Lots of cartoons, cardboard boxes, and fast food

Just to update everyone, we are officially moving away. The Martin Agency will most likely not be hiring anytime soon because even though they just won the Expedia account they just lost the UPS account. So we are now ruling out Richmond, which means we don't have much reason to stay.

We have to be out of our apartment by Saturday, we'll spend a few days with some friends here in Richmond to re-group, and then we're off to Missouri to wait out our job offers (hopefully). We are cleaning the house out quick but still trying to provide a stable environment for the kids so they won't go insane and think their world is being turned upside down, which right now means blankies, favorite cartoons, family meals, all of us sleeping in the same bedroom, and getting them out of the house everyday. I'm trying to keep a cool head and keep the faith that this will all play out for the best.

We're so grateful for family and friends who are so willing to take such good care of us. I've already shed many tears over this place, which has never happened to me in my life. I can't say that I've ever been more attached to any other place. But I guess now we're getting emotionally ready for the next adventure. Virginia will always have a special place in my heart and who knows, maybe we'll back in few years.

Job Update

Okay, so here's the scoop. Jared has 2 possible, maybe 3 companies interested in him. One is from Austin, Texas. They contacted him and informed him that he had made the "short list" and asked if he was interested in working for them. He said yes and they said that they would call him and let him know if he made the "next short list" and that if he did they would fly him our for a job offer around the 1st of September.

Number two is a company from Detroit, Michigan. They also contacted Jared last week and asked him if he was interested in working for them and he also said yes. They told him they would call him this week and that if the phone interview went well that they would probably fly him out for a job offer.

And Number Three is not so cut and dry, it's the Martin Agency here in Richmond. They recently hired him for some freelance work and a couple of the creative directors told him casually in an email that they liked his work and that if they receive any new business, for Jared to contact them (for a job opportunity). Well today it was announced that Martin won the new Expedia account, which is about a 60 million dollar account. Which means they've won new business. So Jared contacted them today to kind of help remind them of him.

So that's the scoop. 3 possible places, no solid offers yet. Our lease expires in 13 days and our only plan as of today is to temporarily stay with some friends out here in Virginia, or to temporarily stay with my brother in Missouri until something solid happens. We've already started loading boxes to a storage unit.

It's weird that all of this is coming to a head at the same time. I just have to take a deep breath and take it one day at a time. Thank goodness for friends and family. And Thank you to everyone for your prayers and your fasting. I know Heavenly Father is blessing us. I just wish the timing was a little more convenient. But I really shouldn't complain. We've had the whole summer to spend time together as a family and that has been worth more than anything.

Who ever would have ever guessed 4 months ago that we'd still be here in beautiful Richmond...

Pool Days

I don't know how people survive without a pool out her in Virginia. It is soooooooooooo hot. It is so nice to live at an apartment complex where we have unlimited access to a pool all summer. It's something I'm really going to miss. Now that we've started packing I'm trying to take advantage of it as much as we can. 13 days and counting until we have to be outta here. SCARY. Packing is no fun.