One of my favorite phrases is "God doesn't tell us His plans because we wouldn't believe them anyway." Another one of my favorite quotes is "When one door closes, another opens." and my favorite Bible verse is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths" Proverbs 3:5-6
I write all of this to tell you about a new chapter that has quickly opened in our life...and no...it has nothing to do with a baby :)
Brian has been unsettled in his job for about 9 months. He has learned an vast amount in his current job, has been given more and more responsibility, and has been the driving force in some much needed change within the company. However, through a series of events he began feeling that the standard of integrity and ethics he holds himself to were not the same standard of his company. As the process safety engineer, keeping the chemical plant and the workers safe is his number one goal, but he continually felt resistance from management to bypass saftey measures in order to meet production goals.
In mid-November he felt like God was telling him to begin seeking something new. Who knew that my word for 2010 SEEK would apply to him too! I completely supported him because I too felt that it was time to take a leap of faith and step into what is a tough job market. Although in Houston the economy is really turning around...for which we are very thankful! He touched up his very impressive resume and had several companies show interest immediately. He had several interviews, but many of the jobs required a lot of travel and long hours, both things that we don't want for our little family if possible. My prayer through this journey has been that God would make it clear...and He has. As of yesterday Brian accepted a process safety engineering job at Dow Chemical in Freeport, TX. This particular plant is the largest chemical plant in the entire world and it will be his job to implement improvements to 65 different units. I won't even try to explain it, because I don't understand it...but what I do know is that I am so proud of him. His hard work for the past 12 years in the chemical industry have prepared him for this role in one of the top 4 chemical companies in the world. The pay is about the same as he currently makes, but the company standards are vastly different. Dow values each of their employees and their families...they don't want you working 60+ hours a week...the benefits are superb...they give money towards adoption...and paid leave when we get the baby. We are so humbled that God had this in His plan all along. Brian has discovered a gift for understanding process safety and this job is a perfect match for his career goals....again...we are so blessed!!
All of the excitement is a tad bittersweet though...his new job is an hour + drive time away from our current house, so we will be selling our little home and moving to West Pearland, Silverlake to be specific. Many Dow employees live in Lake Jackson, but that is too far from the big city for this city girl, so Brian and I compromised and have decided to look for a house in Silverlake. It will still be a 40 minute commute for him, but that's the same commute he had when he worked at Bayer, so we know it's workable. He should also be able to work a bit from home in the evenings so he won't have to work very late...hopefully!
I have already called a Realtor, but if anyone who reads my blog knows of anyone looking for an adorable 1,965 sq foot home (4 bedrooms, 2 baths) please let me know. We love our little house...we've been through a lot together here...and we added many custom features after Ike. We live off the Beltway and Blackhawk...15 minutes from Clear Lake...5 minutes to East Pearland...15 minutes to Pasadena...30 minutes to the Medical center. Ok...there's my sales pitch! For a few glimpses of the main living area click here
So...the past few days have been a whirlwind...and I've already begun cleaning out. Yesterday I did an overhaul of the pantry.
Before: somewhat organized, but cluttered...and too much stuff that needed to be pitched
after: organized, baskets labeled, clutter free :)
And today I'm cleaning out the scrapbook room/office closet. I have an enormous amount of stuff I'm donating to a children's home that our church works with...and I'm planning a post about how I'm deciding what to get rid of. I am wondering however if this is what my house will look like for the next few weeks as I clean out closets, drawers, and cabinets.
But then I realized that I'm too orderly to allow it to stay like that for more than a few hours...and on that note...I'd better go get some of this stuff put away :)