Barrybran - [Insert Original Thread Title Here]

[Barrybran]

Journaling:

Some good things are happening for my wife and I'd love to share it but I feel Facebook isn't the place for it just yet. Last week, my wife was told her store was closing thereby making her redundant. My wife and her staff have done an amazing job promoting sales in the past week that they have obliterated all other stores in the company and their reward is that their store closure will come forward by one week, reducing their potential incomes by one week's wages. Her area manager is coming to town next week and her gut feeling is that her store closure will come forward another week meaning two weeks of lost wages.

That's the bad news. The good news is all the other stuff that is happening. My wife has a strong resume and has an amazing personality. She is also very popular in our town which has been instrumental in drumming up her recent sales as well as the opportunities that have started to present themselves. My wife is being considered for three different jobs and is still waiting a response about another three that she has submitted her resume for.

Two of the jobs are in our town. Our preference is to stay here and it is appearing as though that may happen. Her preferred job is next door to her current one for a major supermarket chain. Her pay would increase by over 50%, there are amazing perks and there are opportunities for advancement. The biggest bonus is that it would keep us in town and we'd be able to set ourselves up properly.

Option number two came up just under an hour ago. My wife received a call from the owner of the building her store resides in to inform her that he was going to be visiting the store next week. Apparently, three businesses have expressed interest in taking over the lease and all three will need a store manager, for which my wife will be the natural replacement. The big bonus here is that not only could my wife save her job but save the jobs of the main people that have helped her in her current role. The downside is that she feels there will be a backlash from the community if a similar store takes over and the current staff are retained.

Option number three is in a town two hours away. There are a lot of downsides to this: moving, both of us finding new jobs, my son's schooling, loss of our support network, greater living expenses. It's a big move. There are many upsides though in that if either of us falls out of work again, jobs are readily available to the both of us. With my uni degree, I could more easily find work experience and employment. The town is bigger, there are more facilities and we'd be closer to entertainment, the coast and an airport if we choose to holiday. There are also more housing options. Plus, my wife has a friend over in that town. What appeared to be the most likely scenario last week is now only the third best scenario for us but we're keeping our eyes open for jobs and houses in this area just in case.

So the reason I wanted to post to Facebook was to express my excitement about my wife's excitement about the possibilities. Each situation is only in its infancy but the job market isn't that strong here and candidates are reluctant to move to our area. Someone of my wife's experience just doesn't stay unemployed in our area. Hearing the excitement in her voice made me very happy and she told me she had goosebumps talking to the owner of the building of her current store. Her confidence that we will stay in town appears to be sky high and I know how important that is to her. Just last Tuesday, we were out of town looking at transportable homes as a housing option only to be called about the store closure later in the day. To go through the past week and come out the other side feeling as though we can not only stay in town but have a better future is an amazing boon for us.

Relationship wise, things are still developing slowly. My wife has called me almost immediately upon every development at work, from potential employers or where our daughter's bio Dad is concerned. She has shown me things she's looked at (houses, jobs) and discussed everything from a "we" or "us" perspective. Still no intimacy outside of the two times she asked me to join her in bed but everything between us is light and together. I have felt myself get a little antsy because I'd love to move things forward a bit. At the same time, I feel kind of awkward about it because things have developed naturally and it feels right that way.

Right now, I'm hoping that my wife can find the employment that she wants and that she can get back to a normal life as soon as possible. The next 2-4 weeks will be stressful from her current job with some excitement thrown in from potential employers. After that, hopefully she'll be in a new job and she'll feel more secure about the future.