For several years, Jeremy has wrestled with the tension of wanting to be in Louisville--his hometown and a city close to both our families--and wanting to really spread his wings and work somewhere special. When Emily was a baby, Leo Burnett ad agency from Chicago called him about a job. At that time, neither of us wanted to move there so soon after buying our first house and having a baby. Jeremy worked for himself for awhile and while the flexibility of being your own boss was wonderful, there were also things that he didn't like--like having to wear so many hats! (e.g. the CFO, the account executive, the designer, the gopher, etc.) I kept asking him if he wanted to grow his business and hire another person, but he never felt that he wanted to do that.
When he started talking to Twitter in February, I really didn't think anything would come of it. We talked about the possibility of moving there if they offered a job, but we both felt that it would have to be a great offer for us to consider it and pack up our whole lives for a job. I worried very little about it this spring.
About a month ago, Twitter flew Jeremy out for an interview. Now it started feeling serious! Jeremy had a great experience there despite some travel glitches. (He didn't get to his hotel until 5 am Eastern time and had to do a presentation and all day interviews the next day.) He came back telling us all about how awesome Twitter headquarters was. He especially raved about the completely FREE cafeteria that serves quality, healthy food prepared by chefs. He also was super-impressed with the people. The employees are talented and incredibly intelligent, but completely down to earth. He said he never felt any hint of ego from anyone he met that day.
A few weeks later, we learned that an offer would be coming. Jeremy and I wrestled with what to do, but the decision pretty much made itself. Ultimately, I think it came down to a feeling of "Let's do this and have no regrets!" God willing, Louisville will still be here. We can come home again, but we may never get another chance like this.
Today I've been thinking a lot about the verse in Ecclesiastes, "There's a time to plant and a time to uproot." Our family is firmly planted in this community. For the past five and half years we've owned our home, I've tried to make it a comfortable, happy place for our family. I'm really feeling the pain of uprooting. Even though I'm so proud of Jeremy and excited about our future, the unknown is much scarier than continuing on the path we were traveling. At this time in my life, I pictured us building or buying our next home where our children would grow up. I pictured us owning more land and being able to play in a big yard--not renting a small house or condo in California! It has been hard to let go of the expectations I had and dream new dreams. Then I think about all we will be able to see and do during our California years and I get so excited! This is a part of the country we would probably never really know. We vacationed in San Francisco almost wo years ago and got a small taste of all there is to see and do nearby--Muir Woods, Point Reyes, Pacific Coast Highway, Yosemite, Wine country. This will be a season of exploration! I don't know how much we will be able to do with young kids, but we're going to certainly try our best!
So, I'm allowing myself to feel completely excited, overwhelmed, scared, sad, and blessed. I've cried a lot the past few weeks. I trust that Jeremy and I will grow closer to one another if we allow God to help us through this challenge. The next few weeks are going to be very difficult and busy as we try to get our house ready to sell and find a new place to live in the Bay area. Every time I get overwhelmed I try to remember a quote I recently read, "Always remember that the future comes just one day at a time." That's all I can handle right now.
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