For the last year and a half or so, we have really wanted to move. Especially the last year. Fall of 2009 we decided we needed to have Raleigh start looking for jobs in the Northwest again. We hoped to move in January 2010. But that didn't happen. He applied for a few things, only one of which was anywhere in the Northwest, and it was in the Seattle area. Then we decided it'd be best for him to take this supervisor job that he has right now at the Marriott here. He took that job in March and they asked for a 6-month commitment...which takes us to September.
At this point, we feel the best thing to do with Raleigh's career is to have him continue at Marriott. Transferring is very easy to do and is encouraged in the company so all we needed to do was have him transfer to Portland! Sounds easy enough, right?! Nope, not at all. First of all, there are only 2 Marriott-owned properties in all of Oregon. There are lots of other Marriotts but they are franchised so he couldn't transfer into them. One of the two that are owned by Marriott is really small, which left really only 1 great option: the downtown waterfront property. During these last 6 months Rals has been keeping his eye on that property for openings (not that he could have even applied). NOTHING has come up at all that he could have applied for. So when September rolled around, we were just hoping he could at least get something in the Seattle area so we could come back to the Northwest.
We decided that since we were pretty limited with Oregon/Washington properties we had better come up with an alternative. At this point we really, REALLY want to leave the desert and start new again somewhere else. So we decided that Denver would be a good idea to look at. We've heard great things about it, they have lots of good career opportunities for Rals, and I could have seasons and colder weather again! :) First week of September comes and Raleigh had a good conversation with his boss about our plans. While we were in New York, a Denver job opened up and Raleigh applied. The next day (while still on vacation) he got a call for an interview for the next Monday. He interviewed for that and actually another one or two jobs in Denver...but nothing really happened with them for a week or two. Last week of September rolls around and I'm starting to get a little nervous about this so I just began to pray and specifically ask God to open something for him in Portland or Seattle. Also keep in mind we are in a pretty strict time table here. The baby is due Jan. 6 so anything too far into November and we really shouldn't move. So we don't have a lot of time.
The last day of September, Rals came home and said that another job had opened up, but that this one was actually at the downtown waterfront property in Portland!!!! And, it was a supervisor of the front office job which would fit him much better than some of the ones in Denver. I was really excited but not very optimistic. Lots of properties will post jobs but already have in mind who they are going to hire (if it's an internal thing). So part of me figured that would be the case. But the next day, he got a call from them and they were really excited to talk with him and set up an interview for that Monday! This was a REALLY good sign and I immediately had peace about the whole thing and really felt like God was going to do this for us.
STILL though, waiting was so hard!!! At the end of the interview Monday they said they wanted to do a 2nd interview and that they'd call the next day to set that up. They didn't call until Thursday and that really made me nervous! But he had an interview the next day, Friday, and Raleigh told me it went REALLY well. I was so excited. They also told him that they guaranteed we would hear back from them on Monday!! So we waited patiently yet with much anticipation this whole last weekend.
Monday comes around and no call. Tuesday came and went, no call. I was trying to not have emotion breakdowns...lol! It was so tough! Those two days were great opportunities for me to just rely on the Lord and put it all back in His hands over and over again. Wednesday comes and Raleigh told me that if he hasn't heard from them by lunchtime, he was going to call them. Finally, around lunch, I got a call from him and he said he had been offered the job!!! We were ecstatic and I cried. :) Not only did he get the job, but they said they liked him so much and wanted to be sure he would take the job that they were going to start him off at a higher pay than they usually start people off at! This was ALSO a huge answer to prayer because the pay was a big unknown. I couldn't imagine them offering him the job and then having to turn it down because of pay!
So everything ended up working out absolutely perfectly. I mean really--if you had asked me to give you the ideal situation for us, this would have been it (maybe without those extra two days of waiting though...haha). It couldn't get too much more ideal. I'm still amazed, absolutely amazed, at how God orchestrated all of this for us. These last 3 years down here have been extremely stretching and we have learned so much, grown a ton, and now to have Him bless us in this way, it's so wonderful. Don't get me wrong though...there are people here that we will really, really miss. I don't feel like we have made TONS of friends, but the friends we have made are close and have made our time here good. I could say a lot more but I think you get the picture. :) God has always taken care of us. Even when bad things have happened or when he has said "wait", "wait", and then again, "wait"...He's still always taken care of us. And now He has chosen to take care of us with a huge blessing. :)
Here is a verse that I decided to claim through this whole thing and I will leave you with this:
Lamentations 3: 25-26 "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
