The last year...

I'm not sure what it means that now that the general "struggle" of the last year is over I feel like crying about it. I figured that to help me get over it all I would write it down and consider the lessons learned.

So, to start...what in the world happened anyway? A lot of people have wondered and asked and others have just wondered silently and tried to figure it out from others. So here is the story. It starts in August 2007. Beginning of Skyler's 2L year of law school. Skyler interviewed in NYC, prior to his interviews there we were mortified of the city. We approached NYC as a back up plan, because going to a New York school can more easily get you in the door to a NYC firm. So, we interviewed there. We cautiously considered all of our options, west coast, east coast, any that came our way. NYC was the ticket, there was no way around it. We both felt like it was right. It was right, no questions about it. We found the right firm which we were also positive about, the guidance couldn't be denied. We knew were signing up for the best plan for us and our family.

Fast forward to the summer of 2008 in NYC for the firm internship. Skyler LOVED it. Loved the work, loved the people he worked with, we loved NYC, we were on cloud nine. We knew we would be in NYC for at least 3-5 years after graduation and that we would love all of the adventures and challenges. Skyler agreed to begin working for the firm he interned with after taking the bar and we felt a great deal of comfort that our plan was the best plan for us.

Fall 2008 came. The economy dropped. Curse the government, curse the US people, curse who you want, but it came and it happened. The outlook for new attorneys changed. The class of 2009 waited to hear from their firms as to what would happen. Some of our friends lost contracts right away, some were deferred, some were barely postponed. January 2009: we found out that we would be deferred until January 2010. No biggie, only three months off from the original date. We decided that in August we would leave most everything in NY in a storage unit and stay with family on the west coast until we started in January. It was great to think that we were taking Savvy to spend time with family before we set off on our NYC adventure. October 2009: we were told that we would begin "sometime during the 2010 year." March 2010: we received a message saying that our check was in the mail, so sorry, but it just wasn't looking good and they didn't have work for all of the attorneys they had committed to.

So of course, when crappy things happen the first things that cross your mind are why and what did I do wrong. But you can't dwell on those things. So we moved forward. Skyler was blessed to be working for a judge in Portland, OR during the time that he was deferred and the judge was pleased to keep him on while he looked for the next career move. We were staying with my parents during the deferral to allow Skyler to work with the judge, so there was no stress for a rent payment or the like. We were blessed.

We immediately got to work. We applied here and there and it seems like everywhere. Skyler has always been good at networking and was quick to be in touch with everyone he knows. He had connections to several places, about a dozen interviews and things were promising. Each month brought at least one new lead. All the time we did the footwork to find the right job for Skyler we also prayed that we were learning the right lessons along the way. Some days were harder than others and we reverted back to asking those "why" questions. Some days were daunting as we pushed forward. Some days were exciting as we considered the possibilities.

Come August we received an exciting offer for Skyler to work for the US Bankruptcy Court in Utah. He was thrilled! We moved the next week and he began working immediately. Skyler loves his job. The judges he works with are well-renowned and he is learning a great deal each day.

So from this quick log of events what lessons were learned? Honestly, I can't always remember, which means I probably failed to learn them properly. The greatest lesson I can think is to always stand as an advocate for your spouse. Skyler needed me during that time. I needed him.

January 2010

What other lessons did I learn?

1. Toughing it out can be tough and it is tougher when you think of it that way. Those were the rough days.

2. Follow your dreams, but also consider reality. This one sounds negative, but I promise it isn't. Think about it.

3. Serve as you go. We had so much more positive feedback on the job-front because of the service of others, people that hardly knew us, but were willing to help out over and over again.

4. Don't dream of prestige, but work to be the person people want to work with.

5. Love what you can about each day.

6. Family really is there to help and is always helpful when you let them be.

7. Set your expectations high.

8. Always trust that there is something greater in the end.

April 2010

These sound cliche, but they are true. I will learn these lessons over and over again I am sure, but I am grateful for the year I had to focus on them.

Right now all of our stuff from New York is sitting in a moving truck outside our new apartment. I'm thrilled to have it here, but it also makes me want to cry. That is the last of our stuff that was in New York. In so many ways those things belong in New York. We belong in New York. I also want to cry because I am happy it is all over for now. We made it through. Because we have been blessed in so many ways we know we really belong right where we are. Skyler loves his work. I love having him come home to our own place. We love that we can trust that we are where we should be.

September 2010

I am pretty sure this next year will bring a new set of lessons to be learned...