This last 2 years have been a crazy time of life for us; definitely the hardest we've had in the last 16 years. During Steve's separation from OG it was especially trying and we had to do our best not to be bitter at the total injustice we were facing. It seemed so unfair that after 22 years of excellent performance and a steady move up the ladder, a female minority boss with something to prove and a chip on her shoulder (someone needs to write a book on the antics and wrongful treatment of mostly executive female bosses to their male employees - I've heard so many stories) could completely change the lives of an entire family just because she didn't like Steve. We thought about the possibility of a lawsuit and were told by professionals that we could definitely win - and win big - but after lots of consideration we decided it would only add to our bitterness and despite the payout, would effect our quality of life negatively. So, the search for a new opportunity began. We kept going back and forth between opening our own restaurant, buying a franchise (or whether we could even do that financially) or back to a corporate job. Month after month passed and it was clear that we couldn't be choosey, we pretty much had to go with whatever happened first. It seemed to drag on FOREVER (it didn't help that it was dreary and freezing cold outside for 6 months straight) but I look back now and wish we had a bit more time so that we could develop the SilverSaver and realize the huge potential that it is slowly becoming (I'm working on that now while Steve is in training). Long story short, finally in November the opportunity to move to San Antonio and open up a restaurant franchise with a partner (we are the minority partners - I always feel the need to tell others that - least they assume we could afford 11 restaurants on our own!) came up. Our house was already on the market and had been for a good 6 months. Within weeks of this opportunity (and the same day Teish and Kara were visiting for Thanksgiving - long, funny story), a family came to look at our house and made an offer the next day which included most of the basement furniture and much upstairs also. We knew we would be down sizing and wouldn't have room for all our furniture, so this was a great blessing. Even though we lost TONS of money on the house, we could have lost more as more homes came on the market in spring and competition heated up. So.....to sum things up, it's been an unsettling, crazy, challenging but blessed time for us and I have continually prayed to be able to see all the many blessings we have through all the crap. These are the things that keep coming to me:
Our country: I cherish the many opportunities we have in this country. As Susan said, there are a million ways to make a million dollars in this country. We were able (Steve dreamt it up) to invent a product that can help restaurants save money, claim that invention as our own so no one else could copy it- via a patent, source out someone in China to make it, market it in trade publications and eventually sell it to make a great profit. Our country allowed all this to happen and in many, many others it is not possible.
My work ethic: I am so very grateful that our mom taught us hard work. I LOATHE laziness. A good day for me is a productive one. Not a relaxing one. Not a fun one. I realize at times this is a fault of mine and that having fun and relaxing is a good thing; but to me, I'd rather be productive. I especially love creating something out of nothing (building, painting, decorating) and this usually involves hard work. Our mom usually made work fun; she would set a timer and all 7 of us would work together one room at a time. Once the timer ran out, we were done in that room. It became a game to see how fast we could collectively go. Many times we were rewarded with candy! Our favorite thing to do was surprise mom with a clean house when we knew she was headed home from wherever. Maybe this is why I feel so strongly about capitalism. Dennis Prager said "Capitalism makes people work harder. Socialism makes people want harder". I love the simplicity behind that. One should not be penalized for working hard and be rewarded for not working hard.
My family: This morning as I was letting the dogs outside to go potty I heard Steve snoring (he had been banished to the guest room because he's snoring a little louder than normal because he has a cold) from the other room. I have never been so excited to hear him snore and experienced a feeling of excitement, love and relief at the same time. He has been away at training in Dallas (a huge adjustment after being home for almost 2 years) and we haven't seen him for 2 weeks. I love that he makes us laugh so often and although totally demanding, is the center of everything when home! I am so grateful that he has always been a great provider for our family and takes that role seriously. Madison and Rylee are at such fun ages now and I completely and totally love hanging out with them. I get so excited to see them when they come home from school; like a friend arrived at my house! It's been a very tough transition for them (especially Mads) but selfishly, I love having lots of time for them and they are a bit nicer when not surrounded by friends all the time.
A home: I'll admit that it was so depressing to go house shopping in San Antonio; we had to literally cut the price of our home in less-than-half and the size of the home followed. I know that is totally spoiled and snotty, but it's the truth. After 15 years of progressing in home quality, size and beauty, we were going back in time and it stunk. I spent lots of time doing a self assessment and getting to the root of this in-gratitude. It boiled down to 3 things for me 1)insecurity 2)too much pride and mostly 3)I love pretty things. My surroundings are very important to me and I appreciate beautiful craftsmanship, etc. I live and breath interior design. It's not me trying to show off my nice, expensive furniture, fabrics, accessories, etc. If no human ever walked into my house I would want it to be beautiful and look exactly the way it does just for me. This is totally evident to me in our new oak kitchen; I hate being in there because it is ugly to me! Anyway, this new house is growing on me; I'm realizing that I prefer a smaller home. I don't feel so wasteful and it's easier to find and be next to each other! It's a heck of a lot easier to clean and forces me to only keep things that I love out. I am loving this great opportunity to change some things and learn some new DIY home skills. When it starts getting overwhelming deciding what color to paint the cabinets or which countertop surface to go with, I remind myself that I am blessed to have the opportunity to change these things. I also feel so grateful that I have the luxury of focusing on these home improvements instead of throwing myself into a job.
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