Moving On

The past couple of months have been a complete whirlwind of emotions, decisions, pro/con lists, prayer, fasting, research, and changes. Seriously, it's been completely insane. I've felt overwhelmed, underwhelmed, whelmed, you name it (10 points for that movie reference). I've been sad, happy, elated, nervous, anxious, scared, resistant, and then excited and happy all over again. 

Pretty good build-up, huh? The jury is out. Scott has taken a new job with a company in Idaho Falls called ATS Inland Northwest. They program the electronic HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) equipment in commercial buildings.  So, basically, big buildings get built, electrical work gets done, and then Scott will go in and tell the parts when to move and work. You know, things like what times the air comes on, or motion sensors that kick the air on when the room is in use, etc. I'm still a little unclear and it will be a whole new learning curve for both of us! And just when I felt like I was fluent in audio and rigging...Here he is sporting his ATS shirt. :) He may have rolled his eyes at me wanting to take a picture on his first day :) 

This decision is one that we did not make lightly. We were pretty convinced that we would be working at BYU-Idaho until we retired or died. We love BYU-Idaho so, so much. We love the mission statement. We love the spirit of the faculty and most of the staff. We love the students who apply themselves and work hard. We love the insurance, phone plan, and other perks of working for campus. And I personally LOVE President Gilbert and his wife. We are SO grateful for our time at BYU-Idaho. We grew up here :) We met and fell in love and worked for 5 years while we learned how to be married. BYU-Idaho will always have a special place in my heart and if we ended up back here someday I wouldn't be sad about it.

However, there were also some things that we found we didn't love. Things like 18 hour Fridays and Saturdays, students texting Scott at all hours of the day and night, 7 day work weeks (Fall semester is the worst...there's a lot of stake conferences Scott has to work on Sundays), and some other things. Now, some of these things just come with the territory. Like, hi, you're an audio engineer. You're gonna work long days and late nights. Duh. I don't live in a fantasy world where everything is perfect and everything goes my way. I realize that jobs are jobs. Even if you love what you do, you're still obligated to do it, which isn't always fun. I mean, I get it. And I realize that for an audio engineer this is pretty much the best gig ever. Because, you know, there's no topless shows in your venue and it's steady employment instead of freelance and all that. I realize all of this. But the flip side is this: Scott and I chose to work at BYU-Idaho because we felt like we could do his dream job and still uphold the principles of the gospel and the family traditions that we cling to. If we didn't get this job, we probably wouldn't have pursued a career in this industry. Scott wanted to use his talents to serve the Lord and this was how he felt he could do that. And it was such an amazing start to a career. He worked with the best equipment and some of the best people. But, sadly, there were some things that were going on that hindered our ability to put family first rather than aiding it. 

For example, despite the fact that university policy dictates Monday nights untouchable so that families can have an evening alone together, performing arts departments scheduled rehearsals and Scott or his students were required to be there. I don't want to sound entitled here, but working at a church school where the president of the university frequently preaches about FHE and the importance of non negotiable family time, we were disappointed with the lack of respect for this policy that supports the teachings of our apostles and prophets. Then there was the clashing schedules of 4 kids and their dad. Their free time is on the weekends. That's when they can stay up late and watch a movie with dad. And that was Scott's busiest time. There were so, so many days where he didn't even see the kids. Gone before they were up and home far after they went to bed. While it works for some, and is necessary for others, this wasn't what we wanted for our family. 

ATS has already been such a blessing in our lives. First of all, they care so much about families. Like, more than I thought anyone did or would or should be expected to. For example, to offer Scott the job, they invited both of us to dinner with two of their guys and their wives. That was so meaningful to me. After an hour and a half at that table I knew more about these two men and their families than I do about anybody Scott worked with previously. I realize this is partly my own fault. I could have been more active myself and have made a commitment to do so in the future. But it was so nice to sit around that table and have it made very clear to me where these men's priorities are. Second, the job is most consistently 7-4, Mon-Fri. Every once in a while they work late to finish a project or have to spend a couple nights away working on a project with another office. But that's the exception far more than the rule. We get to have weekends! Third, at the end of this his first week on the job, Scott has told me how excited he is about how family centered this job is. They sent out a little new employee introduction about him and his supervisor asked about his family. They wanted to know how many kids we had and their ages and what we like to do with our spare time (I joked with Scott that he should tell them we took this job so we could find out lol). They wanted the guys to go home and ask their wives for ideas for a Christmas party for the employees and their wives. They all have young families and talk about their kids with each other. It has been so refreshing. 

This experience is going to be new. It's a big change. It's a shift in careers and routine and lifestyle. But it is one that we have decided to welcome with open arms. I am so grateful for Scott. He has supported me always, even when it wasn't the "cool" thing to do. He has asked my opinion and counseled with me even when it was discouraged. He has been my best friend. He has overruled my irrational tendencies and respected my strong opinions. He has worked so hard to always be there for the kids and me, even when work made it near impossible. And he has been so motivated and excited about this adventure and has smoothed over my doubts and built up my enthusiasm. It's been an amazing couple of months.

Here is a picture of Scott with the A/V department (minus some of his students). They had a nice little farewell for him. There's some great people in that picture and we are so grateful to you for everything you have taught us. 

So...here we go. Wish us luck!