I cannot think of a more honest title for this post. Scott has been working his new job for a month and a half now. There are so many thoughts running through my mind. I guess I should start by saying that I worried a little when we took this job. We were switching from a job that Scott had thought he'd work his entire life to a completely new career path. We knew our insurance payments would double and our coverage would be cut in half. We knew it would be a new routine (waking up earlier, etc). We decided to take the leap of faith and make a few sacrifices and make the switch. But I worried that a little ways in we would wonder if it was the right choice. I worried that Scott would miss BYU-Idaho. I worried that the company wouldn't be as amazing or family oriented as they said. Anybody who knows me understands that I can be a worrier. So, you know, I worried.
But oh my gosh, guys. This month has been one of the best of our married lives. Scott gets done at 4:00 in Idaho Falls most days. And sometimes earlier. He usually gets off a little early on Fridays. He doesn't work weekends. Ever. He worked "late" this week but was still home by bedtime. He works with some amazing men who already have encouraged him to be better and have shown him more respect and courtesy than anyone in his old job. This is a little heartbreaking for me, but my family feels infinitely more welcome at this job than at BYU-Idaho. I feel like it should be different, but it wasn't.
The other day, while Scott's parents were in town (more on that later) his coworker left a job site on time instead of late, saying that he would finish up the job remotely so that Scott could get home to his wife. I was blown away.
Scott is home for bedtime every night. My kids have been the best behaved they ever have in this past month. Maybe it's because I'm happy and carefree. But I think a huge part of it is that we have a routine. We read scriptures as a family every single night. We play a game or watch a show or do a craft together each night. We pray and sing and say goodnight. With dad. And I know that Dad is going to be home at 5. Instead of 10 or 11 or midnight...so I feel like I can expend energy all day because I'll have backup come dinnertime, whereas before, I knew that I was gonna be going solo so I had to pace myself. I know that sounds silly but it's true.
Scott is super enjoying work. Even though he's having to learn a lot at a quick pace, he's eating it up. His boss gives him something to do and leaves him to do it. No micromanaging. No babysitting. And guess what? Scott's rocking it. I mean, I know I'm biased, but he's rocking it.
I feel welcome at his new office. I feel like I can show up to hang up pictures at his desk or drop him off jeans after his get a hole or stop by for a quick lunch date and everyone says "hi" to me and smiles at our kids.
Scott's old boss said something a few years ago that I have pondered on a lot. When Scott suggested maybe doing a potluck where they invited the wives during the holiday season to say "thanks for your support during this crappy-houred season," his boss shot it down pretty quick with "It's not my job to make your wife happy." He's absolutely right. It's certainly not his job to make me happy. It's his job to make sure productions run smoothly and his crew works together well. Frankly, I think the latter could be much better accomplished, but I digress. It's not his job to make me happy. It's not his job to feed me or arrange holiday parties for a date night. It's not his job to worry about my kids that are sick or to be courteous in his demands on Scott's free time, which was lacking anyway. It's not his job at all. But it's just not that hard. How hard is it to say, "Hey instead of just having a lunchtime potluck each Christmas season where our wives make all the food and then we eat it, let's just let them come to work for an hour." (They're still making all the food...). It's not that hard to say, "hey, we don't need to be at this stake conference 3 hours early. It's a podium mic. Why don't you just come an hour early?" It's not that hard to say, "Hey, congrats on your new baby. Enjoy those vacation days with your family." It's not that hard to say, "Hey, are your kids feeling better?" It's not hard to acknowledge that Scott has a life outside of work. It's just worth it to treat your employees well. They work harder. They're more motivated. I'm already seeing that with our new job.
Scott had the amazing opportunity to mix the Christmas concert at BYU-Idaho. It was a sold out show in a 15,000 seat venue. It was incredible, and definitely something that we were grateful to be a part of. But let me tell you, nothing confirmed our decision like an 80 hour work week with late nights and early mornings. I am SO grateful for this choice we have made to take a new path.
And to the guys at ATS, you are awesome. I don't know if any of them will ever read this, but thank you. Thank you for making me feel like a part of the team. Thank you for allowing Scott to do things that cause him to learn without babysitting or looking over his shoulder. Thank you for asking about us. Thank you for razzing Scott about caffeine after I joked that he can't have any lol. Someone has to hold him accountable! :) Thank you for effectively scheduling and communicating. Thank you for everything. I'm pretty sure this is gonna be the best thing we ever did.
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