Turning the Page

On Friday, when it hit me that I'd no longer have a .mil account, for the first time since 2008.. I was kinda shell shocked.  There's some BIG BIG changes going down in my/our world and it's very slowly starting to hit me and this was one of the first real acknowledgments that things are gonna change and then there were FEELINGS.  Ugh.

Many of you noticed in the last few months that I was dealing with some work strife.  After finishing school, I had planned to move on to a technical position with the same company that I had worked with since getting out of the Navy, but they didn't want to move me and I was beyond frustrated with additional tasking I had been given that was not anything related to technical writing... so in a fit of rage, I started applying for jobs.

Civilian jobs, government jobs.  Jobs in South Carolina (SC) and Colorado (CO) and Washington DC and Maryland (MD).  Intel jobs and computer science jobs and I was even open to some tech writer jobs under certain conditions.  COUNTLESS applications put in and resumes sent out.  A handful of recruiter calls and possibilities. A handful of phone and video interviews.  Numerous rejections, 3 selections, 2 opportunities turned down (despite the higher salaries of both), and ultimately, 1 acceptance.

At the very beginning of July, a perfect opportunity presented itself and I was notified that I landed the job within 2 hours of finishing the interview.  But then I had to wait half my life (approximately) for my background check to clear (because COVID + government + reinvestigation) and that gave me too much time to second guess and third guess and thirty-third guess my choices. 

I hemmed and hawed and you probably already knew this, but Teh German is the real MVP here.  He dealt with my #MeganProblems for a month and a half.  He listened to me play devil's advocate with myself about what the best decision was and watched as I continued to apply for other jobs "just in case" (aka, Megan is ridiculous). And let's be honest... Without Teh German, I wouldn't be where I am today.  He was my #1 cheerleader through school and when I asked him if he was reeeeeeaaaalllllyyy ok with moving to MD so I could take a technical job (aka use my computer science degree), he said yes (even if he was moderately hesitant).

For him, moving to MD wasn't in the plans.  We had already decided our next move was to CO.  But there were no jobs for me in CO and Teh German was well-aware just how unhappy I was with (now) Former Company.  He'd listened to the rants and seen the tears and ragey FB posts.  When the Dept of Justice (DOJ) finally notified me that I was cleared for "duty", I didn't immediately know what to do.  I knew what I WANTED to do, but I also knew that there were some other opportunities on the table that maybe should be considered... but most importantly, I wanted to sit down with Teh German and give him ONE LAST opportunity to say, "Yeah, let's not move from SC unless it's to CO."  This was a valid option because I had a contact at NIWC in Charleston that wanted to bring me on, but it was a matter of time.

For Teh German, moving means finding and starting a new job 8 months after he just started his current job.  The job that we had to hire a lawyer to mitigate not getting sued by his German company.  The job he likes.  It means moving away from the only place he's ever lived in America, his comfort zone, if you will. 

For both of us, it means leaving the GLCK and our SC Framily and nothing breaks my heart more, as we are sooo fortunate to have found such great people who live on our street and love us for all our weirdness.

...But..
Teh German said...
"Do it, babe.  This is what you worked for.  You tried to get a job with [Former Company] and they wouldn't take you, so if this is what you want...  DO IT.  I support you."

^^The real MVP, yall.

And I said yes to the final offer and then had so much anxiety! 

We obviously hadn't planned on moving in the next 2 years, much less 6 months.  I had planned Charleston runs through 2021.  Our tickets to Barbados in October leave from Charleston.  I had been with Former Company for 5.5 years and I am loyal AF.  I mean, they dealt with 3 years of me going to school full-time and working full-time.  They let me telework from Germany so I could study abroad.  They let me telework after my hip surgery.  We drank in the office.  I had it made.  But I was soooo unhappy these last 3 months that it was unbearable and that made the decision easier.

So.. today was my first day at DOJ.  On Saturday, I drove up to MD to stay with Teh Bestie and Teh Chief Smartass.  We hung out over the weekend and today I was able to take the Metro into DC to get to the office to pick up my equipment and get my ID card. 

Since most things government related are still at max telework, I'll be headed back to SC this week.  By the end of this week, I'll be calling the realtor to start the process of getting the house ready to put on the market.  In a fortunate turn of events, Teh German accepted a new job in MD within the last week which is also operating at max teleworking.... which means 2 things... 1- We'll both be working from home for the foreseeable future, 2- There isn't a pants on fire rush to complete a move. 

Our current plan is to put the house on the market and live in it while it's under contract until we have to leave.  At which point, we'll move into Teh Chief Smartass/Teh Bestie's basement.  During the under contract/basement dweller time, we will be house hunting in MD and hopefully this less stressful situation will give us the ability to be more selective with the house we ultimately buy.

So yeah.. that's the full rundown of the current situation.
Teh Ville is relocating and hopefully we'll be unpacking Teh Ville 3.0 (shitty house, Charleston house, MD house) by Christmas.

But also... new ID photo yall.
I wasn't allowed to show teeth.  The first photo had 6 chins and I wasn't even looking at the camera, so we had a redo to get this gem.  The other lady that was onboarding with me today said we looked like the daughter's of Trump because we are ORANGE, I mean check out how white my neck is...  Could that lighting be any worse?  Also, my shiny face is from sweating incessantly because of walking around and wearing non-breathable clothing and a MASK.