By Grace

Not often in life do things go our way.  How many times have we tried to plan our lives, or even a day, and it goes completly to the opposite? 

I am so astonished and thankfull for what’s happened to Mark and I.  It’s almost hard to believe.  For the first time in what seems like forever, things have gone exactly as planned.  When we made this move 3 months ago and decided to quit our jobs to move closer to home and make a better life for ourselves, we had no idea what was actually going to happen.  We both had a vision, a plan, a dream, a hope for what we wanted career wise from this move and it has actually come true.  I’m really happy. 

My "Plan A" was to work as a reporter for the newspaper, but that turned out to be just freelance work and I’m happy to at least be writing.  When I knew that wasn’t going to be a full-time gig I revised my plan and wanted to work at the casino in marketing or public relations.  Well, I got my job at the casino and even though it’s in neither of those departments, I enjoy where I am very much.  I can’t describe how fullfilling it is to go to work every day and actually have a job to do.  I have real responsibility and I take it very seriously.  And I make good money so that is an obvious plus.  Mark’s original plan was to coach college football like he did for the past four years at our alma mater.  Then when that seemed out of arms reach he wanted to put his physical education and health degree to work and be a teacher and coach football at his old high school.  Being that we moved at the end of the school year, Mark got a job in the meantime working with troubled teens and even though he wasn’t thrilled about it we both knew he was good at it.  If he hadn’t gotten that job, this move would’ve been much different for us, practically impossible, and for that I am thankful. 

Friday Mark found out he got a job teaching at the middle school and he has already started coaching football at his high school.  I am so happy for him and for us.  Now he can work days and we can actually have dinner together again.  This is going to be a good thing. 

But of course, I am the way I am and I tend to be the Nervous Nelly of our pair.  Mark is so sure and confident about every thing that he doesn’t even really show excitment, his reaction is more like, "I knew this was going to happen." Then here I was, the one who was unsure of our future here and kept encouraging him to look for teaching in other counties.  I guess he really did "know" he was going to get this job.  Maybe I shouldn’t have doubted, but it’s my nature.  I am a journalist after all.  It’s my job to question, but I’m not sure he realizes that. 

So God has been good to us and we are, without a doubt, appreciative.  Now I don’t have to say, "If only things would’ve went as planned…." or something like that.  I suppose in the end what ever is meant to be will be and that is the bottom line.