I wanted to get on the record for our family history, and for our friends who are interested, what our life has looked like since March 2015.
The biggest news is job change/house change. But first lets back track. Jed has never loved the career options that went along with his degree (Geography-Urban Planning), and had been unhappy at the job he got out of college. However, Jed also had no idea what he would rather do. The last year has been a lot of searching, praying, priesthood blessings, fasting, and faith, and I'm happy to say we feel like it has all paid off immensely! I'm not joking when I say we explored dozens of career options for Jed, all the while praying for God to lead us to the right job. Finally, back in February, Jed got amazing help from the LDS Employment Agency. He took several personality tests and the common career that they all pointed to was Human Resources. Once we started researching more about this job, we felt a confirmation from the Spirit that this was the direction to go. I can't even tell you how AMAZING it felt to finally have a specific direction. We had been fasting and praying for a new career that Jed could thrive in, and I have to say it was hard to wait on the Lord's answer! But we knew we had to be patient and it finally paid off.
So with that direction from the Lord, we had to figure out what to do. We finally came to the conclusion that Jed needed to go back to school. We chose for him to go to Western Governer's University, WGU. It's an all online school, and so far we LOVE the set up: pre-assessment, learn the material, post-assessment. No homework, no quizzes, no projects with fellow students. You can work at your own pace and finish classes in as little as a couple of weeks. It really is perfect for Jed's personality.
So, now Jed is going back to school full time. He has no job right now, as we want him to get a good start on school. Soon, perhaps when we get a little nudge from the Lord, we will start looking for an entry-level HR job. To afford school, we have sold out house and moved in with Jed's parents in Granite Bay. While sad to leave our ward and friends in Orangevale, we know this is what is best for us at the moment. It is a big help to me, as I help take care of my sister-in-law, Andrea (who has cerebral palsy), so living in the same house as her keeps my schedule less complicated. We also are loving the live in babysitters! Date night can be a priority once again, and we are so excited! The kids love living with their grandparents, too. I love watching my kids interact with them. I don't know how long we will be here, but I'm sure living with their grandparents will be a great influence on my kiddos.
This is mostly about Jed, so as I was planning to write a blog post for each of us, let's just turn this into an all about Jed, shall we?
In our last ward, Fair Oaks 5th, Jed was the Ward Clerk. While he may not have loved his Sundays being taken up by meetings, especially when they started at 6 am, he did really love the calling! (I think it's because it's pretty similar to Human Resources.) Jed doesn't love to teach, so this was the perfect calling for him, as he was involved in the ward without teaching.
Jed also wrote a book! He has wanted to publish a book since he was 10 or 11, so this is kind of a dream come true. It's been a fun hobby for him this year. The book is called Mara Helix: Starting Over and it is available on Amazon. I may be a little biased, but I think it's great! Here's the description:
In 23rd-century Los Angeles, Mara Helix struggles to make ends meet as a societal outcast. When she inadvertently witnesses a murder, however, her world is suddenly turned upside down. Armed with nothing but her wits and her talent for reading people, she embarks on a quest to prove that her integrity is not defined by her social status; not only to the world, but also to herself.
Lately, Jed's time has been spent building fences and helping his Dad out in the yard. I'm sure Jed would not say he loved building that fence.... but it's beautiful and done! Jed does really enjoy helping his dad out with things, and spending time with his dad, so there were some positives to that.
What else about the last year.... I asked Jed and he said, "It's been hard." Ha ha. One part of the last year that was hard was that Jed started a business! He and two friends came up with the idea two years ago, and the summer of 2015 they quit their jobs to do it full time. Obviously running a business is hard, and unfortunately it didn't work out. One highlight from the job, however, is that Jed got to go on a trip to Alaska for a client. He took pictures and video for their website. While stressful, Jed has always thought it would be awesome to be paid to travel and take pictures; dream fulfilled! It was an amazing trip, except for the day on the fishing boat where Jed discovered he has terrible sea sickness. I would say we laugh about it now, but I'm not sure Jed is over it yet ha ha.
I'll end with a little praise for my husband. Yes, this last year, and really the last three years, have been full of a lot of faith promoting trials. We both, but especially Jed, have had to learn to rely on the Lord, His will, and His timing even more that we would have thought possible. Out motto for a while has been not to simply endure the storms of life, but to endure them well. (See "In the Strength of the Lord" by Henry B. Eyring, April General Conference 2004) I've really enjoyed that motto. It's amazing how some days can seem so hard, but if you study the scriptures, pray, and get a good nights sleep, your perspective can be amazingly eternal the next morning. Having gratitude in every circumstance, being happy where you are at in life, and constantly having an eternal perspective is really the only way to stay faithful! But, all this does relate to my praise for Jed. I have felt that Jed has been through the refiner's fire this last year. God was shaping him to be the person he wants him to be, and Jed has borne that so well! I feel like I've gotten to see Jed grow up just a little bit, gain more faith in God, and lead our family better than before. It's amazing to see the growth. I've had that experience where I thought I loved Jed before; now I love him more than I could have imagined. He was a great person before, and now he is even better. I know we both can agree that we are grateful for our trials. (Never thought I would say that, but I really feel that way!)
I should end with the fact that Jed turned 28 in April. It's hard to believe we are so close to the thirties when we feel so young. Sometimes I think we are still little college students. I guess I can now say that we are once again college students!
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