Because God Likes Juxtaposition...

This weekend was nothing short of amazing. As I told you in my previous post I was spending this weekend at a blogging meetup called The Blathering and boy was I nervous. But honestly, after being there for only half an hour I was already feeling like -- HOLY MOSES THIS IS SO COOL! THESE LADIES ROCK AND AREN'T EVEN SCARY! And that was even before Elizabeth's fabulous Thai Noodle Salad.

(Immediate Sidebar: Can you please read her recipe right away, do not pass go, do not collect $200, and cook it NOW? It was that good. Ok, great. Moving right along.)

I've been wanting to sit down and write a wonderful recap of all the parts of the weekend. I mean seriously, there was hammock-breaking, a female dog with a mustache, gay country line dancing, and hello? Lots of delicious wine. Really, is there any better way to spend your weekend?

Survey Says? NO.

And if you want to read a proper recap of the weekend please click on over to any of these lovely posts here, here, here, here, here or here.

But having such a wonderful time all weekend made Monday morning hit all the more like a ton of ugly bricks. Crazy deadlines and ASS-EARLY classes to teach where I had to be bright eyed, bushy tailed were really making this week feel like a marathon. I was having trouble sitting down to write and then today -- well, as of today, this officially became the week from Hell. Garrett was notified that his job is being eliminated as his entire department is being relocated to Denver, Colorado.

(Something to note if you are new here, Garrett and I work at the same company, just in different departments)

We did not see that coming.

It isn't happening immediately, but a 60 day notice is impending, and the shitty part is that it could come at anytime, everyone is being hush-hush and vague about it. It is kind of a relief that it's not happening right this second, but honestly it is not the consolation prize that many of the higher ups in the company are making it out to be. Isn't it Great? Garrett's getting laid off! But not today, maybe tomorrow! Or maybe the day after that! Who knows? Nobody knows! You'll never know when it's coming, but c'mon everyone likes a surprise, don't they?

Well, I don't like surprises. Did I ever tell you about the fabulous surprise birthday party my parents threw me when I was a young girl? Friends and family, balloons and cake, good cheer and music, and most of all a giant SURPRISE welcome when I unknowingly walked in the door, and well the cliffs notes is that I was so embarrassed I hid in the laundry room most of the night crying.

(Second Sidebar: God, what a little douchebag I could be. )

Anyway, I don't like surprises. But even more than that, I also don't like limbo. Just give it to me straight. Good or bad, I just want to know what the hell is going to happen and when. Don't beat around the bush.

The other thing that is terrible is that I work in a very small department of Trainers, and half of my department (not including me) supports this department that is moving to Denver. So guess who got the wink wink, nudge nudge suggestion that they should start looking for new jobs today? It just makes me so sad. These are my good friends. My work buddies. My career confidantes. And they are all in limbo as well, waiting for the axe to drop. I can't think of any more eloquent way to say it than just to keep saying how much it sucks.

It sucks because 10 months ago I urged Garrett to apply for this job, solely because it was in a much more "secure" industry than the finance-related industry that he was in. It sucks because we thanked our lucky stars the other night about how stable his job was and how lucky that felt during these times. It sucks because this type of change is scary, and I was already having a rough week, and seriously dude! This is so not what I needed.

But I keep telling myself that things will be okay. I know things will be okay, actually, but I get my feathers ruffled so easily when the Universe reminds me that I am not in control. (Wow, that just sounded really hippy dippy, but hopefully you know what I'm saying.) It is not happening tomorrow (we hope). We have some time to scale back and plan for the worst (and maybe it will never even come). We are already very conservative with money, and as long as I have my job in theory we could survive on my income in the worst case scenario. We are going to make it just fine, it just feels so chaotic when life is uncertain.

I was thinking about it this afternoon when we went to lunch -- btw, I was so stressed I went straight for the Club sandwich and onion rings. Garrett? Well, bless his heart, he ordered a salad. Who stress eats a salad?-- and I told myself, if it had to happen, we really couldn't have been better prepared. Garrett is so conservative with money and that has really rubbed off on me, and I have lived through enough tough scenarios in my life to know the kind of resilience that resides inside me and that has definitely turned Garrett into more of an optimist. So I think together, we will handle this well as a team. We have such great families and friends that support us, so I know we will get through it all. But honestly, when I came home this afternoon I was sort of hoping my whole family would be waiting inside my front door with a cake and throwing confetti, because honestly I could really use a good cry in my parents laundry room right now.