Plan B

Albert received an email last week from the HR person in charge of his getting an Air Traffic Control position confirming that he had passed his interview and would now need to send in certain forms before receiving his Tentative Offer Letter (TOL).  He contacted her yesterday to make sure she had all the information she needed to issue him the letter.  She said she did, but would not be issuing him the letter until next summer!  We expected that he would be getting the letter next month so this came as a big surprise to us.

Apparently there are only two slots open for the center in Albuquerque this year and both positions have been filled.  There are 20 others waiting to get into the facility on top of that so Albert could be waiting for up to three years before going to the Academy in Oklahoma City!!  This really throws a wrench into our plans of leaving next year and we've just begun to think about possible Plan Bs. 

We knew that it was possible that he might not get a position for awhile, but figured that would only be the case if he wasn't picked up by a facility.  It seems so strange that they would pick him up this round if they are clearly at full capacity for the next couple years.  In order for him to be available to be picked up by another facility in the March round he would have to turn down this offer, which would be risky and we're not natural risk takers especially with only a couple months to go until our baby is born.

So we're contemplating whether we should move into a two bedroom apartment further out from the city or perhaps moving from this area altogether if we could find a decent job somewhere else since the only thing holding us here is Albert's schooling and he'll be done in May.  There may be a possibility that Albert could get a permanent position with benefits at the FAA in the department where he is now working, but everything is up in the air. 

Since we would rather one of us be able to stay home with the baby, it would be much more of a financial squeeze to live off of one income in this area, especially with the added costs of a baby.  One year we could handle, but three I'm not sure.  We're hoping it's like when we go to Maggianos and they tell us it will be an hour before we get a table and then by the time we come back 20 minutes later, they've already called our name.

When we decided to have a baby we knew we were taking a risk since we didn't have anything nailed down career-wise, but I have faith that things will work out since we are doing what we believe is the Lord's will. We are blessed with jobs right now and health insurance so we're not facing poverty just yet and Albert will eventually have his dream job, it just isn't what we were hoping for.

My favorite scripture right now is in the Old Testament in the King James Translation of the Bible, Proverbs 3:5-10

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Funny because I saw this scripture on an advertisement for Humanists on the bus rejecting the idea of putting your trust in something beyond yourself and your own ability to reason.  It gives me a lot hope since there is so much in this life that is really out of our hands.