A sigh of relief!!!

After a maddening week last week this is just what we needed. Before I get ahead of myself I have a little bit of time to explain just what was going on last week and how things are going now!!! (The good part is at the end, so stick with the reading until the end, don't cheat!!!)

Last week was the final week of first round interviews. Peter was getting some responses from the firms he had interviewed with the week before and unfortunately was not getting the responses we wanted. He got three rejection letters in a row and while these were not the firms that were really important to Peter, it was worrisome and frustrating. Sitting here as his wife I began to wonder just what in the world were these people thinking! Peter is perfect and would be amazing for anybody to have work for them - why didn't they want him??? I kind of became angry and offended that they did not want my husband to work for them!!! So the three rejections came and we both began to wonder if the two remaining firms would respond the same way as the other three. It was scary to think about the possibility that maybe God didn't want us to stay local and maybe we would have to move to find a job. We began to really wonder what God had in store for us. I remember laying in bed Thursday night thinking about the two remaining firms that we hadn't heard from yet. We were both dying to just hear something from them. So I was praying - not so much praying as much as asking God why he couldn't just give us the answers we wanted. I heard God say "patience" ........................ and that was all he said.

Now all my life I have heard the saying, "never ask God for patience" - so I have never asked God for patience. Well, I came to the conclusion that God is in control and whether I liked it or not I was just going to have to wait for the answer. I was going to gain patience one way or another. So I fell asleep. I wasn't asleep long before the phone rang. It was pretty late and we both in a really groggy state kind of ignored the call. Well, they left a message and I groggily made Peter check the message. It was AKT and they said that they were very interested in Peter and wanted to make sure he didn't make any decisions before they were able to meet with him again!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! I think God knew we don't have a whole lot of patience and so he just had to make us wait a little bit longer then we were willing to try to help build that in us.

Last week was a horrible week. Between the stress of my job which I don't even want to get into to much and all of this job stuff I thought I would be bald by the end of the week. Last week was by far the worst week I have had at my job. I have taken on a lot of responsibility at work and it definitely adds to the stress I encounter. I believe God is constantly trying to build character in me and I don't think I am catching on fast enough!!!

Friday began with more good news. Peter had an interview with Moss Adams. That was just kind of the icing on the cake. We knew he had three second round interviews!!! Whew, big sigh of relief.

Well, we are to Monday; or through Monday I guess. Peter met with AKT today. I say "met" because it wasn't really an interview. It was much more like "meet the people you are going to work with" and "here's your offer"!!! Yes, you read that correct......

Peter got his first offer today!!!!

It was surprisingly better then we expected. It still has its pros and cons but we won't know for sure where the right place is until after the other two interviews; but all we feel right now is relief, joy, excitement!!!!

I am so incredibly proud of Peter - he has worked so hard for us to get to this point and I am thrilled that he has made it. Sure he still has six months of school, but this is it!!! He is an amazing man!!!

The Verdict!!!

So we are 50% for second round interviews. There are three firms that didn't want a second (pwc, dwcc, and Geffin Mescher.) On a more important note he has three firms that he is returning to. On Monday he has another interview with AKT. This firm has been his favorite choice at this point and they called really late one night last week to make sure that Peter hadn't made any decisions without talking to them first. They are very interested in him and really want to talk to him about a job. On Tuesday he has a second round interview with Moss Adams. It is actually going to be four interviews in one it sounds like. Then on the 7th and 8th he has a two day interview with KPMG. He is surprisingly thinking that KPMG may be the best place for him right now. They are big four and will be able to do a lot to help him get off on the right foot with education in the field. He has been talking with a distant relative of mine who works at that firm (yes, I have connections everywhere ;) and they have recommended to him to start at a big four if possible because you can always go to a smaller firm, but you can't go small and then go big. So right now it is going to be a very hard decision between AKT and KPMG if he gets offers from both firms.

I had a killer week with work this week. 11 hour days all week and then my half day today turned into an 8 hour day. Needless to say I am exhausted right now and have a short weekend before starting all over again on Monday. I have been experiencing a lot of shoulder pain this week which is a new thing for me. I have made a doctors appointment as it is hindering my ability to work and have let my bosses know that this is going on as it will be Workman's comp if anything is going on.

We are going to the Oregon State game tomorrow and that should be fun. Hopefully Sunday will be a nice day of recovery and rest for us before another busy and stressful week begins!!!

Waiting is hard!

Still nothing much to report on the job front. First round interviews are officially all done and we continue to wait for word from anyone on if or when there will be a second round interview. We are enjoying the short break as the next phase of interviewing will be much more time consuming for Peter. Waiting is so much harder then the actual doing part of it all. Peter seems to have a clear favorite as far as where he feels he would like to work. It all could still change as job offers come and we find out just what the benefits are and such.

He has it pretty well narrowed down to which firms he would entertain an offer for and which ones he really doesn't care if he gets an offer from. We know KPMG is a possibility, they have a lot to offer as far as experience goes, but it is kind of floating around in what choice it would be. It is the only firm we have heard back from at this point to get a second round interview. It is probably number 3-4 on Peter's list right now. DWCC is right there with KPMG. This was the first firm that Peter thought about working for and he still likes it a lot so it is always a possibility. (He is supposed to hear back from DWCC by Monday). Geffen Mescher is #2 on Peter's list from what I have been able to get out of him. He has no idea if he will get a second round interview with them, but if he does they would be a real possibility. (He thought he would have heard back from them by now.) In the #1 spot for now is AKT. We both have a feeling that this could be the place for him. We have no idea if he will be interviewing again with them, but as far as our "feeling" goes this seems like the place. We are trusting God and know that if it isn't the place for Peter then he will pave the way into another firm. It is interesting how we both just have a feeling about this one.

We will see what happens. No real information to talk about. Granted, any firm Peter interviewed with could still be the place he chooses to work. There are so many unknowns right now that all we can do is wait and see what happens!!!

not much to report

It has been almost a week since the last update. I don't really have anything exciting to say. We have both been very busy lately, but not with anything really entertaining.

Peter is still waiting to hear from all the other firms he has interviewed with. He had an interview on Monday with Moss Adams that he thinks went very well. His interview with PWC on Tuesday went alright, but he didn't feel it went as well as some of the others. He only has two more first round interviews, both of which are tomorrow. It is crazy how quickly this has all happened and is now done. He is confirmed for a second round interview with KPMG in the beginning of November and that is the only progress he has made as far as second round interviews go.

He is so busy right now. I know that life is very stressful for him right now and he is handling it really well. He is very busy with school and homework and then throw in job interviews and a wife and trying to fit in work. We have been up and going since 4 this morning (like every other morning) but he won't be home until after 7 tonight and then he still has homework tonight. I feel really bad for him and I am really afraid he is going to wear himself down, but he can't compromise any of these areas so we are hoping it just goes by quickly and pray he doesn't get sick.

Last week was very nice at work for me. I didn't have to work any overtime and it has been a long time since that has happened. We are thankfully back to heavy overtime this week (11 hour days) . While I did enjoy the week break and getting to sleep in (crazy that 5 AM is sleeping in!!!) I was more then ready for some overtime on my paycheck!!! Work is still killing my back and the wrist pain is back with a vengeance for me. This weekend can't come soon enough for either one of us!!!

We are still making time to run in all of this madness. I am officially running more then I am walking which is a huge milestone for me :) As of lately Peter has been running along side me. He pushes me way harder then I want to be pushed but it is good. It is frustrating to come home and be exhausted and he hasn't even broken a sweat, but he is really supportive and that is always the best.

What else? The chins haven't been out in over a week and they have been pretty good about it. I have let them out now and they are running around like CRAZY!!! They are very entertaining!! I am thankful we have a pet that can be cooped up for a few days and not NEED to be out. They enjoy being out, but they don't have to be out.

This past weekend, in addition to watching Oregon State beat the #2 team in the nation, we went to see the movie "Why Did I Get Married?". That movie was hilarious - I loved it!!! I highly recommend it to everyone.

Well, that is all I really have to say for now. I will be sure to update if we get any job updates!!!

they keep coming!!!

Well I am sure that you are all anxiously anticipating some more news. Peter had his first interview with KPMG on Wednesday. He thought it went very well and it must have because they contacted him that night and the man who interviewed him is recommending him for another interview!!! So it appears he has made it through the first round with them!!! He has learned a lot about the company and the draw back would be him not being able to start working until October when everyone else starts. But we would get to go to New Jersey for training!!! We will see what happens. Ultimately we are praying that God will show us where Peter belongs and I am confident that God has his hand in this and he will direct us right where he wants Peter to be.

Keep up the prayers - Peter has quite a few more interviews to go next week!!! More details coming!!!

The First Interview

Peter had his first interview today. In his words it went "fine". The interviewer only ended up asking him 4 or 5 questions and Peter asked the rest. He is pretty confident that he did well and is hoping that he hears that he has another interview with this firm soon. He did like a lot about the firm that he heard about and so it sounds like it is a contender for him. We will wait and see what happens. We won't have too much time to think about this one as he will be interviewing again tomorrow morning. He also had one more interview scheduled for Monday of next week with Moss Adams. So far he has interviews scheduled for all but 2 of the firms he has applied with. Even those two have been in contact with him in ways that imply he will be interviewing with them so we will wait and see what happens.

In non-job news. We are just completely exhausted in life right now. We are so very busy right now that life is in some ways just a blur. We are trying to deal with life as it comes and are doing pretty well at it I think!!!

Let it begin.............

Keep Peter in your thoughts in the coming hours, days, and weeks. I know this is a very stressful time in his life and while it is full of excitement it is also full of a lot of anxiety too. His first job interview is tomorrow (Tuesday afternoon) and he has another interview on Wednesday. He has also gotten word that he has an interview next Tuesday at PWC (another big four firm!!!) and also an interview on next Thursday with DWCC (one of the firms he is pretty interested in.) I am sure there will be a few more interviews coming up besides these ones and hopefully we will have an update out tomorrow on how the first interview goes!!!

2-2!!!

Great news! Peter got word that he has two interviews next week. One with Geffen Mescher on Tuesday and KPMG (one of the big four) on Wednesday. Keep him in your prayers this week as he is very nervous!!!

God is faithful!!!

I have to share an experience we had today that made my jaw drop. It is amazing to see how faithful God is to provide for all of our needs!

We have been trying to pay for Peter's Chemeketa classes out of pocket (yes, Peter is also taking 3 online classes at Chemeketa this semester). Finances have been tight while trying to pay for all these classes, but we made it through and finally felt some relief about the next couple of weeks. Until last week.................. we discovered an unexpected expense that was quite a bit of money for us and we didn't really know how we were going to take care of it. We were pretty stressed out about it and worried all weekend about where we could cut costs further or take it out of savings possibly. We finally decided it would be easier to take out another school loan as opposed to stressing any further about finances. We really didn't want to do it, but we thought that was the best choice for us.

So we started the process of applying for another school loan. We got pre-approved and everything and were just waiting for it to go through the system. Part of the process is approval at GFU. Well, the loan got to George Fox and this is where it gets exciting for us. George Fox has decided that instead of making us take out another loan, they will give Peter another scholarship for the amount we requested!!! This should be enough money to cover the additional classes Peter will probably sign up for at Chemeketa in the next year. It is really amazing to us - this is free money!!! God gets all the glory in this. Here we are worrying and God knew what we needed and he provided!!! He is so good to us!!!

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness all the time!!! Now it is a weight off our shoulders!!!

Waiting...........

Peter has officially turned in all of his resumes and now we just wait. He has done a good job of following up with all of the companies and getting his name out there. It is exciting to have that part of the process all done as that was really a difficult part of it. The ball is pretty well in the accounting firm courts now and there isn't anything else for the most part that Peter can do and if all goes as well as we hope he should be getting some phone calls pretty soon. We will keep everybody updated as all of this happens. I think the waiting COULD be hard but we are both so busy right now that we don't have that much time to think about it. Peter is continuing on with his 29 credits this semester - the boy is nuts but seems to be doing pretty well. I have noticed more of an increase in homework so far this year, I don't know if that is really the truth or if I am just noticing and worrying about it more this year. He definitely has more group projects then ever before and that takes away our evening time together but we will get through this year. Sometimes we just have to count down the days and literally live life one day at a time. If we actually thought about what tomorrow or next week hold for us - I think we would go crazy.

Work is extremely busy right now and I know it won't slow down until the new year. It is both a blessing and a curse as the overtime really helps us out financially but my back is not too happy with 11 hour days. We are right at about a year since this whole mess with my back began and I think the overtime at this time of year is what really bothers it. I am contemplating which would be better financially for us. I can be put to sleep every 3-4 months as needed and get injections in my back for 250 dollars a pop, or I can try out acupuncture and that is about 45 dollars a week. The third option is do what I have been doing - ibuprofen, ice, stretching, topical meds - but I really don't see me doing that for much longer if the pain keeps up. So keep me in your thoughts ;)

They are discussing changing my hours at work. Right now I have been working 5 Am to 4:30 PM. Swing shift has had a huge amount of new employees in the department and I am the only floor person in my area that is "supposed" to be training. There are 5 people in the process of being trained on swing and either they are training each other or a unit specialist has been working with them. Since they are so overwhelmed I suggested that I could help if they would like. So they are discussing the possibility of me working half the day shift and half the swing shift OR working on swing shift for awhile. So we will see what becomes of all this talk. I wouldn't mind sleeping in a little later in the mornings, so I am hoping they allow me to work the split shift idea just for a change of pace for awhile.

That is all that is going on right now. Living day by day - waiting.......................