still looking...

Although Glen going through his first ever experience with unemployment this year has added to our already stressful 2012, being unemployed while Spencer was in the hospital was a huge blessing in our lives.  It allowed Glen and I to put forth more of a team effort into taking care of our family during those long months.   Additionally, Glen was also able to go to youth conference and Spencer's high adventure trip this summer without worrying about whether he might have been able to get the time off of work.  Knowing that Glen could be with him in Spencer's first few weeks out of the hospital and away from home, was a huge comfort to both of us.

With how perfectly the timing worked out at the beginning of all this sick child/getting laid off adventure (read here if you don't remember the details), we just assumed that as soon as the need for him to be at home had passed, that he would find a new job easily.    He didn't really start looking in earnest until late summer, but since then we've discovered that job searching does not come easily and the hunt itself has turned out to be a full-time job.  Over the last few months, he's gone to employment workshops, networking events, met with head hunters, gotten in touch with long-lost colleagues, sent out his resume a million times, gone to mock interviews to help improve his skills, etc. and still he's had nary more than a couple of nibbles.

We are not discouraged yet. 
We have felt the hand of God so constantly through this entire journey, we have faith that the right opportunity will present itself eventually.  While we hope and pray that it's sooner rather than later, we also recognize that our timing is not always the Lord's timing. 

In the meantime, if you're in the financial world and think that you might have an opportunity for Glen, please feel free to get in touch with us.  He has a master's in tax and has several years of experience with corporate accounting, but he is looking to stay more involved with the business side of finances, which is more congruent to his most recent experiences working for about seven years as a fund manager at a private equity firm.   We strongly prefer a job here in the DC area, but would consider relocating to other locations if the opportunity was just right.


******************

While unemployment is not a fun thing, it does present unique opportunities. In addition to being able to spend the time Glen needed to spend with our family this past year, he has also been able to participate in some other opportunities he otherwise probably would not have if he were working.  Enjoy these pics of Glen from a recent getaway to Maine he took with a friend--a getaway he never would have been able to take with his previous job. 

This is a picture of a wild bald eagle doing some fishing while Glen did some fishing of his own. Glen said this sight in and of itself was worth the trip up to Maine.

Fly fishing so happens to be one of Glen's favorite past-times in the entire universe and I love this picture that captured the art and the beauty of the sport. 

Most of their days were spent kayaking on Moosehead Lake in Maine (one of the largest freshwater lakes in the US) and he loved the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors,

Although there were some harrowing moments on the lake with 4-5 foot waves tossing his kayak around out in the middle of the lake miles from land, the weather was largely ideal and made for some great photos:

One of the days, Glen was out fishing and this little hitchhiker landed on the under side of the bill of his baseball hat and just hung out for a while. I laughed at the fact that Glen didn't mind a bit about having a large insect so close to his face.  Although I admire dragonflies from afar, I am fairly certain that if a dragonfly ever lands on my hat that the dragonfly along with the hat would probably be thrown unceremoniously to the ground, most likely accompanied by a whole lot of screaming! 


Unfortunately, the dragonfly, eagles, and fish didn't have any job leads for him and now Glen is back home, nose to the grindstone searching for the right job opportunity.  Although we are very ready to have Glen back to work, it was a welcome treat for him that he was able to tag along on this trip. Going back to his childhood spent in the Rocky Mountains, Glen has always found solace in the outdoors and loves opportunities to explore them. 

Next week it's my turn for my own little getaway!