Life Since I Became We.

Colton moved to Cedar City in August. I spent most of the summer in Heber with my family, and my lease wasn't up until August, so that's when he made the move.

It was hard at first. He really, really, REALLY, didn't want to leave Salt Lake. He was just about to start school again, was registered for classes, had a great job, a good schedule and a routine. He begged me to move to Salt Lake. Closer to family, closer to him, closer to everything he knew and loved.

But I couldn't do it. I am so close to getting my Bachelors degree, had a full time job that let me take off time when I wasn't sick (which would be hard to replace while pregnant regardless) and above all that, it is cheaper to live in Cedar. WAY cheaper.

We are talking $300 in rent for a studio apartment vs $600+ in Salt Lake. 

So Colton made the change. He packed up his life in two weeks, quit his job, and we started our life together. 

Originally, Colton started work at Convergys. It's a call center for AT&T that takes inbound calls and pays decently, and he could start right away. This was tough for Colton, who is a natural people person and thrives working with people, especially those with disabilities. He went from an atmosphere where people cared about him, missed him, talked to him and depended on him, to one where he felt taken for granted, stressed out and under-appreciated. There was constant pressure to say things perfect, do things perfect, make sales o r lose your job. He couldn't do it.

I was so terrified about him quitting his job, because I have been sick so much that the idea of him not working for any amount of time meant rough times ahead. I had heard horror stories of people looking and looking and looking for jobs and never being able to find anything in Cedar. But, everyday was miserable for Colt. He dreaded work, came home ornery, left stressed out. I knew it wouldn't last.

So we started applying online. Lots and lots of applications.

And we got results! Within 24 hours he had 4 job interviews! People who say the economy makes it impossible to find a job, need to look harder. 

His first interview was with a quadriplegic teenager who needed a care taker at night. Right up Colton's ally. He interviewed with the family, and was informed that they had interviewed a lot of nurses and CNA's. Colton has worked in the healthcare industry for several years, and dealt with disability his whole life (his little sister has Cerebral Palsy) but is not certified. He came home bummed out.

The second interview was with another disabled living home. They interviewed him, took his resume and then had him to a page of fractions and decimal math problems.

What???

He came home after that bummed also, because lets be honest, most of us can't remember that crap. 

Third interview came along, for a place called Chrysalis, another disabled living assistance home. They hired him on the spot because of his experience. He started immediately. We were ecstatic.

That night, he got a call from his first interviewer, asking if he would like the position working with her son! We were shocked! She told him that despite having interviewed people with MUCH higher qualifications, they felt he was the right fit, and she would personally train him to do the job. Her son and Colton have a lot in common, and he personally requested to have Colton help him. It was only about 20 hours a week, but would be a great second job. 

It was a great day! Colton quit Convergys, with a huge smile, and a sigh of relief.

And then life happened. Again.

Colton went to his first day of training with Chrysalis, sat for three hours learning about the job, and then got called out. The hiring manager said that he had more than two moving violations (speeding tickets) on his record and would not be allowed to work there. 

First of all, why would they not check that BEFORE they hired him on? Second, he had been driving disabled residents in a van with no accidents for a year in his previous job, and had not had a ticket in over a year.

Awesome. Needless to say, he came home several hours early, looking like a lost puppy, feeling like he failed. Sometimes life is so not fair. I cried. A lot. Tried to comfort my man. And then with only a small job, and no Convergys to lean on, we moved on.

The next day we got a call from Walgreens, who was hiring for a position in the photo department. 7:30-3:30 PM (a shift Colton LOVES.) He went in for an interview immediately, and was crossing his fingers for results. The next morning I woke up with HORRIBLE pain in my hands, yet another pregnancy symptom. Colton offered to go to the store and pick up some medical tape so we could wrap my hands. It was early in the morning, but he got dressed up nicely, and we headed to the store. Walgreens to be exact.

We picked up the medical tape and then Colton waived to someone in the back room. The person who interviewed him. The guy came out, introduced himself, said "you must be Colton's fiance, how are you feeling?" I told him about the woes of pregnancy, and he laughed because his wife had just had a baby and he totally understood. We left Walgreens and continued running errands.

Within 10 minutes we got a call. Apparently that chance meeting had confirmed in the hiring managers mind the fact that he wanted to hire Colton. He related to being a new dad, and asked him to come in immediately and start getting work together. 

Deep sigh of relief.

We feel really blessed to have him working two jobs. His hours are good, the pay is good, and it allows him to go to the gym at night and train, something he had given up while working at Convergys. He also gets to spend the evenings with me, and soon, Tai.

So I'm missing my man a lot, and hating him working graves, but I know we are so so lucky. I'm lucky to have such a hard worker.