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Bad News and Good News

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Let’s just jump in with the bad news. Brad was laid off 6 weeks ago.

I was at Haven, a DIY & home blogger conference in Atlanta, when it happened. I talked with Brad that morning on the phone– he was about to walk into work. After hanging up with him, I headed into a session. At 10:10 he called me. Since I couldn’t answer the phone, I sent the call to voicemail and texted him back.

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Guys like to rip the Band Aid right off, don’t they?

I did the obvious thing: grabbed my phone, walked very quickly out of the room, and immediately called him. I was clearly upset. Who wouldn’t be? When I came back into the session my eyes were puffy and swollen. And I ended up crying again. My apologies to those sitting at my table who had to witness my ugly cry– trust me, it ain’t pretty.

I realized there was nothing I could do to change the situation, and I was hundreds of miles away from home so I needed to suck it up and put a smile on my face. Thankfully, Brad’s family was already coming into town so they were a nice distraction for him– instead of him sitting home alone all weekend.

While this was horrible news, I still remained the optimist I am. In our relationship, I’m the one saying things like, “We’ll be alright. If we have to, you can sell a kidney on the black market and I can be a gestational carrier.” Just kidding. I’d like to have my own kid first. Sorry. I’m selfish. But if Brad wants to give up a kidney for some cheddar then that’s his decision.

I told Brad other things, like if he didn’t have a job by this Christmas that I’d scrape together any money we had, build a website for him, and purchase a “Hi, I’m Brad! Hire me! Go to www. . .” billboard on the interstate. I’m no marketing major but I think that’s a pretty clever idea.

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My mom’s got jokes.

Now how about the good news?

Brad was offered a job less than two weeks after being laid off. A good job. A job he’s going to enjoy. A job where he’ll put his Masters degree to use. A job with good HEALTH INSURANCE and benefits.

He started on Monday. WOOT WOOT!

Why did I capitalize health insurance in the paragraph above? Because I’ve been without good health insurance for 3 years, and Brad has been without good health insurance for 2 years. We were completely without health insurance for a period of time last year. But at the beginning of this year we manned up and bought a $11,000 deductible HSA plan (benefits provided after the $11,000 deductible is met– oof). Oh and, by the way, that plan doesn’t have maternity coverage (maternity is currently seen as a preexisting condition) so if we were to have an oopsie we’d basically be up poop creek without a paddle. Seriously, paying for this plan is like lighting $180 on fire every month on the off chance that something catastrophic happens to one of us because we rarely need to go to the doctor. With all of that said, if you’re lucky enough to have good health insurance, walk over to your wallet, take out your insurance card and give it a big fat smooch. I mean it. People like me are envious of people like you. So you better believe when my health insurance cards comes next month that I’ll be whispering sweet nothings to it.

Now, why am I sharing all of this with you? (Because I don’t really need to. I could have glossed over this entire event.)  I guess it’s to show that we’re real people with real problems. I know so much of blogland can be “OMG look at my awesome life! My husband is amazing! Everything’s super duper! Check out this cool thing I spray painted gold!” So here I am saying things aren’t always super duper.

 And some of you may be all “Well this is easy for you to share now that your husband isn’t unemployed anymore.” And I totally get that. But I told myself I’d give it 3 months before I’d post about it if Brad was still unemployed. I didn’t want to come on here a week after he was laid off and make it look like I was throwing myself a pity party.

In the end, I’m so thankful things turned out the way they did. We needed this. Brad has been working his tail off trying to get out of his previous job and find a new one that relates to the Masters degree he worked so hard for and got in Dec. of 2011. (Shoot, I even solicited you guys.)  It’s been one of those “when one door closes another door opens” kind of things (minus the looking regretfully at the closed door part of that quote). And it reminded me of a somewhat similar situation I was in 3 years ago. And you know what? It was a gift. I never would have had the time to DIY so much of our wedding with my old job, therefore I never would have started blogging. So when the door to my old job closed, the door to my new job and blogging opened. And I’m 10 times happier where I am now.

So if you’re in a job where you’re feeling unappreciated and underpaid know that Brad and I have been there. If you worked your butt off to get your undergraduate and/or graduate degree (and have the student loans to prove it) and have yet to find a substantial job to match your education and qualifications know that Brad has been there and I’ve been along for the ride with him. I know it may seem endless, but keep applying for other jobs and networking like it is your job. It will work out in the end.

Thank you and congratulations if you read this entire post. My apologies for yammering on. I just wanted to share this because it’s what we’ve lived for years. And I’m sure we’re not alone. Brad and I are 29 and 28 and we’re just now feeling like we’re getting our careers rolling. So if you’re in a similar situation just know that you’re not alone. But just remember to keep things in perspective. I’m always reminding Brad that there are people in far worse situations than him and me. So what if we don’t have the cash to buy a brand new car or to jet off to Turks and Caicos to celebrate a friend’s birthday? We should be thankful for what we do have: each other, our health, our families, a crazy dog, jobs, a house, etc.

Stalk away!

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91 Comments

  1. Thanks for keeping it real. It is nice to hear that crazy sh** happens to other people. I work full time and have a toddler and I often think to. Us elf “how on earth do,these people get all this stuff done!?!”

    I enjoy your blog.

    1. Thank you! Hah, yep, crazy sh*t happens to me all the time. It’s like I attract it. 🙂 I definitely know what you mean about wondering how some of these blogger get all of this stuff done. I wonder that quite often too.

  2. Thanks for posting this because…..we’re all real. Crap happens and it’s just so NICE to read that you’re not alone in that. Plus, as a blogger I think it opens you up to encouragement and support that you may not have otherwise experienced in the same way. Kudos to you and so glad it worked out. 🙂

  3. Congrats to Brad!! This couldn’t have been an easy post to write but thank you for sharing!!

    I know I’ve done the “wow their lives are perfect” with bloggers and its nice to know-you’re just like us!

    1. Thank you! You’re right– I must have spent 2 hours re-reading it and editing it. Hah! Yep, I’m definitely a normal person. 🙂

  4. Congrats! Life is definately messy sometimes. But spray painting things gold and throwing out some glitter does help. 🙂 Not as much as health insurance, but some glitter and spray paint can def cheer a gal up some days. And nice new cabinets definately help! 🙂

  5. So glad to hear it is all working out for you guys! Money is such a stressful thing…we lived on just my income for three years while my hubby was a stay-at-home-dad and wow…we had to learn to live on a TIGHT budget! Sounds like you all are going to be just fine! 🙂

  6. Life does happen that is for sure. Now you kiss your health insurance card for me…. we too have the huge deductible which is just major medical, but we have to pay $735 a month for ours. Age and kids, they find any way they can to stick it to ‘ya.

    Glad the Husband is gainfully employed but did his mom really call him a tight a&$?

    1. I will most definitely kiss it for you. Oh, don’t get me started on health insurance… don’t get Brad started on health insurance. I don’t think a lot of people know how good they have it when they’re blessed with good health insurance. We didn’t know until we were without.

      That was my mom. She said it jokingly– it’s part of our dynamic.

  7. What an amazing thing that he ended up getting a better job that he is happy at and with health insurance!!! This makes me appreciate our insurance so much.. The military has blessed us with free insurance that covers 100% of everything.. we literally have never had to pay for anything, but I’m scared because we get out of the military next year so I am already doing lots of research and preparing myself for “the real world”. Praying for a blessing like you guys got with a good job with health insurance! Thanks for sharing what’s on your heart.. I know it’s hard sometimes, but it feels good when you do. xx Liz Marie

    1. Thanks so much, Liz! That’s great that you’re already looking into options. Best of luck with the insurance research. It’s tough out there. Hopefully your husband can get a job with good benefits in Michigan.

  8. Life happens indeed! Since 2010, my husband and I have been through 3 layoffs. I was laid off in October 2010 – it was a blessing as my job was stressful, making me miserable and I desperately wanted to quit – but I’m not a quitter so I suffered in silence. In November 2011, my husband was laid off and was unemployed for three months. In January of this year he was laid off again – this time was unemployed for four months. It is very stressful, particularly when you have a young child to feed and clothe. I’m so happy to hear that your husband is working now, and I hope that you are saving to ensure you have money in the bank in case you’re faced with something similar to this in the future!

    1. I was in the same situation with my former job– suffering in silence, but I’m not a quitter. It was definitely a blessing in disguise. So sorry to hear about your and your husband’s lay offs. I’m sure it’s especially stressful with a little one. That’s something I would always tell Brad “we should be thankful we don’t have a family to support because there are people out there dealing with that aspect.” I’m happy your husband is working now. And oh yeah, we’re definitely adding to the savings account.

  9. What an awesome post. I was just reading an article the other day about how “online sharing” can really cause a lot of depression and unnecessary freakouts among people our age because it makes us constantly compare our lives to others. But all of this is so true, and so real, for so many people. You’re brave to even bring it up publicly! Love your blog and best of luck to both of you in your new and/or already blossoming careers 🙂

    1. Thanks, Leila! I totally get what you’re saying about that article. It’s definitely the downside of social media– people sharing only the positive things they want people to know. Brad and I are guilty of comparing our lives to our friends sometimes and but that’s why I always try to keep things in perspective.

  10. Congrats to Brad for finding a new job so quickly! We’ve been there many times over the past 3 years so I totally know how hard and frustrating and scary it can all be. OH, and I skipped the second to last paragraph. Hopefully there was nothing important in there. Hey, I almost read the entire post! {giggle} {hugs} {ihatethesethings} Now get into the bedroom and start making some Hoosier babies!

  11. Congrats to Brad on the new job! That is very exciting!! My husband & I can completely relate here. We got married this last May & this last January, he got laid off from his job. No, He didn’t LOVE his job but, he was satisfied & of course the paycheck was great. We were completely blindsided by the lay off & it hurt. However, he’s found something that he does enjoy now (before the wedding actually – thankfully!) and we look back on it as a lesson learned. It wasn’t easy but, God has his plans for us.

    1. Thanks, Shayna! I’m so glad everything worked out for you guys. I can totally relate– we were blindsided by the lay off too. This definitely was a lesson learned for us.

  12. Thanks so much for sharing! I enjoyed reading it…not the part where you have been struggling. It is nice to hear bloggers share their real lives. I totally get the waiting to share it part. I am the exact same way on my site. So great to get to know more about you.

  13. “Look at the thing I spray painted gold!” Ha ha! Love it! I’m so glad your honey was able to get another job and things are looking sunny for you!! 🙂

  14. Thanks for sharing such a personal post. I know exactly what you went through and it’s nice to see someone come out of what is such a gloomy time with a positive light. Cheers to the both of you!

  15. Congrats to Brad on his new job! It’s awesome that he went from a meh one to one that better matches what you guys need and what he went to school for! And wahoo for insurance! I handle the benefits stuff for the company I work for, and they suck, makes me glad my hubs works for the government!

    1. Thanks, Ashley! Oh yeah, he went from a I-greatly-dislike-my-job-it’s-sucking-the-life-out-of-me job to one he’s going to enjoy. Benefits are so important these days. It’s unfortunate that people have to stress about it so much. Brad and I know two people who passed away this year because they didn’t have health insurance so they never went to the doctor to get treatment for their symptoms.

  16. My husband got laid off about two months ago and he told me via text message as well. WTH men???? lucky he got a better job in only two weeks (with better health benefits too – YAY) so we are in the same boat. That period of unkown inbetween though is TERRIBLE – i know exactly!!!

    1. Hah! Guys are so weird. That’s great that your husband was able to get a new job so soon too! Yeah, the waiting period was terrible. Plus, Brad’s hire had to go to a committee for approval before it was officially official so we had to wait an additional 3 weeks for that to go through. We didn’t really celebrate until he got the call saying he would start on the 16th.

  17. I am so happy that he found a new job that he will love. That is such a scary position to be in, but you two are strong and made it through. And made it through better on the other side.

  18. We can totally relate. While we’ve been lucky that Matt has always had a job, he got his BS in Finance in December of 2010 and has yet to find an actual job in finance. Everyone wants someone with experience, yet he can’t get the experience he needs because nobody will hire him. Double edged sword. Luckily in November he did get a job that he at least likes and it brought us to Wisconsin from California, which was a dream of ours. But, it’d be so nice for him to actually get to use his degree. So happy for you guys and WOOT for health insurance. Even though dealing with insurance can be a pain, I NEVER really complain about it, because it’d be so much worse to NOT have it.

    1. Yep, I can definitely relate. Brad ran into the same problem. They either wanted someone with experience or they would say Brad was overqualified. Hopefully your husband will eventually be able to find a job where he can put his degree to use.

  19. Well YIKES and YAYYYY!!!! So glad things worked out, this reminds me of one of my favorite quotes…Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can come together! Sending lots of positive vibes his way 🙂

  20. I’m so happy things worked out for you and for a girl who has a “few years” on you I can tell you without a doubt there is always a reason something happens and as hard as things can get there will never be a time when you look back and don’t think I get why the bad happened and I’m actually glad it did!

    1. Thanks, Laurie! I totally agree. While our life plans have detoured a bit from where we would have liked them to go, I think it was supposed to be like this so we could learn some important lessons along the way.

  21. Oh, we have been there. Hubs was working for a startup and they ran out of money to pay people… He was working for IOU’s and then got let go… I remember the call. My heart dropped into my stomach. and it was Dec 1st that year.. merry christmas! That’s behind us in the rear view mirror. Liked reading your post.

  22. This is the first time I’ve ever come across your blog, and to read this as the first post was so inspiring! I’m very happy for you that everything worked out and I wish you happiness and luck in the future! xx

  23. So glad everything worked out for you guys!!! And I know what you mean about insurance. My husband and I both work for small companies that don’t offer health insurance. Having a baby is going to take some serious planning and saving. Blah.

    1. Thanks, Nikki! I totally get you. Brad’s former place of employment was a small company. It offered health insurance but it was so expensive for the two of us. And I’m self-employed, so there’s that. Look into AFLAC. I’d suggest looking into short-term disability and hospitalization insurance.

  24. I feel you on this whole post! Back in 2010, before we were even engaged my now-husband was laid off and I put him on my health insurance via domestic partnership allowance. What we didn’t know is that we’d be taxed an insane amount on the value of his benefits – so while we had good insurance – we paid dearly for it. After his new job (with the same company that laid him off, go figure) relocated us to another state, I played the job game. After nine months of three hour commutes (each way) back and forth to my old job, I was hired in our new home state and then laid off 13 months later! Luckily, we were married by that point and I was on his insurance and I had a job offer a month after for a new job that I love and uses my MBA. It’s one of those experiences that you hope to never have, but we learned a lot about each other and our relationship.

    1. Wow, that’s crazy, but I’m so glad everything worked out for you and your husband. I think there’s always a reason behind these kinds of things– to make us appreciate things more, to test our relationships, to help us develop empathy for people in worse and similar situations, etc.

  25. I’m glad an even better job came along at the right time! My husband is in the military so we really don’t have to worry about insurance or being laid off (we get deployments as a trade off though) but he got out for 10 months about 7 years ago and I remember being so scared he was going to lose his job-his company was letting people go every week (construction industry when the bubble burst)…it was part of the reason we decided he’d go back into the Army. Thanks for sharing your story!

    1. Thanks! Me too. Yeah, good health insurance is one of the benefits of being military, and I think it’s fully deserved. I can understand your anxiety when your husband got out for those 10 months. Glad you guys don’t have to worry about that now.

  26. Thankfully it all worked out in the end. My husband (who’s a plumber) called me last Monday and said that at his job they had demoted him to a position that had a high rate of lay offs. They took away the company vehicle and extra hours. We were pretty scared, unsure if he would be next in line for a lay off, but he was scared of change and finding a new job. Luckily his best friend gave him a referral, and he went in for a job interview on Wed, and got hired on the spot. Pay is higher, there’s benefits, and paid vacation days, plus the company provides ALL the tools and anything he might need is at his disposal, which in his line of business can get pricey. It’s turning out to be a great job and he is so much happier. We’re only a few days into it but it’s looking a Lot better than his last job…sometimes layoffs or potential lay offs are a stepping stone to something greater =) good luck with it all!

  27. i am sooo happy this has a happy ending, because what i tell myself and everyone that these things happen to
    EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!

    Doesn’t it? 🙂 Thanks for the inspriring post lady!

  28. Amber MacNeil says:

    Thank you for the courage to share this story.
    My hubby got laid off 2 1/2 months ago with about 175 of his coworkers. It just happened in one fell swoop over 2 days. The one thing that I am super-thankful for is that we have family to help out. Our savings have been drained (which wasn’t that great to begin with because the job pay was sucky).
    It’s sad when in America that people with great degrees (and a boatload of student debt) can’t get a decent job with benefits anymore. My husband has an MBA, but so do many other unemployed people around here.
    Anyway, I’m not trying to ne a downer. I’m just saying this is happening a lot in this economy.
    Congrats on Brad getting a job so quickly!! 🙂 Celebrate!

    1. Oh, Amber, I totally feel you. And I’m so sorry to hear about your husband being laid off. It is sad that people with good degrees can’t get decent jobs (Brad and I talk about this all the time). The generation before us beat it into our generation to go to college. So we did and now look. And the student loan debt in this country is ridiculous. The interest rates on Brad’s student loans (undergrad and graduate) are higher than our mortgage interest rate and the interest rate on Brad’s SUV (that’s since been paid off). It’s crazy. And they’re wondering why our generation is struggling. Like I said, Brad and I talk about this stuff all the time so I could go on forever.

      I hope your husband finds something soon!

      1. Amber MacNeil says:

        Thanks! Me too!! The past few days he has put in his resume to a bunch of great places. One of the jobs is at a place where he has done some volunteer work, and so he got a glowing reference from 2 of the people who work there full-time. 🙂

  29. Loved your blog today! You made me laugh and realize it all does work out. I have been out of work since December. I want to change my career from apparel to home decor and everyone thinks I’m over qualified. I’m waiting for that opened door. Glad all worked out for the 2 of you.

    1. Thanks! Yeah, it may take years but I feel like things eventually work themselves out. Best of luck with your career change. Sometimes you have to pursue what’s really going to make you happy.

  30. Way to keep it real! I needed a post like this. My boyfriend and I decided to leave our jobs and my college because we were so unhappy and moved to Colorado 3 months ago. I missed out on so many great jobs but finally found work. My boyfriend however has been in the final round for several great jobs but has lost out each time. I know something great will come along eventually, we just have to wait.

    1. That’s great that you were able to finally find work. I definitely know what you mean about being unhappy in your job. Way to have the courage to pack up and move. Brad and I discussed moving if he didn’t find a good job within a year or so. And I know what you mean about your boyfriend making it to the final round and then getting cut. That happened to Brad multiple times. I started mentioning sending him to the final round interviews with cookies. Hah! I hope your boyfriend lands a job soon!

  31. Thank you for being willing to share “real life,” Chelsea! I am so glad everything turned out for the best. I have totally been there. My hubby was laid off 2 weeks before Christmas/3 weeks before our first child was born and I was panicked! But, similar to your story, he got a better job quickly and even got to spend some extra time with our new baby that he wouldn’t have had at his previous job. God is good. Congrats to hubby on the new job and to you both on the new health insurance– that is huge!! (Does that mean there’s going to be a two twenty one baby in the near future? 😉 Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    ~Abby =)

    1. Thanks, Abby! I definitely would have been freaking out if I were you. That’s great that he was able to get a better job quickly. I bet that was a huge relief! Hah! I still have some things I’d like to get done before we hop on the baby makin’ train. I hear babies are time consuming… 😉

  32. I love that you posted this! I’m so glad things are getting better for you!

  33. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

    My husband was in a job he hated and quit to take a job he loves. It was a significant pay cut and I am still adjusting to the change. I am in a job that I like, but I don’t feel like I am able to fulfill my potential. It is hard to see my peers in awesome careers and I’m over here like “hey guys, I’m still making crap money”. Thanks for the encouragement! I love your blog 🙂 Seriously feel like we are the same person!

    1. Don’t you hate that double-edged sword business? Husband loves the job, but it’s less money. I get it though. I ended up taking a small pay cut to leave my former career. It took some adjusting, but I’m so much more happier. And I’m sure your husband is happier. Brad was so much happier after he was laid off. He wasn’t bringing his work related stress home anymore so his unemployment actually helped our marriage. Hah! He’s been at the new job for a week and a half and he’s so much happier than he was at his old job.

      I’m sorry you’re feeling meh in your current career. And I know it’s hard when you have friends in great careers making baller money. Thankfully I can’t really compare myself to our friends making mad cash because they’re basically doctors, and I have absolutely no aspirations to go into the medical field. Maybe you could do a side thing where you feel like you’re fulfilling that void? That’s why I got into blogging. I missed the creative side of my former career so I decided to do the blog to fill that void. Either way, I’m wishing you the best!

  34. Thanks for keeping it real, sister! I’m sorry that you had to go through that as a couple, but I am glad that he has since found work. I don’t have health insurance (self-employed, yikes), and just got stuck with a hospital bill that’s more than both mine and my husband’s income in a YEAR. Crazy cray. It’s so easy to think that everyone else has such a happy-go-lucky life with no problems in blogland! If we lived closer, I bet we’d down a bottle of wine together like it was our job. Thanks for the encouragement!

    1. I always keeps it real. 😉 While it was slightly stressful, I think it has definitely helped our marriage. Brad used to bring home so much work-related stress. When he was unemployed he didn’t have work stress (obviously), and the dishes were always clean. I was kind of digging it (minus the financial part).

      I’m so sorry about your crazy hospital bill. I get the health insurance thing because I’m self-employed camp. Did you guys have a high deductible plan like us? Or hopefully the hospital is willing to work something out with you? I know when I went to the doctor last year they gave me 30% off for paying the bill in full after seeing the doctor. It’s sad that we have to worry about this kind of thing when a lot of other first world countries give their citizens full health coverage.

      Oh, we’d probably down at least two bottles of wine together like it was our job.

      1. Clean dishes- way to look on the bright side! 🙂

        My husband works for the state of NC, so he pays very little for his health insurance plan. Unfortunately, it’s CRAZY expensive to add me (like, more than our mortgage a month expensive!) and it’s a totally crappy plan with a 10k deductible. We were literally researching business health insurance that I could get through my business when I had to get emergency surgery. Super awkward timing. But we’re in negotiations with the hospital, and they’re actually being really helpful! It has been an enlightening experience, in regards to the state of health insurance in this country, to say the least.

        And if you’re ever this way, or vice versa…I’ll knock on your door with a case 😉

      2. Hi there. Just stumbled across your blog and loving it… 🙂 Had to comment on this! So pleased Brad found a job, and that you will have Health Insurance too.
        I live in the UK – one of those First World countries with Health coverage. That’s not to say it’s free though. We pay National Insurance which covers Health care, our State Retirement Pension, Out of work and sickness benefits. We pay a % of our wage into the system when we are working. So if I earned £1200 ($2000) a month I’d pay about £75 ($125) in National Insurance. We also pay a set amount (now £8 pr item per month) towards any medication prescribed, unless we have certain conditions or a low income. The one big advantage is that we get this same health care whether we are employed or not – so out of work, too ill to work, too young to work or retired and you pay nothing. The disadvantage of that is that there are fewer people working than there are of the other groups and our NHS is beginning to struggle.
        My son lives in California with his American wife and my biggest worry when he moved out was that he’d get sick and her Insurance wouldn’t cover him – he has ASD and is Bi-Polar. My husband and I considered our meagre savings as his Health Contingency Fund until we knew they were going to be OK. It was a scary few months for us – expecting to have to fly out to bring him home for medical attention. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be to find appropriate cover at a cost that is affordable. My son is lucky – his wife works in the University sector and her Insurance is very good.
        Sorry – I’ve rambled rather a lot, haven’t I? Just thought I’d try to explain how our system works. Can I join you with that bottle of wine? 🙂 Jude.x

  35. Thanks, Chelsea, for this real post. I am more your mom’s age, but enjoy your blog. Even at our ages (our daughter’s almost your age), my husband got a new job and they don’t cover spouse or children (we have a younger daughter). So here we are, needing to save like mad to catch up on our retirement fund and, instead, having to fork out almost $600/month for health and dental insurance. Didn’t think we’d be in this place now, but here we are. My advice…save, save, save while you can. Again, I appreciate this real post.

    1. Thanks, Diane! That stinks about your husband’s new job not covering spouses and kids. I understand why companies are doing that, but still, it’s annoying. Whatever happened to companies taking care of their employees’ families too? I definitely hear you on the saving thing. My parents are huge savers so I come by it honestly. Right after I got out of college they made me meet with their financial planner and set up my private retirement fund.

      Best of luck to you and your family!

  36. I love that you’re so candid and I’m so glad he wasn’t unemployed for long. Congrats to Brad on his new job and thanks for reminding me to count my blessings!

  37. Congratulations Brad to the new and better job! Also I’m super excited you have good insurance now!! Yes that’s right I’m excited about the insurance. #old

  38. Oh, this situation clearly sucked! I am glad you got out of it and are now in an even better place than before. Sharing it will be encouraging to others.
    Btw, I am really glad that the health insurance situation is completely different in Germany. It must be hard to fear becoming ill (or pregnant) because of bad health insurance.

    1. Yeah, it sucked. Hah! Oh yeah, a lot of European countries know what’s up when it comes to health insurance. Health insurance in the US is beyond frustrating and annoying. It’s because health insurance here is for-profit business, and not run by the government.

  39. Amber MacNeil says:

    By the way, I opened a Dove chocolate wrapper today that reminded me of your “Check out this cool thing I spray painted gold!” comment…. it said “It’s okay to be fabulous and flawed.” I totally agree. LOL
    Thanks again for being transparent and honest!! <3

  40. Congrats on the new job. I know what you mean, my husband and I just got our brand new insurance cards in the mail this week after 3 1/2 years of no insurance!!!! Trust me I know HSAs and their cry deductibles aren’t pretty. So happy for you.

    1. Thanks, Jenn! Congrats on health insurance! I hope you guys did the woot-we-have-health-insurance dance because I’ll be breaking it down when ours come in the mail.

  41. Chelsea! Thanks for being real; I too feel undervalued in the workplace. And it’s not specifically what I am passionate about. My blog, an outlet for sharing my thoughts on food and nutrition is what gets me excited and motivated! There are good days, but they are few and far between when counseling people about specific diets for diseases. I got my M.S in May 2012 and would love to do what I want to do with it. I was also encouraged recently in reading a book on prayer (by Charles Stanley) where he reminds us that God delights in answering our grim outlooks with blessing. Cheers!

    1. That’s great that you’ve been able to find an outlet that gets you excited and motivated. That’s totally what blogging started out being for me. I missed the creative side of my former career and blogging filled that void. Best of luck finding something where you get to do what you love!

  42. Whew…. all I can say is I am glad to hear it all worked out. I know how terrifying and heavy all that can be.

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