What's Really Going On

My blogging activity has been at a record high these last few weeks, but the interest level...blah! Even I am bored by the stuff I'm posting. Don't get me wrong, I not bored by the activities Owen and I have been doing, but reading about "we did this, we did that" just isn't very exciting. Hence all the photos. It's the blogger trick to taking up space and trying to keep your readers interested. Somewhere along the lines of double space, wide margins, and courier font to stretch that 10th grade essay to the required three pages.

So here's the deal: More real, less filler. I want to get back to using this space to write about the parenting experience and our family IN ADDITION to posting the pictures and anecdotes that I may someday pull together into a book for Owen. I'm not sure how that will change what gets posted here (or if readers will notice a difference), but it's at least a change of attitude and an admission that there is other stuff going on that's filling my brain these days than chasing after a toddler.

So here's what we're really dealing with around the Maxwell House these days.

The phrase that comes to mind is "everything crumbling down around us." Both Scott and I feel strangely secure in our jobs, though we are working in offices that have taken huge cuts and show pretty significant signs that things may get worse before they get better. My office has gone through several rounds of "staff adjustments" (like that term is better than lay-offs), a restructuring of our local leadership, and corporate has given us 90 days to turn things around (aka - get some work!) or they will re-evaluate the viability of keeping us open. Sweet. That's an ultimatum that instills confidence. Needless to say, a few people have left for other jobs (which are nearly extinct here in Bend). The guys that are still around have also taken a 20% paycut and hours cut. But... I didn't have to take a paycut because I already work part time and my awesome boss in Seattle told me I could keep working from home even if they close the office.

Scott's job is in a somewhat similar state. No new projects and staff reductions. He's working late these next couple weeks on bids and proposals for new work, but if nothing comes through...who knows. But...he's one of the few that still have a job and has made some great connections with managers in Portland that would probably have a job for him if things don't stay alive here.

Our tiny church is also really struggling right now, but I won't get into all that here. It's just taking up a lot of time because Scott is on the leadership team and lots of decisions are coming in the next couple weeks. But... I'm so grateful for the community of friends we have there and confident that God has a place for all of us.

So the bottom line is that I feel like our little family is standing on some pretty solid ground with a hurricane of insanity swirling around us. I'm grateful that our footing feels sound, but watching the storm and wondering how long before it begins eroding our solid ground.

I'm not laying this out there to seek sympathy. I don't think our situation is unique or unusual right now, but it is our honest situation. And it is what's really on my mind these days.