OK, let’s just re-cap the main details of the last couple months:
MEMORIAL DAY
We had our own version of a barbeque (cooked indoors since we don’t have an actual grill to cook on):
Here’s my burger, which included 2 patties, lots of processed cheese, onion rings, bacon, lettuce, mayo and a pickle:
Yes, it was entirely delicious.
KIDS
Maddy and Joel finished the school year on May 28th and were totally bored by the 30th. Frankly, I was jealous—if I’d had hours and hours available every day to sit around watching movies and TV shows and playing video games, you wouldn’t hear me complaining!!
They did discover one way to entertain themselves…climbing the walls:
Abe’s been happy to have kids around to play with during the day, though he likes to play rough. Here he is in boxing mode:
Elliott started getting jealous of all the good food we’ve been eating, and is now starting solids (can you call liquidy, mushed vegetables SOLIDS??) Here he is in his chair, messy-faced (ignore the Spider-man toy in the foreground):
The other night, Amanda noticed a strange mark on the back of Elliott’s head:
We couldn’t figure out what it was. My thought was that he had gotten a scratch back there which had then gotten irritated by Elliott laying on it in his crib. Amanda thought it was from Joel’s loose tooth poking Elliott in the neck while Joel was bouncing the baby on his lap. The next morning, Amanda realized the cause: Joel had been pulling Elliott around on the floor (which Elliott quite enjoyed) and this was a rug burn on his neck (why she let Joel do that to the 5 month old is still a mystery).
The Job Situation
As I’m sure you all know by now, I got a job in AZ and we are moving down there on July 10th. You all know the basics, but here are some of the details:
IMAGINE LEARNING
In mid-May, I applied for several motion graphics/animation jobs in Provo/Orem/Salt Lake. The only one that replied was a company in Provo called “Imagine Learning”—they make educational software. The job listing was for a motion graphics artist/animator/video editor, and also would require some video shooting/production.
I had 6 interviews for the job:
1. Phone interview with HR
2. In-person interview with the head of the Video dept.
3. Panel interview with members of the Marketing team
4. Interview with the CEO
5. Interview with the Art dept.
6. Follow-up phone interview with the head of the Video dept.
After all that, they decided that although they really want my skills for future company needs, right now the job is primarily a video shooting/production job with only a little animation/motion graphics. They said they were going to interview some other candidates for the position, but keep me in mind.
MINDSPACE
On June 14th, I was searching for jobs online and found a Craigslist posting in Phoenix (dated May 21st) looking for an animator/After Effects pro for a full-time salaried position in Tempe. Now, as you all know, I’m an experienced animator, and After Effects is the software I’ve used almost exclusively for work/personal projects since 2004. So I gave it a shot and applied.
The very next day, one of the heads of the company emailed me, saying they wanted to interview me. A couple days later, I had a really good phone interview with the New Media Director at the company. He sent some samples of the work they’d been doing and asked for my opinions on the projects and whether I’d be interested in doing the kinds of projects they do.
***Special note: The same day I had the phone interview, we got an offer on our condo…still waiting to see if the bank OK’s the sale, though.
They wanted me to come down for an in-person interview that Friday, so we quickly (hectically) arranged for family members to babysit the 3 older kids while Amanda, Elliott and I took a quick (11-12 hrs each way is QUICK?) trip down to Tempe for my interview.
Elliott did pretty well on the trip (I spent most of the time in the back seat, entertaining him). But since we had to leave at about noon, the last several hours of the drive down were in the dark (including mountainous areas with “watch for deer” areas throughout). Very stressful for Amanda, who drove the whole way. Tempe seemed like a nice place overall, and we had a good feeling the whole time we were there.
Friday was the interview, and I showed up in suit and tie (OK, no suit coat, but I did have my long-sleeved shirt, since my short-sleeved shirt has a pink gum stain on the pocket). I was met by the guy who interviewed me over the phone—he was dressed in shorts and what could’ve been a Hawaiian shirt (needless to say, I felt overdressed, though technically he WAS taking the day off except for the interview). I met several of the employees, and was interviewed by the heads of the company—it all went well and everyone there seemed friendly and genuine.
The guy that had animated some of their previous videos took me out to lunch at Moreno’s Mexican Grill, across from ASU. It was delicious—similar to Beto’s here in Utah County, but even more authentic-tasting. That afternoon, we drove to Mesa to visit my high-school friend Jana and her family. We had a nice visit, and realized that our kids (especially Joel and Abe) will have a lot of fun visiting them on occasion!
That night, Amanda and I ate dinner at…Moreno’s Mexican Grill (what can I say? It was delicious, and Amanda was jealous of me—her lunch had been a Lunchables and some Swedish Fish).
So on Monday they offered me the position and we worked out a deal where I’ll start the week of July 5th (working from home) then come down the following weekend and start working in AZ on the 12th.
After a lot of praying, pondering, and planning, we decided the best way to go would be for us all to come down to AZ at the same time. We got a great deal on an Extended Stay hotel, and because the U-Haul is only being rented one-way, they’re giving us a month’s use of a storage unit. Also, I’ve had several freelance projects come along these past couple of weeks which not only provide us with a good chunk of the money we need to move, but also show the Lord’s hand in getting this all arranged and timed out right for us to move.
The past year and a half has been an intense divine-education experience, where we dealt with what (so far) have been some of the highest highs and lowest lows of our lives. But through it all, the Lord has been there, inspiring people to help us and teaching us how to listen to Him better. Although we’ve loved living in Utah and being close to much of our family, we are excited to move onto this next phase of our family’s life in Arizona. I’ve always felt like Arizona was “home” to me, and I think my kids will have a lot of great and important experiences there.
Plus, we will never have to see THIS in Arizona, especially in early June (which is when this picture was taken):
