Mom's Return to the "Real" World

Leaving the Good Life

So you heard the whole spiel on why decisions seemed to be based on what Josh was doing in our life as a family.  But honestly when we made all these decisions regarding our life in the Air Force there was really very little doubt in my role.  So what did I do for those 10 years?

For those that don't know my whole story I'll sum it up.  I went to Union College in Schenectady, New York with big dreams of being an engineer.  I managed to do pretty well there including a term abroad to Prague.  After graduation I decided that J and I better figure out where our lives were going, we had been dating on and off since high school and stayed best friends through it all.  So while all my friends found jobs in Albany, New York and Boston I headed off to Dallas for my first job.  I figured if J and I didn't work out I'd come home.  I worked at a big engineering firm on transit bridges and really enjoyed it.  A year later J and I were engaged and he was headed for Louisiana.  Nine months after that we were married, I started working in Shreveport and J left for his first deployment.  That one was a doozy, we had been married two weeks and J was handed a 3-day notice 5-month long deployment.  Life in the military had begun.  

Pregnant in Berlin - It is so sad when you can't drink beer in Europe

On our first anniversary I was two months pregnant with ZZ.  By this time I had figured out that roadway design at my Louisiana firm was not my favorite.  So for the next 7 months we discussed the pros and cons of me working and the effect on the little person growing inside me.  We ended up saving the last few months of my salary and I left my job in time for ZZ to arrive.

The most rewarding job I've ever had, but also the hardest

From October 2004 until August 2011 I stayed home.  The first three years it was just ZZ and I, then the twinnies arrived and things really picked up.  Honestly this is another post for another day but staying home with the kids is the best thing I have ever done.  Everyday was hard but seeing them now makes me believe it was worth it.  I knew I could always be there for them when they needed me most.  Even when J had a crazy schedule or was away I could be there for the three of them.

I say it everyday, life with twins is exciting

So... what does an engineer with 3.5 years experience, no license and a 7 year sabbatical of ABCs and 123s do?  Decides to go back to work.

Honestly, what the heck was I thinking when I left my job in 2004?  Who wants some housewife who can't even sign off a set of drawings yet?  How in the world was I going to remember how to do math?  After 7 years at home can I even formulate a full sentence anymore?  These were the questions that started flying through my head when we started this transition.  The best thing I could do was call around and find out.