A Leap Into the Abyss

I received the offer just minutes before noon on a Friday.

Offers had been going out for some time, and had slowed to a trickle.  Having a score that was on the cusp (5.6), receiving an email from HR was an tremendous shock to say the least.  I did not shout or scream or dance around the office.  I'm certain that if someone had watched me open the email, they may have assumed that I was being told of the unexpected death of someone close to me.  I was quite shaken and it took a minute or two to calm my nerves and regain my composure.

I immediately informed my supervisor and director (who have known about this process for several years) and they both congratulated me and asked if it was too late to "call back that [security officer] with some anonymous information."  I advised HR that I would accept the position and immediately began the process of preparing to move a family across the country at short notice.

That first night was a long and sleepless one.

Every one of the "thirteen D's" come into play with preparing for such a sudden major life event.  What will we get rid of, what to keep?  What to put into storage locally and what to sort into HHE and UAB.  Sell the house or rent the house?  Sell one or both cars or neither?  De we arrange for someone to keep an eye on the house and and yard while it is empty or on the market?  How?  To what address will all our mail go?  Which companies are we forgetting to notify of our change of address?  Will we travel together or separately?  Drive or fly?  Where will we stay in DC?  Oakwood or on the economy?  What about schools?  Do we need copies of all medical records beforehand or just sign releases later?

Fortunately, the rest of the family was on board and excited, so psychologically it was not as stressful as it could have been had they been caught totally unprepared for this eventuality.  They pulled together to make this transition far less stressful than it could have been, and I am thankful for them.  This could not be done without our teamwork and unity.

This has been a long and arduous road.  It's terrifying now that it appears to actually be reaching its' destination.  Will I be able to be successful?  Could BEX have made a terrible mistake?  How will I adjust to this tremendous shift in responsibility and expectations?

I hope yes, I hope no, and I hope well, respectively.