A Cariad Life

In a few days, 2023 will come to an end–for us, it has been a year of immense change, triumphs, heartbreaks, and amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I cannot think of another year in my entire life that taught me more about resilience and fortitude; I learned how to step out in faith and live in uncertainty. It was both wonderful and difficult at the same time.

Since November 12, Darrell and I have been living in Greenville, SC. As I have shared before, this town holds a special place for us as it was where we lived when we first married, and, as it is not too far away from either of our parents, it looked to be the perfect place to get jobs and get settled. So…we began applying for jobs in the area. Other than a SC-based position that would have me traveling 75% of the time and upon further research didn’t align with my values, we have had zero prospects in Greenville or in SC. Then by the end of November, Darrell and I widened our nets looking at positions anywhere in the US where we could see ourselves living.

Having been in HR for over 12 years and a CHRO for over six of those years, I thought I had an understanding of what applicants went through–was I wrong! As a candidate, the hiring process is long, brutal, and demoralizing….we submitted hundreds of applications over several months…sometimes never hearing anything back and other times being screened out because we didn’t exactly match a crazy set of requirements…when we did get past the first round, we went through rounds of interviews, tests, and other hoops. The worst was applying for a position, talking to a recruiter, and then seeing the position reposted after you were “politely” declined (sometimes the position was reposted before we were notified that we had been declined–#notclassy).

By mid-December, both of our spirits were pretty low with no real prospects. Then on December 12, I got a message from a recruiter who had seen my resume and was working with a non-profit out of Cary, NC. Within the week, I had a call with her, then the CEO, and then a panel of interviewers. The next Tuesday, I met with the CEO in person, and he offered me the job that Friday–from start to finish the process was 8 working days, and I start my new position on January 9. It is almost unheard of to move that fast in normal times, let alone the week before Christmas. I’ll share more about my new job soon, but it is a new step for me serving as a managing director for education policy analysts, while also overseeing operations. I will have the opportunity to connect with state legislators and governors to provide them with education and resources as they set education policy in their states. Darrell is now focusing his search on the Raleigh area, but with at least one of us working beginning in the new year, the pressure has eased up.

So…we are gone to North Carolina on January 7. Deep down we both hoped to return to NC, and didn’t really feel the extent of that until it became a reality. Both of us were born and raised here, and it feels right to return to our roots as the new year begins. We’ll spend about a week in an AirBnB while we lock down a furnished six month lease in the Raleigh area, and we hope to purchase a house by the end of the year (hoping our place in France sells by then). We’ll have to furnish it from scratch, but I look forward to taking my time and only acquiring what we really need and like.

In 2024, we also both turn 50. We often look at each other and say, “starting over is not what I thought I would be doing when I turned 50.” Yet, I also know we did a really cool thing going to France before we turned 50. While in Bainbridge, we had also considered one day moving back to the East Coast, specifically NC, but we probably would not have done that for a long time if we had not gone to France and returned with just our suitcases. Caleb was also able to come and stay with us through Christmas and New Year’s (thank heavens for Alaska Air miles), and last weekend, he traveled to the Raleigh area with us to look at potential places to live–it was exciting to do that with him (he liked the area) and to know that Alaska Air has a direct flight from Seattle that flies into Raleigh twice a day!

I also know it’s not so hard to start over in the place where you got started in life–we have family and friends all around us, and that it the greatest gift (especially after a very lonely year in France!) I am excited and optimistic about what is ahead. Although I won’t be writing about France necessarily, I plan to keep writing about this adventure we are on…I hope you’ll keep reading. Happy New Year Friends!