The Small Family     

Well, it’s no secret that I don’t love the oppressive Sacramento heat in the summertime, but I think it’s insane that I’m wearing a sweater and needing an umbrella on June 5th! This is Sacramento: We don’t usually get any rain from June 1 through about October 1. None. Maybe a sprinkle one day, but that’s it. And it’s usually oppressively hot already! Anyone who was at our wedding four years ago undoubtedly remembers that it was a balmy 90 degrees for our 11am ceremony on June 17! And yet this year, it’s cold and rainy in early June. Go figure…

That said, we didn’t get out much this weekend! I had so many wonderful ideas for freebie things we could do this weekend if the weather had cooperated. At the top of the list was the annual pug races at the SPCA’s Doggie Dash. We went last year and really enjoyed them (yes, even Chris….). Alas, the cold and rain drove us to pick an indoor activity on Saturday: the Stockton Children’s Museum. And we had a good time--Theo always loves playing there, and we enjoy taking him there. But it would sure be nice to be able to get outside in June! But soon enough, it’ll be 100+ degrees, and I’ll be griping about that. ;-)

So what else did we do that was exciting this week? $500 worth of car repairs on Chris’s car? Nah, not too exciting. Loads and loads of work? Not too much fun. (This will end someday--it just so happens that all of my authors got ambitious and dumped loads of work on me at once, so I’m buried under a mountain of it.) Girls’ night for me at a yummy Mexican restaurant? Okay, that one was fun! Big news for Chris? Yup, that was fun. :-)

So, what’s the big news? Chris submitted an application for what is pretty much his dream job, and he got a call that they want to interview him! He’ll have a couple of phone interviews with various people this coming week or next, and if they like him (and he likes them), they’ll fly him out to Virginia for an in-person interview.

I hear it now: VIRGINIA?! Yep. Let me just say right off the bat that this is a longshot. It’s going to have to look like a really fantastic opportunity for us to consider leaving, since we have friends and family here. But he had to at least try, since the job is pretty much exactly what he’s been looking for for years. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that.

So what is it? Senior Editor in the Education Division of ICF International. Company sound familiar? That’s because Chris already works for them. He worked for Jones & Stokes, which was bought by ICF International three years ago. This position happens to be at their headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. In short, he’d be the senior editor in content areas surrounding education reform, assessments, dropout prevention, education policy, etc. If you know what Chris worked on during his master’s degree and what his interests are, you know this is pretty much his dream job.

But…it’s in Fairfax. Which is very expensive. And very far from where we live and almost everyone we know. (Though I have an aunt and uncle in VA, and Chris has relatives in Pennsylvania, which isn’t far.) So, we’ll see how it goes. If nothing else, I’m super proud that they even want to interview Chris because, let’s face it, I’m sure there are plenty of qualified people much closer to Fairfax. The fact that they’re willing to consider someone who is currently 3,000 miles away tells me that they were really impressed by his resume and experience. So, kudos to my hubby! And we’ll see where this leads, if anywhere. My jaw is still on the ground after looking up rents in Fairfax. OUCH!

That’s the big news around here for the moment. Given that the gloomy weather extended through the entire weekend and thus there were no fun outdoor activities we could do, we decided to each have some alone time on Sunday. Chris spent his cleaning the garage (yes, for some odd reason he enjoys doing this), and I spent mine going to see a comedy with my Mom. Decidedly less productive than Chris, but hey--I enjoyed it.

Let’s hope for some sun next weekend! This rain is getting old, old, old….