The Phone Call

Technically there were TWO phone calls. The one to Dan, then the one he made to me...

I remember it clearly. It was the end of October. I was in the backyard with the boys. They were playing with their neighbor friends, digging in the dirt with trucks.

My phone rang. It was Dan calling from his office.


DAN: "Remember when we were talking about places we would move for Anixter?"

ME: (hesitantly) Yessss.... ?

DAN: (laughs) Well, what do you think about England?

ME: Huh? What? You're not serious?

DAN: Uh, yeah. (still laughing) I just got a call...


He shared the limited details he had and we both commented on how terrible the timing was, even though we had just discussed relocating again if the opportunity arose! Well, we didn't mean NOW, and we certainly didn't mean OVERSEAS! Plus, I was PREGNANT!

Dan said we would talk when he got home, but we were both initially thinking, "No way. Not the right time"

That night we talked. Even though it seemed easier to just say no, the idea was definitely intriguing! How often does an opportunity like this come along?

We looked at the PROS: What an incredible opportunity to see a different part of the world, the boys are at a good age, it would be a good promotion for Dan...

We looked at the CONS: It is much further from family, we would be leaving a place we have quickly grown to love - a place that we just felt confirmed was "home" now, plus - I was PREGNANT!

We had questions. But we were scared to ask them. What if we accepted and it ended up being a mistake? What if we turned it down? Would we always regret it?

The reality was a door had opened, and as much as we thought it was not the right time, neither of us felt completely settled closing it ourselves. We prayed for guidance.

We decided that there were 2 deal breakers:

1. That we stay in the US until our baby was born, and
2. That the package be worth it enough to uproot our kids and move even further from family

We thought they might not go for #1, since we figured they would need someone in the position immediately, which would be confirmation to us   *when*   they said that wouldn't work. That was the plan. I liked that plan. I was comfortable with that plan.

Well, they agreed. 

Now what?

We decided to take the next step forward and pursue the opportunity, until a red flag(s) arose or the door closed. We began brainstorming a list of questions to see if the responses were favorable. It was mentally and emotionally exhausting to discuss, so we only did it a bit each evening. When we felt we had a solid list, Dan went to his superiors for more information.

And now, we wait.