Day 1. January 16th.
First of all…calm down. I know. I know you are scared. I know it’s an easy place to go…fear. But at this particular moment, fear is not your friend. Ok. So the news is this…Jeremy came home today. In the middle of the day. Knocked on the front door and came in with his business clothes on…he lost his job. He was laid off. His entire group was. They all were told early in the morning. But that’s not the end of the world…there are a great many things that are far worse. And being fearful of what could happen does not mean that it will happen. Jeremy asked me not to talk about it on the blog yet. His official last day is not for a few more weeks…but he’ll be home starting tomorrow. I feel like I’m being dishonest though. I can’t help but fight that feeling. I always share everything…the good bad and ugly and now I can’t share one of the scariest and biggest events of our year. But I respect him. And I respect his wishes. I know he’s more private than me. I know this is not just my secret to tell. I know that he takes his career very seriously. And I know that he doesn’t want to see some strangers online discussing his job situation. He was the top performer of his group…and now, he’s home. This is scary. I just wish I could talk to someone. vent. something.
Day 3. January 18th.
Jeremy spent the entire day applying to jobs. over 80 in his area. all morning and afternoon. he put Will down for his nap for me. And when I asked him how it was going, he rubbed his eyes and put his hands into his hair…its something I’ve never seen from him…embarrassed frustration. I’m hurting for him. I know his pride has been thrown to the wolves. I hate to see him like this. And I hate to be responsible for being a breadwinner while we wait for the right position to open up. I don’t deal well with that kinda weight on my shoulders. But right now I have to. I just need to suck it up. Suck it up and be thankful we have an income and savings to fall back on. Thankful for healthy kids. Thankful for a solid relationship with Jer. And thankful that I believe that God provides.
Day 8. January 23rd.
Over the course of the past week, Jeremy has had two more interviews, applied to a lot of jobs and helped me get stuff done around the house…not much…but enough to feel productive. Today we revisited our budget. It was a hard thing…taking control of that in a different way…because we have always had a “fun money” – for eating out and shopping and now we have to cut back…way back. I honestly don’t mind not having that because in all honesty, we can still pay the bills and put food on the table and that is what matters. Thank goodness for all of you…you are literally putting a roof over our heads and feeding my babies. And thank goodness for Jeremy taking over the blogs sponsor ‘stuff’…I suck at that stuff…and he does all the emails now and posts all the new sponsor ads. He made our blog a money maker….that’s the business professional in him.
Day 17. February 1st.
Jeremy told me in the car tonight that he didn’t get one of the jobs he interviewed for. It was a big shock. I figured that it would be a sure-fire win for Jer but he said that he was ‘overqualified’. What does that mean exactly? Because I don’t think it means what it says. I think it means “unloyal”. That they believe he will quit the second something better comes along. It’s just hard to swallow.
Day 20. February 4th.
Jer’s big interview was today. I asked him how it went. “Ok, I think”. That’s all I could get out of him. I think he thinks he won’t get it. His confidence is so low. I need to do better to encourage him…boost him up…soothe his insecurities….but I am so tired. so drained. I’m staying up so late and working so hard…still trying to keep the boys during the day and doing all my blog and writing at night. It’s exhausting. And I want to be a source of confidence for him but it’s hard to focus on him too. That makes me a horrible wife, doesn’t it?! I just don’t want to let go of our routine…our schedule…because I realize at some point that Jeremy will find another job…and when that happens, I hate to go through that transition all over again. It’s just too darn hard. Plus, Jeremy is spending that time job-searching. His new job is finding a job.
Day 21. February 5th.
Happy Birthday! It’s officially my big day. I turned the ole 3-2 today. It was such a different and weird birthday. I never felt like an adult on my birthdays till this one. There was no big to-do. And I honestly didn’t mind. I kinda loved it. And Jer was amazing. He remembered that I never redeemed a gift certificate for a back massage that I got a while back…and made the appointment and offered to babysit both boys in the car while I was in getting my back rubbed. He found me a heart shaped rock….the only thing I asked for as a birthday gift. He made the cutest birthday card with Will. It had a picture of Mater and a million crayoned hearts. I love him. I love him so freaking much that it makes me wanna cry.
Day 27. February 11th.
Today sucked. big time. Basically I could feel myself being an irrational nag. I basically have to wake up, nurse Weston, hand him over to Jer who then watches both boys while I sit on the computer and do some blog work…converting everything over to a new server had some major hiccups and I still need to do a lot of organizing. And I love blogging. I do. But I love my boys more and I just want to be crafty with them and let Will fingerpaint and do flips on the rug and cuddle Weston. I say one little thing to Jer and he gets so upset…and I know its my fault. I know I shouldn’t criticize…that he is doing the best he can do…but seriously….why does the tv need to be freaking on all the time and why do I say the words “fruit and veggies” at every single meal and I know the only thing Jer serves is yellow, white or meat flavored. It drives me literally up the wall. And I know that it’s not the right time to say something…that I’m making him feel incompetant at a very sensitive time but it is SO upsetting. I am such a jerk. And a horrible wife. I don’t know how to fix this. I just want to go into my closet and shut the door and cry. errgh.
Day 34. February 19th.
Yesterday we sat down and talked. It was so good. Over the past week or so I feel that we are really healing. For a while it seemed as if there was a separation between Jeremy and I…a bit of a wall…him feeling like a failure and me feeling a world of pressure. And there was no laughter. That is like a sword to my heart when we don’t laugh together. I guess all the stress was prohibiting us from letting loose a little. So it’s been good. I sat down with him and he helped me come up with a manageable calendar and schedule. I am beginning to realize that while he’s home, I need to just do whatever I need to do to keep this roof over our head. I’m gonna be a hustler. I have to be. And I am okay with that.
Day 47. March 1st.
We’ve realized that we are not utilizing this time like we should. We are sleeping in too late. Cuddling the boys. We are not getting into a good routine. Not having a good schedule. I think we’ve been so ‘us-deprived’ that now that we have all this time together we are just soaking it in instead of getting anything done. It’s been helpful to have Jer here…it’s good for the boys…but we keep on saying that we need to start working more. We talk big. But at the end of the day we still don’t tackle more. We also got some bad news today…our health insurance stops today. We thought it lasted one more month but apparently the dates were wrong. So add that to the expenses. I guess that means I’ll take on some more sponsored posts to help pay the bills. Just part of the grind now.
Last Wednesday, Jeremy got a job. A really well suited job for him. A job he is passionate about. He will still have a very long commute (tragedy of living in the country) and will probably travel with this new position. I’m not thrilled about doing the whole single parenting thing but I’m thankful that God provided. Jeremy wants to be the breadwinner right now and although I would suck it up and do it, I am glad that our survival doesn’t depend on this blog. I like that I can still be a stay-at-home mom first and a blogger second.
Jeremy actually applied for this new position before he was laid off from his old one. Since most of the jobs that Jeremy qualifies for are higher level positions, the interview process takes a long time. Lay offs could happen to anyone…and thankfully we had squirreled money away into a savings account for such a situation. We had a couple very interesting conversations about other ways to supplement our income…the topics involved a book deal (I always turn these offers down because I’ve never been interested in one…but hearing more info was definitely interesting…and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t love to say that they were a published author?!), sponsored posts, monetizing the blog smarter, and learning how to spend money to make money. We did set up quite a few sponsored posts for the coming weeks because we didn’t know what the situation would be for our main income so I do want to warn you that they are coming. If you are anti-sponsored posts, feel free to skip them.
Basically we had two months together. I don’t take that lightly. It was the worst and the best time. Jeremy and I are normalish kinda people…we fight, we make up, we see our imperfections, we love our kids, we love our home, we get scared and we are probably the most average folks out there. Going through this taught us a lot….that there are TONS of people going through tough job situations right now…that there are TONS of people who are struggling financially and that it takes a huge toll on your relationship, your marriage and even knowing what your own role is in your own home. This could really happen to anyone. We also learned that having that emergency savings account was priceless. It was such a relief to know that we had some money to fall back on…thankfully we didn’t need to touch it thanks to my income and a severence package but just knowing that it was there helped with the stress levels. We also learned that we have big dreams…big ideas…and big responsibilities.
I am gonna take from this experience a number of things… first, I can be strong and I can be weak and it’s okay to be both. Secondly, I learned that I love my husband and if I needed to be the breadwinner for him to be home, I would do it in a heartbeat. I would hustle my little heart out. Right now that isn’t what Jer wants…so I’m gonna do my best for him at home. Maybe one day though we will be here together DIYing. And I also learned that I get a crapload of stuff done when I don’t have Jer to fall back on. He’s my ultimate distraction 🙂 Last but not least, I learned over and over that God provides. He provided a better job for Jeremy than we could have wished for. He provided a lesson for us to have compassion and help those in need. He provided time for us all as a family. It wasn’t always perfect but having Jeremy here was a dream. God provided you…and I took it for granted that I have you all. I didn’t realize what good friends I have in you all…what wisdom you share with me…what prayers and encouragement you all give. Now that our big secret is out, I’m so happy to share a happy ending and I’m so glad that we can celebrate together.
May God continue to bless you Bowers! Congrats, Jeremy on the job! Standing ovation to you, Katie, for being brave enough to lay your heart out to all of us. We will be praying for you all–in joyful thanksgiving! Love what you do on your blog–keep it up.
Thank you for writing this post. My husband and I were recently faced with a similar situation. Although I am the primary bread winner in the family and it was my job that was in jeopardy. We don’t have the emergency saving accounts like you have and that forced us to make some tough choices, that we might not otherwise have made. I was so happy you guys found peace with your situation, right now I soo need that. I just pray that the coming months bring better things for us. Tell Jer congrats on the job.
Congratulations for surviving that trial. My husband has been laid of twice in the 20 years we’ve been married, and it can be such a scarey and stressful time! Just like you, each time God provided, and the path he took us on, while different than the one we thought we were headed on, ended up taking us to just where we needed to be! I am so happy to hear that Jeremy has a terrific new job so quickly. ENJOY!!!!!!!
Wow! Thank you for sharing, and I’m sure you are dancing with excitement now. God always has a plan. You trusted him and he provided. Congratulations for making it through! And Congrats to the boyfriend on his job.
So glad there was a happy ending! I’m sorry you had to go through all of this, especially after just having had a baby.
I can’t believe I’m the first to comment, on what I feel sure will be a deluge of love & support from your readers, for you Jeremy & the boys. I’m sorry your family has had to go through this horrible experience but as we all know there are lessons we can learn from all life throws at us. I am considerably older than most of your readers & the one thing I tell my boys who are raising young children is to always live within your means; save hard for that day in your life when you may experience a shower or torrential rain & trust that if you all have your health you will get through anything. You are a lovely little family & I wish Jeremy good luck with his new job.
Barbara (Granma to 2 teenagers & 3 little ones)
Thanks for sharing such a personal side of your story. I love how God always redeems every bad situation and you were able to come out with so much good from a hard time. Congrats on the new job and I hope you guys are settling in well! I’ll be grateful for the sponsored posts when they come knowing they were putting a roof over your heads!
What guts it takes to share your heart and real-life with us all. You both are so brave and so faithful. What I loved most about this post is seeing that you acted on your faith in God. You knew that He would provide but you knew that you could not sit around and wait and be lazy. You did your part and He did His part. So happy that you all are on the other side of this and I cannot even imagine the initial shock and fear that you must have felt.
It is so hard when things like this happen. My husband was released from the US Navy several years ago unexpectedly. Honorable Discharge, just overmanning in his rate and a failed exam. We were blindsided.
We are still rebuilding.
Best of luck as you begin a new adventure.
Last year my husband was let go from his job. It was the best/worst 6 weeks ever. It was so difficult to see him so defeated. I was unemployed at the time. We leared a LOT about our relationship, a LOT about how strong we were, A LOT about God and blessings. We were so blessed during that time by friends, family, and God provided in every way. My husband got a good job. Again, one of the best/worst times in our marriage.
Glad you have come out the other side.
Katie, I am so sorry to hear that you and your sweet family went through something like this. But I am so impressed and inspired by your raw and honest account of exactly how it affected you and Jeremy, both positively and negatively. God definitely provides and ultimately he is good. There are so many times in all our lives where we scratch our heads and wonder why the heck we’re going through something. I am convinced of the essential fact that no matter what we go through, we need to be mindful and retrospective of these experiences, like you have been. Looking back on it all and mulling over what you can take from it is the greatest gift these experiences can give! They help us, through adversity, to understand ourselves and those we love better. The good, the bad and everything between. Most importantly, they refine us and show us how to be more aware and constantly improving versions of ourselves. So happy you guys are doing better! God bless!
I’m so sorry you went through such a scary time – but you did EXACTLY what you needed to do – counted your blessings, kept the faith and learned from it.
YOU HAVE TO WRITE A BOOK at some time. Your style of writing is absolutely amazing and I enjoy reading your posts so much.
You and your sweet family will be in my prayers. You are truly an inspiration.
Wow-what a whirlwind! Thank you for sharing, although I’m sure it wasn’t easy. God certainly does provide in enormous ways! Congratulations to him on his new job and congrats to you all for making it through the trying time!
Oh Katie – what a powerful post. I’m so glad that things turned around and worked out in the end!
So grateful that you felt comfortable to share this. Somehow it makes me feel better that we aren’t the only couple that fights, makes up, and in general. .. is real. (sometimes bloggers seem to have it all together, all the time, ya know?)
You’re right, God is good, and he is always watching out for us, even when we don’t think so. I forget that so often, especially when the hubs and I fight, it feels like my whole world is off. I’m so happy to hear that Jer has a new job and that life in the Bower household is back to a “new normal”.
p.s., we are in Marietta, what part of town are ya’ll in?
Katie,
My husband and I were going through the same thing at the exact same time, only it was our second go round with him being laid off, and I’m also a stay-at-home mom. I was 6 months pregnant with our second child the first time and it was just before Christmas the second time. He didn’t get a severance package the first time because his company went bankrupt. He did get to collect unemployment, but it wasn’t enough, so we ended up burning through our savings and accumulating too much debt on our credit cards. It was awful. Not to mention, I couldn’t help much at all because I was very pregnant! I’ve never felt so helpless or worthless! Then after a year and a half, it happened again. I couldn’t believe it! It almost didn’t seem real. And this time he couldn’t collect unemployment and we had no savings because we hadn’t even had time to build it back up again after the first time (trying to pay down the credit card). Thank God for our parents. They literally saved us from losing everything we had left. He just started his new job (a good job) a week ago and things are starting to look up. I understand every emotion you described completely. It was as though you were talking about us. I’m so happy that things worked out for you. They always do! And thanks for sharing your story. Even though I know that there are so many others going through the same things, it always feels like I’m the only one at the time.
I am so sorry that Jer lost his job and you had to go through that, but also so thankful of the outcome! And I will happily read your sponsored blog posts 🙂
Wow. Just wow. Your honesty is amazing. Thank you for putting it all out there. I am still learning so many of the relationship aspects you touched on in this post and this was extremely touching to read. I am so happy that there is a good ending to this story for your family!! Congratulations to you all for getting through this tough time together and to Jeremy for the new position!
I am so happy for you and your family that everything worked out! God truely does provide. Thank you for your continued honesty. It’s so refreshing. 🙂
Such a heart felt post about such a hard topic. Honesty like this is why I read blogs. Thanks Katie!!
Wow, what an emotional roller coaster! I am so happy to hear that you had a happy ending and learned some things in the process. Sometimes when we are forced to look at our lives in a different way we can grow from the experience. Thanks for sharing such a personal journey!
-Shelley
Wow! This was a blessing…thanks for being so real with a bunch of strangers 🙂 I’ll be praying that this time of transition into Jeremy’s new job goes super smoothly!
Thank you! I am 37 weeks pregnant and have a job that is the perfect fit for our family. I work from home during the day and when my hubby comes home from work I go into work for a few hours to run an after school program. A month ago I was told my company is cutting our program, our successful program because we are run by a grant and don’t make enough money for the company. I am afraid to have a newborn (our first) and down to one income. The job I thought was a for sure thing.. turned me down. But God does provide and your post is a great reminder of that. Thanks for sharing! I needed to read this today. <3
So excited for you and your family on this next step. Your honesty will give strength to all those out there going thru similar situations. Sending you and your family lots of love for the upcoming months!!
XO
~ Jillian
Giving thanks and praise to God that J found a job!! The company my hubby works for is doing layoffs right now, so I have had a glimpse of what you went through. It doesn’t look like my husband will be affected (this time) but we are trying to beef up our emergency funds and really cut back now so we can be better prepared, because you never know. Praying for all who are with out work right now.
Wow, amazing post! Hit the nail on the head that goes with lay offs and job hunting. I’m single and experiencing the same thing (in fact just got a job this morning and your blog was the first thing I read after I got the phone call. Hows that for timing!?) and I can’t imagine doing it with kids, husband and house too. God really does provide ,Congrats all around!!!
Katie,
I think I’ve only commented on your site a couple times, despite being a daily reader for years. But I wanted to tell you something you likely already know and hear often: you are such a special person. Thank you for sharing everything you share with us, for being “real” and not pretending that everything is perfect. And thank you especially for sharing your insecurities, your guilt, your worries, and your gratitude. Some of the heartaches and troubles you’ve experienced have served as support for many of us, even if you don’t know it. I am so happy for you and Jeremy!!– but I really hope you don’t stop thinking about writing that book. Your two birth stories have been riveting, and your daily posts are delightful! Do us all a favor and write that book!
Much love,
Letty
As always – thank you for sharing such a intimate part of your life so candidly.
My husband lost his job of 10+ years when I was 7 months pregnant so we understand your fear and I completely understand your feelings, you are not a bad person/wife or if you are I am too, I had the exact same thoughts and feelings during that time.
Thankfully he found a job about a month before our daughter was born which meant he went back to work just three days after she was born as he had no time with the company but we were just so grateful for the job it was fine by us!
Looking back it was a huge blessing in disguise and he is so much better off now. You’re positive outlook on the great things in your life will get you through, even during the ‘closet moments’.
Good Luck Jer, you’ll be great!
Katie, let’s just say “Wow” you have been through alot. I think you forgot in there, your hormonal changes from having the baby. I can’t imagine being in your exact situation but I have been through a similar one and without a savings. I learned how important an savings is in that situation. You were very lucky you had an extra income coming in. Don’t worry about the extra sponsored posts, I will still check in and add on to the traffic you need on your blog. Anything helps, right? You are a strong woman, great wife and amazing mother. You pulled through this, you can do anything!!
Girl, your post resonated with me big. My husband and I were married in September 2010 and he lost his job in January 2011. It took him 6 months to find a new job and oh those 6 months were so hard. He was so depressed and there was nothing I could do to make it better. We fought a lot. But we came out stronger. And he LOVES his new job and he hated his old job. While I won’t say it was a blessing in disguise, everything turned out pretty okay. I am so glad Jeremy has found a new position and hope that this new chapter is a great one for y’all. (I’m a long time reader- I just love yall!)
I am so glad that things have worked out for Jeremy and your family, despite the difficulties! And it is wonderful that you were able to learn something valuable during the tough times.
So happy for the Bower Family! <3
I am so sorry that you all had to go through this tough time. Praise God for new beginnings and a new job for Jeremy. God is good, all the time!
Thanks so much for sharing! My husband lost his job 4 years ago and it was the best and worst thing that ever happened to us. It happened at a time when we had some money saved up, he did not realize until after that he got out of a horrible situation and we learned a lot! I was not working and we had no other income. It was tough but we made it work and came out so much stronger on the other side. We now know it is not the end of the world if you loose your job there is a reason for it! Good luck to Jeremy with his new job! Good luck to you as you grow the blog.
Lots of big hugs and love your way. It’s so great to hear a happy ending. It’s also very encouraging to see you recognizing where you could be “better”. I think that just goes to show what a great wife you are. 🙂 I find it so important to do that myself. One of our readings at our wedding was about taking the log out of your own eye to be able to remove the spec in your friend’s (Matthew 7:5). My husband and I wanted to remember to always look to ourselves for improvement first. You and Jeremy just make me smile. 🙂 Anyway, I just wanted to say that I love your honesty and openness and your family is in my prayers. xox
I am so VERY happy for your family and for Jeremy!
THANK YOU for sharing!! My husband was laid off 6 months ago. It’s amazing to think that 6 months have gone by, and yet time has flown, too. So nice to read your thought process and know that someone else truly GETS it!
I agree with the importance of savings – we never thought WE would be the ones in this situation. Good jobs, hard workers, college degrees, and yet not working. Thankfully I do some online work from home so I was able to pick up more hours while still being home with the kids, and he has found side jobs until something opens up. Such a tough situation/economy/time right now… and yet I cling to the fact that God will provide. And He has, for 6 months already. Through Christmas and birthdays and anniversaries…
Thank you again for sharing your experience, it’s helped me more than you know.
I so know how this feels. My husband lost three jobs last year while I was pregnant, all for dishonorable reasons. It is so rough. It kind of sucks the air out of the room and leaves you feeling so shell-shocked, but in my cause I knew it was inevitable. I’m so glad you guys made it through. Sometimes it blows being normal, but other times I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Wow, so glad that Jeremy found another job. My husband has been unemployed for 7 months now (three months before I was due with our third child.) and I so relate when you say you don’t get much done with your husband home. I almost felt bad admitting that but I would rather just sit with him and the kids than do housework. I love that God indeed is always on our side and always provides.
Amen, Katie. What a lovely testimony of God’s provision and also your marriage. I didn’t get to tell you when we met at YHL’s book signing just how much encouragement your honesty on this blog provides . I know it’s a hobby and source of income for you, but I also wanted to affirmto you that it’s a ministry. Thanks for being a willing vessel! It’s awesome to see His light shine through you.
I’m going to click all the ads I can find on your page right now 😉
My heart goes out to you! I’ve never commented before but I want to applaud you for your straight up talk here on the blog- I for one really appreciate it, and your bravery going through this. My husband being laid off is one of my worst nightmares, even though we have savings. I’ll be praying for your family and the adjustments needed for a new job.
We have gone through this 3 times in 37 years of marriage!
What doesn’t kill ya, makes you stronger!
Hang in there Katie. Your family will get through this just fine.
This is one of my favorite post. It’s so raw, real and relatable.
My husband and I experienced something similiar right after our son was born. He was self-employed in the paint and body business and I worked in an office. When the economy really tanked people started saving and and skimping so no custom paint or body work on cars was being done. So we had to close up shop and hope and pray that my husband could find another job. I prayed long and hard because we needed two incomes, and I just felt deep down that God would hear my prayers and provide. God definitely heard me and provided bigger and better than we could’ve ever dreamed. My husband will be at his current job for two years in April and it’s certainly provided for us and our family. It’s not as freeing as being self-employed, but the pay, benefits and retirement fully make up for all of that.
I’m so glad that Jeremy found something, and a plus that it’s something he was interested in before he got laid off. Also, many kudos to you for stepping up to the plate and taking on the role of breadwinner. Many women would crumble under that kinda pressure, but it appears you held it together perfectly.
Wow, this post is so raw and honest. I really appreciated reading the joys and struggles of going through this trying time. Thank you for your honesty! Although difficult, it’s always reassuring to know that no matter the circumstance, God is so much bigger and will always be faithful to his children. Congrats to Jeremy on his new job!
Congrats to Jeremy on the new job! I only started working again in January after having been laid off in May 2012. Fortunately my income was only secondary in our home, but I still need to work to make ends meet. It’s such a huge relief in so many ways to be able to be working again. Good luck to him in his new work place!
Oh my gosh, Katie. I guess we really have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. What a stressful time especially with a newborn! I am so glad that Jeremy got a good job and that you guys are going to be ok! I wish I lived closer as I would love to come over and help you and actually be a friend and not just a blog reader. You are wonderful and your family is wonderful and I wish the best of luck. Please do not apologize for having sponsored posts. I hate when readers and “haters” complain about a blog having sponsors. You need to be paid for the work you are providing. I have a small blog that I started this year and basically my family and some friends read it but I know the time it takes to get a post done. The money it takes to do projects adds up as well. I’ll never understand why blog readers don’t understand that. I think it’s great that companies are sponsoring and working with bloggers. Best of luck to you girl!
Wow…you guys are so amazing! My husband and I are going through a similar situation right now. He has been laid off not once but 2 times in the past 2 years. (and we have only been married 3 years). Its been hard, really hard. My husband dealt with all of the same emotions Jer went through…he just wanted to be able to support me. I was the bread winner, and he didn’t want that…its not what planned. Its been super tough, but I also think it has made us stronger. Up to this point I never knew what it meant to fully rely and trust God…I wanted to control everything, and God really used this situation to help me grow and he has done even more in my husband’s life. He is now in Grad School and finishing up in October and will begin the job hunt again. I still find myself freaking out at moments, but I remind myself that God will provide, he always has and always will. It was so encouraging to read this post, please let Jer know that even though this might have been a hard thing to share, that story will help so many other people! Bless you both!
Go Bowers! No one who hasn’t been there quite understands the pain, joy, and growth that happens during this sort of thing. You guys are awesome to keep faith and trust in the Lord, all while working like mad to change the situation. Ya’ll are kinda cool…you know that, right?
Hi Katie!
I have read your blog for a while now and love reading your life stories most – the boys’ birth stories and your relationship with Jeremy. I appreciate your honesty and your captivating writing style.
I wanted to comment today because you are so brave to really put it all out there and I really admire you for being so honest. I especially appreciate all your stories when you were first pregnant – I feel like you were playing the dialogue I would be having in my head if/when I become pregnant.
You are wonderful! Congrats to you and Jeremy on his new job!
Oh, KB! I’m both so sorry that you and Jeremy had to go through this, and so happy that he found a new job that suits him!
Job changes are so rough. We’ve been through something similar with Robert’s job, and now I’m hunting for something that suits me better than my current job, which I’ve been at for almost 4 years.
More power to you for pulling through, and most importantly for pulling through together. I lost my job of nearly 12 year a few years ago, got another three months later, and was laid off again on Christmas Eve. Then nothing for a year and a half. And while I am now employed in a job I enjoy and feel challenged by, I miss the benefits of unemployment–I was there for my family as needed. My house was clean. I went to the gym every day. Now I work for a living, and I am blessed to have a job. And I go home and crash! 🙂
Wow….just wow. I am almost glad you didn’t share this right away…I would have been worried sick!!!! I am so glad it turned out the way it did. Thank you for sharing Katie.
Best of luck to your boyfriend at the new job 🙂
It’s amazing how God gives us what we need at exactly the right time. He alone is our provider! Praise Him for Jeremy’s job!
I’m so glad you shared this post–I think its something that needs to be talked about more. I’ve been in a similar boat for a few months now. I actually applied for a different job (while at my last), was offered it, and ended up giving my notice. About two weeks before I was supposed to start the job, I got a phone call saying that the company was starting an immediate hiring freeze and they could no longer follow through with the offer. Which meant, right before Christmas, I found myself unemployed, not to mention, incredibly upset, as the new position was sort of a dream job at this point in my career.
I continue to look for positions, but it’s been very frustrating to say the least. It puts a huge amount of pressure on someone–and can really hurt your self-esteem. I’m currently waiting to hear back from a double round of interviews for a position I really want! Here’s hoping! Thanks again for always being so honest and forthcoming! 🙂
So I don’t normally post, I mostly just blogstalk…it’s funny how timing works as today marks one year to the day that I was laid off from my job. I spent three months looking for a job and my husband and I had our ups and downs during that time. He was usually done with his work by 11am everyday so we really enjoyed having that time together but the stress of money was always there. I started my current job in June and have loved every minute. It’s amazing how you don’t realize how unhappy you may be until you’re placed in a better situation and your level of happiness increases. We were getting back up on our feet when my husband needed to change jobs as his family run business was no longer supporting our needs. Now working a normal 9-5 job he is so happy and has a renewed sense of selfworth and purpose. We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary last night and reflected on our struggles this past year. It made us stronger, it made us closer, and coming out the other side of it now, it has made us happier. God’s timing is always perfect and his blessings are always faithful. It always amazes me when I’m scared and unsure of the future and then a window opens and after stepping through and living the new path I’ve been directed on, how I can look back and see how He puts the pieces of the puzzle together to make something I could never even fathom. Thank you for sharing your experience, I love reading your blog and how real you are with us.
My husband’s job ended in November and as of this date, he is still unemployed. Because he is self employed, he does not qualify for any type of unemployment, etc. Luckily, I provide our health insurance through my job. However, the premium is so high that I actually bring very little home. I know the fear that you described. Our savings are running out and we have cut everything out that is non-essential. I know that God has a plan for us and I am trying so hard not to lose faith. Thank you for sharing this. It was intended. I needed to read this today.
Girl, I love how you keep it real. Best of luck to Jeremy in his new job.
Katie – first of all, congrats to Jeremy for the new job! Such a blessing! My hubbie and I went through the same situation not too long ago and I feel like you wrote my feelings exactly. It’s hard but it surely made your marriage stronger.
Praise the Lord. Your blog is one of my very favorites and I’m glad it helped you in the hard time. Thank you for being so honest. So many people are in this position and it’s nice to hear that you’re not alone.
KB, wow! It IS hard, I know, because we have been through it. Only ours lasted for about 18 months. We lost one house to foreclosure, but thankfully owned another so we weren’t really displaced. All of your feelings you hit on are EXACTLY how I felt, from the “I’m a horrible wife” to the “he’s annoying the CRAP out of me”. And we learned, like you, that God DOES provide. It doesn’t always look like we’d expect it – but for us it was awesome & amazing & totally unexpected!
So happy for y’all that you’re on the other side of this! xo
First of all, thank you for sharing your innermost thoughts throughout this process. It truly is an experience no one ever wants, but hopefully everyone can grow from. We went through a similar phase last year when I lost my job, and your truth about it being the best and worst is right on target. Congrats to Jeremy on his new job, and wishing you all a good transition.
Katie, I’m so glad you decided to share this with all of us! I love getting to know the people behind the blogs. I’m so happy that you got your happy ending and Jeremy found a great job. Sounds like you learned a lot through this experience!! Thanks for keepin it real!
xo Rachael
I think this Pooh quote applies to you right now: “If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”
Nice job being brave and having faith.
God bless y’all! What an experience. Glad for the positive outcome. God’s providence is divine.
I am so happy things worked out. You mentioned an interview somewhere (Instagram?) and I thought I misunderstood.
Thanks for sharing with us. I was a wreck for you while reading it. (((hugs)))
I know how difficult these times can be. I was let go about two years ago and it was heartbreaking; I had never felt so dejected. My husband and I were also fortunate to have money set aside that we didn’t need to touch – I have NEVER been so thankful for an emergency fund.
Thanks for sharing and (hugs) to both of you in this new transition!
GOD IS GREAT! Thank you for sharing. your faith is inspiring
Thank you for sharing Katie!! God does provide and I am thankful for you that you reminded me of that today. I am a single Mom and right now I feel like I am struggling financially even though I know that there are so many out there that are worse off than me. Thanking God for providing for you all and for providing for me (even when I am too dense to remember that). By the way, if you ever write that book, I will be one of the first people standing in line to get your autograph!! You are one of the most hilarous people “I know”!!! God Bless you and your family!!
Your heartfelt honesty with the good and bad is what keeps us coming back! So glad to hear you have a happy ending and have chosen to grow and learn from a difficult situation – it’s inspiring and a good reminder to all of us to appreciate what we have in the present. I know first hand how hard this can be on a family but you’re so so blessed to have each other and to have such a strong relationship.
And don’t worry about all the sponsored posts, you’re writing is so funny that I hardly notice when a post is sponsored anyway!
Thanks for sharing your story! My husband and I moved up to Richmond (yay Young House Love!!) back in Sept. up from FL for a job and he recently walked away from it due to management issues. He was there for 9 months (he actually started last May and lived up here until we moved the family up in Sept.). Unfortunately we didn’t have a back up plan or any savings due to a good amount of debt and med. bills we’ve been paying off. Our bank account quickly dwindled down and we were left in a situation where we were desperate……desperate for God to move and to move quickly! With not much to our name we solely relied on God and trusted that He was our source and that the perfect job was out there for my husband. After two weeks he found a job in sales (which is what he’s always done) but it requires traveling, which I’m not happy about seeing as to how we have an 11 month old and I, like you am not too fond of being a single parent most of the time now. But already in his first week he did awesome and God has so blessed us just in the first week! God has been so good to us with providing this job and increasing us greatly. One of the perks of the job is that my son and I can travel with him if we’d like to, so that’s something that makes the whole thing easier on us. But reading your story has encouraged me and I’m sure countless others going through the same thing. Nothing in this life is certain except God’s unfailing love for us all. In good times and in the bad our sole focus needs to be on HIM and trusting that He will never just leave us in the dust. He’s always with us and has a plan. He’s got our way out and the solution even before something bad happens. It’s been really hard (financially, relationally, etc.) these last few weeks as we’ve been in transition with his job situation, but it’s been awesome to see how God always provides! I love your blog and read it everyday. You guys are so cute and the boys are absolutely adorbs! God bless you all Bowers!
Thanks for sharing. Having a spouse lose a job is one of the hardest things a marriage can go through. I know there are harder things, like sickness and death, but this is definitely tough. I know – we are in the mix of it right now. I appreciated reading your feelings throughout the process as I have these exact same feelings. It’s reassuring to know that other people have gone through this and felt the same way. I’m happy for your happy ending. 🙂
My goodness Katie. You never know, huh? I’m sorry that you and Jeremy had to face that, but you came out the other end. And kudos to you for pulling up your bootstraps and “handling yo bidness” for your family. We wouldn’t have expected anything less. Congratulations to Jeremy on the new job!
The end of this post had me in tears. I know it is the strangest thing to think that you have total strangers pulling for you and praying for you, but we are. This post really showed me the positive side of the whole internet culture we live in. Humanity is still in there. Even if we never meet in person, we can still positively impact each others’ lives. We relate with one another on a basic human level. God is good and he made us in his image. People are good too. Even if we see alot of the bad (especially in the negativity and personal attacks on the internet). So glad this had a happy ending.
Oh, Katie. I am so sorry for all of this mess and emotional junk that you had to go through. I’m glad that Jeremy got to be home with his boys for a couple of months but still, I’m sure it was stressful. I know it was stressful. And so so so happy for y’all that he is employed again.
My husband and I have been looking for work for 6 months now. We have a lot to be thankful for though. God provides. We have a savings that is dwindling (it’s His money and if this is the way He wants us to use it we shall, although doing NOTHING fun is depressing as you know), a home we can afford to stay in and love, our kids are grown and out, and we have our health. I’m telling you that is a LOT of goodness.
I know you are good at being thankful. Even when things are tough. Enjoy this new life and enjoy your beautiful family and home. I love reading about it all 🙂
I am sorry that your family had to go through this and I appreciate you sharing your tough times along with all of your joyful moments. I am so glad that everything is working out for you and your family! Just stay calm and blog on!
WOWZA Katie…… I’m so happy that all turned out ok for you and Jer.
xo
Katie, we have been through this as well and experienced a lot of the same feelings you guys did. It’s so hard to deal with the roles in your marriage when you aren’t expecting to, but it has definitely made us stronger as a couple and stronger in our faith as well. These lessons are hard. I’m so thankful you guys came out of it fairly quickly and seem to have the right perspective. We’ll all continue to keep you and your family in our prayers! And we’ll keep reading 🙂
I wish you and your family all the best in the future. Money comes and goes, but you have something that is priceless: your beautiful family (I know you know that and don’t need to hear it from a total stranger). I can totally relate to the stresses of job searching.. I have a degree in fine arts (visual arts — painting) and let’s just say, it’s not exactly the easiest field to make money in. I think being resourceful, thrifty, and having that diy mentality are so valuable (especially in hard times). Anyway, I just wanted to extend best wishes and know that you’re in our prayers.
I read all of it, and I had tears in my eyes. I love your blog, and I think that you guys are so cute together, you seem like such a sweet family, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you. I am really happy that Jeremy found a great new job, and so happy that you found yourselfs back.
I could cry reading this. I can’t imagine how scary it would be to lose a job right now. The past couple months have been hard for me too, in different ways, and I’m learning to let go and be thankful. You’ve made me realize how many more things I take for granted. A husband that works close to home, secure jobs (even if they’re not our ideal), a lifestyle and income that allows us to live well below our means, insurance (for the first time in 4 years!)… I just wanted to say thank you. 🙂
Congratulations to your family. And thank you for sharing this story. I love that you are not afraid to share your real life and struggles because it really does help others in their life too. I’m not perfect, and I read your blog because you’re not perfect either, and that’s inspiring!
By the way, whenever you write a book, I’ll totally buy it, whether it’s a DIY book, or children’s book, or wacky memoir about your crazy Southern family.
My dad lost his job last fall and it was extremely hard on him. He felt the same way as Jeremy. There have been many ups and downs since then. My parents keep comparing it to a real-life game of chutes and ladders, which is exactly what it felt like. He finally starts a new job this spring, but of course the employer decided later that it’s just a seasonal thing. Hopefully it turns into more. Good for you guys being tough through it all, it’s not easy! And praise God for new jobs!
I am glad that you have had a happy ending. It is a true testament to your relationship to come through something so stressful! I have a feeling either way, job or no job, you two would have figured it out and it would have worked. In the end, things happen for a reason and later when you look back at the situation that was so stressful at the time, you will laugh. Because honestly as long as you had each other and the boys everything was going to be just fine. Congratulations on getting the job ment for you!
So sorry you had to go through this! God is amazing though! My husband got laid off last January for 6 months, at one point I could not imagine ever feeling normal again. He ended up getting essentially his dream job, we became closer than ever knowing we only had each other, and now we have a baby on the way! 🙂
I felt as though I wrote this post. We went through the same thing about 2 years ago. The worst part for me was seeing my husband going through it… he literally job searched & applied 24/7. It was so hard for me to see him with his confidence going downward. But, like Jer, he found a better position. I think it just made us stronger as a couple. You do what you have to do.
Congratulations to your family!
So happy for Jeremy and you and your family! Being unemployed is NOT easy…been there myself a few times and my hubby was unemployed for almost 2 years back when we were just dating out of college.
It’s tough, but you are so right. You learn so much about who you are, who your partner is, your relationship and what really is important in life.
So glad everything is back on track for you guys!!
XOXO
Thank you for sharing your experience, and with such honesty! A few years ago my husband was laid off, and being the sole breadwinner of the family, it hit him hard. He was unemployed for ten months, ten horrible and wonderful months! In the beginning I was so mad at his company, but I always knew that this was a God thing. While he was happy there, my husband needed more, he needed to be doing what he loved, and that wasn’t it. He was comfortable at his job and I was comfortable being a stay at home mom, there was just never a good time to go after what he really wanted. We went through a lot in those ten months, all the emotions and fights you described really! As for the fear, it hit strong that first day and maybe week, but after that we never really had a chance to be afraid. We had quite a bit in savings for something like that, but never had to touch it. We actually ended up ADDING to it during that time! We experienced the Lord’s provision like we never had. We never had to rely on ourselves, because He had it all under control. Now that we have made it to the other side and have been here for awhile, we can honestly say our lives are so much better for having gone through it (during the first five months I never would have imagined saying that!). I am so sorry that you all had to go through this, but am so thankful that you are able to share it with all of us. I’m celebrating with you, and praying for you guys during this transition!
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11
One of my favorite verses and He proves himself trustworthy over and over.
Glad Jeremy got a better job. I know how stressful that is.
I just love you! i love how real you are. sometimes in the blog world it’s easy for us to look at you bloggers and super natural beings, accomlishing so much and doing it all without trials….so not true and i appreciate it so much! We know God always has a plan, so hard to wait for His timing sometimes huh? well, thank you for always being so open and honest, for being a christian woman who is not afraid to talk about boobs, and ‘jumping’ your husband….a girl after my own heart. i wish we didn’t live on opposite sides of the country cuz i’m pretty sure we’d be bff’s. I speak fluent sarcasm, love Jesus and love to build crap 🙂 if you’re ever in southern california hit me up and i’ll show you around (i’m not a stalker….swear) haha.
so thank you for sharing so much and always making me laugh.
take care, johanna in socal
First off, you are so so brave! Wow. I could never write (in public) something so personal and touchy. Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty. Second, I am so so thankful that God provided Jeremy with an even better opportunity! Finally, thank you for this blog. It is such a blessing to me to read every single post. May God continue blessing you and your family. 🙂
Amazing Post Katie. AS I read through this post I could get a sense of how it feels, in this tough situation. I’ve been there. SOOO many emotions come with being laid off. It’s hard…never easy and looking for the next job…I wanted to scream from up high “HIRE ME!!!”. God provides and is miraculous in how things come about.
It’s amazing how things happen and change. Things happen and other things make us realize just how lucky we are. Life is hard, but realizing and remembering just how lucky we are….best gift ever.
Hi Katie,
I know exactly how you feel as my husband and I recently went through the same thing. My husband went back to school 2 years ago to become a high school guidance counselor. He got a job right away and thought it would be amazing. He ended up being laid off on day 89 of his 90 day probationary period with no reason given. At the time he was laid off, we had only $100 in our bank accounts because we had been living off of savings while he was in school. I have a great job, but it doesn’t cover everything. But God provided for us! We have never been late on a bill. Mike got a job back with the company he was with before he went back to school. I’m still wrestling with the fact that he went back to school for a master’s degree that he is now not using, but I know God has a plan. I know Mike is still embarrassed about that whole situation and how he lost control over providing for our family. Thanks for being so honest in your post, it made me feel better to know that others feel the same way I did. I’m still trusting that God will show us why this happened, and we definitely learned a lot from the situation. I’ll be praying for your family as you continue to return to normal 🙂
Devon
Wow Katie. That’s crazy. So happy this ended well. I was laid off when I was 3 months pregnant. It was just before I was able to tell my then current employer I was pregnant and I was laid off. The best thing my husband said to me was…”we have our health. we have each other.” Just when you think you won’t survive, someone or something is there to remind you that you can. Somehow, we make it through these things. The good news is I was hired by another company who I told about my pregnancy and I’ve been here for almost 4 years now.
Lastly, I watch for your posts every day. Know that there are people out there that wish you well and love you for what you do! Thanks! Lindsay
Wow! Just wow! I got laid off in the summer of 2010, and at the time, was terrified. In the end, it was the best blessing in disguise. I have a better job, a better idea of how to spend, and a better apprecation of what I have. Congratulations to both of you for surviving and coming out on top… 🙂
Oh Katie! my heart goes out to you and I am so glad that it all turned out well in the end but I hope you know that we are all behind you even when we don’t know why you might need it. Good luck with your new normal and from a (now retired) Navy wife you can do the single parent thing it’s hard but you can do it!
First, congrats to you and Jeremy! You have weathered one of the toughest storms a couple can face. Thank you for your honesty and sharing. I identified with a lot of your post and I hope you know that, especially when you share your personal struggles like this, you are a huge encouragement.
Second, a quick question for you. Is it better for you if I read your posts on your blog rather than through my google reader? I’d hate to think I deprived you income because I was too lazy to click over.
Keep up the good work, Katie. You brighten my day with every post!
Katie, this post means so much to me. I got married last summer, and because of various difficult circumstances at the time of our wedding neither of us was employed and we only had my apartment for another month. By the astounding grace of God, the day after we got back from our honeymoon I was offered an amazing job that I love. But for the first six months of our marriage my husband had no job at all. And while we firmly believe in equality in our marriage, it was so hard on both of us — I knew I needed to find ways to be more supportive, but I needed support from him, too, and he just didn’t have support to give. He felt useless and like a terrible husband because he couldn’t even contribute to our new little family and support his new wife. There were many, many, many tears and many, many long conversations late at night. I really believe that even as much as we’re in love, we’re only still married by the grace of God and the strength that He gave us during that time. We’re still struggling — my husband is now working, but only part time, and at a job where he isn’t using his gifts like he wants to. He really feels it that his wife earns three times as much as he does. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing everything you went through during that time. It all sounded so familiar…and it means a lot to me that we aren’t alone in this struggle. I know God is with us all the time, but knowing that other marriages experience the same kind of stress means so much to me.
Your honesty is so powerful. Even though it is hard sometimes, it is why I keep coming back to your blog. Thank you for sharing your story and know you have support in numbers out here on the blogosphere. Wishing you guys the best.
Thank you for posting this. My husband just received notice that he will be furloughed and this has helped to calm my nerves quite a bit. Thankfully working for the Smithsonian means that I’ll avoid furlough for now, but we could both be out of work if there is a government shutdown or if the federal budget doesn’t get worked out. It is so hard to plan for the future when so much of it is so unsure. We’re doing our best to control what we can, plan for the worst, and not stop enjoying each other. Congratulations to Jeremy on the new job and to both of you for using this situation to make you stronger.
Oh Katie, the exact thing happened to us right after our youngest was born. It was soooo scary waiting for word of a new job to come in and when it finally did, WOW what a relief. The job was super crappy and my husband HATED it but it got us through until his current (awesome) job came about. God does provide, but it sure is nerve racking waiting for everything to pan out! Glad it worked out for you. 🙂
What a relief! You scared me with the first few lines of this post!
I am thanking God that you are on the other side of that hardship now. I am also praying for my husband, that his hard work and the investments he has made in his own job/company start paying off. Right now things are very scary for us and I feel we are on our own financial cliff!
Hi katie,
I just wanted to say as far as I can tell, you have all been champs through this situation. And also, wanting to express your own insecurities, fears, nagging and bad mood, while somebody else is in a difficult position, doesn’t make you a bad wive, it makes you HUMAN! Please give yourself credit, being a bad wive takes a whole lot more than what you described. GOBowerPower!
Layoffs are so scary and stressful. We went through this with my father several times and it puts such a strain on everyone. Praising God that He provided a great job for Jeremy and for your family. I hope that the travel is minimal and that you all will embrace those moments that you are together. It is important for the children, but it is vital for your marriage.
I can’t say thank you enough for your honesty & openness in this post. I sew as a side job…in addition to a 45-50hr/wk job. I often feel frustrated and like a terrible wife when I duck into my studio to sew. It’s nice to know someone else feels this struggle too. I think I need to stop & say “thanks for putting up with me” a little more often to the hubby. Keep it up Katie, we’re all behind you!!! (PS – found you via YHL & I can’t decide who I love more, don’t tell Sherry, lol!!)
I started to tear-up reading this. My husband lost his job at the end of September. It was a big hit. We were 2 weeks out from closing on our first house. Because of losing his job we had to pull out of the contract. He received a severance package worth 2 months of his normal pay. I tried not to nag him about looking for a job right away but I knew from previous experience that it isn’t easy to find something in our area. But he wanted to take a little break because his last job had been draining him. Well now he is still unemployed and he is beating himself up for not starting his search earlier. I try to be supportive but putting on the happy face is draining me. I had a mini breakdown about it this weekend and he had to be the supportive one. It is hard when one spouse loses their job. I’m glad you have your happy ending! Hopefully we will find ours soon.
I don’t read long blog posts with words only, but if you’re writing it, I’m reading it. I’m really sorry to hear about the tough time you went through.
I’ve been the sole breadwinner for three years so my husband could go back to school (full time, two masters degrees) and then become a part of a start up business. It isn’t making money yet, so here I am, winning bread and waiting. And waiting… wanting to start a family, wanting to go on vacation, wanting, waiting, wanting, waiting…
So I feel you, times three years. :/
Oh Bowers – so glad to hear that everything has worked out! We have enjoyed seeing you more on the blog, but are happy that you’ll be able to go back to spending more time with your boys :).
What a tough thing for you all to be through. I went through a long long period of unemployment and it is one of the most difficult, trying things I have ever been through. I can only imagine with little boys to support.
Wishing you both the best and glad you’re on the other side of this hurdle!
I’m so glad things have worked out for you guys, I can’t imagine the stress you were feeling. Congrats Jeremy!
You made it. I’m so glad everything worked out. God provides and I’m so glad your faith in him comforted you during a difficult time. I don’t know you, but I’m so proud that you kept a cool head.
Thank you for such an honest post. I am in the same situation as Jer and it is so hard not to be able to contribute, even though the bills are being paid and the world is still revolving, I have felt so down on myself. Good news is that we are moving back to our home state and jobs are right around the corner. This lesson taught me to be more humble, enjoy the free time and to really appreciate the person I am with who would do anything to protect me from pain.
I guess it is growing up, but I am excited to work and grow.
Congrats to your family, I am sure your boyfriend will be awesome!
I admire you for keeping it quiet and relying on God during that time. It had to be so hard to put on a fake-feeling smiley face these last few months on your blog.
I immediately thought of this verse “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (psalm 46:1). God puts us through hard times so that He can be the one to rescue us time and time again. I just love that.
This. This is amazing. Your blog has been a blessing to me and I’m so thankful that you (even though I have never met you!) are in my life. Your words are nurturing, truthful, painful and sincere and I commend you! You, your family, your blog are in my prayers!
I am sorry we could not be there to support you, but I am glad you went with Jeremy’s wishes. That kind of change is scary, but I am glad it all worked out (I can imagine how hard it was in the middle). I guess the best past is that it is a job he applied for regardless of his current job status which makes me hopeful that he he will be happy in this job long term.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Katie. My fiance and I are both finishing graduate school/planning a wedding in July from across the country/job searching/doing to long distance thing right now. My fiance is feeling SO frustrated with the search process this week and this was exactly what I needed to read.
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing. One of the things I love best on your blog is your honesty. I went through a lay off last year and it was the scariest, most frustrating time even though I sort of knew it was coming. Thank you for reminding us what partnership really means in marriage. I’m glad things are looking up for you guys!
I am always so appreciative of your honesty and candor, (and awesome sense of humor) thank you for sharing your testimony with us.
Oh man. I can totally understand where you are coming from. January 2012 by husband got laid off. He was a teacher – so we thought he was safe – but no. We totally had to uproot our kids and our lives and it all around SUCKED. He has a new job now, a good one – honestly it pays a lot more than teaching – but teaching is where his hear is – so that is kind of sad too. Plus he will be commuting almost two hours each way, three times a week – so I TOTALLY get it. I really really do.
We will make it though. You and I and our kids and our husbands…we will all make it.
Thanks for sharing and I’m so glad you have a happy ending. This post really hit home with me, as we are a 2-income HHLD and within the last year I got a new (much higher-paying job, making me the clear breadwinner) that I’ve really enjoyed. I will be getting laid off soon and am pregnant with our first baby – so stress is high around our household. We both know it’ll work out, but its so hard when you don’t know how/when it will work out and what the next phase in your career/life will be. Hope Jeremy really enjoys his new job! And so glad to hear you were able to get through the tough times together – that will make the happy times that much better.
Oh, how I understand.
I love your respecting his privacy. A lot. Thank you.
Best Wishes to you all and all who are reading this in the same or similar situation.
Wow, you’re right this could happen to any of us. I’m glad the blog could be an adequate source of income for you. I love reading this blog, so it’s nice to know that the blog gives back to its creator. Bring on the sponsored posts!!
And congratulations to Jeremy on the new job! 🙂
Kudos to you Katie, for your honesty here, and for taking all that weight upon your shoulders and muscling through a tough time for your family. It’s hard, as women, to see our men take a hit, because sometimes they do need you to be so many things that’s it feels like an impossible burden. But you proved, to yourself, as well as everyone else, how strong you can be, as much as I know it doesn’t feel that way in the moment, and that is a priceless accomplishment that deserves a hearty pat on the back. I love your blog for your honesty and humanity, and wish all the best to you and Jer in adjusting to a new job. And I certainly won’t mind a few more sponsored posts if it helps keep you all going. Much ♥ to your family!
I’m so sorry that your family had to go through this. Lay offs are hard on anyone, and can definitely put a strain on a relationship.
I lost my job back in July, and I was so lucky that my husband was able to provide for us, even though the budget was tight on one income. I’m so glad to hear that Jeremy found a job within 2 months – it took me 6 months and lots of sacrificed sanity. But like you said, lessons can be learned from such a situation – I finally took the opportunity of being unemployed to pursue a different career, the one I’ve been thinking about for 2 years, and I actually did it!
So happy for you guys now.
I think what I love most about this blog is how real it is, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.
I’m so glad Jeremy found a job, and I’m glad you shared your experience with us.
Be strong Katie 🙂
P.S. I clicked on every ad today
So glad that it has all worked out well. That must have been such a tough time! #Godisgood!
Katie – I’m so glad everything worked out ok in the end. My heart was hurting for you while I was reading! We went thru a layoff years ago when we had first bought our house. My husband was laid off for 6 months and while he did get a lot of work done around the house and I was still thankfully working, we weren’t smart about our money and we wound up getting into debt. So I’m very glad you had a savings to fall back on and actually didn’t even need it! And you’re not a horrible wife – you’re an honest and loving wife! We all are human and have these feelings! I’m sure Jeremy felt your support and encouragement even when you felt you weren’t totally there for him. So glad it all worked out and praying for you all in this next adventure!
Lay-offs suck. Full stop.
I was laid off two years ago and though I was unjustly fortunate to secure a new job basically right when the old one ended, the lay-off still smarts. It has done something to me that I still can’t quite explain – changed the way I view employment, the way I view myself, the way I interact with employment. I definitely come at job stuff from a place of fear now – which is not at all good for one’s long term career. I’m much more scared to take chances, etc. It all sort of leads to a certain kind of paralysis in my current job which, though I like enough, is the job version of a rebound relationship. It was here with open arms, I jumped in, now I’m stuck in a loveless marriage.
I’m sorry your family had to go through this.
Congrats on the new job for Jeremy! Yes, God provides everything we need. So happy you two were able to work through this rough time. My husband was also “over qualified” when he was laid off a few years ago, I remember the confusion and disbelief when he told me. I hope he enjoys his new job. Now go celebrate!
Although we haven’t been going through this ourselves, my cousin is/has been. The worst part of it is when you’re a high level employee – like you mentioned, they assume that even though you applied for and are qualified for a job a couple of steps down from where you were because you have bills to pay, children to send to college, a mortgage, etc., they assume you’re there temporarily and still looking and they don’t want to hire you. It’s so depressing, and overwhelming, and even though you’re managing, you start to feel bad about yourself and you get angry at everyone else… Understandably, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
SO happy it worked out for Jeremy – thank goodness it wasn’t YEARS like for my cousin… If you have a couple of seconds left in your nightly prayers, can you pray for some of J’s good luck to make its way up here to NJ and my cousin? We’re more like brother and sister than first cousins and it’s hard… real hard…
I am so glad that this experience had a happy ending and reminds me of when my husband was injured and home from work. It was hard with him being out of work and not knowing if his injury would be covered but I LOVED having him home. I work from home as well and even if we were not together, just feeling him in the house made my heart sing.
And thanks for the BIG LESSON which is having savings! We put every extra $$$ into our home and even what is not extra that if something were to happen we could not survive for even a month. I appreciate the reminder, especially as tax refunds are rolling in and Spring just makes you want to amp up home renos.
When you are a parent the responsibility is huge and I read recently that “A loving home is a palace to a child”. Do they care if I want gray siding over the blue we now have or a great room instead of a carport…probably not.
Wishing you all the best as you move forward during this transition. And we love the country too. My 8 year old thanked me yesterday for living somewhere where he could see the moon and the stars, it was quiet outside and he felt safe.
That is my biggest fear as a stay-at-home mom right now. My husband had a “scare” with work last fall and it was exactly as you describe. The fear. The not knowing. Thankfully it all worked out, but it was a reminder that the balance we have is fragile and we must be smart about saving. I’m glad you all weathered this time okay and you have a fresh perspective on your relationship and role in it. God truly does provide. Faith certainly helps in times like this… and always.
Aw Bowers! I love you guys! Especially your dedication to marriage and family. I’m so glad this turned out to have a happy ending without you talking Jeremy into becoming a butt model. ha! 🙂
wow, well done Katie and Jer! through it all you’ve kept the main thing the main thing.. super proud of you both and so happy for Jer’s new job – congratulations!
Man, you seriously keep making me cry with your stories! Thank you for being real and candid. I am so grateful to hear about Jeremy’s new job and how you have been provided for. You two are stronger for that time together!
Such beautiful honesty. So happy for your both and your faith!
Hi Katie,
Thank you for being so honest in this blog! I can imagine what a scary couple of months this has been for you and Jer. And you are right, there are a lot of people going through tough job situations these days!
My husband was laid off from his job last August. He had only been with his company for a year and a half so they laid him and several other most recently hired people off. He’s a mechanical engineer and they basically tried to give his responsibilities to their part time college intern when he left. What a joke!
Anyways, I very much understand your fear and how stressful this situation can be. I am in graduate school and work part time as a graduate assistant at my university (ie minimum wage although I am getting experience in my field) so I am not in a position to be the breadwinner. Last August, I came home from running an errand and he was sitting on the couch talking to his Dad when I walk back in the door at 4pm. I asked him if he left early today and then he told me he had been laid off. My first thoughts were that we were going to lose our house, pets, entire life. It wasn’t pretty! 🙂
I know we are fortunate because he was offered a job eight days after he was laid off. He had been looking prior to being laid off because the management at his job was awful and not well run. A scary lay off basically turned into a couple of weeks vacation for him until he started his new job.
Wow. Praising God with you for Jeremy’s new job! We’re only just beginning the job hunt for my husband who is graduating from law school this May, but I can already tell that it isn’t going to be easy. These insights are helpful and encouraging! Thanks for baring your heart on the blog–posts like this is why I read.
I freaking love you Katie Bower! Reading your blog while I give my baby girl her bottle is one of my favorite times of the day. Her name is Taylor, she’s 5 1/2 months and will gladly be baby Weston’s girlfriend if the position is open 🙂
I (we) know this song and dance intimately. My wife and I moved about 1200 miles from home so I could start graduate school, and she’s been through 2 job changes since the move (the first, for her sanity, the second as a layoff). And, although I have funding, she’s the one making the cake that pays most of the bills (including our fix-upper house, woof), so this stress is familiar. The uncertainty of the jobless-state is so unnerving, so all-consuming. And the waiting. Oh, the waiting.
It’s funny, though, once you come through that stretch of fire, what kind of perspective you gain. Perhaps like y’alls experience, I don’t think our faith has ever been so stretched (or our nights so sleepless or our sense of helplessness so acute or 2 Cor 12:9 make so much sense). Glad you weathered the storm with a story to tell. Cheers!
Wow, Katie! That’s so hard and awful! But look at how God provided. My husband was laid off January 7th 2013, the day after our son turned two and with me being 21 weeks pregnant with our third child. It was scary. But trusting in the Lord to provide was calming — most times. I’ll be praying for you all as you continue to transition.
So glad all us well. Love your honesty! This marriage ride can be a tough one, but being a team makes it all so much more worth it when you get through a rough patch. I am right there with you when it comes to criticizing. I tell myself in my head not to say anything and just let it be and then…word vomit. It’s out before I knew what happened. But I think that’s important too, or else I end up resentful and all grudgy…and no one wants to be married to that either 🙂 I hope Jeremy loves his new job!!!
I hate that you all were going through this all this time. I’m so glad to hear you came out the other side just fine – better, even. Life is funny that way.
A couple of years ago, my husband lost his job. The business he worked for closed. He was unemployed for about a month: applying for and collecting unemployment, applying for all kinds of jobs, and sometimes feeling down and lacking motivation. Granted, we don’t have any kids (yet), and we didn’t own a home at the time. But I can totally relate to trying to comfort a bruised ego while wanting your old routine back and wondering how your roles may change. We like routine; it’s comforting. So living day-to-day, wondering what each day would bring, was not fun. He ended up getting a better job. It’s not more money, sadly, but it is better in that he is more challenged and engaged at work and therefore happier. It is also more secure, so much so that we were confident enough to buy our first house later that year. The whole ordeal ended up being a huge blessing.
You’ve probably heard of life being compared to a tapestry. This reminds me of that. How, when we’re living through the darker threads, the shadows of life, we’re uncomfortable and fearful, and we may even feel angry and resentful, because we can’t see the big picture. We can’t see how this small, dark piece is a very necessary part of the larger, beautiful tapestry that is our life. This idea brings me comfort – though it is so hard to practice when you’re in the middle of it!
Congratulations to Jeremy on his new job! May you find comfort again in a new routine. 🙂
I feel like you wrote this just for me 🙂 I love your honesty! I am so glad things are on the upturn for you, that is terrifically scary, but your words have given me confidence in my own life/situations, and I thank you for that!!!
I write two blogs and my true passion is my ‘dog blog’ http://www.shespeaksbark.com. I am always holding myself to such a high standard of posting etc. that I cannot keep up with. I work a full time job (insurance agent BLEK!) outside of the home, and am very involved with my local animal shelter as a foster home/carer, adoptions counselor, social media extraordinaire, and adoptions event coordinator. I absolutely love my volunteer work, but it’s just that, volunteer, and I get no sort of monetary compensation from that or the blogs (yet!) It is sometimes hard to judge how much time to be devoting to any given thing…
My hubby is a graduate student (to graduate in May 2013-amen!) which means that I am also the bread winner right now. The stress is overwhelming to say the least, and some days I’m just trying to survive until bedtime so I can start over again the next day. I am very much looking forward to a role-reversal! ANddd I feel bad about that.
I feel like a bad wife too sometimes for getting frustrated that I am taking on so much. I also feel so much anxiety for when my amazing hubby graduates, he is top in his class, and great at what he does, but I do know it may take him some time to find that ‘right fit’ of a job. I want him to be happy at his new job so I want him to take time finding the right fit, but I also know every day we are ‘job hunting’ will cause me such anxiety that I am already trying to mentally prepare myself to chill out when the time comes.
I will be re-reading this post over and over again come april/may, and I know your words will bring me encouragement then as they have now. Thanks Katie!
Katie – YOU ARE AMAZING! Thank you yet again for opening your heart, your lives and your fears to us – me, a complete stranger but someone that takes great encouragement from your story. One of the many things I love about your blog is your honesty. Your self-deprecating humor and daily ability to make me laugh is truly very special. I don’t know you personally but I do know that your warmth, honesty, and real-ness(is that even a word?) are what makes me keep coming back, THANK YOU! And may God continue to bless you and your family.
Katie, congrats on getting through one of the hardest things in life. I am so happy for Jeremy and for you. How great to have each other for support. And everyone out here truly does love you guys. xoxo
Had a lump in my throat as I read this. Thanks for sharing these kinds of posts… it was an eye-opener! I always worry about struggling if my husband (or me) lost a job. Also, cool timeline- I love that as you keep reading, you see how God works.
Just wanna say, you are incredibly strong to keep up your role as a wife, mom and blogger during this time in your life. So glad you got to experience God as a provider and healer and all that. Happy day!
Wow…. You captured so well what so many of us have been through lately. My 60-year-old husband has lost his job twice in the past few years, and although our situation is considerably different than yours (no little kids, I work, we’re not in the public eye the way you are because of the blog), the emotions are all so much the same! And the biggest thing that’s the same, is how God has provided for you and for us, over and over and over again!!
Thanks for sharing such a personal journey with us…. and congrats to Jeremy on his new job!
It sounds as though you have made it through a hard time – and that is the important thing – you made it through!
Wishing you easy transitioning into these changes and some stress free times.
x
Hi Katie,
I have been following your blog for sometime now. It is such a fun part of my day! Your humor make me snort and giggle out loud! Can be so embarrasing! 😉
I love the way you write. You make me feel like I’m right in the room with ya!
I have a quick little question. I don’t really understand how blogs work. Not my question. I have a feeling it would make my head hurt! So I have never subscribed to your site. Drum roll please! I want you to make as much money as you can so…. If I subscribe does that make you money? Man that took forever! Sorry!
Kim
I’m sorry to hear your family had to go through this. Unfortunately it’s a tale many families are familiar with these days. My husband is stuck in a job he hates because he doesn’t dare leave due to how hard it is to find a job now. His job sucks the life out of him and makes him miserable. It’s hard for me to be optimistic with him about it because he has applied for so many jobs and has heard almost nothing in return. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and trying new methods, all in hopes of finding him something he would be happy doing. Sometimes it’s just hard to keep your chin up. I’m glad Jeremy has a new job and I hope it’s one that will be secure for you.
Katie, I am so happy for you and your family and that God has provided for you, as he does for all of us! Thank you for sharing your story as well. We are going through a renter situation similar to yours (they ran out 2/18) and we’re picking up the pieces there and not having an adequate emergency fund is killing us. You gave me some hope that there is an end in sight.
xo Natalie
I am so glad it all works out for you! Good luck to Jeremy at his new job!
Congrats to Jeremy for getting the job! And congrats to the both of you for getting through a stressful time without killing each other. Seriously, I think my husband and I would have been fighting every day if he lost his job.
I really empathize with this post. When the economy tanked back in 2009, my husband was laid off. It was one of the hardest things we have been through. It took exactly 1 year for him to find/start his new job. For us, his last pay check paid off the last of our debt and we cut way back and survived for the year. It was hard, but we made it through. We spent 6 months in separate states while I stayed behind to sell our house (also super hard), then we lived in a camper in a campground for 3 months while we got our bearings and decided where to live. We are now in a house in the country and oh so thankful to be together again. He has had his current job for 2 years and we feel that blessing daily. So glad your husband found a new job relatively quickly!
Praise God! so glad that you’ve come through your valley. i have a friend going through a very similar situation for over a year now, and it’s amazing how God has kept them and their kids and a roof over their heads during this time. it is a testament to both of your faiths that you were able to support each other emotionally during that time and look at the bright side of the situation.
Wow, thanks for sharing this Katie! As always, your honesty makes your blog stand out. My husband and I have also been going through some job transition that is making us relocate, and it has been the hardest thing we’ve done so far. But, like you mentioned, we have grown tremendously. I keep thinking that God is refining me with fire….I just hate when I get a little burned on the edges 🙂 God is good. All the time.
I love your blog- Thank you for sharing the real life stuff. I am happy that things are getting back to normal for you.
Katie – you are so open and honest, and are a massive inspiration to me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts from the last few months. I wish you and your family all the luck for the future. On a lighter note – Love your blog!
Such a personal thing, I understand why you all needed to wait to share. I’m so happy for you and your family that things worked out!! 🙂
You are brave and strong, thanks for sharing!
In order for God to lead us, sometimes we have to take a step back before we change direction. He has a plan. We love you Katie…and we are glad we can support you by reading your blog (even though it’s more of a plus for us!). Best wishes to Jeremy and the new job!
xo Chrissy
Thank you for being honest – it makes your blog real. Your family is precious and I’m so glad to hear you made it through such a tough time.
Don’t apologize for doing sponsored posts. I get so much from your blog as your reader I want to see you do well. You should be earning something monetarily for your time & quality content. If the entire blog turns into sponsored posts, I would be out. But a couple here and there? Not even noticed! And things like Frog Tape Fridays are usually tied to a project that legitimately interests me and heck- I like Frog Tape! I don’t feel taken advantage of by your making money. I feel I get great content for free and that you’re a great how-to resource for me on design, and DIY, and you’re entertaining to boot (and I feel I’ve gotten to know your adorable family through reading- bonus!). So don’t apologize. We women apologize too much and need to accept successes! We support you!
Thank you for being real. And honest. I follow your blog and your pics on instagram and feel like I know you even though we have never met. One of the things I love the most about your blog is your raw honesty. There is no sugar coating and it is so refreshing. Thank you for sharing your struggles over the past couple of months in this post. It shows just how “real” you and your family are. Congrats on the new job for Jerry and I am so glad there was a happy ending to this post. God is amazing in the ways that He provides and His timing is always perfect.
Oh man, Katie! It must feel fantastic to get that all of your chest 🙂 I am so happy that things worked out. I was laid off this past October from my job, and luckily one month later, hired back BUT it doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of “”WHATTTTTTTTTT am I going to do now?” in the mean time! Thanks for sharing and being so open and honest. It is wonderful to read 🙂
Amazing story, amazing God. He does provide! Always! Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us. I love your blog! It is my must-read daily.
Yay! I am so happy for you guys. I wondered when you were going to spill the beans (I used to be a recruiter and reached out to him in the past for an opportunity, but was no longer one when he let me know he was looking). I knew he was not going to have a hard time finding one! So glad it all worked out 🙂 Your family is so cute and I am so thankful that I get the opportunity to read your blog! BTW, bring on the sponsors, who cares. If people get all judgy that’s their issue! It’s still your thoughts and projects around the “sponsored product” and that is what really matters 🙂
I will read every single one of those sponsored posts you do b/c us readers are here for you no matter what. And its still you, just with a little jig on the side. Thank you for letting us in and sharing the way you do. So happy for a happy ending!
*joyous fistpump!* YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Let the celebration commence! Praise God indeed. 😀
Hurrah for happy endings — double-hurrah for happy beginnings.
I hardly have the words to express how impressed I am with you and your family. Your honesty is so sincerely appreciated that I sit here at my computer literally in awe of this post. Hopeful too that someday I won’t be a single girl in DC, that I will have a family who would do anything for each other! Thank you for having the guts to share with us. We are dang lucky and hey girl- we love you back! Sending ya’ll a big hug.
I really needed this post today. I’ve been struggling with news that I may lose my job ANY DAY NOW. I will have some time from when I hear the news to when I’ll be laid off (if it happens), but it has put me on edge, made me feel defensive, made me scared to death.
Your post saying it’s okay and that we’ll all come out of it and make the best of whatever we’re given is a good reminder. It takes work (and a whole lot of worrying- that’s inevitable) but we’ll all be okay.
So happy that things are settling back down for you guys!
WOW! What a hard thing to go through, right after having a new born, too. I think you are really, really hard on yourself, and your own worse critic. Those were two very stressful events to happen in one year, and no one can be perfect all the time. You obviously have a very good relationship with your husband, and with your faith, and now you know you can get through just about anything.
My husband and I went through a time similar to this, where we thought he was going to lose his job, and I wasn’t working because I was in school. And now we always have a very healthy emergency fund. It made us realize how much we can do without, and how much we do love each other. So many people are going through things like this — even if you are working, the pressures on businesses are shifted on the workers, and it is just tough all over no matter where you are. Thank you for sharing.
(And hey, who wouldn’t be distracted by your husband?)
Thank for this post. I really needed to hear some of the things you said. Finances aren’t always easy and can be stressful. I know all about the “OVER QUALIFIED” situation. I’m going to take your words and work on a new plan for myself and my family.
Haha, you are not a bad wife for wanting Jeremy to turn off the TV and feed your children vegetables! You wouldn’t go to his work place and turn on the TV there, would you? Don’t beat yourself up–you were doing great in a tough situation. I know you would have handled it fine if you needed to end up being the breadwinner for a little longer, but it’s not easy to get tossed into such a situation without warning.
Having been through a lay off and going from full time work to 6 months of unemployment to part time for for a year to finally full time work a year and a half after the lay-off, I know how you and Jeremy felt. I know how you are feeling now. I know how it feels to have something to fall back on, albeit not much, and to know how God’s provision is incredible and unpredictable. I know how it feels to have your health insurance lapse and then how it feels to to pay for it yourself even without a steady income coming in (and how much that stinks and doesn’t feel fair). And I know how it feels to feel down about your worth and the whole situation and how it feels to fight with the people you love. It changes everything. But God makes us stronger in ways we can’t explain until after it’s over and the dust clears. I hope this is the first step to the dust clearing. Congrats to Jeremy. And thank you for being so honest with all of us readers!
So sorry to hear that you have been going through this, but so happy to that you’ve found a happy ending. You guys are an inspirational couple in terms of what a solid marriage looks like!
God is Good and I am glad you shared your story with us. My husband and I have been in a similiar boat since last September and job loss is no fun. I find it expecially difficult for a husband simply because of the male psyche that is involved. God is good though and we have part time work and opportunites he is applying for.
I think what you said is so true though, it is in these times that our relationships grow. The relationship with our spouse, our children, our families and friends and most of all with God. Times like these make us focus on what is important and draw close to those that build us up and support us.
This was a special post to read (I know it was hard to go through!). Thank you for your transparency. I’m so happy for your family that everything is working out.
Congratulations to Jeremy on the new job! Best wishes.
Wow, Katie… this resonates with me big- time. We got married four years ago and a few months in, my husband’s company shut their doors and laid off over three thousand employees. Obviously the market was over-saturated with job seekers, so it took my husband two years to find a job. One year into the unemployment, I went back to work at my old job (now far away), and we experienced some of the same fears/frustrations/ challenges you write about. But more than anything, we experienced the Lord’s amazing faithfulness. I wouldn’t necessarily sign up to experience that kind of job loss again, and yet looking back I’m glad we experienced it. There were some real treasures during that time, and I don’t think we would have gotten them any other way.
You’re honesty is inspiring. Everyone has ups and downs and sometimes it’s easy to only see other peoples ups. I’m so glad you shared this, and even happier that it worked out for you all.
I’m so sorry that you had to go through that, but I respect Jeremy’s request for privacy. It does always feel like a “fail” when something like that happens even when it isn’t. Good luck going forward, and keep plugging the bucks into that savings account! Helps with the good night’s sleep (or will when Weston sleeps through the night!).
WOW Katie! Congratulations to Jeremy on his new job. Thank you for sharing the experience and all that you learned – you are certainly wise beyond your 32 years 🙂
Thank you for sharing! This is something that is hanging over my family’s head right now (my husband works for the railroad) and I’m so glad to hear from someone who’s handled it with grace. I know it may not have felt like it all the time, but your dedication to respecting Jeremy speaks volumes about your character. Well done, Katie Bower.
So glad this story has a happy ending! I went through a lay-off four years ago (the day I went back to work after our short honeymoon!) and ten months of job searching, and can absolutely attest to the fact that it is challenging, frustrating, embarrassing, and pushes you to the breaking point. BUT it also brings out strengths in your relationships and in the people you love (and in YOU) that you didn’t know existed.
Congratulations to Jeremy and your lovely family and enjoy this next phase of your adventure!
That would be a scary thing to happen to any family! Thanks for sharing Katie.
Long time reader, first time poster.
My husband came in from work a month ago and told me that he had been laid off from his job. We are a two income family, but we NEED two incomes. We immediately went into freak out mode, pulled the kids our of daycare, and thought of what to do. The last time he was out of work it was for over a year and caused a lot of stress in our lives. Within a week he got an interview, and within 2 weeks of being laid off he was back to work. Every time we have been in a bad or stressful place God has brought us through and we have always had what we needed, if not always what we wanted. The one lesson I THINK I learned this time is not to worry. God will provide, we are blessed to have family that have helped support us when we couldn’t make ends meet. I hope one day we can do for them what they have done for us. So in short, God will provide, in ways we may not realize until later, God won’t bring you to it if he can’t bring you through it.
Also, last week the preacher preached a sermon, and part of it was about why do bad things happen to us. And he made a great point that I am tattooing on my brain. God puts us through trials and tribulations so that we can be there for others. How can we comfort someone who is going through something if we don’t know what it feels like to get through it.
Congrats on the job!
Interesting post Katie. My husband and I went through a similar situation (twice) and we too were blessed with him finding a job quickly, though it didn’t seem quick at the time, it really was, and I thank God. I struggled with him being home and unemployed, but not able to help with home stuff (the kids, and cooking and cleaning, etc.), but I was glad he treated getting another job as his new job. It only took a few weeks to find another job (both times), and I missed having him around in some ways, but was glad and relieved God provided for us so well and so quickly…God is awesome. 🙂 You honored Jer’s wishes in not posting it on the blog (I know you are a big sharer), and you were blessed for it.
This is a great post Katie. I imagine it was hard to publish. I am so happy that you got that time with Jeremy and your boys, even though it was also difficult, it sounds like it ultimately brought you closer and made your bond stronger. I think you set an excellent example of a wife and mother. I look forward to your posts (sponsor posts included! I mean, Frog Tape Fridays have given me so many good ideas)! Congratulations to Jeremy. I am so happy he found a job that he loves. Thank you for sharing your journey and being so honest.
First of all, thank you so much for being the honest blogger that you are. I look forward to your posts everyday and honestly have looked up to you in more ways then your DIY projects. My husband and I often have to talk budget with being new parents and mainly on one income. I am so thankful that you shared this as it really touched close to home. God gives us all reminders that he is in control and that he will provide. Thank you Katie for being the person you are and sharing most all for us to read! You probably won’t ever know the full extents you touch by writing this blog but know I am thinking of you as a friend and praying and rooting for a continued happily ever after for your family!
You are not alone. Thank you for sharing your story. My husband lost his job last October, I was less than 3 months pregnant and home sick with HG. I am the bread winner for now which is ok with both of us. I don’t think of it as being a “bread winner”. He is studying via distance ie online to change careers and I support that fully. When he lost his job I couldn’t sleep for a couple weeks then I accepted it and we planned a new budget and forged on. God is good. Lots of people support a family on one income and with our savings we can do it even with the birth of our first child. God really is good and provides and comforts. I’m glad Jeremy got a new job 🙂
Such a touching post. When one member of the family loses a job it’s scary and you never know how long it will last, but I’m happy that it all worked out for your family! And I thank you even more for sharing it with all of us.
I’m so very sorry for the struggles your family faced! I can’t even imagine what we’d do or how we’d react in that situation. I think it’s amazing that you have kept your faith and even gained more perspective after your experience…it shows the type of character you have! 🙂
Thank god for the new and better job! One thing I try to remember everytime I am going through a difficult phase is that , “this too shall pass” and it certainly does. Instead of stressing about too many things and details and I am slowly learning to take it easy. Its tough and but I am getting there.
You guys got through it and thats what matters. I love love your blog since you share so much with us. It s like listening to a dear friend.
Katie you are one of two women I know (you and I are best friends, you know) who’s faith inspires me. I’m sorry you and your family went through that rough time, but you handled it beautifully and are a fabulous example to me of trusting the Lord even when its hard to. Thank you for sharing.
I teared up a few times as I read this. What an emotional time period in your life. And how bittersweet to have your husband home with you, but for all all the wrong reasons. I’m thrilled for your family that this story has a happy ending! Thanks as always for sharing your life with us!
Wow. That’s all I can say. Your words are echoing in my brain, as they mirror lots of the thoughts I have been having recently regarding my husband, our relationship, his job and potential lackthereof, and our future, our family, etc. I just hope that God will provide in the same way that He has for you. We truly are lucky to have strong faith and relationships. I know that if I pray hard enough we will make it through this, as you have. Thank you for your honesty. I think this is the second time I commented on your blog, the other being your video announcing your pregnancy with Weston. I too struggled with infertility, and that post, and this one just hit home at the right time, and brought tears to my eyes each time. You truly have a way of expressing your feelings in a poetic way. I appreciate you being so honest. I can tell you truly are ‘normal’ and it makes me feel more normal as well. Thank you.
My heart skipped a beat when I first read it, but I know that because you let it out now, it must had a happy solution at the end. Praise the Lord that he timed this to happen after the delivery so it’s covered by insurance!
I know that exact feeling of so badly wanting to enjoy the time of your husband being home, but being too stressed to actually enjoy it. It was about a year ago that my husband quit his job unexpectedly and we were in the process of moving, I was pregnant, we didn’t even have any savings…worse we had debts…lots and lots of student loan debts…
We put our faith in God and he does always provide 🙂
I’m so glad you posted this. I was laid off two weeks before Christmas with three days notice. Not finding a job when I was straight out of college was scary enough. It’s terrifying when you have a mortgage and mouths to feed. Those “while your credentials are impressive, you are over-qualified and we aren’t going to hire you” emails are beyond frustrating. It’s so tough to keep your confidence up when weeks turn into months. It’s wonderful to hear about someone finding the light at the end of the tunnel. Congratulations on the new job!!!
I’ve read your blog for years but never commented – sorry – but with this post I just wanted to say thank you for being so honest about this difficult situation. I’m so glad that God has provided for you and your family and you have learnt so much through this time. I particularly found it helpful to read of your ups and downs in your relationship with Jeremy. Thank you again.
My husband and I are going through a similar situation in that he is unemployed and I am providing the steady income, which isn’t much since I am also a nursing student. You don’t find anyone talking about the stress these situations can put on a marriage, and the frustration that comes along with it. Thank you for writing this, it makes me hopeful that there’s something around the bend for my husband as well, all in God’s time and in his will. Love you Katie and I’m so happy for you and your family!
I’m so glad to hear that Jeremy got a new job (yay! this blog post ended well). Congratulations to him.
My husband lost his job of 15 years on February 15th, but at least we knew it was coming (the company had been hanging by a thread for a while) and he started re-training for a new trade right away. He is in school and starts working again in mid-April. I totally hear you on the value of emergency savings…ours was a Godsend! He just found out this morning that he does qualify for unemployment insurance (we’re in Canada), but we would have made it through without it. Cutting back on the “fun money” has been a good lesson for us and so has knowing that once he starts working again, we need to keep padding that emergency account.
Yay! Congrats all around! Jeremy for the new job. You for keeping a secret (that would have been SO SO tough) and hustling. I’m so glad you’re out of the weeds.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! For putting this out there for everyone that is, or has been laid off. I was laid off in May 2012 after almost 10 years at a very successful company. I had climbed the ladder, advanced, was the main breadwinner in my family and carried all our insurance. Then one day corporate decided that my entire group wasn’t needed. The 7 months that followed were the hardest in my entire life. It changed everything – my relationship with my 3 yo son, my husband and God. The sheer emotional ups and downs were at times unbearable. I don’t think anyone knows what it feels like until you’ve been in that situation. I’m rambling so THANK YOU again. And hugs to all of you.
Thanks for sharing. We have two little babies and I only work part time. Seeing that this happened to you guys makes me realize how important it is to have an emergency fund (and that we probably need to have more in it!) Really though, you sharing your story will hopefully encourage more people to save more (me included), because it really can happen to anyone. I’m happy that he found a new job and one that he will hopefully really like– y’all just seem like such a sweet family 🙂
I don’t have any fabulous words to say other than i love you.
Ha, that was weird.
🙂
Seriously, your honesty and frankness is refreshing and it helps to break down these preconceived notions that everyone’s life is rosy and full of happy things all of the time. That just isn’t true. We all have brokenness, moments of fear, and moments of distrust…but Praise GOD we are not alone in them. Thank you for sharing this, seriously, thank you. What a solid reminder to be good stuarts of what God has given us because we might not always be so blessed.
<3
Wow. So glad that things are looking up…doesn’t faith make all the difference?
This post is close to my heart because my family was in the same boat 3 years ago. It was scary. The most frightening act of faith on our part was tithing on the severance package…but ultimately we knew that God was in charge. If we lost everything, God was still in charge and we would be faithful. God’s promises in Malachi 3:10 came to life as free lance/contract work came pouring in and before the year was out we owned an IT company.
Thank you for sharing your story…so many need to hear it, hear your faith.
What a ride for you guys. I am so glad it worked out, but what a scary thing when you are in the experience. I hope he loves his new job. Thank God.
Lots of love to you and your family xo
I am so sorry you had to go through that. We had the same thing last summer, but my husband was out for almost 6 months. He is employed now, thank the Lord, but he is very much underemployed and we make barely enough to cover our monthly expenses. But I am grateful he has a job. It’s been rough for so many people. Glad you and your family have been blessed with a new job! Good luck Jeremy!
Katie, you always blow me away with your candor and heart. I’m so happy for you that the job-hunt resolved relatively quickly (the average is over 8 months! terrifying!) and that Jeremy has landed a job he loves. I can’t imagine how hard it really was, but the fact that you and your family can see the value in the time Jeremy was home and that you grew out of it, instead of letting it simply drain you, is a gift.
This is an amazingly written post. I was laid off for 9 months last year, and although I’m not our families breadwinner, it was the hardest, most emotionally taxing 9 months I’ve ever had. I’m so glad you both got through it and did so quickly. And I’m super happy for Jeremy and finding what seems to be a wonderful opportunity! I love following up with your blog and I totally agree with you, God provides. Congratulations to Jeremy (and all of you, of course) 🙂
Katie, this post was incredibly encouraging. Full of real emotion, real struggles, real battles of our mind. As a Christian, one of the reasons I love following your blog is your dependence on God and his plan for your life. Very happy that God provided in a big way yet still gave you that time to trust him. Praying for a great future for your family!
Congrats on Jeremy’s new job! Wow, what a relief for the both of you. It’s like reading our story. My husband lost his job on January 1st. He’s still out of job. He’s applying like a madman, gets jobinterviews and then… Let’s just the word ‘overqualified’ sounds familiar. But we’re still confident that a good job comes by. Until that time we’re also enjoying extra time as a family, so unemployment brings us also good things. Good luck for Jeremy on his new job.
Oh Katie… How have you been able to keep it in? I totally understand but I know you felt like your heart would explode and your head would implode some days! My heart aches at the scary, oh no, feeling that had to go through both of your heads.
I am so glad that it has worked out for Jer and he has a new job, I hope that it is profitable and he feels a great sense of pride in what he does.
I am here to support you (and read) every day.
From the bottom of my heart. I love your family. I love the boys and I cant wait to see where this takes you.. now. Put Weston down for a nap, Put a movie in for Will.. and go take a bubble bath. Relax. It is all going to be okay <3
My husband was actually laid off the same day as Jeremy, it looks like. It’s such a hard road, and striking a balance between being encouraging and helpful is hard. Thanks for being honest, and yay for a new job for Jeremy! Hope we will be joining that celebration soon.
thank you for your honesty. I am currently in week 3 of your “laid off” story. It is so crazy how off my emotions and life feels. I have really appreciated your story & how it gives me peace of mind to know I am not the only one feeling this way. I want my husband to feel important and not like a failure. He is our major “bread winner” and the easy flow to our marriage has really been off these past few weeks. I will keep praying and reading inpirational things like this. thanks!
That must have been so so so hard. Extra stress is always hard on a relationship, too, and both of you were feeling it. Feeling failure and frustration on both sides makes communication difficult.
I’m so glad that he found something that will suit him. Boo, that it’s still a huge commute, but… it’s there, and tangible, and a JOB! Hopefully this will be a great opportunity for him that will feel fulfilling (AND provide for your family)
Congratulations!
So proud of you for sharing this post! It means a lot to all your readers to know (or at least be reminded) that EVERYONE struggles and that, like you said, just because something CAN happen doesn’t mean it will. I wish the best for you guys and I can’t imagine dealing with that stress with two little guys. So happy to hear you guys are back on track and a big congrats to Jer!
We are going through the same thing now. It’s been a very stressful time for our family. I really needed the reminder to lean on God.
So wonderful…every bit of it. I have had a husband come home in the middle of the day in his tie, while I look up, perplexed, as I nurse our two month old second son. Ironic, I know. It was scary and strange and there was a good amount of all of the emotions you just described. It made us stronger and it has done that for you as well. God is good, indeed. Best wishes for Jeremy in his new job and for all of you.
wow…wow…wow….so powerful Katie….Growing up we moved a few times. When I was in the 7th grade…my dad lost his job. I vividly remember him dropping me off at school. He would park the car and walk across the street to go to morning mass. I was old enough to know…he was scared, worried, just sad that there was nothing he could do…but to keep trying. He told me several times….don’t you worry–God will provide. He was right. It took time…and patience…but a job came along…in a new town. A new adventure. How blessed you are;) Many hugs your way my friend.
Katie- so glad that this story has a happy ending 🙂 Congrats to Jeremy- I can imagine he must be very relieved! Thanks for the encouragement to trust and have faith in the difficult times…
Thanks for posting this honestly Katie. I’m so thankful to see your real feelings through such a difficult time. I often look at your blog and think how perfect your life is. This helps me see that you guys are a real family with real struggles just like the rest of us. So glad Jeremy found a job! Congrats! And I am so glad that you learned how much God provides. I completely agree.
Wow, what a story to share. It’s amazing how fast life can change. I’m so happy that you shared it; it reminds us that every couple has their ups and downs. As long as you have each other, that is really all you need.
Sarah
parallelfoodiverse.wordpress.com
Ugh… unemployment simply sucks (for lack of a better word). It took me months to find a job after I graduated school a few years ago and it was terrible. I understand all too well the frustration and stress (and unfortunately, rejection at times) that come with it. Sooooo glad you made it through despite the difficulty and Jeremy has a new opportunity starting soon! Congrats to him! 🙂
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this very personal side of you and your family. I know it took a clot of courage to both think and type those words. That said, we are of a single income family, my husband works many long hours, and our three children and marriage strain because of it. However, we are happy and healthy. Our marriage is strong because we struggle financially, or in the least don’t have ‘play’ money. Thank you for giving voice to that.
Secondly, I have become very disenfranchised by many blogs because of the ‘over-the-top’-ness of it all. Most of us can’t buy a new sofa on a whim, or redecorate an already perfectly decorated room, just because we want to. Most of us our here (blogland and otherwise) need to wise about our financial decisions for today and the future. I appreciate blogs that show ‘real life’ budgets (where the budget is a couple of hundred dollars – not a high-end cap) and scenarios. I am sorry that you and your family have experienced this harsh reality that so many others are also experiencing, but I am happy that you have taken several valuable lessons from the ordeal. I hope that your words help others.
Katie I feel like you are a kindred spirit. My husband and I have lived through similar experiences trying to ‘get started’ in this job market (in fact I’ve written you before about it). The thing is.. God does provide. He gives you more than what you originally even thought you wanted. I don’t know why its so hard, but trust is such an important lesson. It’s very brave of you to be so open and vulnerable, and I love and am inspired by the way you put your faith first and on display. Congratulations to you and Jeremy both.
What a beautiful testimony and yes, God does provide! We went through a similar situation a couple years ago and now entering our 4th year of marriage finally feel somewhat stable. It’s definitely a good idea to have multiple profit centers; gone are the days of past generations who would work for one company and stay there until retirement.
I so appreciate your honesty, especially about your emotions during this time. I’m so thankful Jeremy found a new job and you were able to lean on Jesus in a different way during this time. It’s so encouraging to me to read your post as we struggle through our recent miscarriage. It makes it even more clear that God DOES provide and He IS faithful, even when our circumstances don’t make sense and are less than desirable. Thanks so much for sharing and encouraging people you have never even met! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m so glad for you all that Jeremy found a great job. I have also learned the hard way that God does provide, even if it’s not always how we think or even how we want.
Wow, Katie, I am so sorry you all had to endure that, especially with a newborn, but it has made you stronger. Every day I thank God my husband has a job, a good job, and every day I fear he will lose it, in this trying economy. You are so right about building an emergency savings account. Congratulations to you both on the new job, and may God continue to bless you and your family. Thank you for sharing that.
I swear my heart stopped beating when I read the first post. But I am so so happy that everything worked out better than you imagined. God is so good.
Wow! It took great courage for you to share that level of intimacy and intensity with a situation such as a lay off. I cannot begin to tell you the trials my husband and me have been through in our almost 10 year marriage. There have been times where we were jobless, carless, and even homeless… literally, we had no address to go to except for hotels or a friend’s spare couch or floor. Our experiences were more on the extreme side of things, but despite the hell we lived through, we came out of it without even the smell of smoke on our clothes! It caused us to sweat, but it didn’t burn us up!
Through it all, we grew closer to each other and deeper into our faith in Christ. Not many people are willing to as honest as you are about what you were feeling, especially in those moments were you feel selfish for being emotional when you know your hubby was vulnerable. I admire you blogger types… you have the ability to share with the virtual world what most of us can’t begin to share with a therapist!
God bless you and your fam! I’m like you in the sense that I will hustle my fingers off to do whatever I need to do for my family. As our family begins to grow (fingers crossed to get pregnant this year with our first!), and our dreams expand (I just finished grad school and my hubby and I are planning our next moves with school and careers to accomodate adding children to the mix), we are learning to live in whatever moment we find ourselves in and laugh as much as possible. Thank you so much for blessing my day! Keep doing what you do, sponsored post or not!
Katie, thank you so much for this post. My husband was just laid off from his job on Monday, and this is really hitting home for me too. We never really had to think about our finances as much before as we had always lived comfortably, and while I work full time (and have my own business on the side), I have never felt the pressure to provide as much as I do now. In the same way, I am also having a really hard time watching my husband go through his own struggle with not only losing his job, but now being home and having to find another.
I’m so glad that you guys are on the upswing of all of this! I hope I will be able to tell the same tale soon 🙂
thanks for sharing and being open and honest. My husband got laid off a few years ago and I totally remember all of the mixed emotions and how hard it was on our relationship. Looking back now, I see it made us stronger. God is so faithful and does provide. Happy for you guys!
Katie,
I totally feel for you and Jeremy!! The same thing happened to me in August of 2009 (I can literally remember the entire day up until the moment we were sent home – the whole company closed). I was always supposed to be the “breadwinner” since my husband is a school teacher, so I can appreciate this post more than you will ever know! Luckily (and due to the grace of God), things have worked put and I am in a new position, but that fear and uncertainty is a huge test, that you passed with flying colors! Congratulations and thank (both of) you so much for sharing this! God Bless!
This is so weird because my husband was laid off from work on Feb 4th and it was the worst day ever because we were not prepared and did not have savings at all for this kind of emergency. We were grateful that he was still able to receive another paycheck with his vacation days that he still had. I also was making extra money by designing websites so that helped. We really had to cut back on everything and took advantage of every invitation we got from my parents to go over for dinner. I definitely know how you feel – I hated the pressure feeling of being a breadwinner even though I don’t mind. Tyler also did what Jeremy asked you to do, he asked me not to tell anyone except for our parents. That was so hard! Finally exactly a month later, March 4th…he was offered a better job. I feel so much better now and I’m glad Jeremy found a better job too. 🙂
Oh my gosh I can’t believe the kind of stress you were able to keep under wraps. You are wonder woman. I am so happy every thing worked out for you two, I don’t think I would have been able to keep my head on straight in that situation. Love love love.
Katie,
I don’t usually comment but I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I love it. Your blog inspires me and it’s the only one I actually read daily. I just want to say thank you for writing this. I admire you and hearing this is heartwarming. You’re always able to find the lesson in your troubles, and it makes me admire you more. Thank you for your wisdom, your honestly, and your blog. Congratulate Jeremy from all of us.
Jen
PS I know you hear this all the time but damn I wish we were friends 🙂
Oh Katie! *Hugs* That is such a tough situation to go through as a family (well, as anybody). And not being able to talk about it does make it more challenging although it was good (and understandable) for Jeremy to keep it quiet ’til he was ready. I got married right after my hubby graduated from college. He was unemployed for the first two years of our marriage while I was teaching school. He could only find work doing temporary odd jobs (He even attempted being a car salesman for 3 weeks-it was not an honest dealership and he had moral objections to selling people something he knew they couldn’t afford). Anyway, all that to say that you are so right about putting your trust in God. God does provide. I’ve seen it time and time again. It’s not always easy and we may not see the ways He is working… but He always provides.
Thanks for sharing the tough things in your life with the blogging world. And thanks Jeremy for letting Katie! Many will benefit from hearing your story and testament to God’s faithfulness.
Oh, and congratulations on the new job Jeremy!
Katie,
I enjoy your wonderful blog. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. We are who we are as a result of each and every experience in our life. God has a plan for all of us and we can sometimes learn the most from the toughest times. Congratulations to Jeremy and blessings to you and your family!
Katie, I’m happy things worked out for you all.
So glad God provided for family. I was laid off for six months, so I know the feelings of depression, failure, and despair when it comes to finding work. It’s only after you’re back at work that you realize that the time spent with family while not working is precious, and that you should enjoy it while it’s there. Good luck with everything! Love your blog 🙂
Katie…. I don’t exactly have words put together but thank you. My husband and I have only been married 2 years and we have been going through a very similar scenario since Dec. and it has been one of the toughest things we have faced yet. I can completely relate with many of the feelings you expressed and my heart just heaved a big sigh knowing that I’m not the only one out there that has felt this way. We are still praying for the right job and for now we are trying to cherish the “us time” but I want to thank you for posting this, and you honesty about it all. It makes this gal feel a little less along and that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Congrats on Jeremy’s new job, and sorry your year had such a stressful start. We went through the same thing last January – it’s terrifying and my husband really had a hard time with it. After six months, he ended up with a great job, a great boss, and is very happy and grateful for the forced change. Glad you two had these two months together and hope Jeremy is happy and fulfilled in his new position.
I’m not a big comment poster but I am a big fan of the blog, and I just wanted to thank you for the honest post about the emotional rollercoaster that is dealing with a job loss – it’s something we don’t talk about enough, so it takes courage to tell the tale.
So happy to hear that you all made it through as a family and that better times are ahead!
xo,
Katie
Hi, Katie!
I’m a long-time reader, probably a second-time commenter, and I just want to thank you for sharing this. I can absolutely relate to your story! A few years ago, in November of 2010, my husband (an attorney with a law degree from a top 50 ranked law school) was let go from his job at a private law firm. This would have been manageable, because I work and we have no kids, except that we were about two weeks away from closing on a house that we designed and built for ourselves. (It sounds fancier than it is – top 50 law school educations don’t come cheap, so we were just proud of ourselves for being able to buy something new and in a good school district, even if it was small.) After a lot of crying, praying, and crunching numbers, we deferred his law school loans for six months and bought the house. For the next several months, we lived off of my income and our savings. We bought a bed, a fridge, a washer and dryer, and that was it. We ate a lot of tuna fish and PB&J. He applied for job after job after job, not just legal ones, but most employers wouldn’t even give him a chance because he had a law degree. (So yes, I agree; “overqualified” = “unloyal.”) Finally, in March of 2011, he got a job at Home Depot and set-up a law firm in our front bedroom/office. These opportunities arrived shortly before we had to start paying his loans again, so we knew God was providing for us. Then, in late September of 2011, a friend set-up an interview for my husband at a local college in town. The position paid a little more than minimum wage, and didn’t even require a bachelor’s degree, but it was regular pay and included health insurance, etc. He got the job. And shortly after that, a good friend of ours asked about renting out our spare bedroom to save money for an engagement ring. Again, these financial opportunities changed at the same time as a situation, and we always had just enough to make ends meet. Since then, my husband has been promoted twice! We’ve replenished our savings and have enough money to go on a cruise this summer for our five year anniversary. All this to say that I know what you’ve gone through and how hard it is to provide for and recover from losing a source of income like you guys did. But stick with it, even if it take two and a half years to fully bounce back. God has and will provide and I know this story is encouraging to everyone else who has or will go through similar situations.
Keep up the good work! I love your blog and all of your home improvement/decorating ideas. You’re the best!! Now come over for some bacon and peach iced tea 😉
Stephanie
Is it strange that I knew something was up? There were a ton of posts coming in which was great for us readers, but I kept thinking, “She has a newborn baby and a toddler! How can she get all this blogging done?!” There was also something missing from some posts. Less amusing rambles! You write from the heart Katie and I really appreciate that. Your readers can tell when something is up by the slightest change in the tone of your posts. That’s how you KNOW you have a good thing going with this blog!
Wonderful news that Jeremy got a job that he loves! That sounds like it was an incredibly stressful time in your life.
I don’t mind sponsored posts. You put so much work into this blog that you should get paid a decent wage! Furthermore, I love how creative you are with the Frogtape posts. You make it about the project, not only the tape, so bring on the posts 🙂
I am so happy he found another job somewhat quickly. I know how hard that road is! My husband lost his first job during our first year if marriage. I didn’t really have an income to fall back on and we had both just graduated so we didn’t have much saved up. He had taken a job where he was traveling 5-6 days a week and I hated it. I saw the layoff as a blessing and he was understandably devastated. Another job came up with similar pay and we got the chance to live in an amazing place for awhile! Glad you had good ideas out of your time an glad your relationship is on track. The relational strain of a layoff can be worse than the financial. Hope this new job works out well for all of you!!
As if you weren’t amazing enough, you go and write this incredible post. Katie Bower, you are such an inspiration and you are such a great wife and mom. So thankful that God provided for the needs of your sweet family. Thank you for sharing this. I love your little family and I don’t even know you!
Wow! What a load to carry. I can definitely relate to the pressure you’ve been feeling. My husband is going to school full time, and while thankfully he gets money from the GI bill, there’s no way we could survive on just his stipend if I lost my job. (If you’ve seen the word “sequester” around the news, could happen anytime since I work as a defense contractor). It’s a hard balance to be focused and “drive forward” while also taking care to mind your husband’s sense of self-worth. God is faithful though and he provides. Glad to see that he’s showering blessings back on your family.
Well…you guys are definitely not alone and neither are my husband and I. It was comforting to read and I hope it provides some comfort to share it. 🙂
Hi Katie,
I’ve been reading your blog for several months now but have never commented. I so admire your passion for your family and God. I am newly married…about 6 months now and on Monday I found out I was being laid off. Thankfully my husband brings in a solid salary but it will still be an adjustment as we are used to living on two incomes. Thank you for this post! It was such an encouragement to know there are other people that have dealt with similar situations and have had a positive outcome. I know God will provide just as he did for you and your family. Thank you again for sharing your faith with others.
Katie, I am amazed at your honesty and your positive thinking. We have been through lay-offs in our home too, and we feel the same way. The Lord always provides and it is so great to see Him at work!
I was kinda wondering why you mentioned something about a job interview in one of your posts recently . . . so glad to hear that even though it was a tough road, that things came together for him. You are fortunate to have each other to lean on in both the good and the bad times.
My hubs got laid off when my son was a baby. It was horrible. It is such a blow to the ego. And all the stress of how are we going to live without an income is really difficult. After my husband got a new job I felt such relief, like I had been holding my breath for 3 months. But it was a wonderful lesson to us. We realized how much of a struggle many families have to face. We are so lucky to have a warm home and food on our table. And it made me realize how strong our marriage is. If we can face a stress like a job loss and come out with our family in tact- we can face anything together.
Glad everything worked out for you and your family!
PS- My husband drove me up a wall too. Don’t be too hard on yourself- you are only human 🙂
This post couldn’t have come at a better time; I have a friend that just entered this type of situation last week. I will be sharing your very honest words with her. Thank you for this candid post about a stressful time. (Would love to hear it from Jeremy’s view, too!)So happy for your family that Jeremy found something better! 😀
Thank you for your honesty. Glad to hear things are looking up. God is so good!
What a blessing. I’ve been sitting at my desk feeling overwhelmed by being a mom who stays home with our girl, and as a result has to hustle my tail off to supplement my husbands income. I said to him earlier today, it’s so hard to know the right path because each has its own set of sacrifices & obstacles. We just keep trusting in God’s plan for us and try to stay thankful for the work we both have. I’m so happy for your happy ending, and glad I took a break to read about it!!
I’m so sorry that Jeremy lost his job, but also so happy for your family that he found one so quickly!! What are the odds that my husband lost his job of 18 years a week after yours?! We have learned that money really isn’t everything and certainly isn’t what’s important. He was the breadwinner and I am a graduate student who gets a very small stipend. I’ve picked back up my original trade of bartending 😉 to keep us afloat and I realized: we are surviving. Importantly, I have seen a complete turn around with my husband. It took a couple of weeks for him to get over the shock, but once we realized that things were tight, but we were OK, I could see a huge weight lifting off his shoulders. He stays home with our little one and I am so grateful that my son has exclusive and extensive daddy time. He’s had a couple of interviews and we are praying something comes his way. But now his health and our family time is a far greater commodity.
So Happy that it worked out for you guys~ I wish you both the best with his new job and know that you’ll make the best of it.
I will definitely!
xo – kb
So glad you shared this. I can definitely feel for Jeremy. It’s the biggest blow to the ego to get laid off. Over three years ago, I looked at my boyfriend who is now thankfully my husband and said, ‘I have this great job opportunity that would require me to move two states away. Do you want to go?’ We had only been together 6 months, but knew we were meant to be. My husband left his job and his life that he had enjoyed for the past 9 years to move to a brand new city with me. He found a job soon after I moved, moved here and proposed the day he moved here. Life was AMAZING to say the least. Two weeks later, the company who paid for my move, set me up with a great apartment and promised so much had laid me off. I had only been there three months. It was DEVASTATING!!! I had just moved my boyfriend there. I was 10 hours away from my family. The severance package was nice, but did nothing for my ego. With amazing luck I found a job a month later. We decided to stick it out in our new city and are still here today. We struggle with being far away from family, but we have each other and over the past three years we’ve realized that is all that matters. I’ve been a long time reader of your blog and always appreciate your stories. Keep the sponsored posts coming… we all know every little bit helps.
Thank you for sharing your journal of this time with us. I don’t write on your posts often, but I read them everyday. I feel like each time I read your posts I am catching up with an old friend. I promise if you moved to Nashvegas we would be instant BFFs, not in a creeper way. Anyhoo….I love that you are so real and that you don’t just share the good and creative parts of your family’s life. It makes all the rest of us relate so much more. I am so happy that Jeremy landed a great position and that that takes a huge burden off your shoulders. Hugs to you!
Nicole 🙂
P.S.- I would totally buy a Bower book. Just be sure to do it in a coordinating color to YHL’s so they can be stacked on top of each other LOL.
Congratulations, Jeremy! I’m so glad that things have worked themselves out for you. I have been in those shoes- you do what you have to do to get by. My husband and I have been laid off simultaneously TWICE. We were laid off 3 months before our wedding and when I finally was offered a job, it started at 7:30 AM the morning after our wedding. It paid half of what I used to make and I used to wake up screaming. I just remembered being profoundly grateful that being broke didn’t hurt physically. The mental anguish is another story, but it’s a lesson you don’t forget. Fortunately, you were well positioned and thankfully you were able to get through with the most important things- your love and your family- intact.
Sending you a {big, long and awkward} hug. – Alie (from the YHL ATL book signing!)
Wow, what a powerful post. Thank you for sharing with us… and congratulations to Jeremy and your family on his new job!
P.S: Don’t fret over the sponsored posts- I think it’s awesome/amazing that you are able to provide for your family with your blog- I don’t hold sponsored posts against you whatsoever!
My church had a message on work/employment/unemployment this past Sunday–google Grace City Baltimore if you’re interested! I found it really meaningful.
Best wishes to your family!
Hi Katie!
Thanks for sharing! I too have been in your shoes! In August 2009, my husband and I (then fiancé) bought our first home. The mortgage was 3xs the rent of our apartment but we had saved and knew that we would be fine, we were both employed. We got married in September 2009 and in January 2010, he was laid off. He’s an elevator engineer, and with construction jobs dropping off, so did the work in the Elevator Union. Between January 2010-October 2011 he was picked up and laid off 4 times. The last time for an entire year! We ate our fair share of $1/bag ravioli and somehow paid our bills every month. It was the most confusing, helpless time of our lives but there are parts I wouldn’t take back. We made it to the other side, both of us recieving job offers on the same day and have been happily employed ever since. Now we’re expecting our first little girl and I truly believe that what we went through will make us a better couple and better parents down the road. Thanks again for sharing and congrats to Jeremy! 🙂
Lindsay
For what its worth, my husband was laid off for 9 months in 2011. He found out on a Friday afternoon and was so disappointed/disheartened that he couldn’t even tell me until Sunday night. I had so many mixed emotions when he told me. I was confused, sad for him, and mostly scared. We had not planned for a life-changing event like this. We had no savings and bills coming in. I completely understand what you are going through.
I’m also thankful for what happened. During those 9 months we learned a lot about each other, our relationship, our finances, etc. Though it was the hardest thing we had ever faced, we are grateful for that time and the valuable lessons we learned.
Now he has a great job and is extremely happy. And we are a happier, healthier, more financially fit couple! As the saying goes, “everything happens for a reason”. And we are in complete agreement with that statement.
Family is everything – and its always comforting to know that we can count on each other to get through the tough times. And we come out closer and even stronger after the storm.
Thank you for keeping it real Katie! The reason why I read your blog is because you are so genuine even when writing sponsored blog entries. Btw, I have now invested in several rolls of Frogtape thanks to your great DIY projects. 🙂
Wishing your boyfriend (aka husband) much luck in his new job!
Thanks so much for your honesty. I’m glad you guys have been give this opportunity for everything to be ok. We went through the same thing last May. While I am the major breadwinner in our family, I’ve never wanted to be THE breadwinner. It was probably the worst time in our whole relationship and I think my husband went through a depression. And I went through a “I’m working all day why didn’t you do XXXX.” After about the same time period he got a wonderful job that pays more, recognizes his talents, and rewards him for doing a great job- something his old job never did. When one door closes another one always opens!
You are stronger than me my dear.
xo – kb
I only have two simple words… Thank You. My husband and I are going through the same thing with the exception that we are at risk of losing our home because of some financial hard knocks in the past few years. I’m not a particularly religious person but you have given me hope that even though bad things happen to good people, if those people believe that things will work out, they actually do. It gives me hope and strength to go on trying to save my home. This post came on a day when I needed to hear that I am not the only one and for this I thank you. I thank you for being honest and real with your readers, I thank you for being imperfect and perfect all at the same time and lastly I thank you for being brave enough to write about it.
xo
Bloggers always love those home page hits but if you are more regular in a reader, then I don’t think it would matter. Honestly, I just love that you folks come over to comment 🙂
xo – kb
Wow! I appreciate your honesty about what y’all have been going through, and the fact that you respected Jeremy’s wishes and kept it a secret like he asked. My husband is also more private than me and I know how hard it can be to keep things under your hat, even when you know it’s the right thing to do. Good on you, girl.
You guys will get through this and come out stronger, for sure. I will keep y’all in my thoughts.
Score. I love me a big long awkward Alie hug 🙂
xo – kb
haha 🙂
xo – kb
I’m glad you all have weathered the storm. Scary times indeed. Escaping into the blogworld allows me to sort of ignore the scary real-world things going on around me. This hits home.
I read your blog posts because I feel like I’m reading something honest and heartfelt, as well as something fun and I like your photography. I think you integrate the sponsors well- not in a distracting or pushy way at all. I’m trying to say, good blog-job 🙂
Wow, Katie. Thanks for sharing this. I can imagine the stress you all have been in as I watched my parents go through this many, many times as my dad got laid off when I was in college. Trying to find a job as an upper level professional can take a long, long time and I know how every day can be stressful. Job searching IS a full-time job with more stress. I am thankful that it’s behind you and Jeremy found a job that I hope he loves! I hope and will pray for you all that the transition goes smoothly over the next few months. You are a strong woman, a great wife and an excellent Mommy! Again, thanks for sharing!
Aww thanks Genevieve. You are too sweet.
xo – kb
Glad alls well now! Having faith and compassion and staying grounded is very important in life.
The best attitude to have in life is to not carried away by success or failure… and to follow a middle path ! You seem to have coped very well and brave enough to share it on the blog.
Staying true to yourself will take you really far ahead in life. xo
Thanks for sharing this story. It’s real and it happens to so many people. Life isn’t perfect and it’s reassuring to see that someone who has two cute kids, a handsome husband, and who is work-at-home/stay-at-home mom in a big, beautiful house can still have job drama and insecurity. It makes me feel like I’m normal. My husband and I both work demanding jobs with long commutes in an area with a high cost of living. Our son is 7 months old. We are stressed out. This story made me understand that there will always be job drama, no matter where you work or how you live.
God is good all the time.
Congratulations to your husband (and to you!). My mom calls times like what you have gone through “field trips with God”. They’re not always fun, but you do walk out learning a lot more about God’s character and what it means to depend on Him.
I do want to tell you that I have been really enjoying your blog the few months. Keep up the good work! 🙂 Also, I don’t mind sponsor posts – I learn about some cool products that way and I know bloggers gotta pay the bills just like the rest of us! 🙂
God does provide…oftentimes in mysterious, completely unexpected ways, but He provides.
My parents lost their fabulous, high paying jobs over five years ago. They made some mistaks along the way and were never able to find jobs that even approached their previous income. Last year, they came very close to losing their home. At the same time, my husband and I discovered our house had MAJOR structural issues not discovered during the home inspection. My husband and I were unable to qualify for a mortgage to purchase a new home because he was deployed with the National Guard and therefore his employment record was “unstable.” To fix the structural issues required over $60,000 (!?!?), which we could not afford. My husband and I ended up moving into my childhood home and assumed my parents’ mortgage. Doing so allowed us to move to a fantastic neighborhood with great schools and afford a house we probably could not have otherwise, while also providing my parents a place to live. Multigenerational living is not easy, but, much like you with the blog, we put our heads down and make it work.
Glad Jeremy found a job!
Shana
I am so thankful that you shared this on your blog. I am a housing stability specialist (fancy words for a not so fancy job) in Texas and we see people struggle with layoffs on a constant basis. There are less people, than you think, that prepare (or are able to prepare) for such a crisis. It’s hard to tell such a story because it is a vulnerable place to be in a person’s life but you did it honestly and beautifully. I really appreciate this because I think it is important for people to know that it can happen to anyone. You and your family are touching more people than you could possibly know.
I love you Katie Bower and am so glad God provided… He always will.
And I agree re: a Bower book! I’d totally buy it and chase you down to sign it…but it would need to match a YHL book 😉
Katie,
I’m so sorry you all had to go through that experience. When I saw your post title my heart sank. I’ve been laid off once when we lived in Atlanta and it was in 2008. Right when he market busted. We had just taken an amazing vacation and it hurt that I was allowed to go with my employer knowing the inevitable. Being a Landscape Architect really was a bad thing because it was the housing market that tanked. And we did a lot of resorts condo towers properties on the coast and master planned communities. I found out the news at about lunch time and drove my miserable and scared butt to the Royal Oak Pub for a few drinks before I broke the bad news to my husband. I cried and had a few rounds on the house. I even talked to a guy looking for a job too that was laid off from Enron. I went the next day to file unemployment just in case I wood be searching for a long time. Thankfully, I found a job 3 months later right before Christmas. I was very blessed. Turns out all the other computer programs I learned while etchings were slowing down helped me out in the long run and I worked for thy Architecture firm for years. We just moved back home to Louisiana and within one month I found a great job in the small town where we live. God does have a plan. I just wish he’d help us sell our house in Atlanta!!
Very happy for you all. You did a good job. It’s hard to go through those rough times when you don’t know the outcome. My husband and I were hard on each other during those months of uncertainty also.
God definitely works in our lives in ways we don’t understand. But you are right, he always provides and ultimately we make it through with valuable lessons learned and stronger relationships because of it.
My family is going through a big transition right now as well, God has blessed us with a little one due to arrive in July much sooner than we anticipated. We are thrilled and excited, however I had to stop working due to physical reasons and we are adjusting to being a one income family. There are days where I’m unsure and scared an feel like a bad wife and mother, but I realize that God has greater plans for me that I may not understand and he always provides.
I’ll be praying for your family as you adjust to Jeremy’s new position. Praying that this strengthens you as a family and continually blesses you.
You GO GIRL! This sounds similar to my story, and I appreciate knowing someone else out there goes through this! We have little/no friends in our area since our focus has been school/work constantly and that makes you feel isolated and alone in things you’re experiencing. Loved reading your response Bethany!
agreed! The frog tape posts are some of my favorite!
God is good!!!
I so appreciate your honesty, because I think it’s really important for us as wives to understand the burden our husbands have to provide. And that they have a different kind of pride. This was an awesome post, thanks. And I’m selfishly glad you saved it until you had a happy ending for us.
and size! haha too funny
that’s a great idea. I would love to hear the man’s point of view and how we can help
Agreed Genevieve! Couldn’t have said that better myself! This blog has been food for my soul on many occasions. 🙂
I absolutely love your blog! Thanks for being so transparent (and having KILLER design style!). So thankful that Jeremy has a new job that he loves! Praying for you guys in the transition of a new job! 🙂
I’m so glad you feel the same way!!! My husband is my biggest distraction too! He’s a coach & during football season (Texas high school football is SERIOUS business) I’m able to get all kinds of projects/chores done around the house!
Katie. Thank you for your honesty. I needed your words today. To feel like I wasn’t alone, even if just for a bit! The hubs is self-employed as a real estate agent and after a long year of prayer we realized that job just wasn’t going to cut it if I were to continue to be a stay at home mom. We knew God wanted us to be open to anything (hey..he has even applied to jobs in Atlanta which would mean a big cross country move) so we are. Here we are, no paycheck since October because real estate is fickle like that and no interviews yet. It can be so disheartening, but seeing your happy ending reminds me there IS a happy ending to our story, God just hasn’t revealed ours yet. So excited that Jeremy found a great job!!
Thankfully the stormy weather is over and the sun is shining again! Thanks for this post and your strenght and weakness. Come on those sponsored post and the book. It will be awesome!
Out in Loganville 🙂
xo – kb
Wow, that was a big secret. Thank you for sharing. God is good.
Congratulations on weathering the storm. My hubby has now been unemployed for 6 months and I’m really getting worried. I know things eventually work themselves out, but I don’t do well with uncertainty.
We are living in the same situation. Through all “this” God has opened my heart wide.
Just coming to the site is the best way to make a penny here or there. It’s those pennies that add up 🙂 Clicking on the ads in the sidebar help too…especially if you are interested in purchasing something…but just coming and visiting me whenever you can is the best way to help. I appreciate the questions but honestly, I appreciate comments even more…
xo – kb
I’ll be praying for you girl!
xo – kb
Such an honest and sincere post. One of the reasons I love your blog. I’ve been through this, and it’s such an experience. Glad you kept your perspective in all of it, and trusted the Lord. God is so faithful and amazing to us isn’t he?!
Hey Katie,
I don’t normally comment (more of lurker), but I have to say, I completely understand your last few months. My husband was laid off a month after I had our son. I was in the middle of maternity leave, and had to debate going back after 6 weeks because the 2nd 6 weeks were unpaid, or enduring so that I could have max time at home. Luckily I satayed home, and he did find a job within 4 months. On a bonus, he got to stay home with our son for a few months, so now they have a great bond.
He brings you to it, He will see you thru it. 🙂
Ok, 2 things:
1. I just found out you are a YL-er from stalking Roo’s instagram. I feel like YL is this (not-so-)secret club and when members find each other, YAY BFFS FOREVAH! You’re just that much cooler now.
2. My mom just went through something eerily similar – lost her job and got a new one the same weeks as Jeremy. For her, it was a blessing in (deep, dark, ugly, haggard) disguise: she got to spend my last two months in the States with me before I leave for the Peace Corps (on Monday!). God is so good. So, so good.
Thanks for this post.
Thanks for sharing your life with us. The good and the bad. It makes you a very real person!
Congratulations to the both of you on getting through something as tough as this is. Last year I was told that my position was no longer and had two weeks. My husband and I made the decision the day I found out that we were going to pack up and move to Atlanta! {which is a fantastic city, and we love the area, and yes the commute suuucks}
Last fall, we found out my husband was diagnosed with cancer…and was told on his first day of training at his new job. Talk about another huge blow to a messed up year. He was out of work for a few months from chemo, and he’ll be out for this month for radiation treatments.
The things you mentioned throughout your post hit home to me a lot. It’s not a fun situation to be in, but it is a wonderful feeling to know that you have someone beside you to weather through the storm and know that it will all work itself out in the end. 🙂
Let’s give credit where credit is due.
-JEREMY applied.
-JEREMY interviewed well.
-The COMPANY hired him.
JEREMY and the COMPANY provided…
Katie, I know what you went through but from the perspective of Jeremy. I was laid off in August 2012 and am still looking for work. I am lucky enough that we are a two earner household, so while money has been tighter, we can pay our bills. What I wasnt prepared for were the psychological and emotional challenges to being laid off. Its a constant cycle between anger, sadness, fear, optimism, and repeat. I’m so happy he was able to secure new employment and am hoping 2013 will bring something new for me as well! Cheers, Kara
I am so happy to hear about your happy ending and would love to see a Bower Power Book!! My job was cut last year and we had to move 400 miles away from all our family and friends for my new one. It’s been a tough transition but things are finally settling:-) Little Miss Munchkin only asks to go back to GA about twice a week now instead of every day. We can’t wait for spring break in just a few weeks!!
Hi Katie,
I wanted to thank you after reading this post. I’m a special education teacher and have now been laid off twice due to budgetary reasons. It’s a very real possibility that I will be laid off again this year. When it happens, it’s so easy to sink into a depression and feel completely alone and like the world is out of my control. Your post helped me realize (embarassingly, for the first time) that my husband is going through all of the same feelings. I knew it affected him – I just never let myself see how much it affected him. Your post helped me to see that it’s not just me going through it – my husband is feeling all of the same things. Thank you for giving an incredibly real and incredibly important perspective.
So very happy that this post had a happy ending. Best of luck to your boyfriend in his new job!
Gosh, Katie, that’s awful, but so glad Jeremy found a gig. I know how you feel- my husband got laid off three months before we got married (and six months before we optimistically bought our first house on my salary alone). Three years later, he finally gave up the job search and went back to school. It was a scary, stressful time. While it was terrible for lots of obvious (and not-so-obvious) reasons, we learned at the beginning of our marriage how to live on next to nothing, and I believe we’ve come out of that trial stronger than we ever could have otherwise.
So, so glad to hear that everything worked out for you guys! I can’t imagine how challenging that would be – I give you guys major props for getting through it and keeping your head up through it all. Nothing much you can do to prepare for those type of shocks in life – so glad to hear y’all came through on the other side!
What an amazing post! Good on ya, Katie Bower!
Warm wishes,
Tanya.
Australia.
Glad he got a new job. That would be tough. My husband is a planner and always planning for things like that while I do not even want to think it.
Katie, I am so happy to read that things all worked out in the end. It is hard to share difficult things, isn’t it? I am a new blogger, and I have been writing about a very difficult time in my life as a way of healing myself and providing answers for my children who can read it one day if they like. I have been getting much love from the people who read it, and I even think I am helping some people too! It is difficult to bare your sould, but sometimes it is just worth it.
I KNOW Soul does not have a D on the end!
What a good ending! it’s scary to see how EVERYONE is struggling, even here in Australia job hunting is HARD. I’ve been trying to find something part time for six months now with no success (yet! gotta stay positive right?). It’s the same with my Dad, he was made redundant last year in November (on his birthday too!) and he hasn’t found anything yet. Unfortunately his age goes against him and now it’s “who you know, not what you know” that’ll help him get a job.
I can’t even imagine the anxiety that probably caused! But you both got through it and now you guys will be ok! God is always there when you need him! 🙂
I’m a big fan but don’t think I’ve ever commented… but was compelled to after reading this post. It was SO poignant, raw, honest and beautifully written. You have a true gift and I know SO many (including myself) appreciate you sharing it.
Katie,
I am crying like a baby as I write this. God has worked through you to get this message out to many. Your honesty is so refreshing. The fact that you gave up the freedom of doing “what you want” and let the Lord “use you” instead is so inspiring and motivating. It’s as if you are speaking directly to my inner soul and spirit.
Every month I feel I’m hustling or robbing Peter to pay Paul to get the bills paid. We don’t have any money in savings and it is ROUGH!! We have a young son too and he is our priority. Although my husband and I can’t afford to pay our bills every month, every time money comes up short, God always works it out. We either get an unexpected gift card for food or something else works itself out.
I have kept this to myself for a very long time because it is embarrassing. We live in a world where no one likes to share the ugly truth or the bad. Things are not perfect and in today’s society people don’t want to hear how “broke” you are. You only hear about how much money people spend on clothing, cars, etc. Yet we are not truly “poor” as we may think. The one thing we have to hold on is our faith which gives us unlimited riches.
May God continue to bless you and your family. A family that prays together, stays together and you guys have proven that no matter what, no one is going to break that bond. This is something very special so please continue cherishing each other 🙂
When saw Frogtape for the first time in a German store some time ago I immediately had to think about you telling it is great! Even here in far away Europe, it works to read about Frogtape all the time.
I really love your writing and wish you and your family a lot of strength to go through whatever comes the way. Congratulations to Jeremy for the new job!
We are in the same boat right now… my husband got the news that he would be laid off in a couple of weeks. Not great, but we knew that it would come eventually (he works for a government contractor). What’s even more not great… I am 4.5 months pregnant and we have an almost two-year-old. So now, if he gets a job before the baby gets here, he may not get any leave to spend with me and the new baby and enjoy life as a family of four for a few weeks. Big disappointment! But, everything happens for a reason. He didn’t love his job, drove about an hour each way, and we want to move in the opposite direction as his work. He came home and was so positive and kept saying that he thought it was a blessing in disguise. Luckily I work and we have a good savings built up, again, because we knew it would come eventually.
Sorry, that was my own little rant. What I want to say is that you guys are strong and it’s scary and totally a pain in the butt. BUT, things have a way of working out for the good. Thanks for posting this. It was a really honest way of looking at your situation and your readers really appreciate that.
Hi Katie,
Ive never commented on on of your posts before but I just wanted to thank you to you and Jeremy for being so open about this.
In January, I was notified that I was in danger of being laid off later this year. A couple of weeks ago I found out that on top of that danger, I will be furloughed and have my pay reduced 20% (I am a government employee). My husband is a student, and we just bought a house in September, so these have been a couple of hard blows to take. Reading about the emotional rollar coaster your family went through and seeing how God provided for you has helped me feel a little better about the situation. God bless!
Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry you all went through such headache, but isn’t it good to know at the end of the day that the Lord does provide?!? And don’t worry about those sponsored posts 😉 You did what you needed to do to make ends meet and no one can fault you for that.
We have your back girl!!! You need anything let us know! I can ALWAYS use more frog tape 😉
What a strong woman you are to share your thoughts with the world like this! And I second several other’s posts, I would LOVE to see you write a book…you have a real gift. Hope it comes to fruition at some point.
Most of all, so glad everything worked out.
Hugs!
I don’t comment much but big hugs to you for surviving and even sorta thriving during that difficult time. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been, especially keeping it bottled up on the blog. I’m glad you got to share your happy ending though! More hugs (I’m a hugger, can’t you tell?) and a big congrats to Jeremy on the new job!
Katie- I too, love your stories. What an inspirational post, thank you for sharing it and congrats to Jeremy on the new job. Oh, and I totally don’t mind the sponsor posts at all either!
We had a similar situation. My husband had a few months of unemployment after getting out of the military. It was tough at the time but in hindsight we are grateful for the experience. It cemented the need to save and live below our means.
Katie,
You made it through a difficult time with so much courage and grace! Congratulations on Jeremy’s new job, I hope it’s just perfect for him and your family. So happy you are back on track! 🙂 Enjoy cute little Will and Weston!
So glad he found a new job (relatively) quickly and good luck to him with the new job. Try to have friends over for dinner while Jeremy is traveling, that’s what helps me get through my husband’s long absences. (Also keeps me from eating mac and cheese and spaghetti all the time.)
Oh Katie, thank you for being honest and open on your blog. Even though I’m not in the same situation, I’m almost in the graduated college and waiting/job applying situation so I kind of know what it feels like to not know what’s in the future for me. I just wanted to thank you for your honesty and for your faith in Jesus–it’s so refreshing to read that on big blogs like yours! 🙂
p.s. This may sound weird, but I love LOVE love your personal posts. They’re so relatable–even for a college-age single gal like me!
Katie,
I have been a long-time reader but this is my first time commenting. As I write this, I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, as this has basically been my life for the last year and half. After graduating from law school and passing the Bar on his first try, my husband has been completely unable to find a job in the law field. Since November of 2011, he has gone to interview after interview, and told that he either doesn’t have enough experience or is over-qualified for the position; despite graduating from a top school with a great GPA and all the requisite “activities” that come with it, he is yet to be hired by anyone doing real law work. We are blessed that he has been steadily employed by a company doing document review for very low pay, but this means he spends his days scanning over documents from other companies looking for information that might be relevant to a case his company has been contracted on – it’s mind-numbing, skill-less work, and with each day that passes it feels like his chances of being a real attorney and doing work that fulfills and sustains him grow slimmer and slimmer. The work makes him miserable and it kills me to watch his confidence deteriorate with each interview and resume submission that goes unanswered. It has taken a toll on us both physically and mentally, and it’s the big elephant in the room of our marriage that we just don’t talk about anymore.
The point of this is to say thank you. Thank you for articulating what I have been feeling as I watch my husband go through this, and for showing me what it means to truly love and support your husband. Thank you for inspiring me to do some introspection and work on the way I love and support mine, and for letting me (and the rest of your readers know) that God always provides. Thank you for challenging me to pray more, pray harder, and understand that I can’t always understand His plan. Your faith is truly a blessing.
Thank you.
We’ve been there, so I know exactly what you experienced, except our unemployment was almost two years long and required us to move from our home in New England to Atlanta, where things were still happening in my husband’s field; the only field he knew and the field he loved. With that said, my professional, and yet painfully shy, husband had to take a job selling used cars, because good men do what they have to do even if it shakes them to their bones, before the Lord opened a door which opened another door and so on and son on. He now has a job he loves and life is again sweet. His commute into Buckhead takes an hour and a half to two hours a day, but I rarely complain about it or the extra work, because although this was years ago now, I still remember, like it was yesterday, just how bad the longing to buy new underwear or a Christmas gift for my child was. God grew me up through unemployment! It was a leap of faith to do what we did, and no one we knew understood it, which was hurtful at the time. And … while it took me a minute to wrap my heart and head around all of it I now know that the Lord moved us here to protect us from situations that would have taken a bite out of and swallowed us up whole. It was reassurance that His plan and timing is, indeed, perfect. (I just wish my calendar/clock was the same as His!) We just celebrated our 10th anniversary of living in Georgia, and while it doesn’t feel quite home like yet, we have finally opened and unpacked the last box and we have a life rich in wonderful friends and amazing opportunities. To repeat my favorite childhood prayer, “God is good. God is great!”
P.S. I am praying for your readers who are experiencing unemployment. It is hard, and I admit that I have never fought fear any harder than I did during that long season. After an especially intense argument, my husband and I made a pact, a conscious effort, to be kind to each other, always to be kind, and oh, it can be so hard. But … it grew our relationship into one that is incredibly satisfying and special. This past fall, I was diagnosed with a life threatening disease, and then a few months later, after a second opinion, misdiagnosed. That first day we got the stunning news, we went to lunch to talk things out, out of the earshot of our son. When my dear husband asked me how he could best support me, I said, “Let’s just be kind to each other. Always kind.” Try kindness! Just plain and simple nice, because nice matters…
Katie, you are so brave and honest! Thank you for sharing and for the reminder to be grateful.
Thank you for the honest post. My husband and I are in this same situation, and it’s nice to know we aren’t alone. I’ve had the same feelings about being the bread winner, it’s a tough job with a lot of pressure. Congratulations to you and Jeremy for making it through and on his new job. It’s easy to be harmonious when things are good, but it’s how you handle the storms that define who you are as a family and a couple.
It is so awesome to witness God’s faithfulness and provision in someone else’s life. I’m always so encouraged by stories like this. It reminds me that life will always be full of passing storms, but having someone you love to stand in the rain with makes it that much more bearable. Keeping you guys in my prayers. Much love to the Bowers!
You kept me on the edge of my seat the whole post! I am so happy that Jeremy found a new (and better :)) job and that you both grew as a family through the whole experience. Obviously from many of the above comments there are many others in similar situations. So maybe you could do a post on how y’all budgeted for his time home? Just a thought. 🙂 God bless girl!
Hi Katie,
I am happy that your husband could find a job,is such a great feeling , we got that “experience” when I had just quit my job to be a Stay home mom with my two babies and we received the news while he was overseas and he had to be still out of the country for more weeks, it was hard but at the end we stayed together, stronger and he found a job quick and now that we look back we are happy because he got a better job , we plan better , spend smarter and I am home with my kiddos.
Katie, I am so sorry that you and Jeremy have had to experience the loss of his job. I sincerely hope this new one works out for him in every way. You have always done a great job with your blog and your honesty and the reality of it makes it one that readers can relate to. Life can be so stressful at times and your attitude and faith is a mentor to all of us when we are thrown into unexpected events. I wish for you continued success with your wonderful blog and that Jeremy adjusts well to his. I know you realize that you have two little blessings that will help you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Things will get better. Love and prayers….
Thank you for sharing your family’s story. If you do decide to write a book, I hope it will be just like your blog– real and funny and full of love and inspiration. In the meantime, all the best to you and Jeremy with the new job and (very adorable) new addition to your family.
My husband was laid off in our first year of marriage. It lasted six months. I worked crazy hours and constantly worried about him. It was the best and the worst of times. It worked out so well in the end. We look back now on all we learned and are glad for the experience. Best of luck to Jeremy in his new position, I am sure it will be wonderful!
Thanks for this post
Hugs!!
Jenny
http://Www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com
So glad he found a new job! Your honesty is so refreshing, I am sure it helps a lot of people. I have never had a situation quite like yours, but understand how stressful it is not knowing what the future holds for you and your family.
Wow, thanks for sharing your story. I totally sympathize with your crazy two months, but it’s so amazing that Jeremy got another job so quickly. So many people are just giving up. Happy to hear everything is getting back to normal! And glad you were able to see the silver lining in your situation!
We fall into the same boat with all the fiscal cliffs and sequesters. It’s frustrating and we are to the point we don’t get worked up anymore. There’s a new one every month!
I lover your honesty and your heart.
Bless you for sharing…so many of us can’t..
Hi Katie, thank you so much for sharing these. You are so real in every post I got teary eyed reading it. This story definitely has a happy ending and praise Him for that. He is so good. Bless you all! And congratulations to Jeremy for the new job (and challenges:))
I don’t even realize the sponsored posts are sponsored posts. I just think you’re doing a project and needed to use tape. Then at the bottom it says it was sponsored…and I’m like oh yeah.. it’s Frog Tape Friday!!!!
Oh no doubt we are so proud of Jeremy…and so thankful that the company is hiring…but we also choose to believe in a higher power providing for us. If that company didn’t choose him and he was still here at home with me, I doubt this post would have been very different. We would still be thankful that God provides for us, we would still have gone through the rollercoaster of being laid off and the transition to having him here, and we would still learn some very difficult lessons. I think that the bigger picture here is that sometimes things don’t happen the way we expect and this experience taught us that we have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst 🙂
xo – kb
haha…Roo is so cool.
xo – kb
Katie — What a hard post! I’ve been a longtime reader, and am a first time poster. So proud of you and your family’s attitude. Your beautiful family is so blessed, and we are all so glad to see it working out for you! Keep it up!
That’s a hard one because our expenses vary so much than normal people (we put more money into the house because we make money off those projects, etc.) but I will say that we did a cash & carry for a bit…Dave Ramsey style 🙂
xo – kb
Praise God! I found your blog via younghouselove, and I have come to feel like you and John and Sherry are my pals. One way internet friendships are sometimes the best. 😛 You are such a joy, and I am so grateful for your candor and courage and your inappropriate jokes and references. I will continue to pray for your precious family. I am so glad things are looking up!
First I have to apologize for rarely commenting. I live in the Atlanta area as well and so some of your posts are close to home. I have a 1 year old baby girl, whom I stay home with right now. Maybe one day, we could have coffee and talk. Wait…who am I kidding? I can’t even pee alone! Ha.
Anyway…I only work part time now, and it pains me to read this post because it is something I fear-my husband losing his job. We have been there before (re:layoffs), but I was always working full time and we have always lived on one income. It is encouraging to read about your honest and emotional ride these past couple of months because you got through it. It is a testament to God’s faithfulness! Praise Him!
And now, I hope you get to experience a time of sweetness in your marriage-I have always found that to be the case when we’ve been down a hard road.
kidding? I can’t even pee alone! Ha.
Anyway…I only work part time now, and it pains me to read this post because it is something I fear-my husband losing his job. We have been there before (re:layoffs), but I was always working full time and we have always lived on one income. It is encouraging to read about your honest and emotional ride these past couple of months because you got through it. It is a testament to God’s faithfulness! Praise Him!
And now, I hope you get to experience a time of sweetness in your marriage-I have always found that to be the case when we’ve been down a hard road.
Thanks again for your candor…it means a lot that you not only share the bright, shiny, sparkly world of bloggyland, but also a healthy dose of reality. 🙂 Jenn
Long time reader, first time poster here. Thank you so much for this insight into the last few months of your life.
Reading your thoughts is almost like reading my own over the last 12-18 months. After my husbands sudden job loss we started our own painting business in 2010, then the building industry in Australia crashed and we had no work, literally no work, no phone calls, no income for 3 months. With three young girls and me at home. Since then we have worked hard, really hard to slowly build our business up, although there are still odd months where almost nothing comes in.
I remember feeling the same things when my husband was home. Hearing him calling every contact he knew for work, knowing that he was probably a better tradesperson than these people were, and seeing his confidence crushed every time he got a no. My heart broke for him. He is the bread winner, a hard worker, a provider, that’s what he does, its what he’s proud of, and all of a sudden he couldn’t do that anymore.
You would think this would be enough, but no there was worse to come, we got an engineers report done on our 3 year old dream home only to find out that dodgy plumbing installed during construction has caused our concrete slab to fail. All our internal walls have lifted off the floor, walls and ceilings have separated, the damage is everywhere you look, and absolutely heart breaking. And thus began which up until now has been 9 months of fighting to get our home fixed, or demolished. Yes, demolished, who would have thought that three years after building our dream home we would be hoping for this outcome?
But, you know what? I am so much stronger because of all this, and we are stronger as a couple.
We have argued, we have (well I have) cried, we have doubted ourselves, we have felt like failures. Our home is not fixed yet but I am no longer afraid, we will fight to the end, whatever it takes, and hopefully change the legislation in this country that has not supported us through this. Things happen for a reason, although that reason may not become apparent for years to come.
Our business, though not booming is building a great reputation, and I know it will all pay off in the end.
Sorry for the novel, but your post just resonated with me so much. Thank you all the way from Melbourne, Australia.
I just want to reach through the computer and hug you guys! I know what you’re going through… my hubby was laid off two weeks before our first son was born, and I was freaking out! God provided incredibly, though, and we grew so much during that time. Thank you so much for being real and honest and sharing your story! I’ll be praying for you as Jeremy starts his new job and you transition to more time alone with the boys. <3
~Abby =)
🙂
Such a powerful and emotional post. I am a single mom and about a year and a half ago was laid off. Total shocker – not because I was naive about the state of the economy but because I work for a large, well-off company and didn’t see it coming. They consolidated my department with one out of state. The day we were told, we were let off early. I called my mom and met her to tell her what happened, vent, and have her give me some perspective. I told her I don’t know how I could look my son in the face when I picked him up from preschool. I felt like a failure. My mom stared at me in shock and then said that it was not my fault, I was a great employee, and I should always be proud of the amazing mother that I was. She said that my son was lucky to have a mom like me and it would work out. It was a stressful few months (I’d been given notice months in advance, plenty of time to continue working while looking for my next job). I’m a bit of a worrier and the day I finally (fully) gave it all to God, He provided the perfect opportunity within hours. I’d been praying for months and stressing about everything, but when I finally truly let go, He provided. More than provided. I have a job that I love, earn more than I used to, and have met so many awesome new people. I’ve grown and learned a lot in my new job and couldn’t have imagined how much better it could be. Your post really touched me because of my own experience. I’ve never let my job define me and didn’t think I’d react like I did – embarrassed and ashamed. I was so worried about how I would continue to provide for my son and I that I lost faith that God knew what was best for us. I’m thankful for the entire experience not only because of the amazingly unexpected outcome, but because it made me so much stronger. Thank you for sharing such a personal story – I know if I’d had something like this to read when I went through my rough time, it would have given me hope and encouragement.
Katie, thank you for being so honest. You are so much stronger from this and this post just reminds me of the verse James 1:2-4- Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.
Katie – Thank you for sharing this personal aspect of you life. I am so happy to hear that Jeremy found a new position, something that he is passionate about. I decided to leave my job at the beginning of the year. I wasn’t passionate about it and it was a toxic work environment. My situation is somewhat different in that my boyfriend is looking for a new job, one which may move us away from the Seattle area. I really want to work right now, but am terrified of finding that dream job and then having to leave only a short while later. I am a go-getter and I hate this holding pattern I am in. I guess what I am getting at is that I know God has a plan for me. It is just so hard waiting sometimes. I am extremely thankful for my savings and that I have a very supportive boyfriend who is also allowing me to have this time for myself and to relax. Thanks again for sharing, and congrats to Jeremy!
Hi – I felt so sad when I first started reading your post. My boyfriend got laid off from his job almost 2 years ago when we were renting. He was then hired full-time again. We were good. A year ago we found our house, put in our offer and waited for escrow to close all while I just started a brand new job. Escrow closed in June, we moved in end of July, I was laid off from my new job of 5 months in September. I live in LA… and going from rent to a mortgage actually has been difficult since our mortgage is higher. Thankfully, I was rehired Thanksgiving week. You could say that I was very thankful for the new job, within the same company! All of my benefits stayed and I wasn’t severed from the company.
I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your story. It’s a scary thing that looms over everyone here in the US. It’s helpful to know that others are going through it and doing what they need to in order to survive. I feel very lucky to been where I am.
And congrats to Jeremy on his new job!
Wow Katie I was definetly not expecting this. I’m sure many of us who have been reading your blog for a long time now were not expecting this. Prayin that everything falls into place for ya. I’ll put it in the “God box”!!
BTW: Have you read the story about the “God box”?! Here is the link if you are interested:
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/relationships/inside-god-box-00000000045743/index.html
I promise you…….it’s a quick article and well worth the read (warning: it may or may not make you cry……but happy tears. I know you are a very very busy mamma!!) A friend had told me about it a few weeks ago. It was something I really needed at that moment in time. God is good…….He provides!! Thanks for sharing……I’m sure it wasn’t easy!
Your post made me cry. We are going through this same thing right now, but have yet to find a new job. This was the ounce of hope that I needed today. God does provide, and He is so aware of our needs.
Good luck to your sweet family,
Jena
Hi Katie,
Like most of the other readers of this blog, I also would like to THANK YOU SO MUCH! for writing this post! I loved the honesty and I too can relate !
My husband and I bought our first home last year, we were both working at the time we bought our home. One month after we moved in to our new house, my husband was laid off.
it has been about 8 months since he was laid off and he still has had no luck with finding another one. He has sent so many applications in to many different types of jobs, yet no company wants to hire him, probably because he is overqualified. He is currently going to school to finish his master’s degree in business, he has one month left. We are both hoping that maybe once he complete’s his master’s degree that someone will want to hire him.
I am the only breadwinner of course and it is tough because I teach Pilates for rehabilitation, which sadly barely keeps us afloat even though I teach full time. I was even thinking of starting a Pilates blog on the side to make some extra cash (even is its just for extra spending money so we have a cushion). Sorry for this long comment, but I guess reading your post helped me to also be able to “vent” my frustration.
THANK YOU KATIE for you have helped me process what is happening in my own life.
please write a book I think it would be so awesome!!!!!
Love, AnaMaria 🙂
Oh Katie.
I am young and just out of school (living at home with my parents), so I can’t exactly say I know what this feels like. But, my dad had to deal with this when I was in grade school. It’s hard. But I’m so glad for the strength, and success that you guys have experienced. Congrats to Jeremy, but also to you. Thank you for sharing your world with all of us! xo.
I’m so sorry you had to go through such a horrible experience but I am SO inspire that you guys tougher it out together and that you had a happy ending. Thank you for sharing and thank you Jer for allowing Katie to share. You guys are inspirational! Congrats on the new position and may you only have bigger & better things!
My husband works for one of the largest USA-based IT companies in the world. He also works incredibly long hours, often doing 16-hour days from his home base here in Australia. Until I read your incredible story Katie, the resentment had been building in me over a long period of time. I’ve resented the amount of time he spends on the job; I’ve resented that his job often requires international travel throughout Asia-Pacific; I’ve resented that he doesn’t spend enough time with me; and I’ve resented that he winds up sleeping in front of the telly every night! I feel ashamed that I have let him down, that I have ignored how hard he works to keep a roof over our heads and food on our table; and I feel ashamed of the resentment that’s been taking over my life ever since his workload increased. Your story has ‘released’ me from this resentment and made me realize how much I’ve under-valued the importance of his job, and the man himself. I feel blessed to have such a hard-working partner in my life, one who’s a great provider, and one who works so hard off the job too with the numerous outside chores that need attending to on this 15-acre property. I feel doubly blessed that his employer keeps him busy and in work. And I feel blessed to have your blog in my life! Thanks for being the catalyst for opening my eyes and helping me understand that it’s not simply about my needs; it’s about his needs too.
mwah
heather x
I know your opening line told me to calm down, but seriously, I was really worried for you all and I am so pleased it worked out. God bless xx
Awesome post! Very encouraging. My husband didn’t have regular work after we got married, until the week before our first child was due. Talk about perfect timing!! God is good.
Katie, I love how you keep everything so honest & raw, thanks for a great post!
Hi Katie – any lurker coming out of the woodwork. I have only commented a couple of times here, even though I read your blog religiously. Sorry, I know that is not good manners – kind of like stopping by to visit a friend, and just peeking in the windows and not knocking on the door! Posts like this – REAL WORLD, REAL LIFE posts like this are what make me want to comment. I am older, in my mid 50s, and have just been thru a hard year of loss, thefts, and surgeries, the worst being losing my only child a year ago on March 1, 2012 when his apartment caught fire. My view of life has changed dramatically since then. I take nothing for granted – nothing. I keep telling myself that God never makes mistakes. I remind myself that God is with me – he will see me thru this. I personally love that you give all the glory to God in your post. Believing in a higher power (whatever that may be) is such a huge part of my life. I’m so glad it is part of yours too. I love that you focused on the extra time you and Jeremy got to spend together as a family. That is priceless!!! Trust me – it is. The mother in me who is missing her child more than anything is speaking to you now. It is a treasure, a gift, and you have not wasted one minute of that gift. You came thru this with grace and courage – I hope that I can say the same for me as I work thru my grief.
Thank you for sharing this with us – and I celebrate with you as you all transition into another chapter. And yes, I will certainly be praying for you.
Sincerely,
Diane Taylor
Baltimore MD
Oh, Katie, it felt like you were writing what was happening in my life right now. I so needed to read your words to pinpoint some of my own emotions. My husband lost his job about a month ago which also forced us to relocate from our home in Cyprus back to the States to live with my husband’s parents. We are so grateful for the blessing of family that enables us some financial relief as we search. I knew when my husband lost his job that it was Heavenly Father’s will. It seemed like such a blessing to have an excuse to move stateside and closer to family again. As the days wax on, I have to remind myself to be patient and have faith, not only in God, but in my husband. After reading this post, I am reminded that I need to have a bit more faith in myself and be willing to step forth boldly to help our little family right now while we’re searching. Thank you for your faith and courage!
Something happened to us a year ago except it was me that lost the job and unfortunately we need both incomes. Luckily we had a small inheritance come through, from my grandmother who died a few years ago and lived to be 96 so don’t be sad. I have now taken the real estate course and have started an exciting new career as a realtor, it all works out in the end. As it was said so well The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ” Everything will be all right in the end… if it’s not all right then it’s not yet the end.”
Katie,
Thanks for your bravery in sharing your story! I’m sure so many can relate to it!!
I’ve started reading the book, The Praying Wife, and it is amazing! I highly recommend it, it helps to give so much over to God.
Best of luck to you as you and your family make this transition!
Blessings,
Lisa
a little over three years ago, just after the first economic downturn, I lost my job. It wasn’t sudden in that the company had been laying people off for months, almost a year, to trim their budget, but finally, that fateful wednesday, 9 days before Christmas, the company shut its doors. It was scary at first, but I used that time to do many things that were helpful, cleaned out the house, sold stuff on craigslist, and because of the change in insurance my birth control lapsed while I waited to get a new appt with my husbands insurance… I ended up pregnant (yes, you can get pregnant the first cycle off of birth control…). I ended up getting a job 6 weeks after losing my other job. After finding out I was pregnant ( I found out 4 weeks after starting the job), the blessings continued to unfold and the company ended up letting me work from home after my son was born later that year. It was rough those 6 weeks without a job, but I thank God every day that I lost that job because I now have my sweet son, and a job I can keep and be home working but still with him. God is SO good and I love seeing Him work in our lives and taking things that seem so hard and even bad and showing us how much He loves us! I’d also like to say what a blessing it was having gone through the Dave Ramsey plan the year before and knowing that not only had we paid off our debt (17K in 6 months!) but that we had an emergency fund established that would give me plenty of time to look for a job and take care of “emergency” situations when necessary without stress. Anyway, thank you for sharing and I’m so thankful that Jeremy has found a job!
Hi!
(sorry for my bad english)
Your story is our story, 7 years ago. We heard that too (over qualified) GRRR
If we know what is coming on … we never be so scared. It’s a step back for a step forwards. I am happy for you and your family. Good luck 🙂
Guylaine
Long time lurker…not so frequent commenter. Oh Katie, this post hits home. My hubbie got laid off on August 25, 2010 and I still remember so vividly all of the emotions, stress and desperate prayers during that time. Four months later he started a new job (great opportunity!) in a different city four hours away from me and our first home.
On his very first day at the new job, I got notice that I was being laid off in two months! I didn’t tell him for a month because I didn’t want him to stress – I wanted him to focus on his new job. Because we were clawing our way out of debt prior to layoffs, we had very minimal savings – certainly not a true emergency fund.
But God provided as only HE can and does. I found (rather God provided!) a good job three weeks before my termination date in the new city…a feat, given we were moving to a much smaller city with fewer opportunities overall and in the rough economy. (2010 was a very different landscape than 2013 – not that we are out of the woods yet). We then went through the same trials and tribulations as yall in trying to sell our first home (10 weekends straight of 4 hour road trips to work on the house and get it ready for listing). We ended up renting it that first year and having a very rough tenant experience. The second half of 2010 and all of 2011 were probably the roughest year and half we have ever gone through. I look back on that time and it just makes me tired thinking about it!
Despite the STRESS of it all…this year as I watch my brother’s marriage and family painfully unravel, I am grateful for every lesson, trial and tribulation of that whole experience. My husband and I came through with our values, our faith and our marriage in tact. I will trade money woes any day over the loss of my faith, my marriage, my family, our values or our health!
This verse continues to bring me great peace, as I hope it does you. Blessings to you and your family. I will pray for you and yours during this time of transition and continued healing.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to propser you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
What a humbling reminder this morning to thank God for our jobs and all of the blessings he’s given us. I’m so happy Jeremy found a new job, but I’m so happy that you chose to turn to Him and each other during a difficult time. Have a great Thursday!
This happened to us in 2009, although it took 7 months to get a new job and by the time that 7 months was up, we had gone through the severance pay, our savings, and had to borrow money from my husband’s parents to make it through that last month. I know how stressful it can be when the main breadwinner loses their job, but I learned just how frugal I could be (with less than $500 in disposable income a month for groceries, gas, misc.) and I learned an incredibly big lesson in letting God have complete control and leaning on Him completely when what I thought was my “safety net” (money) was gone, (which I should have been doing all along, but I’m hard headed unfortunately and I guess I need the big, drastic life lessons to learn anything! I’ve also suffered through infertility problems twice–I think I’ve learned the lesson about not being a control freak now!)
Glad he was able to get a job so quickly (I don’t wish prolonged unemployment on anyone!).
Thank you for your post. It was very encouraging. My husband has been out of work for a few months. Let’s just say it has been stressful. We have 3 kids together and 1 on the way. Being the sole provider while your pregnant is not fun. Your post help me see the blessing in the time that this has allowed our family to spend together. I use to complain about the long hours that he worked and having to do so much on my own. Now I thank God for every provision that he makes. I realize that my true blessing is the love that my family shares.
I don’t comment on blogs often…although I am an avid reader. 🙂 I just feel that I don’t have much more to add that hasn’t already been said. But today I need to comment. I love this blog. I love the goofy talk, the stupidly-silly use of puns that make me smile, the adorable photos of your sweet boys…but most of all I love your honesty. I love that you are YOU right here smack dab in the middle of an online world full of people who are not the same person online as they are in the grocery store. I love that you freely talk about your faith…and have no qualms giving God the glory for His provisions. Thank you for being real.
I am so glad that things worked out for Jeremy! And you too. I know how scary it is to be in that situation. Unfortunately, I have always been the bread-winner for my family. I was a single mom to my 2 older children (now 13 & 12) receiving no financial support from their father or the government until they were 4 and 5 when I met my now boyfriend of 8 years (and daddy to my youngest, 3 years old). My boyfriend has worked on/off with different construction companies and he has been laid off a few times and/or not working due to weather. I have held a steady job for the past 7 years and I was at a company for 5 years before this job. I also think this puts a huge strain on our relationship! I am grateful that I am able to provide for my children BUT I would much rather let my boyfriend be the bread-winner so I could stay home with my kids and/or work part-time/volunteer around the older 2 kids school schedule.
Also, I saw the comment that was saying you needed to give credit to Jeremy and the Company…well do they not know that if it wasn’t for God that neither Jeremy or the Company would be here? Duh! Thanks for bringing up your faith and not being scared to do so.
First I want to say CONGRATS on Jeremy getting a new job – that’s awesome!! Second, I can’t thank you enough for writing that post. I am/was in a very similar situation – my husband was a teacher who was laid off 2 years ago, he is now going back to school to move on with a completely different career. We are still managing on one-income with me being the breadwinner, and we have had to delay our plans to start a family as a result. One of the hardest things was managing the emotions of everything and feeling like “I’m the only one who this has happened too” and “I’m the only one who feels this way.” When I read your post it was like a weight was lifted from my chest a little bit…I have no one to talk to about this, and my husband asked that I keep things private for a while during the time it takes him to process and become adjusted to the situation. Respecting that is hard, and makes me angry sometimes. I am going through this too and I didn’t want to keep it to ourselves! I keep reminding myself that being half of a marriage requires sacrifice, and I needed to do this for him. Reading your post was eye-opening, comforting (that sounds self-ish I’m sorry I don’t mean for it to come out that way), it was real…sobering…and when I finished I immediately called my husband asking him to read it as well, then we talked about our similar feelings on our similar situation. I think we closed some of the space that had grown between us. What my babble is trying to say is Thank You! Thank you so much for your honesty, openness, and hope you have inspired!! I admire you and your family for getting through this difficult time and coming out stronger in the end. XOXO ~ Meg
Katie, so sorry to hear about your difficult struggle. I love reading your blog everyday because you are so real and don’t try to portray that everything is goodness and light ALL THE TIME. When I read some blog I end up feeling like I don’t do “enough” or do them well enough. We need more role models like you who tell it is how to be a real wife and mother. Although your post was sobering, it was comical to read the parts about how Jeremy has the TV on all the time and only serves meat and cheese to the kids….sounds like a page right out of my book and it’s nice to hear someone else dealing with the same husband/kid challenges. Thanks for your honest writing and willingness to open up!
Katie, This post was so emotional to read. Even though we have never met I feel like you are a friend because I have been following your blog for so long. I am so happy that you had a happy ending! Thank you for being so honest and open about your relationship and life. I hope your blog continues to blossom and continues to bring you wealth in more ways than one.
Oh, Katie, I’m so sorry your family had to go through this, but so glad that you have a great outcome. God is so good, so faithful. We’ve had that experience a couple of times, and it is hard to keep your worries at bay, in order to keep from adding to hubby’s stress. God uses those tough times to strengthen ourselves, and the bonds between us and our hubbies. You did good! 🙂
Katie,
Thank you so much for posting this. I know very well how hard unemployment can be. I’ve been out of work for a year and a half. It has not always been easy and can be hard on my marriage at times. I am very lucky to have an amazing and patient husband and I know this time in our lives is making us a stronger couple. I’m sure you feel that way with Jeremy, too. Sometimes it takes a road block in life to make you step back and make you realize how lucky you truly are in life.
In my year and half of unemployment, there was a very happy time for us. We finally got pregnant. It took over two years trying on our own and one year with fertility treatments. We are both so grateful for this miracle. We know the road ahead will not always be easy, but as long as my husband and I have each other, we know we are strong together and can survive.
Much luck to Jeremy at his new job! Katie, I know this time has made you a stronger woman and your boys are so lucky to have you for a mom and wife!
xoxo
-Jeanine
Awe thanks so much for sharing, I wanted to cry when I first started reading but as in total Katie fashion you totally put the happy in with the struggle! So glad things are looking up for you and your sweet little family! For sure a glimmer of hope for people who go through this kind of situation 🙂
Katie, I can relate to so much of what you posted. I am truly happy Jeremy found a job and you guys made it through a very difficult time.
Hugs hugs hugs! I’ll repeat the other bazillion people that have commented on this post – we all love you Katie and appreciate your candor with such a difficult topic. As a kid, my dad was laid off a few times from the factory he worked at and it was so stressful for my parents but it made them stronger as a couple and us, as a family. We don’t care about the sponsored posts – bring ’em on! Make that money, girl!
Love, love, love your raw honesty and vulnerability. Life happens sometimes – and you’ve gotta roll with the punches (cliche I know) – and you did! SO happy to see how God provided in your lives… and am praising Him knowing that he will continue to do so! He is faithful! Praying for you guys in this new transition! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this! I’m so glad that there was a happy ending. I noticed you didn’t mention photography as one of your income streams…have you slowed down on the photoshoots? I never see newborn photos or maternity shots that I like more that yours.
Yes, unfortunately I decided that photography wasn’t worth the time – I make more income from investing that time in blogging so I’m better serving our family by writing than shooting 🙁
xo – kb
I cried while reading this post. Knowing so many friend, family, and bloggers are going through the rough, rough world of job loss just kills me. It’s SO good to hear Jeremy got another job and that it was one he was actually interested in. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I applaud your honesty and your bravery [not everyone would want to share this, but I think it’s important for bloggers to understand that other, successful bloggers are human, too!]… :]
Diane-I am so so sorry for your loss. Reading your comment just struck me to the core. What a terrible tragedy. For what it’s worth, you and him are forever connected and intertwined. He was blessed to have you, just as you were blessed to be his mama. Thanks for telling your story.
Sweet Katie. I am so happy that Jeremy got another job! What a blessing! You’re right, God is the ultimate provider, and I am so glad that He helped your precious family throughout this stressful ordeal. I just adore your blog, your honesty, and your family.
In a few months, I would like to hear what you learned from this situation. What did you do right? What would you have done differently?
I’m of a generation somewhere between your mother and grandmother and I have been biting my nails (figuratively) ever since you bought your current home, worrying about how you would manage financially.
Amanda, For reals! I’m so sick of congress I could vom! Hang in there!
Hi Katie,
Thank you so much for sharing such a personal and scary situation with us. Please know that your readers love you and we all wish you and your family the best!
Congrats to Jeremy on his new job 🙂
xoxo, E
Diane,
I cannot even begin to understand your loss, but I know that if I lost my son I wouldn’t know how to live life anymore. Bless you for being so strong and for giving such encouraging words to Katie. Praying for you too!
oh sweetie… thank you for sharing. i have been in a similar place in my life, but wouldn’t have near the courage to share as you had. your honesty is humbling. i wish you and your family all the best as you travel down this new path.
First…wow. The transparency, emotion, and genuine character revealed in this post is pretty incredible to say the least. Second, in a world where anonymity and person-less is strength, you’ve truly shown that God’s economy and His ways are so much different than ours. The humility is strength. It takes a lot of courage to share all you’ve written and we appreciate it and are truly encouraged by it. Thank you for being honest. God always provides, protects, and perseveres. Thank you for displaying trust in the Lord for supporting Jeremy’s conviction to be the breadwinner. That loyalty and support will allow the environment of laughter in the midst of adversity. Way to go you guys…
This is also my first time commenting – I just started reading your blog a few months ago. I already feel like we have lots in common. My son, Judah, was born via c-section in march of 2010. My daughter, Naomi, was a successful VBAC in December 2013. And I can identify with a lot of the job search frustrations. My husband has been looking for a job as a pastor for almost three years. Thankfully, I am a physician so even when I only work part time (which I have done since finishing residency to spend as much time as possible with the kids) I can make a very good salary. But watching him have to be constantly rejected (when he applied to well over 100 positions) was tough on me. Thankfully, he was just offered a position…. In California. Very far from rural SC where we have been for the last five years. It is definitely scary to think about our upcoming move, but I am also thankful for what God has provided.
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve often feared what might happen if I were to suddenly lose my job. Grad school is being paid for with loan money, but even that has its limitations, and I’m scared to death about December (when I graduate) and having to pay all of that debt back. Just the feeling of being more vulnerable is so scary!
My Dad lost his job a couple of years ago, and it was incredibly hard for him to get through. Broke my heart. He had spent his life investing in real estate, and almost in a flash, he was looking at his retirement disappear along with his job (he was in the mortgage business and also flipped homes on the weekends). The harm to his pride was the worst part (and stressed my mom considerably), so I could really relate to what you mean about the way Jeremy took things hard.
I’m glad your faith got you through it, and that you waited to have a happy ending before talking about it. While it can feel good to vent, sharing it when you don’t have an outcome to report can sometimes cause you additional stress when other people begin asking for an update. And very glad for you that the blog is now a money maker! Congrats to you and Jeremy both!
What a great post, Katie. I admire you and Jeremy for being honest and sharing your experiences with us out here in the world wide web. My partner is returning to school to go after something she is passionate about, which means leaving a job that she’s been at for 10+ years. She’s been miserable but this schooling is a blessing in disguise. But we will be living on 1 income and toughing it out for a year until she graduates and finds a nursing job. So, I’m glad to see your family went through this struggle and that everything was OK in the end.
I work in Recruitment and wanted to clarify something for you. When a recruiter tells you that you’re “overqualified” it means that you too much experience and require more pay than the position provides. It can mean unloyal, as you think, because who in their right mind would stay at a job that pays under what their value is? Overqualified means that you have more experience, more salary expectations that the company isn’t planning to pay for. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Katie – I could have written your post – except my husband was laid off on January 6th this year. Like you guys I became the main breadwinner – I honestly don’t know how my husband does it – I felt the weight of that responsibility heavily. He has a new job now & things are great, but that 6 weeks we had together with our baby were the best/worst/scariest/nicest/laziest days. Who knows – maybe we had them for a reason? X
Hi Katie!
I’m so happy to hear that everything worked out for your family! I just read in your comments that you’re giving up photography, and I wanted to encourage you to keep it up, even if it’s just one shoot every month or two. You undervalue your work. You should be charging more for your art because you’re really really good at photography. You have an amazing eye and you put your heart into each picture. That’s rare. Stay in the game.
Oh Wow is all I could say!! I felt so bad that you had the weight of the world on your shoulders and couldn’t even get support from us (but COMPLETELY understand why). You are such an amazing person/mother/wife/friend… and I have to say you really got me thinking about my life. If that ever happened to us, we would have nothing to fall back on (no savings… nothing). I am ready to sit down with my hubby and strategize a budget for an emergency. I am so happy there was a happy ending to your story!! Oh and btw…I bought my first roll of frog tape and I am in LOVE!!!
Katie, it seems strange to be leaving a comment to a complete stranger but your story was sooo sincere and honest I felt compelled to leave one. You are truly inspiring and I lurve your blog. I just started reading blogs this year and yours is one I read everyday! From the comments it seems many others love you guys and I think we will all be praying for you! You should be so proud of yourself and all that you have accomplished. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for you, I am sure he something great planned for you. You have a gift! Thanks for sharing it with us all!!
What an amazing post! So glad to hear that you guys pulled through this rough time, and congrats to Jeremy for landing a new job so quickly. I have been reading through all the comments that your readers have left behind and it has given me so much energy, along side your open and honest post. I have been unemployed since August so I know all too well how this process feels, all the emotions you go through and all the uncertainty. But unlike most of your commentors I do not have a spouse to lean on, so I have been going through all of this alone, and also I live in another country and far away from my support system so things have been exceptionally rough at times. But I am determined to stay where I am (which is Denmark, but I am originally from Iceland) so I just have to suck it up and stay strong because I know that this will pass, just hope it happens sooner rather than later!
Your blog is so inspiring and I love reading all of your posts and I look forward to following along in your future adventures.
As you know…God provides! Also – you really should think about writing a book. Especially when you were telling Weston’s birth story it was so intriguing I didn’t want to stop reading! You might have a future as a journalist 🙂
Hi Katie,
This is my first time to comment, but I am a regular reader of your blog! Thank you so much for sharing yourself and being vulnerable in front of your audience (your blog readers)!! Please let Jeremy know that your story helps others, so please thank him too!
Love your blog, love your home, love your family! Thanks again for all you do!
Funny and honest. Serious and honest. Real. Thanks for sharing it all with us, the lurkers of the web.
Heather – that was beautiful. Don’t we all need our eyes opened like that once in a while? I know I sure do.
Prayers for you and your family, Diane. xo
Blessings never cease KatieB!!
NEVER.
Well one of the things we did right BEFORE this all went down is that we plugged money away for our rainy day. I feel like we did a lot right during the time…including redoing our budget, taking the time to help others – we assisted in a friend moving, painting a friends house, helping renovate another house, etc. and spending really wisely. And if I had done anything differently, it would be to immediately get a schedule down and stick to it. There was a lot we could have done with that time off…including some major house organization. Also, we wouldn’t have divided the kids…it is so much more productive to keep them together and have one person watching both. I really feel like God has been watching over us and preparing us for this situation…everything from Jeremy taking over the blog income to allowing our other house to have a renter that covers the entire mortgage plus some to creating a routine of NOT spending.
xo – kb
Wow, Katie. Thanks for sharing!
That was a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for always being so refreshingly honest about the good and bad in your life. Although I can’t relate to this post, there are many other posts that have hit home and I haven’t written comments about them. You probably don’t even realize how many people you bring encouragement to on a daily basis. Praying God continues to bless and take care of your sweet fam.
The overqualified thing came from his past employer…he was applying internally to another position and that’s what it came from…and technically speaking, the company limits the increase of salary so they determined his pay, if that makes sense. That is why we were sooo shocked that he didn’t get it. But thanks for sharing that coming from the recruiter…I hope it helps someone else out there reading!
xo – kb
So relieved this post has a happy ending.
It felt as if I was reading and excerpt from my life right now Katie. I’m so glad it all worked out ok in the end for your family. My husband is still waiting for the job, so I’m still the sole bread winner. It’s tough and our savings are gone and we’re now using a credit card to help with extra expenses, but it just keeps adding up. Crossing my fingers he gets a job soon…
On another note, I’m not a regular commenter and wanted to say how much I love reading your blog. Keep up the great work!
Ugh, that sucks that he was laid off, but I’m so glad there is a happy ending! I know how tough it can be going from two incomes to only one. My husband’s military service ended in September, and luckily we knew it was ending, so he had interviewed at some companies and had a decent job offer. We figured I would have no issues getting a job, because I hadn’t had any issues any of the other times we moved (one interview each time, and bam! a job), but we were so wrong about that! It took me 6 months to finally land a job (I start Monday!) and I got the “over-qualified” rejection a few times. What crap. We also live out in the country and I think that’s what made the job search so tough. There isn’t much of anything close to us, and all the other jobs were 30-40 minutes away at the closest, and so many of them were for only 9 or 10 bucks an hour. Ugh. But God knows what he’s doing and the job I got is in the same town my husband works in, only 15 minutes from our house, and it’s more than 9 or 10 an hour, thank goodness, so the wait was worth it, even if it was very stressful! 🙂
It’s hard being a transparent LOVING person and not being able to share with your blog readers. I have to do the same thing with my family and my blog. I LOVE blogging. Thank you for sharing your journal, Katie. You inspired me to get all my crazy thoughts in a safe place. It almost feels like I blogged them, almost.
I’ve been reading your blog for years now and this, by far, is the most touching post ever! May God continue to graciously bless you and your beautiful family, Katie!! XOXO
Katie,
My husband and I went through something similar last year. He was laid off six months. We made major budget cuts, and we survived. It seems you’ve already found this out for yourself, but it definitely drew us closer as a couple. Our marriage up to then had been fun and easy. Fun and easy is great, but the tests strengthen you and draw you much closer, if you handle them with faith and love. I really appreciated reading about your experience, thank you so much for sharing!
Wow. I can really feel in some of your posts how hard and intense it must have been for you to bottle all of this up and not just rant to us blog-readers out here – so kudos to you for that!
I’m so glad that Jeremy has now found something that he really wants to be doing and that he can be back at work earning and supporting his family. God really does provide!
And congratulations on all pulling together and working through what must have been a really really tough time for you as a family. Yes, there might have been grumps and stress and arguments and less fun times, but it sounds like you’ve really depended on each other and grown from that. High five!
Good luck to you guys settling back into some kind of a normal routine, and good luck to Jeremy in his new job.
That was very honest. Honest is hard to do. I love your blog and am happy you keep sharing.
Katie- Thank you so much for sharing this. I am amazed at your strength. I started reading your blog in early December and did not notice a change in your energy or joy even though you were going through an incredibly difficult challenge. Praise God you have a happy ending and that you and Jeremy have come out united instead of divided! The part of your story that resonated with me was when you felt like a horrible wife. Oh man do I deal with that too! We are starting the process of selling our first home to buy a second and I’ve already had a melt down with my hubbie! there’s nothing more discouraging than feeling you are only discouraging your hubbie and not building him up. I was blessed to read this today and wanted to let you know that God has used this to encourage me in my current wifey-beat-myself-up-for-not-being-awesomeness. Thanks so much for this and every other post you write. I love them all sponsors or not. 🙂
I’m glad to hear that Jeremy got a new job! We’ve been through the same kinds of situations (BOTH times I was pregnant!) and you do learn so much about so many things through it all. I’m glad you got some time together and I pray that the new job will be a good one for you and the whole family!
My husband’s company was bought out after the new year, and we just found out last week that he will be losing his job. It’s terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I’m upset at how things have been handled, as the new company has been very misleading …. But I am hopeful! I trust and believe that this is part of God’s plan for us. I already see how he is working in us individually and as a couple. So – all of that to say….I’m totally sypmathizing with you right now.
Oh I feel you…Two months after my twins were born, my husband was laid off. We live in Silicon Valley and marketing was the first to go in the land of tech. Then a whole bunch of other stuff happened…long story short, my MIL was having a severe mental breakdown and taking it out on us, and I had two very close friends judge me and I had to walk away from them. This unemployment lasted for TWO WHOLE YEARS and my only source of income before the twins was being a part time nanny to put my daughter through private school. Then one of the twins was diagnosed with Autism…and that’s when I found you! A getaway for me…during his 4 hours of therapy a day and trying to make my other twin happy, I found Bower Power blog and for hours I poured over your old blog entries because it was an escape for me and made me happy, I could live vicariously through your projects and laugh out loud at your great stories. I think I even emailed you to tell you that. Fast forward two years, husband is gainfully employed and shooting for the stars in his career and I am DIY’ing away while my 3 kids grow. That tough time ended up bringing a lot of positive in my life. And Bower Power blog was one of them.
I always liked you and your blog, but I now have a tremendous amount of respect for you. That post was probably difficult to share, but thank you for doing it. It was so honest. I have been in a similar situation. I’m glad you all made it through.
Wow! I felt better reading your post. We too are having similar job/financial changes that have forced me to redefine my role as a sole stay at home mom to bringing in a sizable income to help support the six of us. My heart breaks that you had to go through this, but I know that the more muck life gives any of us, it will make us taller. As long as we stand on top of the muck and not get lost in it.
Hey Katie,
I am so very thankful to you for posting this story. I really identified with you and I loved that you were so honest and real! My boyfriend (soon to be fiancé) is considering a higher-risk job that pays more, but I think I’ll talk to him about staying right where he is. His job is rock-solid, and he could definitely get that other job, but they might lay people off after a couple of months when they have things under control. I love you for helping me see the light about this whole thing.
I am so glad that Jeremy got the job! Both of you are such great, down-to-earth people and I think that’s why you have so many blog readers that love you so much. I loved meeting both of you back at the YHL signing! I hope your little family is doing well, and I can’t wait to hear about the next adventure you embark on 🙂
Holy crap! I’m so glad everything seemed to work out in the end and that you were able to have some time together between jobs. xoxo
Glad there is a happy ending for your family here – that is so wonderful. Love your blog – sponsored posts or not – and happy to be ‘waving the Bower Banner’ over here in Oz 🙂 enjoy those beautiful boys of yours and hope the new job is a great one!
This hit close to home. Thanks for sharing. It made me feel much better that someone else was feeling the same way I am. I’m glad your story had a happy ending! Hopefully we will get our happy ending soon!
Wow. No one is immune to losing their job and for some, it IS a nightmare. Your situation was not. Yes, you sound like a nagging , selfish wife bitching about how loud the TV was. You work so hard “blogging” and you just want your routine back because the transition will be so “hard” when your DH goes back to work? I can’t even wrap my mind around all of your writing and your feelings and your actions. And you don’t want to be a breadwinner simply because…..waaaah you just don’t want to? Really?
Try having a full time job OUTSIDE of the home, kids, and your spouse being let go. Suck it up, do what you can to make MORE money while your husband is unemployed (without a severance package), and deal with that. You couldn’t. You don’t have the emotional fortitude to even be supportive of your husband.
Say what you want, but you know I’m right. You sound spoiled and entitled. And you may agree that you are, and I’ll have to say that those are two ugly qualities for sure. Good luck. I can bet 100% that your DH is exhausted from dealing with you. I’ll be finding other blogs for true inspiration.
Katie,
I can totally relate to your recent situation. I appreciate you being so transparent about your life. My husband was layed off 1 month before our second son was born last July. As a family we were able to see God providing for us in such a practical way as each and every day a different family would bring food and daily necessities for us to live off of. God always provides! My husband now has an even better job but we feel so much more appreciative for what we have and compassion for others in similar situations. It was a blessing in disguise to go through such a challenging hardship. I love reading your blog and look forward to reading it every evening once we tuck our two boys into bed.
Jennifer 🙂
Katie I think you are one brave lady. I think it takes guts to share this scary moment in your lives, but I’m so happy that it all worked out. I hope Jeremy is enjoying his new job and you four are settling into your new routine. Keep on rockin’ girl! God bless you guys
God is so good. Happy to hear that everything is going well!
I’m so happy that things worked out for you guys and thanks for sharing! I love reading your blog…you guys are so…real!:) Thanks for being you!:):)
I’m not a frequent commenter, but bless you for sharing your soul. I wish your blog friends could’ve known so we could have been praying for you through that rough time, but I’m sure you have to ride the fence sometimes on what’s private & what’s share worthy. Your humor and faith is a blessing to us. Thank you for sharing your little story of grace!
Bless your hearts! I had no idea yall were going through all of that and I can’t imagine the stress! I agree though, I am way more productive when my hubby is at work, his off days i get NOTHING done! ha
Oh yes, I fully believe that I am spoiled. And of course, I can be naggy and selfish and emotional weak. I don’t want to be the breadwinner because Jeremy wants to be that. I want to give him everything that he wants. And I put up with a great deal of online comments but you are out of line to make any comments about my husband and how he feels. You are wrong.
xo – kb
The same thing happened with my husband. Unfortunatly we did not have enough spare money and had to apply for some govt help. Which was so embarrassing but a blessing. He also came home in the middle of the day and knocked. I knew something was wrong when he knocked. We did freak out, but in a composed manner. He was lucky enough to snag a job about 3 weeks in but it paid 25% less then his original salary. After scraping by for6 months he got a job he had applied for at the beginning of all this and is now making 25% more than his job he lost! It’s so hard and scary. Especially for being parents and homeowners. I am glad that everything is working out for you guys!
Three months after my husband and I were married he was laid off too… for 13 long, agonizing months…. I know the pain you went through- we all come out stronger, better people…. God is good!
So thankful that you shared. It is so hard to see your husband in that position. We had that happen a few years ago and after time, it’s easy to forget all that God taught me through that time. I was just talking about it recently to a friend. God has this ultimate map and we can’t even fathom it. But it’s so hard when you feel like you’re walking blindly. My husband and I worked at the same place. He lost his job, I kept mine. What a blow to his ego. We had the SAME job. A million times over I would have swapped places with him. So hard to see that. I actually started my blog during that time just to have an outlet for all of my emotions. After many weeks/months of interviews and resumes my husband got a temp job at an amazing company that is impossible to get into without knowing someone. Looking back, he would have never left his management job for a temp job. God knew he needed to lose that job in order to be open to a temp job. That temp job led into a full time job and then a switch of departments and a promotion. He honestly has such a great opportunity for advancement now and he’s on tons of committees with big players. Great to have that type of face time. It was such a dark time, but God provided for us. Every month we were able to pay our bills and eat and somehow when he finally had a pay check coming in our savings hadn’t been touched. How does that happen? Other than God providing for us. Sometimes I have to deliberately remember our “story” to refocus and remember what God has done for us. I’m sorry you went through the hurt and the pain, but God will use it!
I love this post! Way to be true to him and not blog about it, but still get your feelings out and share it later. You are amazing, girl! Keep on keeping on!
That’s Awesome that Jer got such a great job! My hubby’s been outta work for over a year. I hear you on your feelings of the weight of being the breadwinner. It is rough at times and we’ve struggled with the same problems that you guys did.
Glad to hear the happy ending!! God does provide well beyond our wildest dreams!
Spare me, you don’t want to be the breadwinner because YOU don’t want to. You said that in your post. I’m not out of line – you put all of this online, despite your husband not wanting you too, because YOU felt the need to write about it. Sorry, if you have a public blog, you take the bad with the good. You don’t get to pick and choose. You certainly don’t have to publish my replies, that’s your call. But if you write about your husband and EVERY detail about him and his job, I have every right to comment. I think you’re missing the point of having a public blog. You just don’t get to pick and choose what and how people reply.
And your comment solidified my reply. I hit a nerve, and stand by 100% that your husband is most likely exhausted taking care of your blog, children, chores, and looking for a job. My husband does all those things, but not while he’s looking for a job, and not while I’m not working, and I am supportive. It’s really not that hard.
Well maybe the journal-type of post was not as clear as it could have been…it was just the highs and lows and definitely a very personal ‘diary’ type of writing…more to confess my flaws. And I think it is wonderful that you are supportive of your husband. He sounds great. So here’s the thing…you don’t like me…I get it…sometimes I don’t like me…but I would like to clarify some things for you. I’m gonna go in chronological order…I don’t want to be the breadwinner because he does and I want him to do what he wants. So in short, you are right and I am right. Jeremy wanted me to post about this after he got a job or after he decided he was gonna stay home. He read this post before it ever went live and I didn’t write every detail (there is always more than meets the eye!). You do have the right to comment…but for most blogs, the owner does get to pick and choose what goes through…so keep that in mind. Of course, you hit a nerve…I work really hard and don’t take that lightly…and am fiercely protective of my husband (as I am sure you are!). I believe it is crossing the line to put words in his mouth or to assume that you know how he feels about me. That’s maybe my southern manners…maybe it’s my mama-bear coming out…whatever you want to call it, you would defend yourself if someone said that about you, right? Also, Jeremy handles the blog ads…that’s it…I do all the inside chores, he does the outside ones, and we try to get as much family time as possible. When he was home, he spent a lot more time with Will and Weston but only had them both for two full days while I switched the blog over to a new server. I think being married and while working and raising two boys is terribly hard…so for you to say that it’s not, well you should have a blog and teach us. Seriously. I would be your first reader.
xo – kb aka lazybones
Ok, so I am an admitted blog-stalker. I read several blogs religiously, feel like we are all BFFs…but never comment. Well, maybe once on YHL when they were trying to decide on a color for their barstools but that’s beside the point. I felt compelled to comment now. I started reading this post last week, but couldn’t make it through all the way until today because I seriously felt like you had stolen my journal and these were my words. (insert Lauren Hill’s Killing My Softly here) My husband was laid off from his job last May when I was 26 weeks pregnant and threatening to go on bed rest. Crazy scary!!! He did not start a new job until our daughter was 8 weeks old. I have to agree that it was the hardest and most special time for us as well. I can totally identify with every. single. word. in this post. My daughter is 7 months old now, but this post did wonders for me to know that someone else had the same experience. Thank you for sharing such an honest post about an experience that can happen to anyone, but is never expected or easy. Thank goodness we had savings too. We are in the process of rebuilding those because we now know just how very important it is to be diligent about saving!!! A great lesson to share with all of your readers! Thanks Katie for being so real!
Liz,
How ridiculous (and bored with your own life) are you to think you need to criticize someone else’s way of living and thinking. Are you really that self righteous? Please. Like you understand every detail of this situation? It must be great to know everything. I’m sure your husband has a harder time dealing with you than hers does.
Wow, Liz. You must be a really unhappy or angry person to attack someone like that. I commented below that I just went through the same thing and felt like this could have been my diary entry. Everyone experiences life differently. Some people cope better with a stressful situation than others. I work a full time job and have two kids, but for me staying home with my children would be harder and more stressful on me…but that’s ME. Not you, not Katie, not anyone else. Everyone has the right to their own life, experiences and opinions but you are wrong to be so mean and ugly to someone sharing something that I know was very difficult for her to share. We had to cut out the extras, but made it through with savings and my income….and no, I don’t feel spoiled or entitled even though it sucked and was really hard. My husband’s pride was hurt as well because he wants to be the breadwinner. Newsflash: most men do! His pride was hurt, I hurt for him, didn’t know how to help, felt bad when I got upset or nagged him, etc. Don’t hate on someone just because you THINK you would have handled it better. Go be miserable somewhere else!!!
Am so glad it had a happy ending. Talented people always get placed, even if it takes a little time!
Thank you. Wow, what a great post. Not great in a woo hoo glad your life sucked like a hoover kind of way, but in a way to just be real and kinda like the song “Blessing” ~and sometimes they come through raindrops!! Keep on loving your boyfriend and your precious boys!!!
Wow, Katie. I am so sorry you get such ugly commentes like this and I just don’t understand it. If you don’t like it then move it along, right? Bitter much? My goodness.
Women are supposed to support one another and we SHOULD know that each struggle as well as success is different.
Bravo to you for standing your ground and up to this behind-the-screen bully. Keep up the great work. I stop by when I can because I enjoy and absolutely LOVE the cheesey one-liners. 🙂
Can I just say that I . Love. You.! Found your blog through YHL read this link from your New Years post…. And I am smitten! Loyal reader from here on out ! Real to the core!
Aww thanks!
xo – kb