Whirlwind

So if you're friends with me on facebook you already know that we're moving.

If we're not facebook friends, you just read that sentence and said, "Wait, wha--????"

Yes, we're moving!  This summer!  To Charlottesville!  Mind if I tell you all about it?


It actually all started with a job fair at George Mason University, in the middle of March.  Craig had mentioned it to me, but figured there wasn't any point in going.  He was feeling somewhat pessimistic about the whole job search thing.  I told him of course he should go, why wouldn't he go?  So he took the day off work and went.  He met with an HR person from Albemarle county, and when he explained that he was looking for an assistant principal position, she encouraged him to apply for this position as the "dean of academic affairs" at their vocational school.

When he mentioned it to me, I asked him where Albemarle County even was, and when he said that that was where Charlottesville is, I immediately got excited.  We've only gone there a couple times, but it is an utterly charming town.  I remember going there several years ago and thinking it would be a great place to live.  Right away I was on board!

Craig got home and looked up the job description on-line and laughed about it to me.  It was about a mile long and, as Craig noted, "There's no way I can do all that stuff."  But he sent in an application anyway.  And a week later, they emailed him to set up a screening interview over the phone.  He did the interview the day we were flying out to Seattle, so while we were excited about it, as soon as he got off the phone we were busy trying to fit all our suitcases into the car and getting to the airport, so it was quickly forgotten.

We had our lovely time in Seattle (more on that to come, still), and then the day after I got home, Craig got another email saying they'd like to do a formal interview.  This would involve a panel of 8 or 9 people sitting in asking him questions, and would begin with him giving a 10 minute presentation introducing himself, his background and leadership experience, and then explaining his vision for the school.  In the process of preparing for this presentation, Craig did a lot of research on the school.  In a nutshell, Catec is a vocational school that draws students from the surrounding four high schools, and they can study cosmetology, culinary arts, auto mechanics, construction, fire fighting, audio engineering, and probably some other things that I'm forgetting right now (and possibly calling by the wrong name-- sorry, Craig!)...  The school has struggled with their image in the last few years-- they've gotten a rap for being a school for kids who aren't college-bound, even though they have some really great programs.  So the task before their new administration team is to make it a school that doesn't have that stigma so they can get really good students enrolled in their programs.

So Craig worked really hard on that, and practiced it for me the night before his interview.  And I have to say, he did a really good job.  I was so proud of him.

The interview seemed to go well.  They kept him a bit longer than planned, so I took that as a good sign.  I figured we'd be lucky if we heard back in a week or so.

They called back two days later, on Friday, saying the two superintendents wanted to meet with Craig Monday night.  Craig asked what he should be prepared for, and the HR lady recommended that he be ready to defend his lack of leadership experience.  That's a tough one, so Craig had to spend some time brainstorming for that...

Monday afternoon, he headed down to Charlottesville again.

He called me two hours after his interview was scheduled to begin.  He'd gotten the job.

Not only had he gotten the job, but it was higher ranking than we'd been figuring.  We'd been hoping to find an assistant principal position, but it turns out he'll have an AP working under him here.  How did this happen?

We are excited and terrified.  We are happy and sad.  We are nervous and thrilled.  We are bouncing around trying to decide whether to rent or sell our home, when to move, what to do with the chicks we just got (that will have to be another blog post)...

When I think of all the good friends I have here, I want to cry at the idea of leaving them.  But then I look at my very crowded little home and think, This might be a good thing.  And I think of all the hours and tuition money we've put into Craig getting his administrative license, and I think, A very good thing, indeed.  As sad as I am to be leaving, I'm so proud of Craig.  I'm excited to see what he can do with this school.  I'm excited to live in the beautiful town of Charlottesville and see what it's like living in a University town when I'm not in college, but herding around all my children instead.

When I was a kid, I thought you reached grown-up status and your life sorted itself out and got stable and boring.  But I see now that that seldom happens.  There is always something just around the corner, whether it's a new calling at church, a new job, a new baby, a new home, ...  Life is always an adventure.  Always.

And I'm excited for our next adventure.