Almost there ( :

John received a call from the security company he'd been in contact with on Tuesday.  We were expecting that he'd probably have to come in for another interview, or perhaps they wouldn't even call. . . they had been asking a lot of questions about John leaving his last job, and we were preparing ourselves for the worst.  Imagine the surprise when the recruiter called and said "I have some information for you.  You've been accepted for the State Department contract."  John, shocked, said "Can you say that again?"  The recruiter laughed and repeated himself.  We have felt the lifting of a burden that had become so heavy and yet so much a part of our lives that we don't know what to do without it.  The relief has been palpable as we are no longer thinking of every doomsday "what if?" scenario.  While not a perfect fit, the job will be a great blessing.  John will be able to keep his clearance current and active, make just enough money to pay the bills, and network at a location he'd love to work at someday as a federal employee.  He also starts soon, reporting for training July 2.  This is what brought us to our reminiscing.  We feel much the same as we did when we checked into our hotel in Waldorf, MD after our long, strenuous trek across the country and back.  We were SO CLOSE to our dreams, a new job, a new house, a new life.  We weren't quite there, but the end was oh so near and that was enough. 

We still have some time in that cramped hotel room, so to speak.  John will only be making minimum wage during the training period (insane!), so things are still uber tight, but we have an end in sight.  He'll still be actively searching for work, looking for a job that fits like a glove, and will allow us to raise our six children comfortably in this relatively high COL area.  But, the desperation is gone, and has been replaced by a quiet confidence.  O ye of little faith is such an apt descriptor for me, I feel so blessed that things are finally beginning to fall into place.  And we know that we'll get to our final destination now, it's just a matter of time, patience and continued faith and prayers.  We are almost there, and I couldn't be happier ( :