Today, we paid our bills, and for the first time in a year, the balance in our savings account was under five digits. I've been dreading this day since my husband told me he was leaving active duty. And now it's here. But it's not as scary as I imagined it.
I've said before and I'll say it again, we are SO LUCKY to have the resources we do. I know most people who find themselves un or under employed don't have the ability to live that way for a year, and having lived in the situation we're in for a year now, my heart goes out to them. But I know I am not able to understand their struggle completely.
I got my very first client on Tuesday. I was beyond excited. He's only part time (two days a week) so that means I won't be making the money I had hoped, but at this point what I hoped for and our reality are very different, and I am grateful for the money I will be getting, because even though it wasn't what I hoped for, it's more than enough.
My husband also got offered a full time job as a marketing manager at a Real Estate company, with the expectation that when he finished his Real Estate licence, he'll become a broker, and eventually, a broker for the commercial sector of the company. He's not going to be making anything near what he was on active duty right now; it will probably take him close to six months (maybe longer) to start making real money, but the company that hired him is one of the highest grossing companies in the state, with more commercial real estate sales on their belt than any other company, and they're only projecting to expand in the next 3-4 years with the market picking up in Seattle. It's truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for my husband; when he came home from the interview he was beaming. I could tell that his self confidence, which had been slowly eroding for the past year, was back full force.
The fact that his and mine combined salaries for the next few months will probably cover our bills and not much else isn't really concerning for us; we'll be able to cover our bills (and maybe a tiny bit left over for savings) and that's all we want; Steven has health and dental though the Reserves, and the company will pay into retirement. The most important thing is that Steven will be working again, interacting with people, and feeling useful. That's all we can ask for.
I leave you with the thing that has gotten us through the last year, a little greyer, but in once piece:
