The Year that Nothing Happened

Our courtship, engagement, and first married year were quite eventful.  As we talked about our memories from that time, we actually had to decide what details to leave out of our "story."  Our second year was a little different.  In planning to tell the story of our second year, I had trouble coming up with anything to share.  After several days of trying to remember something interesting from that time, I finally decided to admit to Johnie I was drawing a blank for an entire year of our lives.

We talked about it a few months ago.  “I think I’m just going to say it was the year that nothing happened,” I said.  “Stuff happened.”  Johnie contended.  “Well, like what?”  I asked.  “Our new jobs.”  First year.  “I started singing with Seven.”  Third year.  It went on for several minutes.

“So nothing happened our second year?” Johnie seemed a little worried.  “Well, it’s not like nothing happened.  I mean, it was a good year for us.  I just don’t think we have very many stories from that year.”  After a bit of further discussion, he seemed okay with our lackluster year.

In way of confession, I feel I must admit that our second year may very well go down in history as one of my favorite years of marriage.  The first year was hard in many ways.  We were learning a lot about one another and how to function as a team.  I was terribly homesick and adjusting to life in a completely different place.  I have plenty of happy memories from that time, but just as many that involve tears, depression, and loneliness.  And we’ll get to the other years later.  While I don’t have any second-year stories to set off fits of laughter, I also don’t have any struggles or hardships to share. 

Just typing that makes me feel so blessed.  It is the reason why I cherish our second year.  For that and one other reason: I love routine.  Our second year was routine.  We settled into work schedules.  After Johnie working nearly every Saturday of our first year, we now had our weekends free.  I felt like we were finally normal.  Our first year we guarded our date night as though it was sacred.  Several months into our second year, Johnie asked me one evening why we didn’t do date night anymore.  It was because we had every evening together and usually more than one date a week naturally resulted. 

We received extra income from my job, but no added bills.  It was the most financially stable either of us had ever been.  We were oblivious to the looming recession and didn’t even know to worry that we might ever lose that stability.

We planned long vacations to Kentucky.  And they actually felt like vacations.  Trips home that first year felt like challenges to spend as much time as possible with as many people as possible with no regard for sleep or personal preferences before having to return to Kansas.  We purposely made our second year trips more leisurely.  Dividing the drive into two days, and scheduling side trips during our stay.

My relationships with Kansas friends and family continued to grow and deepen, and I didn't feel as isolated or lonely as I had the first year.  It was the least stressful my life had been since I was a little girl, and my schedule was more laid back than it had been in years.  If I had to describe the year in one word it would be relaxed. 

We had decided when celebrating our first anniversary in Kansas that we would like to celebrate each year in a different state.  Our second year celebration was in Tennessee.  And then we started our third - when things started getting a little more interesting again. 

Job Changes

Our first autumn brought some welcome work-related changes.  After settling into our house in the spring, I decided I wanted to get a job.  I spent my days alone, waiting for Johnie to get home from work.  His 12 hour work days made that difficult.  I didn’t really have very many friends available to spend my days with and I wouldn’t have known how to drive to their houses even if I knew where they lived anyway.

After a long and discouraging job hunt through the summer, I finally landed a part-time job with a local non-profit in October. 

As a side note, I was going to “tell all” about what was easily my worst working experience to date, but I have decided not to air that dirty laundry in public.  However, if anyone would like to hear some unbelievable stories sometime (not in writing), just let me know.  If you're a fan of The Office, some of these completely true stories will sound eerily familiar.

As I was celebrating my own job victories, things were changing for Johnie’s career as well.  He had recently been accepted into Cox’s Leadership Academy.  We were ecstatic for this opportunity, but had no idea how it would change our lives.

Shortly after his classes began, he learned of a newly created position in the company.  The person to fill the opening would act as a liaison between field service technicians and office and engineering staff.  It sounded perfect for Johnie.  With the approval of his director and vice president he applied for the position.  He interviewed and then we waited.

We waited until one day, in between service calls, Johnie’s phone rang.  It was the manager of the new position.  She let him know they had decided to go with someone else, whom he was welcome to shadow, for the new spot.  We were devastated.

Johnie loved his job.  He loved the company he worked for, but he hated several elements of his work.  He was required to work long hours in adverse weather.  Kansas winters, with their bone chilling wind, were especially brutal.  Before we received the bad news, we had both looked forward to winters worked indoors.  With this new development, I began praying that the winter before us would be the last Johnie would have to work outside.

The newly created position was promptly reposted the following week.  The manager had decided to go with someone else.  She just didn’t know who that other person was yet.  Johnie and I were even more disappointed and confused.  He talked with his supervisor about reapplying for the job that sounded so perfect, but was discouraged from doing so. 

The more I thought about it, though, the more I couldn’t let it go.  We studied the job description.  This job was for Johnie.  Obviously the manager had misunderstood his experience and qualifications.  I pushed Johnie to write a letter to her, asking what he could do to meet the requirements for the job, and also spelling out why he (or I) thought he was a perfect fit.

After a bit of reluctance, Johnie sent the letter.  A couple of weeks went by without us hearing anything.  We decided to accept the fact this wasn’t Johnie’s ticket inside the office, and  to prepare for another (hopefully the last) long winter outside.

My first week of my new job arrived.  One of my very first phone calls that week came from Johnie.  He had a question about one of his suits because he had been called in for a second interview for the elusive new office position.  He hadn’t been given much time to prepare.  By the time I made it home that evening, he had been offered – and had accepted – the new position at Cox.

I don’t think we ever learned why they were so hesitant to give him the job in the first place, or if the letter had any bearing on their final decision.  We were grateful for the opportunity, though.  Even today, Johnie will still mention his thankfulness for working inside on cold, rainy, or windy days.  Other times, when we hear dreadful weather forecasts, he’ll express sympathy for those still in field positions.  And this job became more of a blessing than we could have ever imagined.