Rough Road Ahead?

The other day I was driving home from my temp job in Layton when I came upon a sign that said the following:

ROUGH ROAD AHEAD

After my initial double take (what an interestingly cliche road sign!)...the sign struck me in the way a sign like that should strike anyone. I found myself thinking, "sheesh! I wish life came with warning signs as apparent as that one!"

I have been stressing about this gigantic change we are embarking upon long before it was ever certain. There have been so many things to worry about (visas, money, losing our safety net, money, illness, money, safety, money, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY). For weeks before we left South Africa I couldn't sleep through the night as I'd wake in a sweat fretting about this, or that. It got to the point where I was going to bed at 12 and waking each morning at 4 unable to rest soundly due to worries (MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY).

I knew that the decision to make this gigantic change was ours and we needed to "reep the consequences." I had received many reassurances that the decision we had made was right, but that didn't mean it was easy. I trudged forward with great trepidation, knowing that things would become progressively harder before they got any better.

As recorded in my blog previously, returning home has had its own set of stresses (if you haven't gathered it by now, let it be said that I'm a self diagnosed "stress-ket-case") that I have (actually) enjoyed working through. But, as Jason and I collected ourselves and began to turn our focus from South Africa to Russia we found so many MORE stressful things to worry about (visas for example, ugh, don't even get me started).

After weeks of research and immense amounts of stress and (for Jason this time) a significant loss of sleep we have seen miracle after miracle happen as our "road" to Russia has gone from a ROUGH overgrown trek straight up the side of a mountain to a smooth path - one we should now be able to enjoy.

First, the organization that is sponsoring me to go over to Russia (paying for and arranging for my visa, plane ticket, housing, food + paying me a living wage) was made aware of our struggles. As I have worked with them before they decided that, first, they would help Jason obtain a cheap plane ticket (that we would pay for). Then as things with the visas went from frustrating to impossible they agreed to help him secure a visa (that we would pay for). Today Jason called to set out the details of his visa and this organization announced that, after meeting with the directors of the company, they would just PAY FOR JASON'S PLANE TICKET SO THEY COULD GUARANTEE I WOULD WORK FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even begin to describe what news like that feels like. We were going to have to pay 2,200 USD to get Jason to Russia. That price, in a matter of minutes went from 2,200 to 100 USD. This is a miracle.

Sure takes off some financial stress!

That's not to mention the fact that, as I briefly indicated at the introduction to this blog, I have been able to secure work for my time here in the States. I am working as a general office aid for one of my dad's clients in Layton, they are paying me generously for truly brainless work and they are working wonderfully with my schedule.

Rough Road Ahead? I think not:

ROAD WORK ENDS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so darn happy I don't even mind ending this entry on such a cheesy note!!! :) HAPPY!!!