Well, we are here!
It has been quite an emotional roller coaster for the past week, but things are starting to become a little less crazy! :-)
We checked out of our base house in Florida a day early, Thursday, and got on the road with Nolan behind the wheel of our 26 ft UHAUL of stuff! We arrived in Jacksonville on Friday about 1pm and were originally hoping that Nolan would be able to check into his new squadron and get the stamped paperwork over to the housing office, so as to get on the housing list, but there just wasn't going to be enough time, so we unloaded our UHAUL - with Josh's help - into 2 storage units...
Why storage?
Well, the housing office had us convinced that we would be able to move into a base house on 23 July... just 13 days after our arrival, but of course someone else checked in on Friday morning, so they got the house! So, as of Monday morning, we became number 1 on the housing list and were assigned a house that will be ready on 25 August... 46 days after arriving in Jacksonville....
About the storage...
One is climate controlled that Josh still had, since putting all of his stuff in storage last year, right before he deployed, so we filled that one up and also rented a non-climate controlled one across town for the rest of our stuff! I'm sure Nolan would agree; I was a mess! There is something insanely crazy about putting ALL of your worldly possessions into a storage unit, lowering the door, placing a padlock on it and driving away...
Up until yesterday, it was nearly impossible to find anything in the storage units... We went through the climate controlled one yesterday, so I am feeling a bit better about it all...
We are praying it will only be another 3 weeks! (A couple we knew in P-cola, came to Jacksonville in April and they were told 6 weeks, although it was only a 4 week wait.. so we can only hope we have the same experience.
Where are we staying for our (up to) 46 day wait?
Well, first of all, we are hoping the house will be ready a week or two early, but for the next 3 - 5 weeks, we are staying with Nicole, a friend that I made while we were in Quantico, VA, when Nolan was at TBS (The Basic School). Her husband is deployed and she has a dog, Diego, a Boxer, so all in all it is working for us.
How is Paige's job search going?
I had an elementary special education teaching position interview on the 30th of June and was told today that I was not chosen for the position. There seem to be so many people applying for a single position... the unemployment rate here was 8.5% in May.... The principal, was very interested, so he said he will pass my name onto the middle school behind his campus... so maybe I will hear something from them...
Wednesday, I had an interview for a middle school math position, although it turned out to be a 3 math and 1 science 7th grade teaching position... BUT realistically it felt like the principal was looking for a coach, not a teacher.. so I do not feel like it went well AT all! Yesterday's interview... was for a 6th /7th grade inclusion teacher position... The principal basically told me he need someone with lots of prior experience as his test scores for his special education students are low and he needs someone to come in and bring them up! Not that I can't try my darnedest to do just that, but he told me there are many other candidates who have lots of prior experience, so I am pretty much out of the running...
I did however drop in on a school that had called me about teaching 8th grade math, when we were still living in Florida, and my visit resulted in an interview on Monday for an Exceptional Children teaching position! YAY! I am hoping this one will be THE one! :)
Regardless, I will be dropping in on the last handful of schools that still have EC jobs posted online and see about getting interviews!
Random info...
Nolan was to be headed to SERE school (part of the reason we decided to make the blog private) in New Brunswick, Maine, but we found out today, that he isn't going just yet!
Josh, Nolan's best man in our wedding and friend since 4th grade, is stationed here with his wife, Jill, so it is really great for them to be back in the same place! It has been close to 3 yrs (when they were going to TBS in 2006)!
Until we have more news....
1 comment:
Good luck finding a teaching job- I know how frustrated you must feel. Every time I complain about not being able to find one people tell me I should get into a high demand specialty- like math, middle school, or special ed. My certificate IS middle school math/science, and clearly special ed isn't any easier to find. :(
They seem to be only looking for coaches up here too.
Hope your summer goes well- having all your stuff in storage sounds like a nightmare!
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