...and the not so good

So I posted yesterday about all things wonderful in our lives and how blessed we have been lately in M's freelancing and work. Seriously his work ethic amazes me. That man had worked at his job for two years and has called sick into work TWICE! He shows up rain or shine and always takes on more than is required of him. He is an amazing role model for myself and our children and I never have worried about being provided for.

But things aren't always peachy keen and the universal balance always proves that where there is good there also comes some not-so-good. It's just the way things work.

M and I moved back to my old stomping ground almost two years ago to the day. We had been together 13 months, married 7 months and I was 3 months pregnant. The timing of everything worked out perfectly. M received a wonderful opportunity and we were basking in delight at all our blessings. We would be leaving behind two measly paychecks where both of us worked and getting the opportunity to live off one solid pay. It was my dream to be a stay-at-home mother and everything nicely fell into place. M started his job and fit in perfectly. It was a great opportunity with a newer, medical device company, everyone loved him and things were going along smoothly and we transitioned fantastically. And six months later we welcomed our precious baby girl.

Then when she was three months, I remember M coming home from work with a sad look and informed me that his company had done a round of layoffs and gotten rid of a handful of people. "How could this be?" I asked as he explained that they were eliminating a few positions for better efficiency and moving people around so that they could continue to do well in a failing economy. M had survived the cut based on his amazing work ethic (seriously, this guy can do everything!) and was promoted to a newer position with more work, more share options and a little more pay. This was great and we quickly forgot round #1 of layoffs.

Until the end of summer rolled around and one of his friends and coworkers unexpectedly decided to quit, letting M know that the company wasn't doing as well as everyone was being made to believe and another round of layoffs was in the horizon. He warned M to be wary and start looking for a new job ASAP. M wasn't overly concerned and we let time pass with his friends warning in the back of our mind. How could things be going badly if M was constantly working his way up and getting more pay here and there? It couldn't be as bad as expected...could it?

Then October came and the biggest bombshell of all hit. M's boss, a wonderful, passionate woman quit. It was so unexpected and she too, heeded M with the warnings that things were not so great and that he needed to start looking at other options. How could this be though? She would never lie to M or our family but it just was so hard to believe.

And just as his friend and boss had warned, things did take a turn for the worst. And less than a month later, almost half the company was let go. We were almost positive M would be let go. But instead, the other person, a good friend of ours, in his department was let go. Leaving M with a lot of worry and responsibilities. But never one to shy away from his responsibilities, he took them on headfirst and continued to work even harder.

It was definitely a difficult, worrisome time. Here we were attempting to buy our first house and M's job was on shaky ground and because of the economy we weren't getting any leads on any new jobs. This was not an ideal situation but what could we do? We had faith things would work out ok, somehow.

And they have...until recently. His company is now running out of venture capitalist (VC) funds and will soon need to either 1) sell, 2) declare bankruptcy or 3) fundraise more money from other VCs willing to commit that money to their company. Even though my husband has this great reputation and amazing work ethic, the future of his job isn't looking that great and hasn't for some time. It's quite depressing even though we have kept our heads high and realize that time will tell what happens.

So we've begun sending out his resume and preparing for what may come. Luckily we opted out of escrow a couple months back and are sitting on a big chunk of money that was intended for a down payment. It's a scary time but then again, hasn't this economy been in a scary time for quite some time? It's just sad to see someone as dedicated and hardworking as M to go through the rollercoaster of employment vs unemployment emotions when there are so many people out there who do not take their jobs or situations seriously. I mean there are countless people that we know that use "sick" as an excuse not to go to work and go off and spend with no care in the world. It's disappointing but I guess that's what contributes to the laziness and nonchalantness that has taken over mankind. So while M holds on to a thread at his job, we wait and see what happens. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before another company snatches him up but until then we wait.