A Day I'll Never Forget

I have debated for awhile if I was actually going to post about what all has been going on the last couple of months in our lives. Without fail a small inner voice in me told me that I needed to because it would be cathartic in a way. So please forgive me if I start rambling on and use some "colorful" language at times. I am not going to bash anyone or anything. However, if you know me at all, you know exactly what has transpired, how ugly it got, and how I really feel about things. This is just a post to express my feelings and let the general public know what has been going on. On February 19th Mark and all of the employees of Marathon Oil Company received an email from the CEO stating that due to falling oil prices the company would be instituting a reduction in workforce of about 10%, or roughly 350 people. The email stated that those laid off would be treated with dignity and respect and that they hoped the lay offs would be done quickly as to not interfere with the work schedule to much. Mark assumed and actually believed that his job was safe since we had just been transferred to Oklahoma 8 months prior to that. I, unfortunately, have a sixth sense where I can sense doom and had a feeling that he would be losing his job in the near future. The day that the email was sent out many of Mark's friends and co-workers in Houston were let go. From what we were told the number of people let go that day was around 150-200 and it was NOT done with any type of dignity or respect. The weekend came and went and even Monday blew by without a sound from the ivory tower. Then word came done that the Mid-Continent Asset would be hit on Tuesday, the 24th. February 24th is a day I will never forget. The kids had a snow day from a winter storm that had come through on Monday. Mark went to work fully expecting to see some more of his co-workers let go but still confident that he would be fine. At approximately 8:20 that morning I got the dreaded call from Mark. He had lost his job and was being escorted out the building. There it was, almost 10 years with a company and it was all over in a matter of five minutes. Mark came home and immediately changed his clothes and went to bed. I had never seen my husband so defeated. He was PISSED and yet sad at the same time. He just didn't understand how he could have done everything asked of him because he was told that it would help his career, in spite of how it effected his family, only to have this happen. It broke my heart and I just wanted to make his pain go away. Kai came in our room and asked why her daddy was home from work so soon. I knew that I had to tell the kids something so I gathered myself up and went into the living room. Telling my small children that their daddy no longer worked for Marathon was the hardest thing that I had ever had to do. I cried and promised them that no matter what happens both of their parents loved them and that they did not need to worry about anything. The rest of the day was a blur between family and close friends being told about what went down and us trying to figure out what our next plan would be. Mark decided that his next job would be to find the next job. We agreed to keep life as normal as possible for the children and just try to keep a sense of humor about the situation. Even though I agreed to put on a brave front I did have a moment of weakness when I woke up that first night to use the restroom and found myself laying on my closet floor in the fetal position weeping. The next morning Mark woke up just in time to take Jakob to school with me and run some errands. By mid-morning Mark was scouring the internet looking for any opportunities that were available to him. We knew that we had an advantage over some other people because we were willing to relocate anywhere and we would even look for opportunities outside of oil and gas. Over the next two weeks Mark applied for over 60 jobs. His philosophy was to cast his net as far and wide as he could and then see what fish would bite. It didn't take long. Within a couple of days Mark had initial phone interviews with a few companies. In fact he even had a couple of face to face interviews by Spring Break. While on Spring Break in Lubbock Mark got a call from a company offering him a HES Manager position in North Dakota. The package they offered him was amazing. More money, a truck, monthly housing allowance, and full relocation benefits. The offer was too good to pass up. Do we take it or wait for something else? We were torn because no other offers had been made. A little while later Mark got a call from Devon energy to come into their OKC office for an interview. On a Thursday afternoon Mark went to the corporate office for his interview with Devon and on the next day Mark got the call that he got the job, but the job was in New Mexico. Their offer was more money (but not as much as North Dakota), a truck, and full relocation benefits. We now had two awesome offers on the table and needed to make the best decision for our family. We chose to take the position with Devon Energy and relocate our family to New Mexico. Mark started work with Devon on April 20th and the kids and I will eventually join him there once they finish up school here in Oklahoma. We are excited for this new adventure and know that God had a hand in all of this. We have learned through this whole ordeal who are real friends are what family members really care. We also learned that you may not understand everything that happens in your life but God knows exactly what your life looks like in the future and He will not fail you if you just stop and listen to Him and let Him be in charge and guide you.