Our Future is Clearer: California, Ohio, Alabama

Yes, in the next two years, Luke and I will be living in California, Ohio and Alabama.  Let me back up. 

Luke has accepted a full-time position with Parker Hannifin.  It's a large company (#211 on the Fortune 500 to be exact) specializing in motion and control technologies. They make anything from filters to parts for Boeing airplanes.  Luke has taken a position within their "Lean Manufacturing Management Program". For two years they will train him in four areas of lean manufacturing engineering.  Some aspects will be heavily focused on engineering and others on the business side of operations.  It's an amazing opportunity to become well rounded in the field by a very well respected company.  For these four areas of training, comes living in four areas of the country.  Every six months we will move to a new location. Although we don't find the order of our locations until May, our locations are Modesto, CA (an hour from SF and 30 minutes from my grandparents); Los Angeles, CA (beach, Disneyland, sun, fun); Sylacauga, AL (an hour from my Aunt in Birmingham, southern fun); and Toledo, OH (Right on Lake Erie, an hour from Detroit). We are so excited to experience life at these locations! And moving won't be a burden either.  The company packs us and pays for each move and provides a fully furnished corporate apartments that we pay almost nothing for.  We couldn't be taken better care of.  At the end of the two years, we then choose which of the four will be our permanent location.  Luke will continue to work on from there.  Luke also plans to get his MBA, and the company will pay all his tuition and books when he does that after the two years, a benefit which we all know will save us thousands.

The past few weeks Luke and I have just felt... blessed.  A lot of other opportunities that didn't work out would make us discouraged.  We were learning to really trust in the Lord as he guided us to where we needed to be.  One day I found an anonymous quote that reads, "When God gives you a 'No', give him a 'Thank You'. He was protecting you from less than his best." Those were words I lived by.  We trusted with each disappointment of the long process of recruitment, there was something still better out there.  And we found what was the best for us.  We are still amazed how amazing of an opportunity this is and do not wish at all that we were anywhere else.  It's perfect for us and we are so excited for the adventures we'll have and the people we will meet and learn to love in these four new cities.