Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand
-Proverbs 19:21
The local landmark in my new city.
God had continued to move me along an unexpected course. As mentioned in my last post, after two years I was anxious for whatever was next. As amazing as van life was, I was ready to have a consistent community and basic amenities again. So, I started applying for jobs. I applied for one that seemed perfect based in Salt Lake City, but three months later I was turned down. I applied for a job in Bend, Oregon that I wasn’t truly qualified for, and go turned down. I thought I would definitely move somewhere out west, but I had enjoyed my time in Kentucky and West Virginia, so I decided to broaden my search area.
As timing happened to work out, I found myself babysitting a friend’s 6 week old baby in Washington D.C. for a week. This allowed me lots of time with a consistent internet connection do job hunt and send out resumes. I sent out 5. Then remembered that my sister had told me that a friend from church worked for a company that did laser stuff, and was hiring engineers. I texted her for contact information, and sent a blind e-mail to a guy I’d never met. I few e-mails later and he had a copy of my resume, and I was intrigued by this possibility. The job seemed like a really good fit, and the location seemed to be filled with outdoors activities.
I traveled all around the northeast, completing my tour of all 48 of the continuous states. I spoke to a recruiter from a rest stop in Vermont, and completed a phone interview from a library conference room in Massachusetts. When I arrived at the library they happened to have a display of books targeted at people who were re-entering the work force. I spent about two hours reading difficult interview questions, and remembering more details about my projects at Caterpillar.
From there a whirlwind began. I drove to NJ, picked up a friend from the airport and climbed with him in the NY. Then I dropped him back off at the airport and drove to Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls had been on my bucket list, so I made a quick swing by on my way back to Minnesota for our annual family waterski vacation. From there, I flew to VA for an in person interview, explored the city a little, then flew back to MN to wait (or explore). While waiting for an offer, I drove to Colorado, met a friend and attempted to climb the Diamond on Long’s Peak (that’s a whole different story). After failing to reach the summit, I drove to my Aunt’s house in Greeley, and accepted a job offer.
I had about a month to get back to MN, gather my things, travel to Roanoke, find a place to live and start work. I arrived with my van in Roanoke 5 days before I was scheduled to start work, needing a bigger place to live. I visited as many as I could get into, and got my keys to a house on the third day. That Monday morning I reported to a brand new company for a brand new job. Frankly, I didn’t realize how much of an advantage it had been to move within Caterpillar. Even though I was in a new place with new people, I still had a network, and I still knew how the basic systems worked. Now, I was started with a completely blank slate.
I never expected to end up here, and have no idea why this is my new home, but I am confident that this is where God has me for now. So far I am enjoying the challenges at work, the mountain view from my home, the local outdoor community, indoor plumbing, and my queen size bed!! I’m going to keep the blog alive as I already have a couple more things to right about, have no idea where life is going from here, and I still have an open project waiting to be completed.
Every Step of the Way 
Congratulations Kristi! It’s always adventurous when we follow and climb with God. I’m also happy for you that you get to have a mountain view! 🙂
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