It should be noted that this phone call came the day after this post was published here. (it's worth checking out the link - it really makes the story a little more surreal.) This was also the same day that THIS happened. We should have bought a lottery ticket, right? It was quite a doozy of a day.
The caller left a message and after listening, the hubby told me that it was in fact Boeing. Once I picked my jaw up off the floor, I asked why they'd be calling. He reminded me that he had applied for a job (he has applied for several jobs - I didn't remember this one) and they were interested in speaking to him about his application. A few minutes later he got an email from the caller too! Since we were headed up to the statue's crown, we figured this wasn't the best time to call back. Instead, he sent an email promising to call before leaving the hotel the next day. The next morning, the hubby had a 15 min "pre-screening" phone interview that led to an invitation to interview in Chicago the following week.
Now, the hubby's current job keeps him on call 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. Getting time away is never easy. In fact, a few days before our NYC trip, the owner asked if we could reschedule it. (That's right, reschedule a trip we'd had planned for 9 months...) Anyway, I mention this because we were both a little unsure how on earth he was going to get to Chicago for an interview without arousing suspicion. Miraculously, it ended up being a non-event. He made it to the interview and the next day was invited to Dallas for a flight simulator evaluation that would happen the following week. Getting away once is impressive, but twice? The fact that he was able to make it to Dallas and back, no questions asked, was proof positive to us that something big was going on.
At this point I should explain, we have reason to believe that there may have been as many as 400 applicants for these positions. We believe fewer than 20 were called for the "pre-screening" calls. We heard 10 pilots were invited for the first round of interviews in Chicago. The field was narrowed to six for the Dallas round and we believe three positions were awarded. To say this is an amazing opportunity would be an understatement. Without taking away from the hard work and qualifications of the hubby, I think it's safe to say this is truly a gift from God.
You've probably figured out by now that he got the job. Not only does this mean amazing things for his career, it means that we are moving to Chicago. Needless to say, we're both pretty much over the moon! The last six weeks have been totally and completely surreal. And something tells me that the next few months are going to be no different. There are details to be ironed out and decisions to be made and much of that will be done with us in several different cities (He starts in Chicago on Dec 9th and will then go to school for three weeks after the first of the year in either Dallas or Montreal). Sound crazy? Well throw in the holidays for good measure and you have some wacky times ahead. But for now we are enjoying the news, taking each day as it comes and dealing with what is right in front of us knowing that tomorrow can worry about itself.
to be continued...
