Choose the Best Title

So…

We’ve been talking about what to say in this entry all day. Well, not all day, but you know what I mean. We have completely enjoyed trying to come up with a title that is just right, and as I am writing this, we haven’t settled on one yet.

I like to think that I have piqued your interest right now.

Keith had talked to his boss (before ever contacting Cory about coming over) to see about working from Wales, because it didn’t work if that wasn’t part of it. At that point, no one thought of talking to HR. Now we know that would have been a good idea. It seems when Keith turned his computer on to start work on February 15 he started a timer. I like to think that the second he touched the first key, a little red whirly light went off in the HR department. Or the State Department! OoOoOoOooooo. It seems the UK and the US have an agreement that residents of one will not just hang out in the other, working, for more than 30 consecutive days.

What does that mean, you ask? It means on March 16 he needs to be back working in the US, on a leave of absence (HR lady said that people have been given two week leaves, but not really anyone who hasn’t worked there for quite a while. Fourteen months is a while, but not quite a while), or quit.

That’s given us something to chat about.

Since this adventure is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we did not immediately know what to do. The leave of absence thing of about two weeks really didn’t enter into the equation. We assumed he could score it if it really made a difference. The two choices were go home or quit. Quitting was winning. We are already spending the kids’ inheritance (with permission)(no, with blessings) coming over and doing this (okay, obviously not all of it), and we were thinking what the heck? Keith has had periods of unemployment before and we’ve come out fine. There are jobs. EVERYWHERE you look there are signs. He could get another job when we got back. Buuuuut, really? Just quit your job? Play in a band? Wasn’t he supposed to have done that when he was 19? (Did he do that when he was 19?)(Would have been a waaaay different band.)

Before we had to make any decision (which is in many ways really lucky, because we are so indecisive. Or I am. Maybe it’s just me), Keith got fired.

BOOM!

Nope, not from his computer job. From the band.

Philip asked Keith to come in to see him yesterday and started with the fact that he didn’t see Keith as the long term solution to the empty soprano chair. Keith responded that he (Keith)(it gets confusing) really didn’t think so either. They had a really nice chat. Keith will play the rehearsal Thursday to fill the seat and be done playing with Cory Band. I told people before we came that this was beyond his wildest dreams and he kept telling me just playing one rehearsal with them would be completely amazing. He will have done 4 rehearsals and a concert. He can count himself as one of the very few people to have sat in that chair. To him that’s a win.

We are really not sad. We are disappointed that he never really got his feet solid – he never sounded like himself (except probably in the big band stuff. Philip was kind to mention he seemed most at home with that and more so than their cornet section) and I know that he was disappointed that his playing just wasn’t going well. Our rent is paid for a month, so we will stay most of that time. We will continue to enjoy small town life and continue the daily blog. The adventure continues for us, with or without Keith’s attendance in the band.

One fabulous upside is that we have tickets to see Elton John in St. Paul on March 23 and I really, really, really wanted to go. Now we will!

There was a bit of relief today. The decision about the job had been taken out of our hands and no longer buzzed around our heads. We were feeling relaxed, to be honest.

Then Keith won an Alaskan cruise from Jeopardy: https://www.jeopardy.com/jbuzz/news-events/you-could-win-8-day-alaska-expedition

FOR REAL!!

We have really overfilled the bucket on being the luckiest people! We always watch Jeopardy (whenever Ken hosts) and when they had the sweepstakes we entered every day. And Keith won. We don’t have details, but suffice to say it has been quite a 24 hours.