Brent let me know yesterday that his department had enough voluntary leavers that there won't be any layoffs. I gave him a kiss and told him congratulations and I'm sorry. He smiled and said yes.
And that's what it feels like. Good to have made it another round of employee culls without losing his job but when we thought for awhile we might be able to make it work it was looking really sweet. And if it had happened that he'd get the tap on the shoulder to go anyway it wouldn't have been devastating. A little worrisome for sure as we sorted it out, but not the worst thing in the world.
Now he's back to looking at ending his career with Intel and the next few years are going to be really challenging as they reorganize a workload that (for his area) was already really intense to being covered by even fewer people. And a few of the people who left we really critical to what they were doing.
As is the way.
But we are safe from layoffs and know it a month earlier than expected. So that's good.
I actually slept better last night than I have been so I was clearly still stressing about it even though I was telling myself it would all be fine.
He is taking his last sabbatical starting in October. That was one of the benefits they cut along with the massive layoffs. No more long sabbaticals. Which was, honestly, the very best Intel perk they had and I think it is a mistake to let it go. But they are so there it is. But Brent is still owed this one and it's already on the books. It's going to be interesting getting ready for it for him and what happens when he gets back, because it's happening right as they are restructuring (and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up getting pushed to next year).
Even if it does somehow get pushed we will still take the trips we already had scheduled so it would just be a choppy work time for him.
We are also going to make a master list of things we want to do while he still has a job and we have that income. That was the biggest thing when we were looking at cuts. What will we cut when we retire, and if we retire earlier what all will be cut? Travel was a big cut. It would end up being an every few years we swing a trip situation instead of every year, or a few times a year. And they would be smaller trips.
So where do we want to go before that changes? What would we regret not seeing?
We are doing two things that have been "on the list" over sabbatical. A trip to Hawaii, I KNOW you are all saying, how can that be on the list when you do it all the time? Well this one is to the Big Island to do a night snorkel with the manta rays. We were going to do it years ago and the weather was so bad they cancelled the dive. It's been on the list to go back for ages, but we always go to Maui during whale season so it just kept staying on the list. This year we are doing it. I'm looking forward to it and also a little worried since it has the reputation of being a seasick making journey for even people who don't get seasick. I'm hoping since I know that ahead of time the dramamine won't fail me and it will be wonderful. We've been lucky enough to swim with rays while out snorkeling during the day but the night dive is supposed to be amazing.
The other one off the list is going up to Leavenworth for their Christmastown. We aren't going over a weekend so we'll miss some of the activities, but we aren't going over a weekend so we will miss some of the crowds as well. The pictures always look so amazing and I think it will be fun.
We will sit down and get serious about a bigger list and start checking them off. Sometimes it takes a jolt to let you know what you really think is important. Travel was higher on the list than I think I realized.
But anyway...that's the update. We live to slay another day...
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