Hard Decisions

Getting to make decisions together about our lives is something that Gentry and I have enjoyed during our first year of marriage. Some of them are easy, and feel as natural as breathing; others are much harder, and require much more faith and reliance on the Lord.

With Gentry graduating with his Bachelors, he was desperately trying to find a teaching job somewhere, anywhere. He applied for almost every position he could find on every job board, and didn't get one interview. Needless to say, it was extremely frustrating.
Finally, he got a call from Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah about a history teacher position they needed filled. We made the trip up north so he could interview, and then waited a few days to get a call or notification one way or the other. I was on a break at work when Gentry called to tell me that Hillcrest had offered him the teaching position, as well as asked him to be the head wrestling coach. (Just for reference, this is Gentry's dream job. He told me that if he could do anything in the world, he would want to be a teacher and wrestling coach). It seemed like it was too good to be true, and we both prayed and instantly felt that he needed to take the job.
So he's one of the lucky few, a statistic colleges love, students who graduate and get their dream career right out. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Switching majors halfway through my college career set me back a year, so while I'm in the athletic training program, I have one year left of schooling before I graduate. Because I am in a program, I can't transfer to another college because of possible prerequisites or requirements other schools may have that differ from SUU, and I would most likely have to start over and take even longer finishing my Bachelors. Gentry and I both agreed that with only a year left, I shouldn't quit the athletic training program when I'm so close to finishing my degree. (I should also note that the distance between Midvale and Cedar City is about 3 1/2 hours). So with many prayers and a temple visit, we came to the conclusion together:
Gentry would take the position at Hillcrest and move up to Midvale. I would stay in Cedar City for the year until I graduated in May. And we would see each other on the weekends.
I'll be frank: this is the hardest decision I've had to make. I just spent a year getting to know my husband and learn how to be together. And now I have to learn how to live without him, without getting to see his face smile at me every morning, to get a hug whenever I needed it. To say this was simple would be a lie; this choice was far from simple and easy. But at the same time, I have never received a stronger answer to our question: this IS what we are supposed to do. I know it's the right choice, just like I know that we'll learn and be stronger for it later.