By the time you are reading this, I will have put in my two weeks notice at my full-time job! After 10-years of actively pursuing my career in the world of hospital finance (first as a consultant at a public accounting firm and recently as a financial manager at a large hospital here in Cleveland), I made the decision to put my career on pause and spend the next however many months/years at home focusing on raising my wild and crazy kiddos. I couldn't be more at peace or more excited about this new chapter in life (yes - I'm overwhelmingly feeling these two wonderful, contradictory feelings at the same time!)
I will say, it wasn't exactly something we had planned for a long time, but a combination of circumstances and a strong tugging at my heart that led to this decision. For many years, life as a working mom was working perfectly! Until it wasn't... So what led us to this particular point in our lives? A job great opportunity for Evan that also led to a less flexible/more demanding schedule, too many months of overly busy mornings/nights/weekends trying to prep for the work week, a much harder third pregnancy than anticipated, an incredibly feisty and fearless toddler, my mother-in-law no longer wanting to baby-sit full time, the benefit of a good financial situation (thanks to years of hard work and living below our means), a humbling realization that our kids are growing up SO FAST and wanting to soak up every second of their childhood, and an overall immense craving for a more simple, less complicated life.
Am I crazy for walking away from a six-figure salary, great benefits, and a promising career ladder? I believe the answer to that question is YES! If I'm totally honest, it still freaks me out a little bit when I think about it! But we couldn't deny that all of those "benefits" for us were starting to come with a really high cost. After months of thinking about it, praying about it, and overanalyzing it, the decision became undeniably clear. At the end of the day, Evan and I firmly believe that our family will actually feel "richer" in this new situation even with significantly less money coming in the door. A little more peace, a little more sanity, and more quality family time = priceless.
Photos by Kayla Lupean Photography.
I will definitely be sharing more about our decision, goals, fears, and experiences as it relates to this major life change in the near future! In the mean time, any advice for someone in my shoes?
