the story

I'll start at the beginning--b/c that's a very good place to start (Sound of Music reference)--Pete has always wanted to own his own business, but hasn't had direction/financing to do so. So, we've prayed about it and God has always provided good jobs for Pete that have taught him a lot. They weren't always, scratch that, they were never his dream job, but each job has had it's ups and downs and each job has taught him things that will be so useful in the future. A few years ago, Pete's parents mentioned State Farm. They have a friend who is an agent and loves it and thought it might be something Pete should look into himself. We talked about it and prayed about it a little, but at the time it didn't seem right. So several months ago when it became clear that his current job situation was not going to be improving, he mentioned it to me and I just said, "sure, look into, why not?" And thus began the journey...
The process of owning your own agency is quite extensive and so far, Pete has completed something like 7 or 8 steps. One of the steps in the middle was a career awareness seminar that I got to attend with him. It was so helpful for me to understand more of what Pete's job would be. Ultimately as I listened and absorbed what they were explaining, I realized that this is just perfect for Pete. He has the business and sales experience to be so successful in this. It was exciting for both of us. This last step involved creating and presenting a business plan, then defending it and going through an interview with a panel of State Farm executives. He had a month to create the business plan and met with 5-7 State Farm agents in our area and spent HOURS working on it here at home. It's been a stress-filled time, but it was all worth it to have him come through the door yesterday and plant a big old kiss on my face and tell me that he made it! And within an hour of being home, he got two calls from regional directors who would like to meet with him about openings in the area. The next couple steps are a little confusing to me but involve training and internships (that are paid--thank God!!) and eventually (6-12 months from now) him having his own agency. I'll update as those details become more clear. For now, thanks for praying for our family and we'd love to have those prayers continue as we start this new adventure.