Well family and friends, unfortunately this update is not so fun. If you’ve been following our blog, you know Allyson and I have put a few crazy months under our belts. Here’s a recap:
- We accepted a new job at DAG in June, traveled all over Europe, cruised to Alaska, and found out we have a baby on the way.
- We packed for a cross country move, spent 20 days apart, heard the heartbeat for the first time together, and drove 1,400 miles from Houston to DC.
- We paid an armload to move our stuff into an old row house, I struggled to learn the dynamic at a new job, Allyson dealt with a scary neighborhood, and DC found ways to lift us up and knock us down from one day to the next.
- We decided to move to Virginia, momma Kelly came to marathon move our stuff (again), and momma Lee Ellen and Katie came to help us set up.
- Work hours got way too long, my job took an enormous turn for the better when David came to town, and took a turn back for the much worse when he left.
It looks pretty intense when it’s all written out, but even when we found ourselves exhausted, we felt blessed and happy with the adventure that life has been for us. The move to DC has been fraught with pitfalls and missteps, but it seemed like an investment that would pay dividends if we just stuck it out.
Well, here comes the no fun part. This Monday I found out that my last paycheck from the David All Group had been issued, and Tuesday came with official word from David that the company was closing for good. With no notice, no explanation, and no contingency plan, Allyson and I very abruptly found ourselves in a worst case scenario. No job, no money, and 16 weeks pregnant with no benefits. Our lives have become one of the campaign commercials we see playing incessantly on VA TV.
Shocked at this news? Confused? Frustrated? Join the club.
And so I’ll say a few words about DAG. When the opportunity came along to join the team as Director of Creative Strategy back in June, there was no way to predict that the company was in it’s last few months. Everyone involved in the interview process was enthusiastic and confident. They even flew me to San Francisco to meet with David in person – footing the bill for a last minute, cross country flight for a 3 hour conversation. The client list was strong and company growth was impressively steady.
By the time I actually showed up for work in August though, something already seemed a little off. The job description was still awesome and the clients were exciting, but the actual work and the morale of the people doing them seemed stretched thin. I was reminded that the team was in transition and everyone was covering extra bases, but as the days went on (and got longer and longer) I started to wonder if the culture touted in the interview was actually embraced by the staff doing the work in the DC office. How DAG came to close its doors hasn’t been made clear to any of the employees that lost their jobs on Tuesday morning, but conspiracy theories will surely abound. After talking to David at length yesterday, I do know this. DAG had some impressive clients and did some great work, but it’s prime had come and gone. The company needed to be revitalized or extinguished and by the time I showed up it was too late to do anything but the latter.
So what do you do when you spend all your money on magic beans and find out they’re never going to grow? If you’re like us you take comfort in each other, rally with your family, and try to appreciate the silver linings. We haven’t figured out our next move yet but thankfully we have options. Allyson and I have already found opportunities for new work (both in DC and Houston) and, if need be, are still in the 30 day window to leave our apartment without penalty. We’ve got a healthy baby on the way who we might be able to get closer to our family and Allyson’s doctor. And our family and friends have stepped up to support us in ways that have been overwhelmingly heartening.
We were sitting at dinner just this past weekend talking about faith and the paths God lays out before us in life. I was commenting that in nearly 30 years, I’ve never been confronted with so many obstacles and issues when I was trying to accomplish something I had set my mind to succeeding in. Since we’ve decided to come here, we’ve had sign after sign telling us to reconsider. In a way, I can say I didn’t see this coming, but in hindsight it could have been predicted. God literally closed a door on us this week. Now we will refocus on our path and find our window.