for cheryl ;-) wink

Well, it has been too long since I've posted, but time flies once you're out of college, married, and working. College seemed to last a long time...maybe it was because I wasn't in love with it and now I'm in love with my husband and where we're at right now. Shouldn't life go the opposite way...when you are having fun it seems to last longer and when you hate your situation it flies by haha...not hardly the case.

Well, I won't go back and tell EVERYTHING we've done in two months, but I will tell our situation right now. Craig was requested to take an office in Plymouth, Indiana a few weeks ago, so he was asked if he was interested. He had his hopes set on Indianapolis for us to live and start our life together, but he told them that he was interested because it is 30 minutes from both of our parents, which is still a distance, but a good distance to be. So, we took off a Friday and went to Plymouth to check it out.

We first met the Regional Leader in Plymouth who is also a Financial Advisor (what Craig will be soon). He (Dan) is an older gentleman; 2 grown daughters and one grandson. He was very very nice and his 2 secretaries (BOA's) were also super nice. We talked with him for an hour, half of which we talked about golf, football, and Craig's other hobbies. :) He asked Craig about things like his hobbies and what he is looking for in a town/city, and we were able to ask him any questions we had. It is hard to know if you want to live somewhere because you have no idea what it's like until you actually live there. He seemed to like living in Plymouth and you could tell he loved his job (a good sign). Then, the two other Edward Jones Financial Advisors came to meet us. They were also very nice and Craig seemed to fit in well with them, despite us being half of their age. :) They were very encouraging and seemed to want to help Craig and work together to make each of their offices successful.

Then, Dan took us to the office Craig would potentially have and there we met the office secretary (BOA) that Craig would have. The BOA is often the hard part of a couple's search for an office or secretary because the wife can be picky about who her husband works with everyday alone in the office. When we met her, there was no question she was an appropriate BOA for us. She also is a little older, but very very nice and seemed to be very smart and knowledgeable about the business and the current clients. The office was great and Craig really seemed to like it. There was a front lobby where the BOA had her desk. Then, down the hall was his office, which was really nice..nicer than Dan's office haha, there was a conference room, a bathroom, and a back room with a microwave, refrigerator, and storage. It is right downtown Plymouth with some historic places around it, a couple restaurants, old movie theatre, small local museum, etc. We were able to ask the BOA questions we had about the office, the clients, the area, etc. It sounded like the FA before, who had quit because she didn't want face to face contact with clients and didn't want to knock on doors to get more assets...had built up a clientele of alot of young people, which is perfect for Craig because he is so young. They want someone as soon as possible though because these clients do not currently have a financial advisor and are getting a little anxious about their money and want someone to talk to face to face. We probably couldn't move until January, so we're hoping they can hold on until then if we are offered it. :)

Dan took us out to lunch and a tour of Plymouth. He drove us around and showed us everything there is to see in Plymouth. It is pretty small, compared to Warsaw, but it is about 30 minutes from SouthBend, 2 hours from Chicago, 2 hours from Indy...so there are alot of options of things to do not too far from the town.

When we left, Dan said, well let us know...sleep on it...we think you'd be a great fit....

So, we were a bit surprised because we thought they were checking us out, when really we were checking it out and the ball was in our court now. So we talked about it alot over the weekend and on Monday Craig called Dan and told him that we want the office. So, now the ball is in their court. We are just (anxiously) waiting to hear from them if we got the office and when we would make the big move. :) Craig thought he overheard one of his bosses talking about January 11th as a possible start date...so that is SO exciting...but we are waiting to see what happens.

Right now Craig is knocking on doors in Indy for part of his training. He is trying to get phone numbers for another FA in Indy. He has had a rough first half of the week. He has probably knocked on 400 doors and it is hard to find anyone home. My dad met him the other night for dinner and his parents are seeing him tonight for dinner, so hopefully those help him get motivated for the last couple days. After being in Indy and being in a not so ritzy part of town, I think that solidified his desire to have the Plymouth office. :) So, we will keep you posted if we get it and when we are going to move!