Thunder, Lightning, and Hale: Auf Wiedersehen, Portland

When Curtis graduated from Brigham Young University in the summer of 2013, we had no certain job prospects. He had applied for countless jobs for the better part of a year and received only a handful of phone interviews and one face-to-face. Oh, and that one job would have been so perfect! Daimer Trucks North America in Portland, Oregon, flew Curtis out for an interview in May. They screened hundreds of resumes, called their top choices for a phone interview, and flew out their top three best candidates for the rigorous, all-day CAReer Assessment Center. Curtis bought a new suit, rehearsed interview answers, and researched this company to prepare for this crucial day. He flew out on Tuesday, interviewed all day Wednesday (which included group projects, individual presentations, and traditional interviews), and came home Thursday. He felt so good about it! They said they would call Friday—and he didn't get it. Bummer. So we humbly moved in with my parents in August to continue the job search in Dallas, Texas. Nothing. Nothing. And nothing (for Curtis, at least. I got a great job at KidsCare Therapy as a speech language pathology assistant, which was bittersweet to leave). In December, we were reminiscing about that interview in the summer, wishing that Daimler had worked out. It sounded so perfect: German company, mandatory international assignments, engineering in a steady market! A few weeks later, he got an interesting call from...Daimler, of all companies! They remembered him from his interview in the summer. It turns out that they really loved him, but (of course) could choose only one. They had another round of interviews for a slightly different position, and when the other candidates didn't work out for a January start date, they called Curtis to see if he was interested. Lucky for both parties, he was!

That is how we ended up in Portland. And we are leaving tomorrow.

Curtis is required (oh, schade) to complete three different rotations during his first year of employment at Daimler: the first rotation in Portland, Oregon; the second in Charlotte, North Carolina; and the third in Stuttgart, Germany. We are entering the second rotation, but before we do, let's take a look back at our family's time in Portland.