Things that have happened since the last time I updated....
We took a small road trip to attend J's cousin's cookout. I met more of his family and a good time was had by all. Meeting family in smaller increments has been fun, since it tends to be more personal than an enormous family get-together and it enables me to remember names and personalities more easily. Poor J, he's just going to be thrown into the Cabler clan this holiday season. Due to the fact that we still lived an hour and a half away from each other until December last year, and then when he moved here he was working 70 hours a week, neither of us were able to attend each other's Christmas gatherings. I've met a sizable chunk of his extended family, but he's only met a handful of mine. I'm not at all worried about him fitting in, though -- all he has to do is give a big "Roll Tide!" at Christmas and he'll be accepted and welcomed immediately.
J has been putting in some long hours lately, but that's all coming to a close. For those of you who aren't aware, he moved here last year to run the kitchen of a local restaurant that was in danger of closing. He took it by storm, lowering the food and labor costs, tweaking with recipes and the menu, and increasing the customer base. He did every single thing the owner asked him to do, and he was proud that he had made such significant changes in such a short amount of time -- until three days before Christmas when the owner called him and said "the restaurant's closed, come get your last check." Then he was out of work for five weeks until his current workplace (another locally-owned and operated restaurant, focused on seafood) picked him up.
He moved up the chain quickly there, he was given a big promotion and raised salary just three months after being hired, and then last week the restaurant announced its closure. Its last day of operation was Saturday. J hasn't even been in this town for a year and this has happened to him
twice. He says that when you go into the restaurant business, that's just part of it and it's bound to happen eventually, but it's still disheartening to know that he's given 110% both times and he's done
more than was ever asked of him and here we are for the second time in a year. This particular restaurant had a fresh fish market attached to the front of it, which is thankfully being kept open for the time being, and as such, J is one of two people who got to keep their jobs despite the restaurant itself closing. I just hope that the fish market lasts long enough for us to figure out a new plan.
The town we live in is choked with restaurants -- there are so many restaurants to choose from that very few of them do well enough consistently enough to profit. That makes it dangerous for him to work here, especially in a Mom-and-Pop place instead of a corporate environment, and he would go corporate if it were his only option but he's told me more than once that going corporate is essentially the death of a serious chef's career.
I told him that no matter what happens, we'll figure something out. He and I have both been passing out applications and résumés like hot cakes, so something is bound to come up for us soon.
I had other things to write about, but I feel like this post is scattered enough, so perhaps I'll save them for another post.
One happy thing, though? Fall weather is creeping in, slowly but surely. I'm so thankful for that... I truly do come to life in the fall.
Until next time, lovelies.
