Iowa Bound

When we moved to San Antonio three and a half years ago, our plans were to stay for many, many years. We bought a house that we expected to be in when our kids to graduate high school, one that would have a good drive to work, etc.

As God would have it, we got an offer to move to Waterloo, Iowa to work for John Deere.

Growing up in Waterloo was difficult, considering it was during the farming crisis. This greatly affected John Deere and brought the area into a dark period that lasted for as long as I can remember. When I hear people talk about the unprecedented, booming economy of the 80's, I have a tough time relating to this.

Well, Waterloo/Cedar Falls has changed. I went back for a basketball reunion in 2005 and my class reunion in 2006 and was pleasantly surprised. The area is growing again and new houses and new businesses are going up everywhere.

So a friend of mine, Dave Flaherty, sent me a simple email, saying "Call me." That was the beginning of what would bring about a huge change in our lives. Dave and I grew up together in Waterloo, followed a friend of ours (Ed Kunath) to college at the US Merchant Marine Academy, and worked together at Ford Power Products in Detroit. As a matter of fact, I got a reference bonus for recommending Dave and Ed for employment.

Well Dave and Ed are back in Waterloo, and Dave is a John Deere employee. When I called him back, he told me about a job that sounded like a great opportunity, except it was in Iowa. When my wife Julie didn't freak out because it garnered the inevitability of snow, we decided to pursue it. A few months later and now Dave is getting a reference bonus. Seems fair. I get a great job at a company that just set a record for sales and revenue in the second quarter this year.

And now Ed, Dave and I get to have the same conversations we did as bachelors/roomates in Detroit about the three W's: work, women, and wheels. Except one "W" is now "Wives".