Bittersweet

I briefly mentioned in a previous post that I will not be working many more night shifts.  I have been searching for a new job for 6 months.  I applied for 8 different jobs, went on 7 different interviews, and had 2 job offers.   I have been searching really hard for a day job.  Working 12 hour nights with a set rotation does not work for me and my home life.  I feel as though I am always tired.  I have a hard time transitioning from vampire to normal person in the amount of just a few days.  I miss my husband!  I can't stand to be away from him at night, and he has made it clear to me that it's not working for him either.  I am annoyed with having to work every other weekend (all 3 weekend days).  I mentioned the idea of self scheduling at my current job, but do to powers that be (nurses with more say so than me) the idea was shot down quick.  Once I realized that, I started searching harder.  My main dilemma...finding a day time position in an area I was interested in and not a HUGE pay cut.  I was fully aware that going from a night time position to a day time position I would have to take a pay cut, but right now a significant pay cut would not work out for us.  Let me just tell you, it's hard finding a job that meets those requirements!  Since graduating nursing school I have worked in the pediatric area.  I started in pediatric hematology/oncology and then switched to pediatric intensive care.  I love kids!  Honestly, I love my job! I feel that I have good critical thinking skills, I am very laid back, and I typically go with the flow.  These things I have found are a great need in the ICU setting.  I am not OCD like a lot of nurses I work with, but that never seemed to be an issue.  The city I live in does not offer much in the nursing pediatric area.  This is where my first bump in the road came.  I realized really quick that I was most likely not going to be able to continue working with kids if I wanted to work during the day.  I applied for a case management position and 2 education type positions at the hospital I currently work at, but none of that worked out because people with actual experience in those fields also applied for the jobs.  I applied for a surgical/procedure position, but again another person with previous experience was chosen.  I applied for a position working for a urologist, scheduling surgeries.  I was offered this job.  The pay was not up to par (I seriously thought about taking it anyway), but the doctor gave me the creeps BIG TIME.  That was a big red flag for me, so I turned that offer down.  I applied for a position in adult hematology/oncology at the state hospital in town, but again, 2 other people who were already employed at the hospital that had experience were chosen over me.  I was becoming very discouraged.  I wasn't sure where else to look.  I was almost to the point of talking my husband in to moving (which never would have happened, but I would have tried).  I continued to pray about it, asking Him for an answer.  One day a friend of my husband asked if I would be interested in working for an adult hematologist/oncologist, and my reply was...absolutely!  I applied for the job, went on 2 different interviews with different groups of people. (I feel that I am now a professional interviewee) I prayed so hard, almost begging God to let this be the job for me and to let it work out.  Patience is definitely a virtue, and God definitely answers prayers.  I start the new job on Monday June 18th.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to work Monday through Friday 8-5 with a 1 hr lunch break, no weekends, no holidays, no call.  I am not taking much of a pay cut.  I will be a chemotherapy infusion nurse for a hematologist/oncologist.  I will be working with adults, which is a new thing for me, but I think I can handle it.  It is a bittersweet feeling.  I am looking forward to this new adventure, but I will miss the kids, the critical care aspect, and my co-workers.  
Here's to new beginnings....