The first thoughts that would come to my head immediately after hearing these words were:
Tool Bags.
Flashy Watches.
Liars.
Fake Smiles.
Big trucks 20 feet off the ground.
Not a real job.
And images of the guys you find standing around flexing their muscles in the mirrors at the BYU-Idaho gym would flash through my head.
(I don't know what muscles have to do with pest control, but the association of the two were real).
If you would've asked me a year ago if I would marry a Pest Control Salesman, I would answer without hesitation. And I think you know what that response would entail.
When Tanner and I were just dating in October, he brought up that some people from different pest control companies had approached him about selling during the summer (they prey on RM's). I was clearly hesitant about this but after weeks of talking to different companies, Tanner really thought it would be a good experience with this certain company and especially because of a certain Team Leader who had been recruiting him. He felt this company was super honest and genuine with what they were asking and he felt he could be successful at it... (after all, he had just been knocking doors for the past two years). I had a change of heart. I, as well, thought that not only would he be really successful at it, but I actually thought the company was straight up and the best that I had heard. He told me he would be selling in Washington DC for Moxie Pest Control. I told him that sounded great and completely supported him 100% (not thinking at this time that I would be marrying him and moving across the country with him immediately after).
Well, we know the rest of the story. We fell in love, blah blah blah. When things started to get really serious, I had one of those "Oh frick"moments, realizing that not only had I supported Tanner signing up to sell pest control, but that meant I had also supported Tanner in taking me with him. Across the country. For the entire summer.
And this is where I really learned something about love: I didn't care. I wanted to go wherever he was going. I didn't care when it was, what we were going to do, where we would live or how we would get there, but I was going to follow him. And that's also when I knew I was actually IN love. Never had I desired to be with someone like I did him. The thought of being away from him for a week, let alone an entire summer, made me sick.
And this is where I really learned something about Pest Control: I loved it. It may sound silly but Moxie Pest Control completely changed the route of my life, and gave me the slap in the face I needed by dangling the thought of taking away my best friend and the love of my life from me for an entire summer. And it was that thought that woke me up and made me get over the initial thoughts I had about not only pest control and the guys in the BYU-Idaho gym but also marriage and the realization that I was truly in love.
So the day after we flew home from our Honeymoon, we stayed up all night to pack up whatever we could fit in some suitcases (that's not much by the way....), and moved to DC not really knowing what the summer would bring!
The company provided us with a nice, furnished apartment not too far from the office. All we had were our clothes that we packed, a ziplock baggie full of the gift cards we were so generously given at our wedding, a spatula, duvet cover and a ceramic knife (tanner's choice of course). Aka: we had nothing.
The first couple weeks out here were a bit of a shock. I had gotten a nanny job a couple months before moving out here, but it wouldn't start until school out here was done. So end of June. It was the beginning of May. Previously I had thought; oh the break wouldn't be so bad, and that the couple weeks of no working would give me time to settle us in and get somethings done that I hadn't had time to do since school and planning and having a wedding and honeymoon all occurred. Well, I must've realllllllly overestimated the amount of 'things' I needed to do, because within the first couple days- everything was moved in, all the shopping had been completed, all my 'tasks' on my to-do list were checked off and I found myself sitting in an apartment with no TV, no internet, and no car (that's a whole other story), with absolutely nothing to do but to call Tanner while he was at work every 10 minutes, go to the gym twice a day, and watch Netflix on my phone. I had no life. And I missed Tanner. A lot.
And this is where I really learned something about Pest Control: I hated it.
Tanner's schedule was this:
7:30am: Wake up, hurry and shower, scarf down half of a breakfast
8:00am: Say goodbye to me and Leave for the office8:00am-10:30pm: Sell stupid pest control.
10:30pm: Come home to a very bored and lonely and whiney and hater of pest control- Wifey.
So needless to say, I needed a job. To fill my time and help me not breakdown and pack up all of our (not so much) stuff and leave in the middle of the night... with tanner of course... and never come back.
Luckily, there was an opening at the Moxie office where some of the other wives work and they were okay with me working until my nanny job started! Horray! So at least I had a job to take up the time between 8:30-5:30 and that meant I only had time to think about not being with Tanner between 5:30-10:30.... which is totally a piece of cake ;)
After the few first couple rough weeks, life was getting to be normal! I was somewhat use to only seeing my husband 3 hours a day total, and time was going by a little faster each day. Plus, we had finally gotten internet and our car (it was shipped here) so I felt a little more human again. Not to mention, Tanner really just came out here and didn't let being 'the new guy' intimidate him in any way.
This is where I really learn something else about Pest Control: It can really change your mind. Fast. Tanner was really prepared coming out here. Even before we came out here I knew that he was one of the hardest workers I had ever known in my entire life. And I didn't have a doubt in my mind that he would be so dedicated, regardless of what it is he signs up for. He even read his Moxie Manual on our honeymoon. Thats not okay. Anyways, so after the first few weeks out here, I began to become addicted to the happiness that came from Tanner when he would come home so proud of what he had accomplished that day. I liked the feeling of being that supportive wife that would have a hot cooked meal ready for him the moment he came home and even sometimes a hot bath already prepared for him or if he's really lucky- a wife ready to give him a foot massage... And for me and feet.... Trust me... That's a big step.
I liked the idea of him being able to set a goal for the day and then going out and surpassing the goal by lunch time.
I'm not going to be naive and try to make you believe that
1. I'm a perfect wife always so happy and supportive and
2. That there aren't the hard days...
But ultimately if you can live for the good days, the bad days come and go and give you perspective to make the next good day- even better.
All in all, we are here, living in the most humid place on the earth (tanner says I should try living in Bolivia but that won't happen, so I am okay with my statement), trying to find peace among the chaos and craziness that a summer of sales brings to a Newely wed couple.
If anything being out here shows me how grateful I am that I married tanner. He is honestly the most dedicated, hard working person Ive ever known, and some days i just dont know how he does it. I feel so lucky.
A lot of people said coming out here as Newely weds would be the " hardest way to start our marriage" Well. I am sure that for others, it would be. But for us, it has given us so much strength and growth independently and more importantly, together as a unit, and it just has proved to me even more than we are not only totally and completely made for each other, but that no matter what trial and obstacle comes into our marriage- we will hold on to each other even tighter and be that much stronger because of it. And if that isn't what marriage is all about, I don't know what is.
Am I so excited that we only have a month left here and then we will be back at school with somewhat of a normal schedule again? YES. But I wouldn't trade this Move and the experiences that have come from it for anything in the world.
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