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Vicki and Ronald Fields both lost their jobs last year. The North Carolina couple were forced to leave their home and move in with her parents in Tallahassee. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us,  the couple is making a new beginning in Florida.

Vicki Fields lost her job in January. Husband Ron was let go in July. In August, they packed up their belongings and moved here, to Vicki’s parents in Tallahassee.

It has been a struggle for everyone.

“We had to remember that yes, this is still our house and they have to be visitors,” Vicki’s mother, Evelyn House, said. “But at the same time, this is a definite change for them.”

8 year-old Ashley is sleeping here, in a make shift bedroom that used to be the front foyer.

“She thought it was really cool at first but I think she’s a little over it right now,” Vicki said. “And all her toys are in storage. This box right here is stuff she’s accumulated since we’ve been here.”

But things are looking up. Ron got a job three weeks ago as a chef, and even though he is making 30 percent less than he did as a restaurant manager in North Carolina, he’s happy to be working.

“It’s difficult. Anytime you have to make less money, it’s hard and you wonder how you’re going to live the lifestyle you’ve become accustomed to in years past,” Ron said. “But you make adjustments.”

Vicki just returned from a drug test for a job that could start next week. She says staying positive is the key.

“Focus on that, because it is so discouraging to not hear from potential employers,” she said.

So for this family, hard hit by the economy, there is much to be thankful this holiday season.

The Fields also sold their North Carolina home, just days before foreclosure proceedings were to begin. They will walk away with nothing after a decade of home ownership…but their credit is mostly intact.