Happy

Husband and I realized that after a year of living in Charlottesville, we have made some great friends.  I prayed about it for a long time when we first moved.  It was something I worried about  since I work from home and I was unsure how I would meet people.  I knew it would take time and I just had to be patient, and it turns out I was right.

So last week was Husband's birthday and while considering where to have dinner, we realized there were 10 people we could invite.  10 people we consider friends.

We have friends!  And they are so nice!  And I feel like we fit in, like we're birds of a feather, like we're peas in a pod, like we're bacon in the same pan!

Yes I feel like a nerd saying that but making friends when you're older is tough.  Thankfully we ended up in an awesome neighborhood and that was all God's doing.  If we didn't live here I think our lives would be quite different and we would have missed out on knowing all these really awesome people.

I'm thankful and happy.  

It's a blurry picture but that is a-okay, the happiness shines through. 

Some of the sweet ladies I have met 

In the words of Phil Robertson: 

happy happy happy

Blue skies, work and other things

{pretty}

First I want to explain. I don't really get on the internet at this new job (even personal email!)...no one else does, so I feel like it would be inappropriate to be the only one. It's definitely an adjustment from the last job, but it's for the best.

So I'm terribly behind on blog reading and commenting and writing. =( It makes me sad because I feel so out of the loop with everyone. Oh well, it's a compromise right?

Is everyone else LOVING this terrific Spring weather? It's made such a positive impact on my mood. The blue skies, the pretty, pale pink cherry blossoms, the daffodils, and blooming trees...I love it. It is so refreshing after a biting cold winter and rainy days.

[Hello Spring]

Other than work, I'm just trying to take care of life things. I have to confess, being an adult has its perks but really...it's a pain! Being responsible is a lot of work. I like to chalk it up to being young and still adjusting to being a grown up and learning to deal with all that comes with being a big kid. Eventually I'll get it figured out...until I'm a fumbling fool. Oh well!

How is everyone else doing? Please tell me this post finds you well. =)

New beginnings

Tomorrow is my first day at the new job, which feels very similar to the first day of school. I'm excited and looking forward to this new beginning, this new chapter in my life. But along with the newness - I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little nervous and a tad anxious....because I am. But it will be good! I'm thinking positively about it.

I hit the gym this afternoon which helps me release stress. And then I came home and took a nice hot shower. Husband and I are making nan pizza tonight, a definite comfort food for me. And we have a couple redbox movies which will calm my nerves.

{I should get one of these Keep Calm & Carry On posters.}

What do you do to de-stress and calm your nerves? I'm open to suggestions. :)

I hope you all have a great start to the week!

Love & Hugs!

Changes, part IV

It was decided. I was going with Option B, the one that was super close to home and a wonderful opportunity to gain new skills. I'm not sure I can accurately describe the feelings I felt when I finally made my decision. It was a delicious mix of hope, joy, relief, pride, happiness. I was able to let go of the stress, uncertainty, anger, frustration, bitterness that had been building and hanging over my head for over a year. I felt like I lost 5 lbs. Like my hair would stop turning gray prematurely. Like the disorienting, hazy film of negativity was finally wiped away.

The weekend I made my decision was full of relaxation. As a reward, Husband and I walked to the Burger Joint and for some hamburgers with cheese and bacon, onion rings, and sweet potato fries. We spent the evening celebrating with friends, playing as$hole, and living in the moment. We watched movies and snuggled, relaxed and re-energized.

Monday I sent my resignation letter/email to my manager. I never realized you could get an anxious tummy of butterflies over an email. Again a wave of relief and hope washed over me. I didn't have to do this any more. It was time to move on.

My manager handled it exactly as I expected: detached, unemotional, nonchalant, as if my duties were not substantial enough to worry him. His response was a stark contrast compared to how my customers handled the notice. Everyone was surprised and remarkably sad to see me leave, but happy to see me progressing and advancing. The feedback has been wonderful and confirmed for me that I had done a good job.

Changes, part III

I had a couple opportunities I was seriously considering. Each with their pros and cons and being an indecisive person, this was tough.

Current Job

-Location: Falls Church, about 30-60+ min away depending on traffic

-Type of work: budget (which I am not at all trained in), secretariat to a large working group, "operations support" aka secretary for a division chief & his division

-Salary: waaaaay under paid (in my opinion)...as in, I could go to the Employment Equal Opportunity Commission and let them know I'm getting paid less than half what other people with my title get paid

-Company: lets just say it is time to leave...I'm not advancing and I feel like I'm being taken advantage of

Option A

-Verbally expressed on more than one occasion their excitement and high expectations for me in their company

-Location: on base (which, from what I am hearing is becoming a pain in the neck to get on and off in the morning & evenings) & Tysons. So my commute would be comprable to what I'm doing right now, which ranges from 30-60+min depending on traffic

-Type of work: similar to what I'm currently doing...some budget, general assistance to the customer, sounded like I'd be working some long hours and possible weekends

-Salary: I would be hired by the recruiter for 6 months where I would be hourly, and then I would convert to the Company - not ideal, but money would be very good...so good that it was a bit intimidating and made me feel pressured (and I hadn't even started!) and in over my head

-Company: Small, like 30 people. But that meant I could be a big part of the vision and help decide how the company grew

Option B

-Location: 10-15 min away to both the Company's headquarters and to the customer site - this could be totally awesome and would mean no more stress of interstate 395/495 driving, no more getting up at o'dark-thirty, and I would be on the same schedule as Husband!

-Type of work: totally different from what I'm currently doing. Learning a completely new skill set - conceptualizing and developing electronic tool interfaces for a new customer (could open up a whole new world of doors for me in the future). Telework is available too!

-Salary: More than what I currently make but less than Option A, but still a great salary that would really help me pay off some bills and start saving some serious dinero

-Company: big, like 400 people. They promote from within before advertising and looking for outside people. Good benefits. Sounds like a fair and decent company with owners that care about their employees.

{via}

I slept on it and talked it over with Husband. I finally decided that Option B was the best fit for me, for where I currently am in life and for what I'm looking for in a new job. I think it would be a smart career move. I felt such relief and excitement about this new opportunity. It was time for a life change, and I think this is it.

Life update

I think it's time for a little life update...

Professional life: (I need just a moment to vent.) Last week I was handed an additional task on top of my 8 hour work load. This new task is an full job in itself...yet somehow my boss wants me to cram it all into an 8 now 9 hour period. No I am not getting any sort of compensation...

I went in to talk with him this afternoon because I'm feeling overwhelmed and I'm seriously concerned that I am triple-booked. And he basically said, "you'll figure out a way to handle it once you get used to the ebb & flow of your new work load. And you can always give some of the work to your co-workers." Okay fine, but as far as I know, they are already full up with things to do. I feel like his response just shows how out of touch he is with us minions.

So I'm frustrated. I'm angry. I'm annoyed. But mostly, I feel taken advantage of. I know it will all work out and I'm probably being a big baby. But right now I just want to be mad.

Personal life: My dad's cousin died last week, so I'll be attending a funeral this week. It's pretty sad because cousin Bill was still young (in my eyes) and so full of life. It's hard to imagine his family without him. So if you remember, please send some prayers to my cousins in MD.

As I mentioned, this past weekend I was dog sitting and it went really well. I've been hesitant about getting a dog because I didn't want the additional responsibility. But after hanging out with Jax for a weekend, I realized that it isn't so bad...and it was actually quite enjoyable. And Jax-sitting gave me more faith and confidence in myself as a dog owner. Hooray for that!

This weekend I also got together with my college roommate, KDog. I heart her. I love getting together with her because we get along really well. She's one of those friends where conversation flows easily, we laugh and it's nourishing for the soul. She took me into Georgetown to walk around. I visited Zara for the first time and I like it! The quality of some of the clothes isn't the greatest, but there are so many cute things. And their sale section was pretty good.

After Zara, we walked down to Anthropologie and Kdog said, "It's like being in someone's really cool house; it's huge!" She was right on the money. Anthro in G-town is BIG. We headed downstairs and I almost bit the dust and tumbled down the stairs. Luckily I grabbed the hand rail and Kdog grabbed me and together, we stopped gravity from taking me down. Even though I was embarrassed, I was pleased when I looked up and realized no one really noticed.

So that's the latest with me. I'm sorry I haven't been posting and haven't been commenting the lately...the hours in the day seem to be filling up faster than I can count. I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you.