Tag Archives: life

Happy Anniversary!!

New job Jazz

Last week I told y’all I am leaving my current job to start with a new company. Now, I’ll give you some background. It’s all very God-lead, in my opinion, and I’m just standing back amazed as it all unfolds.

I’ve been intermittently keeping an eye on a local hospital for job openings for some fill-in work on weekends for quite some time now and have barely gotten a bite; talk about your ego bruising. Once again, a PRN (fill in position) came open, my friend let me know and so I said to the Hubs, “this is the last time I put in and then I’m done.”. A week later he encouraged me to send the follow-up email to the director, to which I grudgingly did so, lo and flippin’ behold, she emailed me back and followed up with a phone call to set up an interview the following Monday. The interesting part on the phone call was that she was giving me a pretty detailed time-line of interview, decision, orientation, 2 weeks notice, yada, yada, yada. I hung up with an appointment and totally confused as to why on earth I’d need to give notice for a PRN position.

Obviously I went home that night and scoured the website for other openings that maybe I missed. Sure enough, a full-time position at a new facility of the hospital’s was posted. What? Full-time? Not even on my radar. This was going to be interesting. Now I was just curious as to where this could go and IF I would follow through. If it was meant to be….it would.

I had my interview, which felt comfortable and easy and AN HOUR LONG!!! Waited a whole week and finally, FINALLY got the call. They picked ME!!! The Hubs and I had some decisions to make, and I had a feeling that this might be God’s timing and I would be best suited to follow Samuel’s lead and follow along. I also had a deja vu moment from when I bought the house…read HERE and that worked out beyond my wildest dreams, so yes, I was absolutely curious.

And so, in the end, I leave a job that has been very good to me for the last 10 years and step out into a company that can offer me more opportunity for future growth. The craziest thing is that both the Hubs and I are completely and totally at peace with this decision. It will require some schedule shifting and kid-compliance, probably multiple times over the next several months as the center opens and hits its stride, but everyone is on board.

So, change is a comin’ and even though I don’t love change, I’m ready to embrace what the future holds.

As a bonus, I get some catch up time with friends across the state in the interim, so #WINNING!!

Changes. Challenges.

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Door challenge

I absolutely won’t be trying this #doorchallenge anytime soon….my aching back just watching these girls get into this position and then reverse and then again. But they did it. And grammed it. Challenge: complete.

My own challenge comes in form of a new job. Sort of. What? Yup. After a decade with the same company and my degree just sitting on its haunches, I happened into a position with the competition (also a far larger organization). While, the initial position is essentially a lateral move, the potential for growth is better and with a large, well-run organization there are countless other benefits.

I can’t explain it, but there is a tremendous sense of peace in this decision both with myself and with the Hubs. The peace, I am certain, lies in the job itself opening to a Full-time position when I wasn’t even looking. Good friends, old friends, who unknown to me at the time, were background cheerleaders to the powers that be before and after my interview. The timing is quick, with little time to second-guess and drag it out. Basically, knock, open, go in. God is in control. Fully. With no doubt. And I’ve been here before, when He opened the door to our house. Sometimes, those prayers of “Please….God….I am dense and thick and need you to make this clear as day”, really DO get answered. Not always right away, not always the way I think I want them to be answered, but it does happen. And it’s just WOW. Really. Wow.

I mean, I know NO one at this office. It’s brand new, Opening day is September 8. My 7 minute drive and 5 mile world just opened up to about a 30-ish minute commute and a 20-something mile world. What. The. Heck. It’s all good though and clearly I’ll have more time for phone calls and podcasts with additional time in the car.

It will be an interesting year ahead and I’m excited to see what lies ahead. It’s time. And I’m up for the challenge! So, here’s hoping I’m hopping from the fire to the pan and not vice versa!

Beauty and the judge

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At a football game for my daughter’s cheer squad I saw a young girl (maybe a mom, not sure) with the tiniest of tank tops (barely covering the important parts) and the shortest of shorts in white. She sat with the football players. I sat with my jaw to the ground.

At the produce store, a young girl in a barely there t-shirt and bikini bottoms prancing around.

At an interview and struggling to maintain eye contact as cleavage joins in the interview process.

I have a confession to make. I am incredibly judgemental. I try not to be, but truth be told; I judge. Hard. It’s a struggle. Sometimes, it’s because I care enough to point out the obvious, i.e. shorts too short/tight/ripped, etc. Sometimes it’s within the limits of my own children and setting boundaries and sometimes I turn the ugly, judgemental eye….think along the lines of “What not to wear”. The irony of it all, is I am no fashion maven and have had enough “what not to wear” moments that Stacey and Clinton should be here yesterday with their $5000 and help a sister out. But. It’s not the fashion mishaps that concern me (mostly, I find THOSE highly entertaining and educational) it’s the blatant sexism in fashion and the lowering of the moral bar in what should be deemed acceptable. Starting in the toddler section and it doesn’t stop there.

Our girls have been blessed some truly awesome hand-me-downs in the past, however, a large portion of those clothes just kept on going out the door to the thrift store due to inappropriateness. I mean, do we REALLY need to see ass-crease with every pair of shorts??? We’ve had several talks. Together. One on one. At the table. In the car. In the stores. They know exactly where Dad and I stand in what’s allowable (basically school dress code=family dress codes for most things…but not flip-flops, I mean, c’mon…we live in Florida!). For the most part, they abide by the rules. In truth, they do each own a pair or two of hootchie shorts, however, they are mainly for the house or sleeping in. Sometimes, they make it out though. The point is, we and they are trying and trying hard.

Most importantly, I think they are receiving the message of modesty and the importance of what you wear and the message it sends. Incredibly difficult is short shopping, dress shopping and back to school shopping (which sadly is upon us). Challenging also in peer circles and learning to stand your ground and making your parent’s message yours.

Such a tough battle and a constant fight in staying modest. We can’t advertise sex 24/7 from age toddler up and expect no problems. Yes, I know that what you wear should be what you want to, but this is life and life isn’t fair.

So I judge. And I use those judgements as teachable moments. Mostly. For the other times, well…..I’m working on that and I have this handy-dandy Matthew to keep me company.

Matthew 7: 1-3 (NASB)

7 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ²For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and ^[a]by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. ³Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message)

7 ^1-5“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

**Bible verses from the Bible Gateway

And then…this video making ALL the noise. And it really fits in. With the immodest dressing. Overmakeup. Trying too hard. I shared it with my girls and I want to work harder by leading by example, otherwise it’s just words, right? So, thank you, Colbie!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/13/colbie-caillat-try_n_5581951.html

Seasons of friendship

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I am blessed with friends. So very, very rich in friendships going all the way back to early elementary where I still keep in touch with friends from the old neighborhood. I collect friends along the way. Cherish them. Keep in touch. It’s why I send so many Christmas cards and the dang post office sure keeps me saving my pennies so I can continue to do so.

Friendships have many seasons though.

Right now I am in a dry season. We are in a dry season. Not to say we are out of friends, but merely because life is so busy. Everyone. So. Busy. We are just in a season in our life where our kids keep us rockin’ and rollin’ and that’s not going to stop anytime soon and guess what? Our friends. They’re in the same season. With their kids.

Of course, we live 4-7 hours from our dearest friends and so I think sometimes we just feel it more acutely. The friends we have here are nice, but so very different in beliefs and seasons in life than we are and so it puts us in a weird place.

Someone once told me that the friends you make when your children are very young are friends for life. I agree. I just wish we weren’t so dang spread out. That we would get more visitors. That money wasn’t always an issue and we could go nilly willy and visit whoever and whenever we pleased. That life would slow down a little. But then, that IS life isn’t it? Always ebb and flow. Change and change again. It’s the way it is.

I’ll likely take a trip north in a couple of weeks to visit friends and hope to get in a maximum number of hugs and chats in my always too short trip. I’m scheduled to shoot across to the state another weekend to have some one-on-one with an old friend. It’s all good. I’ll take what I can get, when I can get it and soak it in.

making the trek

Trekking through life: Faith, family, friends and a whole lot of coffee!