I am officially unemployed! My last day at work was very nice, except that I've come down with a yucky cold. I felt bad breathing on the new guy while training him today, but when I told him as much, he said it was worth it to have a little more training before I go. Now that's dedication!
It was a hard race all the way to the finish, trying to train him and wrap things up. I am so relieved to be done and to have wrapped things up nicely the way I wanted. I worked so hard at that job. I received a lot of nice emails and phone calls from co-workers and clients today, which made me feel great, despite the fact that I had to breath through my mouth like a panting dog.
My cold inspirated a little variation on a recurring fantasy of mine. Here's a big confession - since Brenden was born I have fantasized about renting a hotel room for a night by myself, where I can pull the blackout shades, read a chapter of a good book uninterrupted, then pass out for at least 12 hours. Today's variation was that I would trade the book for a bottle of Nyquil and a quart of hot and sour soup.
Time to head to bed. Adam has agreed to get up with Brenden as much as possible tonight, so I have a shot at a good night's sleep. I hope so, because we have a LOT of work to do before the movers show up on Tuesday.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Can You Believe This Guy??
Getting all handsomed up for his picture with the Easter Bunny. Yes, I teared up when I saw how much he looks like a little man. 
Helping Mommy and Daddy with packingWe are moving one week from today so life is hectic, obviously. Work has been a total madhouse. I was determined to hire and train my replacement before I leave, and it looks like I'm going to succeed. But not without some grey hairs, that's for sure. The new guy is going to be great. It's going to be really weird to suddenly no longer be involved on the projects I've worked on for 2 years, but I'm glad to know that they will be in good hands.
I am thrilled to report that I have my first interview scheduled for the middle of May (thanks Kendra!). It sounds like a great company that might have some good opportunities.
On a completely different subject, I have started to wonder why no one has nominated me for What Not to Wear. I watched many episodes of the show late at night when Brenden was a newborn, and I am a prime candidate. I'm always half-waiting for Stacey and Clinton to pop their heads over my cubicle wall and surprise me with the $5,000 gift card. (If you haven't seen the show, they give people with horrible fashion sense $5,000 to spend on a new wardrobe, but the people have to endure a lot of ridicule on their current clothing.)
I am perfectly willing to endure their comments. I can already tell you what they'd say:
1. "Motherhood Maternity? You haven't been pregnant for 10 months!"
2. "You can fit two of you in this blouse!"
3. "If you have to hike your pants up with a rope like Huck Finn, they don't fit."
4. "I can't even look at those shoes. My grandma wouldn't wear those."
I have two major wardrobe malfunctions: my clothes are 4 sizes too big (bought when I returned to work after maternity leave, 20 lbs ago) and I am too cheap. An engineer at work actually commented on how "saggy" my pants are. I am too busy to shop for new clothes, but I managed to find a few minutes two months ago to have the waist taken in on several pairs of pants. Problem is, the rest of the pants still billow out around me, and I've lost more weight so I still have to hike them up with a belt. I know, poor me, but honestly, I was in better shape before my pregnancy, even with the extra 10 pounds. And my stomach didn't look like a deflated balloon.
Hopefully I find a new job before our savings runs too thin, so I can celebrate with a shopping trip for new clothes.
For now, it's back to the packing and general madness. I can't wait to post pictures of Brenden playing in his new house with his family.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
On the Road Again...
For anyone who doesn't already know...we're moving back to Evansville! It's been on our minds for a while, and we're finally taking the plunge at the end of this month. We're sorry to leave Seattle behind but we decided it's best for Brenden to be close to his family.
Things we'll miss about Seattle:
1. my job - it's not easy to give up a job I enjoy with good pay and growth potential, especially in this economy
2. my "moms club"
3. the scenery
4. the culture and all of the things to do
5. reading on the bus during my commute to work
Things we're looking forward to in Evansville:
1. seeing our families
2. getting a night out alone once in a while!
3. buying a cute, quiet home (for $400/month less than this crowded, loud apartment!)
4. thunderstorms! It drizzles ALL WINTER in Seattle, but we've heard maybe 3 thunderclaps the whole time we've been here.
5. no more running to catch the bus
The move planning has been very stressful. We made the final decision to move a couple of weeks ago, so we haven't had much time. We've had trouble finding a mover. We were just about to book with Allied when the agent tried to pull one over on us. But we're almost set with Mayflower and I feel pretty comfortable with them. We still need to book an auto transporter for our car, and there are several more details to work out.
My job has also been very demanding lately. I picked up another project that requires me to be out of the office half a day each week, and it's amazing how far behind that puts me. I'm also working with the HR manager to recruit and train my replacement. It's really important to me to make it a smooth transition. Sure, it won't be my problem in two weeks, but I've worked so hard on those projects that I don't want things to fall through the cracks. My co-workers have been really nice and understanding about me leaving. I was worried they might be upset with me for leaving, but they are all excited for us and our family. Several people have offered to give me a good reference, and I'm sure I'll need it in this economy!
More than anything I'm anxious about my job search. I found jobs right away when we moved to Orlando and Seattle, but the job market was so much better then. I'm trying to stay positive. Our HR manager at work gave me some great tips for my search. Rather than just applying to postings, I'm going to research companies in the area and focus on networking. It's been really hard to find time for this while planning the move and working my current job, but I'll do what I can here and ratchet it up when we get to Evansville.
Now for the most fun subject - Brenden! He is wild! He has developed so much in the past 3 weeks. He's gone from rolling around on the floor to crawling, climbing, and getting into everything. He can now brush his teeth (amazing!) and feed himself. (Only purees though, he still gags if we try to give him finger foods) He might need to go to daycare when we move, and as hard as that will be for all of us, it might be good for us too. Brenden gets a little stir crazy in the apartment, and it would be great for him to have other kids to play with and get comfortable being away from us before he starts school. It would be good for Adam to get out too, because being an at-home parent is way harder than we expected. And good for me because it's hard carrying the full financial load, and as soon as I get home Adam is so desperate for a break that weekdays are non-stop from the second I wake up to the second I go to bed.
Things we'll miss about Seattle:
1. my job - it's not easy to give up a job I enjoy with good pay and growth potential, especially in this economy
2. my "moms club"
3. the scenery
4. the culture and all of the things to do
5. reading on the bus during my commute to work
Things we're looking forward to in Evansville:
1. seeing our families
2. getting a night out alone once in a while!
3. buying a cute, quiet home (for $400/month less than this crowded, loud apartment!)
4. thunderstorms! It drizzles ALL WINTER in Seattle, but we've heard maybe 3 thunderclaps the whole time we've been here.
5. no more running to catch the bus
The move planning has been very stressful. We made the final decision to move a couple of weeks ago, so we haven't had much time. We've had trouble finding a mover. We were just about to book with Allied when the agent tried to pull one over on us. But we're almost set with Mayflower and I feel pretty comfortable with them. We still need to book an auto transporter for our car, and there are several more details to work out.
My job has also been very demanding lately. I picked up another project that requires me to be out of the office half a day each week, and it's amazing how far behind that puts me. I'm also working with the HR manager to recruit and train my replacement. It's really important to me to make it a smooth transition. Sure, it won't be my problem in two weeks, but I've worked so hard on those projects that I don't want things to fall through the cracks. My co-workers have been really nice and understanding about me leaving. I was worried they might be upset with me for leaving, but they are all excited for us and our family. Several people have offered to give me a good reference, and I'm sure I'll need it in this economy!
More than anything I'm anxious about my job search. I found jobs right away when we moved to Orlando and Seattle, but the job market was so much better then. I'm trying to stay positive. Our HR manager at work gave me some great tips for my search. Rather than just applying to postings, I'm going to research companies in the area and focus on networking. It's been really hard to find time for this while planning the move and working my current job, but I'll do what I can here and ratchet it up when we get to Evansville.
Now for the most fun subject - Brenden! He is wild! He has developed so much in the past 3 weeks. He's gone from rolling around on the floor to crawling, climbing, and getting into everything. He can now brush his teeth (amazing!) and feed himself. (Only purees though, he still gags if we try to give him finger foods) He might need to go to daycare when we move, and as hard as that will be for all of us, it might be good for us too. Brenden gets a little stir crazy in the apartment, and it would be great for him to have other kids to play with and get comfortable being away from us before he starts school. It would be good for Adam to get out too, because being an at-home parent is way harder than we expected. And good for me because it's hard carrying the full financial load, and as soon as I get home Adam is so desperate for a break that weekdays are non-stop from the second I wake up to the second I go to bed.
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