Seriously. Everytime I get my eyebrows waxed I feel like I look 5-10 lbs skinnier than I did before. I used to fight the eyebrow wax. Ask Shmizz. She once plucked my eyebrows in the Newark airport at like 4 in the morning. I used to be completely anti-wax.
Then a guy said something. Yeah I'm that girl. If a girl says something I think, whatever, but if a guy says it I think...hmmmm...if it will make me hotter...
Obviously that was before marriage and child. It was actually my future husband (now current husband if you're not following) that said it to me and thus began the waxing.
I do not keep up with it as I should. With N, and A traveling when do I have time? I mean I know it doesn't take long but I can't leave N at home alone no matter how long it is and I think it would be a little distracting to bring him with me. I'm not sure they would like that. Even it if is just the Thai ladies down the road.
However I got here, I'll fully admit that now, I love a good eyebrow wax. It really does make me feel more put together. So how did I find the time? Well, that's a whole other story....
Today is Good Friday. My company was open today. My daycare was not. Neither A nor I realized this until a few weeks ago. Neither of us could take the day off either. So we called my MIL. Luckily, Good Friday isn't a big day for catering so she and my FIL managed to secure the whole day off. Then she asked if she could pick N up and bring him back to NJ for the day to hang out with them, instead of being in the house. I said yes. Then sat there as the anxiety started creeping in....
So I love my MIL and FIL. It's not them necessarily. It's just the whole situation. With A traveling and not knowing anyone in the area I am ridiculously attached to my son. I'm am protective and I worry too much about other people watching him. I'm aware of the issue. He doesn't get to spend a ton of time with them and I worry...do they know how to deal with it when he hits or kicks...will he freak out since he doesn't know them so well...will he be ok in NJ ( I mean, regardless of who he's with, it's NJ...do I really want to subject him to that?) ... I knew I needed to let go which is why even if I could have I decided not find an excuse for N not to go to NJ. I need time to myself. N will be blessed to have time with his Grandparents. I need to just know that and let the anxiety go.
So I let it go...and got a pedicure and an eyebrow wax (after work) as an appetizer to my haircut tomorrow (which I hired a babysitter for). Slowly but surely I'm reaching a balance between me and mommy me. It's necessary for my survival and for N's. But so hard. I think it would be a little bit easier if we had people in the area. You can learn to let go in a safe, family environment :-). Whether my theory is true or not here I am. Enjoying some peace on a Friday night.
And the MIL is going to be back here at 8:45 with the kiddo....peace is always short lived :)
**NOTE: I realize this is kind of random but it's totally me. So there.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
I know I know...
I swear though I haven't abandoned you. I haven't blogged in 2 weeks and I'm sorry. N has been sick and had to go back on the nebulizer and antibiotics, then of course A got sick as well and he's even worse that N with the whining. Work has been crazy, April is always a crazy month for us and I've got cabin fever and now that it's getting nicer I realized that I have gone weeks at a time without leaving the house other than to take N to day care or once a week to the grocery store (yeah, that's as pathetic as it sounds).
So anyway, I apologize for my absence but I promise I'm not gone. I've begun tweeting a whole lot more for both social and professional reasons (@LeaMacV) which is cool except sometimes I don't feel like I have anything valid to say. I have to say that it has made me delve more actively into the world of non-profit organizations and online training (which is what I do). It's been interesting the amount of stuff I miss and how just being aware of the goings on in the arena of nonprofits has made my customers seem to trust me even more. Like I'm more of a colleague to them than someone who is just preaching to them on how to use the software to advance their organzation (I don't actually work for a nonprofit, I work for a FOR profit software company who makes software for the nonprofits).
So learning all about tweeting (with @BabyShmizz) has been fun and has taken up some of the allotted time in my life for social networking. I don't really know how some of my amazing colleagues do it. They manage to blog on a daily basis (about interesting AND relevant stuff no less) tweet constantly and all sorts of other things as well.
On a personal note I feel like all I do these days is make plans for the future and next weekend is really the beginning of "the season". I'm getting a haircut :-). Due to A's job and N and living in a place where I can't find a good salon, this is much more difficult than one would expect. I have a babysitter coming next weekend to watch Nathan while I got get my haircut 45 minutes away from here where we lived before we moved here so I can go back to my old stylist. She's awesome but I wouldn't normally drive 45 minutes to get to her. However, my 30th birthday bash is coming up and on top of the weight watchers (lost 10 lbs, btw) I want to have a decent haircut as well. I know it's alot to ask but I'm willing to pay a babysitter for it. Then from next weekend on it gets crazy!
April - Easter
May - my birthday celebration, mother's day, cousin's wedding in Oregon with my mom and sisters (girls long weekend in Portand OR, WOOT!)
June - weekend at the lake with Mom and Dad and sister A (hopefully), visiting friends (Ahem, Boston friends, A is grounded for some of June and July, send us avail weekend, we're visiting!!) Shizz 30th birthday
July - week at the lake, wedding of my godbrother, Dad's birthday and BIL birthday,
August - weekend at lake...and I'm sure more to come
On top of all that I start my Business Stats class on May 2.... awesome.
So life is crazy but I am now renewing my vow. I will do something blogworthy 2 times per week and be sure to blog and update you all on it. I swear.
So anyway, I apologize for my absence but I promise I'm not gone. I've begun tweeting a whole lot more for both social and professional reasons (@LeaMacV) which is cool except sometimes I don't feel like I have anything valid to say. I have to say that it has made me delve more actively into the world of non-profit organizations and online training (which is what I do). It's been interesting the amount of stuff I miss and how just being aware of the goings on in the arena of nonprofits has made my customers seem to trust me even more. Like I'm more of a colleague to them than someone who is just preaching to them on how to use the software to advance their organzation (I don't actually work for a nonprofit, I work for a FOR profit software company who makes software for the nonprofits).
So learning all about tweeting (with @BabyShmizz) has been fun and has taken up some of the allotted time in my life for social networking. I don't really know how some of my amazing colleagues do it. They manage to blog on a daily basis (about interesting AND relevant stuff no less) tweet constantly and all sorts of other things as well.
On a personal note I feel like all I do these days is make plans for the future and next weekend is really the beginning of "the season". I'm getting a haircut :-). Due to A's job and N and living in a place where I can't find a good salon, this is much more difficult than one would expect. I have a babysitter coming next weekend to watch Nathan while I got get my haircut 45 minutes away from here where we lived before we moved here so I can go back to my old stylist. She's awesome but I wouldn't normally drive 45 minutes to get to her. However, my 30th birthday bash is coming up and on top of the weight watchers (lost 10 lbs, btw) I want to have a decent haircut as well. I know it's alot to ask but I'm willing to pay a babysitter for it. Then from next weekend on it gets crazy!
April - Easter
May - my birthday celebration, mother's day, cousin's wedding in Oregon with my mom and sisters (girls long weekend in Portand OR, WOOT!)
June - weekend at the lake with Mom and Dad and sister A (hopefully), visiting friends (Ahem, Boston friends, A is grounded for some of June and July, send us avail weekend, we're visiting!!) Shizz 30th birthday
July - week at the lake, wedding of my godbrother, Dad's birthday and BIL birthday,
August - weekend at lake...and I'm sure more to come
On top of all that I start my Business Stats class on May 2.... awesome.
So life is crazy but I am now renewing my vow. I will do something blogworthy 2 times per week and be sure to blog and update you all on it. I swear.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Life is precious
This weekend, on Saturday, I noticed some postings on FB from a friend of mine from elementary school. He was asking for prayers for his friend Dave. Now, I may have left the town in 6th grade but before that my mom was on the board of selectman for the town and we knew ALOT of people in town. My friend from FB (G) and I grew up together, I have a picture of us graduation pre-school together. So I kind of thought I might know this Dave. I looked at his FB friends and noticed there was only 1 Dave, whom I definitely knew. My sister knew his sister and I started to worry. So I sent my prayers their way.
On Sunday, my younger sister texted me. Her best friends from the same town, spent most of her life there and knew everyone as well. She had called my sister to tell her that Dave had died. My sister texted me and told me all she knew. It was some sort of car accident. There were at least 3 other people in the car. 2 I know are ok, but I don't know about the others. I was shocked and sad for the family and friends but since we hadn't been close at all, I wasn't histerical or anything.
As Sunday wore on and I was playing with N, things started to pop into my head. The first thing I thought about was how creepy/weird FB makes death. I can still go out to his page, search for him and choose to add him as a friend if I wanted to. It makes it unreal. In a way, the person is still living on but in another way it's just wrong. It's got to be painful for friends and family to see that, and even see people who maybe hadn't heard posting on his wall, after he's gone. It just seems so weird to me.
Then as I was rocking N before naptime, trying to calm him down since he did NOT want to nap, I couldn't help but thinking how lucky I was. My husband, whose job and time in the Army put his life in danger constantly, is healthy and whole. We have an amazing son so while is challenging at times (like when I'm exhausted and A is out of town, so maybe that's not his fault) is perfectly healthy and happy. We have great friends and family. A beautiful house and great jobs. I can't imaging any of the people in my life being ripped away so harshly.
I sat there rocking N (probably longer than I should have at this point) thinking about Dave's family. The pain they must be going through and how I can't imagine the little person that I was holding being gone from my life, or my husband not coming home one day. I started to get sad and little sick even thinking it about. It made me extremely grateful for my little family and all my extended family and "friend family". I know that I'm not always as grateful as I should be. I'm not always as patient as I should be with A or N. I'm not always as good a friend as I could be, I'm sometimes selfish with my time, or just lazy. It's amazing to me that the sudden passing of someone I hadn't seen in over probably 17 years brought this all on. I am grateful it affected me this way, because it has made me realize again how much I have.
My thoughts and prayer go out to the family and friends of Dave. I cannot imagine the pain and anger they must be going through, but I know that they will make it through. Even knowing Dave for the short time I did I know he would want them to.
My thoughts and prayers are also with all of you, that you stay safe and healthy. I am grateful to have every one of you in my life.
On Sunday, my younger sister texted me. Her best friends from the same town, spent most of her life there and knew everyone as well. She had called my sister to tell her that Dave had died. My sister texted me and told me all she knew. It was some sort of car accident. There were at least 3 other people in the car. 2 I know are ok, but I don't know about the others. I was shocked and sad for the family and friends but since we hadn't been close at all, I wasn't histerical or anything.
As Sunday wore on and I was playing with N, things started to pop into my head. The first thing I thought about was how creepy/weird FB makes death. I can still go out to his page, search for him and choose to add him as a friend if I wanted to. It makes it unreal. In a way, the person is still living on but in another way it's just wrong. It's got to be painful for friends and family to see that, and even see people who maybe hadn't heard posting on his wall, after he's gone. It just seems so weird to me.
Then as I was rocking N before naptime, trying to calm him down since he did NOT want to nap, I couldn't help but thinking how lucky I was. My husband, whose job and time in the Army put his life in danger constantly, is healthy and whole. We have an amazing son so while is challenging at times (like when I'm exhausted and A is out of town, so maybe that's not his fault) is perfectly healthy and happy. We have great friends and family. A beautiful house and great jobs. I can't imaging any of the people in my life being ripped away so harshly.
I sat there rocking N (probably longer than I should have at this point) thinking about Dave's family. The pain they must be going through and how I can't imagine the little person that I was holding being gone from my life, or my husband not coming home one day. I started to get sad and little sick even thinking it about. It made me extremely grateful for my little family and all my extended family and "friend family". I know that I'm not always as grateful as I should be. I'm not always as patient as I should be with A or N. I'm not always as good a friend as I could be, I'm sometimes selfish with my time, or just lazy. It's amazing to me that the sudden passing of someone I hadn't seen in over probably 17 years brought this all on. I am grateful it affected me this way, because it has made me realize again how much I have.
My thoughts and prayer go out to the family and friends of Dave. I cannot imagine the pain and anger they must be going through, but I know that they will make it through. Even knowing Dave for the short time I did I know he would want them to.
My thoughts and prayers are also with all of you, that you stay safe and healthy. I am grateful to have every one of you in my life.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Statiscally speaking.
So it is official. As of May 2nd, I am a student again. I'm not quite an MBA student because technically I have to take a prequisite class first. I'm only a couple months away though!! So I got into the program without having to take the GMAT. Which is great except for 1 thing. I already paid for the GMAT. So I debated and debated whether to just go ahead and take it in case I need it in the future. Or to bite the bullet and cancel the appointment. You're probably thinking...um...where is the debate here? Well, once you've paid you can only get $80 of the $250 you paid back when you cancel. That's alot to lose. Since I took vacation time to take the test and I don't actually need it. I decided I'm just going to eat the cost. Between wasting the vacation time and the stress of prepping for it, it's worth it to me to lose the money and make my life easier. Plus I can use that vacation time for something fun!!
So I have to start off taking Statistics. Like probably 98% of you took in your undergrad years because it was required. When I was getting my bachelors I got it in Elementary Education. They didn't require us to take any math (I think as long as you got to a certain level in HS) so I didn't take statistics. My friend C and I used to laugh about it being one of those things that made being an Ed major so awesome. Luckily for C she stuck with the teaching thing and has not been subjected to taking statisics for her Masters degree(s). I am not so lucky.
Any advice on how to make it through the torture that is Statistics, I would appreciate it. I have a feeling this is going to be a wake up call...
So I have to start off taking Statistics. Like probably 98% of you took in your undergrad years because it was required. When I was getting my bachelors I got it in Elementary Education. They didn't require us to take any math (I think as long as you got to a certain level in HS) so I didn't take statistics. My friend C and I used to laugh about it being one of those things that made being an Ed major so awesome. Luckily for C she stuck with the teaching thing and has not been subjected to taking statisics for her Masters degree(s). I am not so lucky.
Any advice on how to make it through the torture that is Statistics, I would appreciate it. I have a feeling this is going to be a wake up call...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Triumph!
So, it's been a slow week for blogworthy things but not for work. Work has been crazy and on top of all that I wanted to get the taxes done so that I didn't have to worry about them any more. For our 2009 taxes we had H&R Block do them ( I wouldn't give them awesome review if you were wondering) because in 2009 we sold an investment property, bought a new house, and lived in 2 different states. Plus we had N. So 2009 was a year where I just didn't have the confidence to do the taxes my self.
This year however, I was NOT going to pay $300-$400 dollars for someone else to do the taxes. We didn't have anything big, no moves, no new dependants, no new jobs. So I knew that I could do them myself through TurboTax. I'd done it in the past before we had all the complications in 2009. So we had all the stuff (or so I thought) together in a folder so I sat down to just get them done one night this week. Well turns out that A and I had no put the receipts for our charitable donations, or work gear (for A) in the file so I ended up having to go through another ridiculous folder to find everything before I could to this.
So. I went through everything and after the federal tax section was done, we were getting a refund. Sweet! Then I went through the state section and it said we owed a big chunk of money to the state. I looked at what they had taken out and assumed that it was because we hadn't had enough withheld, becuase what was withheld didn't look like a lot to me. So when A got home I was discussing it with him and he said that it didn't sound right to him and the more I thought about it the more I agreed with him. So I was thinking it over and we looked at A's W2 and found what we thought might be the issue. He works in a different state than we live in. So out of his paycheck the state he works in had been getting the taxes. We thought at first that it was an issue with his W2. I posted the question on the TurboTax community and A called some guys he works with to see what they had done, they live in different states as well and no one had an idea. So we sat down to dinner.
At dinner A and I were still talking about it and have a brainwave. I remembered seeing something about a "non-resident" return and I realized that I probably needed to file a "non-resident" return for the state that A works in and then file in the state we live in as well. When I got back to the computer after dinner that's exactly what the answer to my question from the TurboTax community had been. I was super excited. I went through and added the addition state return and guess what. The amount it said we owed to the state we live in, dropped 97.5%! We owed basically nothing compare to what it had said originally, plus we are getting a return from the state A works in.
I have never felt so good about myself for figuring something out in my life. Ok, so maybe that's not true but I was really very excited to have figured this out. My mom is an accountant and I grew up with accounting and math all around. From helping her sort checks when we were younger to working with her on my taxes when I got older. I would have been very disappointed in myself if I didn't figure that out. So of course I called my mom to brag :-).
So we are getting a good return, we owe just a little to the state we live in, and A and I are extremely happy.
This may not have been blogworthy to all of you, but it is to me. So deal with it.
Moral of the story here is that you CAN do your taxes by yourself and save the money. Just make sure if something doesn't seem right you double check it before you file. It's worth it.
This year however, I was NOT going to pay $300-$400 dollars for someone else to do the taxes. We didn't have anything big, no moves, no new dependants, no new jobs. So I knew that I could do them myself through TurboTax. I'd done it in the past before we had all the complications in 2009. So we had all the stuff (or so I thought) together in a folder so I sat down to just get them done one night this week. Well turns out that A and I had no put the receipts for our charitable donations, or work gear (for A) in the file so I ended up having to go through another ridiculous folder to find everything before I could to this.
So. I went through everything and after the federal tax section was done, we were getting a refund. Sweet! Then I went through the state section and it said we owed a big chunk of money to the state. I looked at what they had taken out and assumed that it was because we hadn't had enough withheld, becuase what was withheld didn't look like a lot to me. So when A got home I was discussing it with him and he said that it didn't sound right to him and the more I thought about it the more I agreed with him. So I was thinking it over and we looked at A's W2 and found what we thought might be the issue. He works in a different state than we live in. So out of his paycheck the state he works in had been getting the taxes. We thought at first that it was an issue with his W2. I posted the question on the TurboTax community and A called some guys he works with to see what they had done, they live in different states as well and no one had an idea. So we sat down to dinner.
At dinner A and I were still talking about it and have a brainwave. I remembered seeing something about a "non-resident" return and I realized that I probably needed to file a "non-resident" return for the state that A works in and then file in the state we live in as well. When I got back to the computer after dinner that's exactly what the answer to my question from the TurboTax community had been. I was super excited. I went through and added the addition state return and guess what. The amount it said we owed to the state we live in, dropped 97.5%! We owed basically nothing compare to what it had said originally, plus we are getting a return from the state A works in.
I have never felt so good about myself for figuring something out in my life. Ok, so maybe that's not true but I was really very excited to have figured this out. My mom is an accountant and I grew up with accounting and math all around. From helping her sort checks when we were younger to working with her on my taxes when I got older. I would have been very disappointed in myself if I didn't figure that out. So of course I called my mom to brag :-).
So we are getting a good return, we owe just a little to the state we live in, and A and I are extremely happy.
This may not have been blogworthy to all of you, but it is to me. So deal with it.
Moral of the story here is that you CAN do your taxes by yourself and save the money. Just make sure if something doesn't seem right you double check it before you file. It's worth it.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Back to school...back to school...
So last week, I put into motion the process of starting my MBA. I'm still in the admissions process with Post University in Waterbury, CT. It's all online which is necessary with my life and I don't have to take the GMAT's. That sucks though because I had already registered for them and you can't get your money back. $250. Yeah. I'm going to call and see if I can get at least some of it back. I considered taking the GMAT's anyway just in case I needed them elsewhere however, I don't need the added stress of studying right now and I had to take vacation time to find time to take the test which is just a waste. I figured it would be something just over $100 of time (If I was paid hourly) for the 4 hours for the test. I'd rather save those vacation hours and use them some where more fun.
So I'm going to see what I can do about getting my money back but I want to wait and make sure that I actually get in to Post first!
So, here is the real story here (not that I'm not proud of just starting the process). I slacked in college. No surprise to anyone who knew me. If I could go back, I'd do it differently but that's life. So my GPA was just below a 3.0. To get into Post you have to have had a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If you had between a 2.5 and 2.99 and have something like 7 years of business experience they will still consider you for admission. They want 2 letters of recommendation for you though.
So this week, I emailed 4 people at work. 2 of my former managers and 2 colleagues. I figured I'd get 4 recommendations then pick the ones that I liked best to send on. I asked everyone to have them to me by the 28th of the March because I know they are all really busy. All of them said that they would be more than willing. My most recent former boss, we'll call him J, emailed me the recommendation within 3 hours of me asking. I couldn't believe how quickly he'd gotten back to me and when I read the letter I almost cried!
Here are some excerpts:
I quickly realized L’s talent and potential as she took it upon herself to accelerate and own her professional development. She worked independently to learn and impart best practices, and began to mentor newer Educational Consultants. L’s dedication and motivation were infectious and I began to notice gradual, but steady improvements in team morale and client satisfaction. L continued to seek and develop skills that would add value to the customer experience.
L leads by example, both inside and outside the workplace. She inspires coworkers and friends in social settings with the same facility that she enjoys in professional settings. She lives our corporate values, volunteers her time with our clients, and embraces the personal rewards afforded by diligent effort. My staff of Educational Consultants now functions as a cohesive, synergistic team, rather than many individuals working independently in silos; L epitomizes the notion that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” and this core belief is evident with her every undertaking. There are many reasons for this transformation and improved team dynamic, but I cannot overstate Leanne’s contributions to the revitalization of my department. L’s future is limited only by her imagination and the willingness of others to believe in her potential.
So after reading this I was in complete shock. I think that as employees we work hard because we know it is what is expected of us. I never thought twice about helping other new employees because I remember how much mentors and more experienced employees helped me when I first made the move to the business sector (I was a teacher). Being a remote employee for the company, I think that I think about these things even less than others, and just do them because it's what I believe is right. My clients and my team are my priority and I love all of them. I just want to do everything I can to help my clients and my team be their best. I think that's the teacher in me. I don't however, go looking for praise either. There are some people I know who will copy their boss on EVERY NICE THING that is ever said by a client to them. I don't do that. If people ask who my boss is, or takes my bosses name from my email signature (company requires it be there) and sends them an email that's awesome but other than that to me it's just doing my job.
As my college GPA suggests I was not always a hard worker. So I still don't think of myself that way. This recommendation made me look at things a little differently. Not that I'm getting all cocky and "duh! about time you noticed" about it, but it made me realize that all my hard work doesn't go unnoticed and that it is worth it to others. I do it for my own satisfaction but it's always nice to hear from others as well.
So here is my recommendation to you. Have a couple people write you a recommendation. If their isn't a reason, who cares. It will make you realize that you are appreciated. Even if it's just your husband or a friend or a co-worker. I think everyone needs to hear that people do notice their hard work and appreciate it every once in a while. I know it made my week!
So I'm going to see what I can do about getting my money back but I want to wait and make sure that I actually get in to Post first!
So, here is the real story here (not that I'm not proud of just starting the process). I slacked in college. No surprise to anyone who knew me. If I could go back, I'd do it differently but that's life. So my GPA was just below a 3.0. To get into Post you have to have had a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If you had between a 2.5 and 2.99 and have something like 7 years of business experience they will still consider you for admission. They want 2 letters of recommendation for you though.
So this week, I emailed 4 people at work. 2 of my former managers and 2 colleagues. I figured I'd get 4 recommendations then pick the ones that I liked best to send on. I asked everyone to have them to me by the 28th of the March because I know they are all really busy. All of them said that they would be more than willing. My most recent former boss, we'll call him J, emailed me the recommendation within 3 hours of me asking. I couldn't believe how quickly he'd gotten back to me and when I read the letter I almost cried!
Here are some excerpts:
I quickly realized L’s talent and potential as she took it upon herself to accelerate and own her professional development. She worked independently to learn and impart best practices, and began to mentor newer Educational Consultants. L’s dedication and motivation were infectious and I began to notice gradual, but steady improvements in team morale and client satisfaction. L continued to seek and develop skills that would add value to the customer experience.
L leads by example, both inside and outside the workplace. She inspires coworkers and friends in social settings with the same facility that she enjoys in professional settings. She lives our corporate values, volunteers her time with our clients, and embraces the personal rewards afforded by diligent effort. My staff of Educational Consultants now functions as a cohesive, synergistic team, rather than many individuals working independently in silos; L epitomizes the notion that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” and this core belief is evident with her every undertaking. There are many reasons for this transformation and improved team dynamic, but I cannot overstate Leanne’s contributions to the revitalization of my department. L’s future is limited only by her imagination and the willingness of others to believe in her potential.
So after reading this I was in complete shock. I think that as employees we work hard because we know it is what is expected of us. I never thought twice about helping other new employees because I remember how much mentors and more experienced employees helped me when I first made the move to the business sector (I was a teacher). Being a remote employee for the company, I think that I think about these things even less than others, and just do them because it's what I believe is right. My clients and my team are my priority and I love all of them. I just want to do everything I can to help my clients and my team be their best. I think that's the teacher in me. I don't however, go looking for praise either. There are some people I know who will copy their boss on EVERY NICE THING that is ever said by a client to them. I don't do that. If people ask who my boss is, or takes my bosses name from my email signature (company requires it be there) and sends them an email that's awesome but other than that to me it's just doing my job.
As my college GPA suggests I was not always a hard worker. So I still don't think of myself that way. This recommendation made me look at things a little differently. Not that I'm getting all cocky and "duh! about time you noticed" about it, but it made me realize that all my hard work doesn't go unnoticed and that it is worth it to others. I do it for my own satisfaction but it's always nice to hear from others as well.
So here is my recommendation to you. Have a couple people write you a recommendation. If their isn't a reason, who cares. It will make you realize that you are appreciated. Even if it's just your husband or a friend or a co-worker. I think everyone needs to hear that people do notice their hard work and appreciate it every once in a while. I know it made my week!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Great-grandma's 93rd birthday
So today was my grandmothers 93rd birthday. My mom and dad, sister, aunt and uncle from England, and cousin (and her 2 daughters), plus N and I went to her "apartment" (old folks apartments) to celebrate. This is one of those events where being a parent is a HUGE balancing act. On one hand you don't want to be that parent who thinks everyone's schedule should revolve around your child. On the other hand you don't want to not go because you are worried about your child being off schedule. While a kid off his schedule can be challenging I think spending time with all the family is way worth it.
So mom, dad, my sister and N and I all got there around 10:30 to find that they had taken my grandma to a 10:30 service at church. We knew this was a possibility so we just took advantage of the time to hangout and talk and play. Once everyone got back we chatted for a while longer. Meanwhile, it's 12 and N usually eats around 11:30 so I'm throwing snacks at him ( I came prepared with banana and apple and granola bar and a nutrigrain bar) trying to avoid the I'm hungry AND tired meltdown. Since my grandma's place isn't exactly childproof letting him run around was hard, but everyone there has kids or has been around kids enough that they understood. We finally went down to the dining room (not bad!) to lunch around 12:45 or 1 and my mom, dad and I tag teamed N. I sat down with him for a while, then took him down to play, then mom came out and relieved me so I could eat, then dad relieved mom. Thank goodness for grandparents!
So then we went back up and hung out a while longer until I was pretty sure the N was about to collapse from exhaustion. I have to say he was pretty good. The child has more energy than any kid I've ever seen before. Maybe it's just because I'm the one chasing him. (A was unfortunately working today) So we left and N fell asleep basically before I even made it out of the parking lot. So since A was working I went to give him a call and realized, I couldn't find my cell phone. So I pulled over and looked through all the bags. Luckily, I was only about 5 minutes out, so I turned around and went back. So I got back to where my grandmother lives, but then what? Do I wake N and bring him in with me. Do I leave him in the car and run in (she lives on the 5th floor)? I hear all those horror stories about leaving a child in the car, even for a few minutes. The chances of something happen were minimal but, isn't that what everyone says? So I ended up parkingin front of the door. Running in and having the lady at the front call up to the apartment for me. Ran back out to the car to make sure N wasn't crying, ran back in and grabbed my phone from my dad then ran back out and got on my way. Again.
It was a gross rainy drive home, N slept almost all the way. We had KFC for dinner because I was too tired to cook (N's a big fan of KFC now) and N was asleep about 15 minutes before his usual bedtime. Now I'm on my way to bed too because unlike N I didn't get to take a nap on the drive home. Good family time is so worth it though!
So mom, dad, my sister and N and I all got there around 10:30 to find that they had taken my grandma to a 10:30 service at church. We knew this was a possibility so we just took advantage of the time to hangout and talk and play. Once everyone got back we chatted for a while longer. Meanwhile, it's 12 and N usually eats around 11:30 so I'm throwing snacks at him ( I came prepared with banana and apple and granola bar and a nutrigrain bar) trying to avoid the I'm hungry AND tired meltdown. Since my grandma's place isn't exactly childproof letting him run around was hard, but everyone there has kids or has been around kids enough that they understood. We finally went down to the dining room (not bad!) to lunch around 12:45 or 1 and my mom, dad and I tag teamed N. I sat down with him for a while, then took him down to play, then mom came out and relieved me so I could eat, then dad relieved mom. Thank goodness for grandparents!
So then we went back up and hung out a while longer until I was pretty sure the N was about to collapse from exhaustion. I have to say he was pretty good. The child has more energy than any kid I've ever seen before. Maybe it's just because I'm the one chasing him. (A was unfortunately working today) So we left and N fell asleep basically before I even made it out of the parking lot. So since A was working I went to give him a call and realized, I couldn't find my cell phone. So I pulled over and looked through all the bags. Luckily, I was only about 5 minutes out, so I turned around and went back. So I got back to where my grandmother lives, but then what? Do I wake N and bring him in with me. Do I leave him in the car and run in (she lives on the 5th floor)? I hear all those horror stories about leaving a child in the car, even for a few minutes. The chances of something happen were minimal but, isn't that what everyone says? So I ended up parkingin front of the door. Running in and having the lady at the front call up to the apartment for me. Ran back out to the car to make sure N wasn't crying, ran back in and grabbed my phone from my dad then ran back out and got on my way. Again.
It was a gross rainy drive home, N slept almost all the way. We had KFC for dinner because I was too tired to cook (N's a big fan of KFC now) and N was asleep about 15 minutes before his usual bedtime. Now I'm on my way to bed too because unlike N I didn't get to take a nap on the drive home. Good family time is so worth it though!