I Have Seen the Light

Chris and I went to Lowes over the weekend and bought a new dining room light! We were so very excited to be getting rid of the tacky gold light that has been there since we moved in. Our new light matches our dining room perfectly and also goes very well with the lights we have in our kitchen (that are very similar in nature). Here are some snapshots of our new addition.


In other news, I received a phone call from Cannon School yesterday informing me that they offered the job to another candidate and that person has accepted. Now this was very sad news for me to hear because I really wanted THIS job :( I've never had to compete for a job before and I've never been turned down for one either. I had a great interview, a high recommendation from my old boss (who incidentally is a close friend of the family with whom I interviewed), 3 stellar letters of recommendation, and my easy and outgoing personality. I thought for sure I had it in the bag. They affirmed all the same things on the phone with me yesterday, but the candidate that they chose had one thing I did not . . . experience in the college counseling field. While I know this would have been something I could have learned quickly, their immediate need was to find someone who could just step right in with little hands-on training. They have assured me that they were very pleased with me and that my resume will remain on file in case other jobs open up at the school. I'll be very honest . . . I was heartbroken. I've never wanted a particular job so bad in all my life. This one seemed SO perfect. But there's peace in knowing that if this wasn't the job for me, then there's something out there even better. It's difficult for me to imagine that right now, but it is true. Ever since my lay-off in December, our prayer has been that the Lord would bring me the perfect job (for me). When I say "perfect", I don't mean monetarily, I mean a job that is ideal for my qualifications and passions. One that I will enjoy going to every day. One that will enrich my life and fill me with a sense of pride and success. One where I would be valued. So, no we're back to playing the waiting game. Waiting on God to present to me the right opportunity at the right time. He will provide! "Lord, not my will, but YOURS be done."

Interview Wrap Up

At the request of my dear friend, Courtney, here is an update on how the interview went today. I arrived promptly at 9:27 a.m. First thing I had to do was sign in on the computer. I entered in my name and purpose of my visit and the little camera took my picture and printed out a sticker with my picture, name, date and time. I was so impressed - I've never seen anything like that before! I began the interview with Anne, the Director of Counseling (aka - my "boss"). We met briefly for the purpose of reviewing my interview schedule for the morning. From there I was escorted to the Upper School conference room to meet with the Guidance Counselor, Director of Technology, and Dean of Students. I then proceeded back to Anne's office for a more in-depth meeting with her and her Associate Director, Alex. I really enjoyed this meeting in particular b/c I was able to speak more freely and carry on more of a "conversation" vs. simply answering the panel's questions. Both Anne and Alex seem to be such wonderful people and everyone I met today sang their praises repeatedly. Afterwards, I met with the HR Administrator then back to the main office to meet with the Registrar and Dean of Academic Affairs. Finally, I met one last time with Anne to wrap things up and go over any last minute questions. By this point, I was exhausted from trying to sell myself to 10 different people and answering many of the same questions repeatedly, not to mention starving! But the interview itself went very well. I could tell that they were impressed by me and liked my personality. There were comments made that were evident that they thought I'd make a great addition to the team! Before we concluded the interview, Anne asked me if there was anything else that I wanted her to know about me or any final questions that I had - basically this was my last opportunity to sell myself to her. I told her, feeling rather comfortable there and very impressed on many levels with the school and the faculty itself, that I thought I would make a great addition to their staff and I would very much enjoy the position there. In essence, please hire me!!! She was pleased to hear this from me and thanked me for my boldness with her. They have to interview 4 more applicants over the next week and a half and told me they would be in touch with a final answer in 2 weeks. So, if the Lord wills it, this is where I will be every day from 7:30 - 4:00. My prayer this whole time since I've been laid off of work is that the next position I take will be one that I love and thoroughly enjoy being at. One that emphasizes my strengths, yet challenges me and motivates me every day. One that will not overtake my life and will allow me to continue to enjoy other hobbies and activities outside of work. This job at the Cannon School sounds like a perfect fit. And if it's not, then there's something out there even better (which, at this point, after the interview, is hard to imagine). So, as it has been said, "Lord, if this is not your will for me, then let this cup pass me by . . . " After 3 hours and 10 different "interviews", I am comfortable with the opportunities before me and am pleased that the 3-week "interview process" is finally over :)

Okay, business first - the interview went really well! I could tell that she thought I was a good fit for the job. She has asked me to really consider the job responsibilities seriously and let her know in a couple of days whether or not I prefer to move forward in the process. Once I confirm my interest with her, I will then have a second interview with the Dean of the school. Pending that goes well, I could have a job as early as next week.

Last night we decided to put Sadie in her house overnight instead of in the bed with us. Typically, we all sleep together as one big happy family, but for the last week Sadie has wandered during the night and ends up sleeping on top of me! Sadie weighs about 40 pounds, so with all that extra weight on me, I'm practically immobile which makes for very uncomfortable sleeping! So we broke down and decided to put her in her house (crate). It's was a very sad night :( Usually before we even go to bed, Sadie is already snuggling on the floor, wrapped up in a blanket, and most of the time either Chris or I are snuggling with her. So that sweet time before bed last night just made it even more difficult to put her in her cold house all alone on a totally separate floor from the rest of us :( When we got upstairs, we both agreed that it felt like we were those empty-nester parents who's children move away to college and we're left all alone. Now, I know what you are thinking, and yes, we did still have Autumn in the bed with us, but Autumn curls up inside her doughnut and doesn't move all night. While Sadie stretches out beside you and actually spoons with you :) A lot of the time she'll also curl up inside our "nook" and snuggle with us. So without her, it felt like a big empty bed :( I know this all sounds completely ridiculous because they are, after all, just dogs . . . but they are definitely our babies and we just love them SO much!



The weatherman is calling for snow tonight and tomorrow. Omigosh! I really hope so!!! It's been SO long since we've seen snow and I'm dying to see snow!!! PLUS, Sadie has never seen snow, so that will fun to watch her play in it!

On Friday we had the awesome opportunity to babysit our buddy, Cameron, for our friends Pat & Amelia. We just LOVE spending time with Cameron - he's such a blast to hang out with! Here are some pics from our time together.

It's been a while since we last blogged, so I though I should catch you up on these last few weeks. After 2 weeks, I have finally nailed down a phone interview with the Director of College Counseling at the Cannon School in Concord. I am interviewing for the job as Administrative Assistant to that Department. It sounds like a lot of responsibility, but for the most part, it's all stuff I've done before (with slight alterations), so I think I could be great at this job! I get the impression that this department is quite overwhelmed right now, so she's asked if we could do a phone interview over the weekend. This is certainly not my first choice, but it seems to be what works best for her (and it's all about pleasing her at this stage in the process). My "interview" is at 1:30 today. The school is less than 5 miles from my house and is directly in between our house and Chris' office. Not to mention that it's across the interstate from my "regular" shopping center, so I could tend to all my errands after work without any inconvenience. I'm LOVING the idea of a school schedule as well - 7:00 - 3:00 M-F / ALL federal holidays off/spring break, summer vacation, etc. This still allows me to work on my sewing projects on the side! This could be great for us! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much b/c I don't know many specifics of the job yet, but from a distance, it seems perfect.

Secondly, Chris' birthday is in 3 weeks! He'll turn the big 3-0!!!! This is a big birthday in someone's life and we are definately celebrating!!! We're still working out the details, but we're thinking about having a small party at our house (just Chris' close friends) and then go bowling!!! His favorite candy bar is Butterfinger, and I have a recipe for Butterfinger cake, so that's what he's requested I make for the party! I'm working on a special gift for him (that I obviously cannot disclose yet), and I really hope he likes it! YAY for birthdays! They're my favorite days of the year!!!

Last week I started a new Bible Study with the beautiful ladies in my Sunday School Class called "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. Basically, it's all about acknowledging what other gods we worship in some way everyday and learning to put them aside for the glory of our Heavenly Father. Some idols can be small (like media, food, etc.) while others can be huge (like infertility, spouses, etc.). This will be a good study for me as I am always struggling with inadvertently making pregnancy/babies/family my idols.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend! Until next time . . .

My Meltdown/New Business Opportunity (sorry to combine the two)

Bear with me here, it's been a rough day and I need to get this out! Most of the time, I feel like I'm a pretty strong person. I fully understand the reality of my struggles with infertility, and most days I can confidently say that while each day provides struggles of its own, I can usually face them head on knowing that I can surrender it to God and not have to endure too many moments of weakness on my own. But lately, it's been harder and harder for me to get through the day without some sort of mental or emotional breakdown. Literally, every single day for the last week I have received news of more people I know finding out that they're pregnant. It's almost laughable now because it's so ridiculous! I am literally unable to feel any sort of joy for these people because it seems that all my joy is robbed by their news. When does it stop? When will it be possible for me to wake up each morning and not have to face this nonsense anymore? And what is even more laughable is that I'm not even in a position to apply for adoption anymore since it is SO expensive and I have no job. Great! I'm just so tired of it all! If God has given me this dream to have children and raise a family, then why is He also making it impossible for me to fulfill it? How do you pick up and move on after what feels like the death of a dream?

On a more positive note (and thank you for letting me vent my frustrations up there!!!), I received an email today from my old boss saying that he has a friend in the education system in Concord who is looking for an Admin, and he thinks I'd be perfect for the job. YAY! Even if it's just an interview, at least it's something! It's also nice to know that my fellow CJS'ers are still thinking about me in my time of need! The work schedule and vacation schedule is wonderful within the education system! I've primarily been looking for a job that is either part-time, or just enough hours to not overwhelm me yet still provide a decent income. Over the last several weeks, since I've had the time off, I've been doing a lot of sewing and designing and finally agreed to build my own small business on the side. Chris has been a huge help in doing this and we are really excited, yet intimidated, by the opportunity. The business is called "Simply Divine" and it's a small boutique of homemade baby items (blankets, burp cloths, bibs, paci clips, onesies, etc.). I've been working on the website and hope to have it completed and published by the end of the week. I have to sew several more items to post on the website before I can release it, hence a full week dedicated to sewing! But I love it, it's fun, it's challenging, and I feel like I'm doing something important and still contributing in a small way to our home.

The interview went well yesterday. It was pretty quick - like 20 minutes! I sort of felt unprepared in that I went into this interview expecting to discuss my professional qualifications and career goals, but most of the time was spent discussing our personal interests. First thing she said to me was "Tell me about yourself." She wanted to know what my hobbies were, what I did for fun, how Chris and I met, our families, etc. She said she was already aware of my qualifications and didn't feel like she needed to interview me on that alone, but she wanted to know who I am as a person. It certainly made me think and I was definately caught off guard. It's not so easy to talk aout yourself for 20 minutes to someone who is, in essence, judging you to see if you're a good fit for their company.

We left it at she'll contact me after the holidays when her current assistant moves to Charleston and will have more information to provide at that time.

In the meantime, I'm certainly enjoying staying at home, resting, and enjoying those hobbies I haven't had much time for these last couple of years. Today I will be making special Chritmas gifts for the women in my family and wrapping gifts to place under the tree . . . what fun!

OH! And we finally put up our Christmas tree last night! Most people decorate their tree to the tune of commercial Christmas music or while watching their favorite Christmas movie, but not the Harrell's . . . we decorate our tree to the tune of NFL football! A little something for us both :)

Interview

I emailed a business contact this morning (completely on a whim) to see if she had any employment opportunities at her firm. To my surprise, she thanked me for contacting her and asked her assistant to arrange a meeting between us on Monday (12/8) at 2:00 pm. This particular lady, Emma Littlejohn, is a good friend of my old boss Brian Jenest, and I had the pleasure of working with her occasionally through Brian over the years. I ask for your prayers as I continue to seek the Lord's direction through this.

Emma's website is www.thelittlejohngroup.com in case you want to check out what I'm interviewing for.

Will keep you posted . . .

The Time Has Come

The inevitable has finally happened. I think I've been denying the reality of this economic "crisis" and its effects on ColeJenest and Stone for a while now. It can't be ignored anymore. I was laid off yesterday, for the first time in my life. I sat in that awkward conference room with 10 of my fellow co-workers listening to my boss(es) explain that it wasn't a personal decision, in fact it was a very difficult decision, but the power of the dollar was more valuable than our contributions to the firm, and they had no other choice but to let us all go. No matter how hard you try, you can't help but take it personally, even just a little bit. I knew it was coming, but I was shocked to find myself included in this group. They said that in my case in particular, 80%-90% of my time was considered overhead and not billable time, and they couldn't afford to keep a full-time overhead employee on staff any longer. Even though this was understood among us all when I accepted the position of Executive Assistant over a year ago, I was laid off in spite of it anyways.

BUT! The great news is that I now have the time to do so many things that I never had the time for before. There's the obvious hobbies: reading, sewing, crafting, cleaning, etc., but I'm most excited about all the time that I get to dedicate to the Lord and His service. He's been changing my heart for months and I never had the time to dedicate back to Him or to the calling that He's placed on my life. He provided such an awesome way for me to leave my current situation and press on to what He has in store for me by allowing me the monetary comforts that I'm used to (severance/benefits/unemployment) so that it's not a drastic change for us.

I'm not even sure what it is exactly that I am meant to do, but I know that it's in ministry - perhaps even missions - and I'll just continue to pray for direction and guidance during this process and be available for whatever He has in store for me. The great hope I have now is that whatever His plan is for me and whatever "job" is out there waiting for me, it is SO much greater than I had in the past or that I can fathom right now. And I'm so excited to know that in His perfect time I will be living my life according to His perfect plan for me and my family. What an amazing opportunity that has been placed before me!

Stay tuned . . . awesome things are bound to happen . . .

Full Update on the Harrell's

Okay, so I realize that it's been a while since I actually wrote about the important things in our life. SO I thought it was about time that I caught everyone up. First, there's our jobs. Chris is still doing fantastically (don't think that's actually a word) at Granite Contracting. Fortunately, his job is not in jeopardy so far during this "economic downturn" - they're still doing fairly well given the circumstances. My job, however, is not so secure. While I thought we were doing fine, I was told otherwise last week. It seems that there are so many companies that we have done work for that our struggling financially right now and cannot pay us for the jobs that have been done. Our accounts receivables are in the red by approx. $700,000 to date. This means many things for our office. In light of our industry being hit hard during this "recession", the Partners of our firm do not foresee it getting any better for us in the near future (we're talking potentially 3rd quarter of 2009). Therefore, as a means of maintaining staff and not being forced to lay off employees (especially at the holidays), the managerial staff made the decision to cut back hours/salaries by 10% beginning this week. In addition, we cannot count on our annual holiday bonus or salary raises next year. YIKES!!! It's an adjustment for us all. So, my new schedule at work will be a 4 day work week alternating between taking off Monday's and Friday's. Now, I know this seems quite nice - having an extended weekend every weekend - but it also means that, as a result of everyone having to change their schedules, I'll be required to take back on a lot more responsibility that is currently distributed across my whole team to ensure that all staff are covered by an admin at all times. So, not only will I continue on with my current rsponsibilities (that are so numerous I can't even begin to write them all down), but I'll resume team work and reception duties as well - all in a condensed work week. I do not see this going well for us, me especially, but if I want to keep my job, it's something that I HAVE to do. Ugghhh!!! The super good news is, every 2 weeks I'll actually have Friday AND Monday off!!!

Now, on to the "juicy" stuff :) We have completed 3 rounds of fertility treatments (intra-uterine insemination) and sadly, none have been successful. No one can tell us why it's not working. Every time we go in for the procedure they tell us both that we're looking really good and everything is in place for a successful insemination. We have one last try beginning this week. Many of our friends who have gone through the same procedures have had success on their last try. This, by no means, ensures that we will experience that same success - but we are hopeful. We have already begun receiving the paperwork and portfolio's from many local adoption agencies in case our last round of treatment does not work. My doctor will meet with us at the conclusion of our treaments to discuss where to go from there. Per my discussion with a nurs on Friday, we still are several steops away from In Vitro, which only means that there are still other options for us to explore if we are willing. 2 options that she briefly mentioned were taking another type of fertility drugs or we could proceed on to another kind of fertility shots. So, we'll know in about 4 weeks if this is an avenue we'll be walking down or not. While Chris and I are both extremely open to the idea of adoption (either domestic OR foreign), it can cost anywhere from $16,000 - $50,000 per child and that's the part we are most fearful of. Not to mention how long the process can take. If we were to adopt, it is highly likely that we will not be placed with a child while it is a newborn . . . we will miss out on those firsts few precious months of life. That makes me sad, but I can move forward from that. In all honesty, one of the things I am most fearful of is that this adopted child will not be as loved or accepted in our families as would a biological child. This is a common fear for all prospective adopting parents - but it's also a very legitimate one. We feel the prssure from our families to have a child of our own, but sometimes that's just not the Lord's plan. And my biggest desire is that our families will grow to love and accept our adopted baby just as if it were our biological offspring. If you ask us, adopted chidren are sometime more special than biological children. It will be such a privilege for us to have the opportunity to embrace and raise a child that was otherwise be discarded from someone else who would not be able love them like we would. After all, we are called to look after the widows and the orphans in this life. We know it would please God for us to accept this calling.

We are looking forward to the holidays. It's been a while since we spent any real time with our families and we are certainly anxious to get away and do just that. For the first time in a long time, I am actually excited about Christmas! I've already got the Christmas music going and the "spirit" in our house (much to Chris' demise). I'm sure it will be lovely holiday season for us this year (despite all the items mentioned above).

Charlotte Heart Walk

On Saturday, Chris and I joined a few of my co-workers (and approx. 10,000 strangers) in Uptown Charlotte for the annual 2008 Start! Charlotte Heart Walk. This campaign focused on raising awareness for heart disease and stroke. We were very successful in exceeding our goal of raising $500 for the American Heart Association. The weather was gorgeous (a cool 58 degrees) and everyone brought their kids and dogs - it was such a lovely event to be a part of.

Lost Souls

On Friday I was granted the "privilege" of riding the train in to Raleigh with 15 other co-workers to visit our Raleigh Office/Projects. The day was actually quite lovely - we had a wonderful meal waiting for us when we arrived, we walked down Fayetteville Street Mall and learned all about the history and its future, drove through several of our existing projects, and finished our time in Raleigh office with drinks at a local sidewalk cafe/restaurant (I met my parents for coffee instead). When we got back to the train station, we were informed that our train had been delayed an hour and a 20 minutes. So, since we would now be travelling through the dinner hours, we headed down the street to a nearby restaurant. I enjoyed a filling garden salad while the rest of my peers boozed it up at the bar :) 45 Minutes later, here comes a train . . . it had number 61 on it and we were on number 79, so we were sure that it wasn't our train. Turns out, it was . . . and I had to run to catch the train! We almost didn't make it! It was exciting and terrifying all at the same time! However, just when I thought I was settling in for a nice, quiet trip back to Charlotte, my co-workers pulled out the "Secret" bottles of top shelf liquor and proceeded to get drunk - the whole 3 hours back to Charlotte! I was in misery! I could not believe what I was seeing. They were acting like ridiculous, foolish, loud, obnoxious, arrogant LOST people . . . and it broke my heart. Somehow, I have managed to avoid those types of encounters my whole life, but there was no avoiding this one. Not only was I shocked and furious at their behavior while on a business trip (representing ColeJenest and Stone), but I was so sad for them because I realize that they are just trying to fill an empty void in their lives - a need that only Jesus can meet. I got off the train and immediately began to pray for them all the way home as I knew they would be getting into their cars and drunkenly driving to their next destination (which, from what I could tell, would just be another stop on this party train). I haven't stopped praying for them - or me - ever since. It became very clear to me that night that this place where I work, where I spend 10 hours a day with non-believers, this place is my mission field. I am responsible for being "salt and light" to them as instructed in Matthew 5:13-16. This is a huge responsibility - but I know I have the necessary support to see it through. Please be praying for me as I attempt to set myself apart from my co-workers and live out a pleasing testimony of God's grace, faithfulness, fulfillment, and salvation.

On a lighter note, I think I'm gonna start a book club! Just a little club of girls where we read a different book each month, get together once a month over coffee and tea (and appetizers), and discuss the book. I'm still trying to figure out the logistics . . . but it could be super fun! I think I might start with this book:



Let me know if you're interested . . .

Update: Charlotte Heart Walk

I'm happy to report that we have now surpassed our goal for the heart walk (despite what the barometer to the right says). A very special co-worker (who asks to remain anonymous) donated $150 to our campaign. In addition, my boss donated another $25. These are both "off-line donations" so they don't get included in the total amount raised until all monies are turned in. This should by no means halt any further donations! One thing to keep in mind is that our original goal was $500, but it was looking as if that goal was unreachable at the time, so I lowered the amount to $300. I still maintain that we did, in fact, meet our goal (of $300), but to match $500 would be a personal triumph!

What A Week!

This week has proven to be a very busy one for us. Chris kicked off softball season (for the 3rd year in a row) on Monday, scheduling consistent weekly practices (2 times a week) until the games start in a few weeks. Then, instead of practices, they'll have 2-3 games per week. He officially accepted the job offer with Granite on Tuesday (YEAH!!!!), so we celebrated over a bucket of crab legs and sweet potato fries with our good friends, Rob and Kelly. We didn't get home until late that night. Then, last night was my friend, Amy's, birthday. So the girls all got together for dinner and a movie after work. We saw "What Happens in Vegas" - hilarious movie! I laughed SO hard! It was after midnight before I got home. Needless to say, I was exhausted when they alarm went off at 5:00 AM this morning! Chris has another practice again tonight and I've got to shop for a wedding present after work for our friends who are getting married this weekend. Tomorrow I'll work till 1:00, then will meet my friend, Tricia, for coffee at 3:00, the off to see Sex and the City (again) at 4:00. This has been the busiest week - I'm taking it easy next week - no plans after work - I just cannot function without my 10 hours of sleep a night! :)

Chris and I have big plans for our weekend! We've been putting this off for months, but I cannot take it any longer! Our good friends, Ryan and Valerie, got the brilliant idea to sand and paint their bedroom furniture to make it look brank new all over again - and it looks great! So, in true Harrell fashion, we are following their lead and plan to do the same with our bedroom furniture this weekend! Right now, the furniture is brown, but it doesn't go well with the colors of our bedroom. So we're painting the furniture black and replacing the hardware with brushed nickel (we currently have gold hardware). It's gonna be fabulous - I'll try and remember to take pictures of it and post them when we're done.

As a side note, it would seem that our "luxury highrise" office has become infested with Palmetto bugs (aka LARGE cockroaches). One even fell from the ceiling onto my friends desk in front of her - I would have had a heart attack!!! I have to wonder, how does a highrise get bugs like these? Especially when your office is on the 14th floor!!! I'm disgusted! I manage our office facilities and this is quite disturbing news to me! However, despite my best efforts to inform our property management about this, I'm pretty sure they're choosing to do nothing about it (or at least as little as possible). YUCK!!!

As you can see on the right side of the page, Chris and I have raised $100 towards our goal for the heart walk! YEAH!!! Keep 'em coming, it's for a GREAT cause!!! Thanks to those of you who have contributed so far! You're the best!!!

Join us in our efforts to support American Heart Association - Charlotte, NC!

Chris and Melody are helping the American Heart Association fight the nation's leading causes of death by participating in the Start! Heart Walk. Step out against heart disease and stroke by supporting their efforts. Please consider making a donation so they can reach their walker dollar goal. Chris and Melody recognize that they could not do this without your help and they want to thank you in advance for your financial support, encouragement and friendship as they seek to raise awareness for heart disease and stroke. God Bless!

You can donate online using the link to the right of the page. Please help support us in this cause!

Change

Over the last couple of months, we've gone through some pretty significant changes - worth mentioning. For the last 5 years, Chris has been away from home so much that I'm amazed at how solid our marriage has proven to be in retrospect. It's never easy when you don't have that quality time together each day and your communication becomes stagnant and almost void at times as a result. We've been working through this since the day we were married and I'm glad to report that things are finally stabilizing for us. Chris' new job has revealed to us the importance of a normal work schedule and the effects it has on our family. Right now, at this stage in our life together, it feels like we're in a totally new place. I joke around with friends saying that we're finally getting to experience that "honeymoon" phase that we were so reluctantly robbed of for the last 5 years. Each morning is new and exciting and has so many more possibilities than it's ever had before. I love how we relate to each other now. It's like we're remembering all over again what it was that made us fall in love with each other from the very beginning. Not to mention the unbelievable reality that I'm married to my very best friend in this world - the man who knows me, loves me and accepts me for all that I am - flaws and all. How gratifying is that?!

We've thoroughly enjoyed our new morning and evening schedules. Take this past week for example. I'm up at 5:30 with my cup of coffee and my Bible, beginning my day in the very best way. Then gradually Chris wakes up, then the dogs, and the whole house is buzzing! We get ready for work, I pack our lunches, make our "to-go" cups of coffee, grab a pop-tart or muffin for the road, then book it to the car by 7:15 so as not to miss my bus at 7:30. Chris drops me off, kisses me good-bye, then drives in to the office (only 5 minutes away). In the evening, he picks me up at the bus stop at 6:15, we come home, feed the dogs, cook dinner, then have the whole rest of the night to look forward to spending together. Chris even has time to work in the yard after he gets home at night - which has almost never happened before! Not to mention, he's now around to help with cleaning up after dinner, folding the laundry and helping take care of our dogs. I realize that this is the "norm" for most people - who would've thought I would be so excited to be this "normal"?

Needless to say, we're very pleased with where we are in our life together right now. Sometimes God's plan can be so mysterious and we have trouble seeing beyond our current circumstances. But the truth is, He never loses sight of His dreams for our life - even when we do. So it all comes down to faith. Paul describes this state of mind perfectly when he instructs in Romans that " . . . we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." (Romans 5:3-5)

Administrative Professionals Day!

So, today went WAY better than anticipated! Obviously, since I'm blogging about this, I have good news to report. Keeping in mind that last year there was almost no recognition of this special day, I had very low expectations. However, it turns out the the employees of ColeJenest and Stone must value me a whole lot more than I give them credit for. As I approached my office this morning, sat down in my chair and logged in to my computer, I received an email informing me that the civic team had provided breakfast for the admin team this morning in recognition of the "holiday." WOW - that was super! Muffins, fruit, danishes, juice - it was so lovely! Especially because I hadn't yet had breakfast and I was starving! Throughout the morning there were several well-wishes, many "thank you's," and "this office could not function without you" (which was my personal favorite). All lovely sentiments to hear. When I got back from lunch, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my desk from the Partners, Brian and Dudley. Now this was truly unexpected. Dudley was spending the day in our Raleigh office (though he did call to wish me a happy admin professionals day) and Brian was wrapped up in meetings all day - so how they snuck this one by me I'll never know. Seeing as I'm their personal assistant and I know I didn't order these flowers for myself, I'm curious as to how they got it done! :) Later in the day, I received a gift card from my direct supervisor, Alison, to a really cool store in Southend called Paper Skyscraper. And then, to top it all off, a co-worker (Marie) honored me with a peanut butter and chocolate brownie from Dean and Deluca. What a wonderful day! 364 days out of the year, administrative professionals are so under-appreciated, but on this one day out of the year, we feel very blessed! I was amazed at the thoughtfulness that came from my co-workers today - it was truly a great day to be an Executive Administrative Assistant!

We've been so busy lately that I haven't even had a chance to share our good news. After two long months of waiting and being patient, Chris has finally found a job! He is now a full-time employee of Granite Contracting. I couldn't tell you exactly what he does there - some sort of combination of the assistant project manager's position stirred in with some surveying and GPS work. All that matters to me, is that he enjoys it! No more endless work hours and sky-high frustration - he seems to have found one that finally compliments his interests and highlights his strengths (while maintaining a "normal" work week). You can check out more at www.granitecontracting.com. "How did he find this great job?" you might ask. Well, there is a couple in our Sunday School class that we have become very good friends with (Ryan and Valerie Haynes). Valerie is an Engineer at ColeJenest and Stone and got me my job there almost 2 years ago. Her husband, Ryan, is the Controller for Granite Contracting (he also is the owner's nephew). So there's the obvious answer right there. In addition, while Chris was still working at SSC Construction, he assisted in building an addition onto Steve Cosper's house and office. Steve is the Owner of Granite Contracting. So, in a way, they had already worked together in the past - enough for Chris to make an impression on Steve so that, inevitably, he would be offered a position within Granite. Or you could just say that the Lord provided the right job at the right time. So we are very thankful for this recent development and look forward with great anticipation to the things still yet to come as a result.

As a side note, tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day! Seeing as I am considered an "Administrative Professional," I am very excited! I discreetly added this special occasion to all my bosses calendars and sent them a friendly email reminder on Friday. I guess we'll have until tomorrow to know if it paid off! Let's just say, I'll either have wonderful, happy things to blog about tomorrow, or nothing at all. Here's hoping it's the first option of the two . . .

The bus is still going well for me. I noticed today that gas on our exit is up to $3.54/gallon - so the bus is going excellently for me! How can I not be pleased with saving all that money! One of these days I'll remember to turn in my parking pass so that I can save an additional $75/mo. - Think of all the new spring/summer clothes I can buy with that in my pocket! Well, probably not as much as I'd like - but maybe a new dress or blouse perhaps?

My sister called the other day and tells me that she is already 33 weeks preggers . . . and I have to ask "where did all that time go???" In all three pregnancies, I have yet to actually see her "pregnant" (in the true sense of the word), so while I know that she is, in fact, pregnant, I have yet to actually witness it myself! It's like one day she tells me she's having a baby, then the next day (which only seems like a few short months later), I have a new nephew/niece. It's crazy! I really hate being so far apart. When is the Air Force gonna station them back in NC??? I mean, really . . . hasn't 7 years been long enough!

Chris and I leave in about a week and a half to spend the weekend in Ocean Isle with our friends. We are SO looking forward to this little retreat from real life! I'm just hoping that the weather is beautiful - the last 2 times we had weekend trips to the beach, the weather was terrible and rainy and it was a complete waste of time and money. I'm sure I'll bring back many new pictures to post!

Well, I guess that's all I have to blog about today. Hopefully I'll have happy news to report tomorrow . . . :)

Co-workers

I am always so amazed at the sense of self-entitlement that surrounds me each day through my coworkers. Yesterday was especially impressive. I just cannot understand how someone feels they have the right to question authority or complain about procedures that, perhaps, they do not agree with fully. For example, part of my responsibilities at work is to oversee the management of our flat files/archiving for all CJS-Charlotte projects. This is a pretty big undertaking. We recently have changed our policy regarding this particular issue and every time I send out reminders or try to enforce these new standards, I get questioned on it - mostly by the "higher-up's" in the office. And I guess this frustrates me most because these are the people who are supposed to be leaders within our organization. And if they can't follow protocol without complaining or feeling that it's an injustice to them, then how can we expect the rest of the office (underneath them) to follow? It's almost like these people feel like they're too good or too important to follow company policy and that they are immune to it whenever it's inconvenient for them. How does a person get to be that way? To me, it's black and white. These are the standards - you either follow them or there are consequences for your choices. And the problem is, this reflects poorly on me. It is my job to make sure every employee in the office knows and adheres to our company policies, and if I'm constantly second-guessed or questioned, then it makes me look like I can't handle my job. This really drives me crazy! Why can't people just suck it up and do what's right - regardless of their position within the firm? The manual doesn't state "all employees must abide by the company standards - except for project managers, team managers, principals or corporate." There is no exception to this rule. I don't question your choices or the way you handle your responsibilities - so do not question mine. We're each put in our particular position for a reason, so let's help each other be proficient at our jobs and not act like 5-year olds!

I just LOVE corporate America!!!

I DID IT!

So, I finally bit the bullet and took the bus to work! My first trip was on Wednesday. It was great, I really liked it! I was very nervous at first, there's a lot to be concerned about when riding a city bus. But, inevitably, all my apprehensions were put to rest after that first ride in on wednesday morning. Sure, there's some scheduling issues that will need to be worked out, but ultimately, it's still nice being chauffered between home and work everyday!

There are 2 things that I really want to do: 1) learn sign language and 2) speak fluent French. Now, I dabbled with both when I was in high school, but I haven't done much of either of them since then. Th problem is, where can I find the time to learn both languages? Moreover, where can I go that will teach me for free? Sometimes the local YMCA will teach classes like these . . . I will need to investigate further. I've also decided to look more seriously at the local transportation system within our fair city. Charlotte has many city buses and a tram system that provides public transportation to almost anywhere in the Queen City. Since we are temporarily operating off of one salary, it is imperative that we cut costs wherever possible. For the last month, Chris has been dropping me off and pickng me up from work (as we are currently down to only one vehicle in the family). This has been such a treat and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have him do this for me! However, the trip is rather far and we're using twice as much gas as before. On a normal day, it's a 45 minutte trip from our house (in Concord) to Uptown Charlotte. But if there's an accident or construction, it can take up to 1 1/2 hours just to get to work. Then, once I finally get to Uptown, I have to park 6 blocks away from the office and walk almost a mile (in all weather conditions) just to get into my building. There's a good reason for this . . . the waiting list for a parking spot for all business professionals who work uptown is 2 years or more, not to mention a monthly fee of at least $100 just to park your car all day. So, in protest, I park in a little cement lot 6 blocks outside of the city that only costs $75/mo and is currently available to me now. The sacrifices we make!!! I can't complain too much, though - the walk to and from work is rather nice (not because it's such a beautiful atmosphere - far from it, actually - but because of the excercise it adds to my otherwise too busy schedule to excercise! So, in essence, if I take the bus from Concord to work everyday, automatically we will save money on gas and parking. It will still be somewhere around $100/mo to ride the bus (since it's dual-county), but we'll be saving hundreds in gas/parking - so it must be worth it, right? It's so frickin' expensive to live in Charlotte!!! I'm beyond ready to move back to Raleigh where life is slower and more affordable (though growing less and less everyday according to my dad).

Yesterday I began our Spring cleaning! I love when this time of year comes around - though it would have been a tremendous motivator if the weather actually felt like Spring yesterday! I began with cleaning out and re-organizing all the cabinets/drawers in our house. What a feat! It's amazing how much stuff you can collect and stash in inconspicuous places, then forget that you put it there, only to find it a year later in your spring cleaning! I threw out a bunch of old stuff and it feels so good!!! I LOVE to clean - it's very therapeutic for me - and I've needed a lot of "therapy" lately! :)

Happy Spring!!!