Looking for work...

I did it. I left my job. The job which I held for seven years at a company that I worked for for nearly 12. The job which caused me so much stress that I was not sleeping, getting ulcers, and worst of all, not enjoying my husband and daughter. I never wanted to go to work and spent more time at a doctor's office that at home or work. But worst of all, my health was not the reason I left. It was the people I worked with.

I will not go I to details as I am trying to put it all behind and make a fresh start...no dwelling on the past.

At first, when I told just a few people, I heard rumblings of...in this economy? Are you crazy? What will you do? Followed by congratulations and good for yous.

Believe me, this was not a decision that came lightly nor was it rash. It came after months of not sleeping or being able to think rationally. It came after long conversations with my husband. It came after looking at budgets. It came after realizing that while I worked there, I would never be able to put my family and friends first.

So now my current job is finding a new job. One that will allow me to do what I love and put my family and friends and even myself first. I am also finding much more time to spend with my daughter. Already I have been able to chaperone her field trip and attend her open house (for the first time in ever!)

I spend 4 to 5 hours a day researching and tailoring my resume. I call companies I am interested in as well as recruiters and temp agencies in search of the perfect job. Mind you, the perfect job is not perfect, it just allows me to be happy.

I will keep you up to date on my progress...

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Bring your daughter to work day?

This afternoon, my co-workers and I visited our new office space, just purchased this week. After decades of renting, we would finally be owners and we were pretty excited. Champagne toasts all around as we celebrated while inecting our new space.

So now the interesting part. This morning, my husband dropped me off at work so he could take my car in to the shop for its annual state safety inspection (yes, he is wondeful but that is for a different blog!) When it was time to head to the new space in the late afternoon, I hitched a ride with a friend/co-worker to the new space, knowing that I would be pickex up by my husband and daughter at the day's end.

I took this opportunity to bring my daughter to work. Many of my co-workers have watched her grow up (she is four and I have been there for 11 years - many saw me get married!) And wanted to see her.

You see, I am not one for bringing my child into my office on a regular basis. I feel work is for work and only on my occassional day off, do I bring her in so as not to interrupt my work or that of my co-workers.

Back to my story... We arrived at the new space and after a thorough tour from the current occupants and a champagne toast, we settled in for some conversation about the space, the move and storage. Just 30 minutes in, my husband texted me that they had arrived so I went out to meet them and returned to the space. My daughter was shy, as most 4 year olds are in a room full of people - only half who know her well.

After some brief hellos, we made our way out the door, saying our good-byes and wishing all a good weekend. Fast, simple and what I thought was uninterrupting. Of course, I was so wrong...

We didn't even get out of the office space when we hear, "why would she bring her daughter in here?" We stopped out of eyeshot but not out of earsbot to have a listen. A few kind co-workers expressed their happiness in seeing her and their surprise at how big she has gotten. Yet one not so nice person expresses the ridiculousnees of bringing your daughter to work.

Wow, really?

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The end of summer...already?

I can't believe it. Summer is almost over. I know, I know, it is still July. But it is almost the end of July. Our annual end of summer journey to Hilton Head is just a few weeks away, signaling the end of summer.

i feel like it hasn't been a real summer yet. When I was young. We spent our days and nights outside...only coming in when our parents called us for dinner. Nowadays, I find myself running home from work to pick up my daughter and getting home to make dinner. It is too hot to play outside so we spend our evenings building with legos or magnets or coloring for a short while before heading upstairs to brush our teeth, take a bath, read some books, and go to sleep. I feel like we haven't had a real summer yet.

Don't get me wrong. We have had a great summer. Swimming, birthday parties, playdates, weddings, weekend getaways. Wow, summarizing it, we have been busy, but still, it is passing by too fast.

Of course, the heat isn't helping. No afternoon playtime at school. Too hot to kick a ball around or run through the sprinkler. Power outages making it too hot at the office. I am ready for my end of summer vacation to get a break from the heat, routines, and weekend trips...but still not ready for the summer to end.

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