first day

And here I go. Off to my first day of work...

Thank you isn't enough to express my gratitude to 'you-all-know-who-you-are' for all the love, support and absolutely needed positive words of encouragement.

I hope one day I can do the same for you just when you need it.

I think some one needs to clean that mirror..

last day

Today is my last day at my 9 year job.

I am filled with many different feelings and emotions.
I am not sad. Not one little bit. No tears will flow today. I had flowers waiting for me on my old desk when I arrived at work this morning. It was really sweet. A thoughtful gesture that was frankly unexpected.

You see I have shut down here at work long ago, I withdrew from the daily gossip and political BS that goes along with every office or work place. I shut it right off except for my Terry. I realize that may not have been the healthiest of approaches. I was simply listening and giving into what my body told me I wanted. I was just unhappy here.

It has been quite the journey right from the beginning when I showed up at in the warehouse working for free as part of my Parts School work experience. After two weeks I managed to convince them to take me on full time. Thank goodness. I was surviving. I won't get into all of that again here though...the end of that chapter is here.

I no longer need to survive. I am walking out of these doors 9 years later with what I came looking for, a better me.

I may have a different last name (last name number four) then when I began this journey but I am leaving with what I started out looking for. That inner voice who used to scream at me to come out from way down deep inside is now riding proud on the outside of me. I am living out loud.

Onto the next chapter. I am pretty excited with a touch of anxious.


*NOTE: no eggs where injured in the making of this post...well, maybe just the blue one....

the making of our Easter eggs

Daniel, Nathan and I set out to create some AWESOME eggs..we had dye, crayons, colored sand, glue and stickers.

Freshly dipped eggs put aside to dry.

Some eggs let their natural design shine through.

Terry joined us later showing off his egg design skills.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

I think one of our eggs was confused. Maybe it was trying to tell us something...looook deeeeeperrrr..yeesssss..deeeeeeeperrrr Your eggs may hold your fortune. But what? Is there anyone out there who can read egg?

freeze,melt,snow,melt,freeze,melt,snow

... so the story goes. Winter 2010/11, you sure kicked our ass this year. Apparently your not done yet.

please stop.

A New Begining

After much (way to much) moaning, groaning, whining, and complaining the answer to "should I stay or should I go" back on October 7, 2009 came....I go. After 8 years it's time to move on. I feel a sense of relief, satisfaction, trepidation and excitement.

I can breath a big sigh of relief as well as look forward to not being tied to a desk every day.

I will be working at a Stationer store as an assistant (for now!) where employees having fun is up there on the priority list. I will be dealing with customers and getting in on the making and creating of some pretty great posters , manuals and what-not..... I am so looking forward to the intimacy that a small family owned business will bring. The communication, teamwork and need to ensure every one is happy with the understanding that it is that kind of an environment that will bring about the best results and product. A happy work place is an efficient work place....it's been a long time missing for me. Taking a leap of faith here, this wouldn't be possible without the support of my fantastic husband....I am not in survival mode anymore, I am in living mode. I just have to get through the next two weeks...it's going to be a heck of a ride. I'm already exhausted. It has definitely been a roller coaster of emotion since first spotting this job in the local news paper. Is this the right thing to do? Can we handle the cut back in wage? Can we work around the change in hours? How will I get through a day with out lunch with my husband? This is the right thing, we both feel it. *fingers crossed*

Choice

Choice consists of the mental process of judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one of them.

This is a word that has come up in my thoughts pretty prominently over the last couple of days. Whether its grocery shopping, picking out new shoes or not choosing not to change the colour of you hair for a job opportunity such as Tayler's recent choice.

She was faced with the opportunity to work at a job with an increase in pay but she chose not to accept so she can continue to express herself in the way she feels important to her.

She had a choice that many don't.

We have the choice.

I have the choice....sometimes those choices don't come as easy as I/we would like them too.

Do we choose between the high pay more stress which brings occasional extreme bits of fantasy pleasures like taking an exotic trip every year or so?

Or instead do we choose to forgo that possibility for the simple pleasure of everyday contentment with less disposable income?

In black and white the choice seems obvious. But emotionally the choice is a lot harder.

I don't have to choose between my child being fed or a roof over my head. I don't have to choose between living in a cardboard box or a plastic bag. I am fortunate to have the freedom of choice.

Even the the ones I think are the hard ones.