It’s Official

Remember that ambiguous part of my last post? The one where I talked about some possible changes? Well, it’s official, which means I can talk about it now.

About a month ago, I got a call from a friend, asking if I was interested in a possible position… one that she thought might offer some flexibility, but also be full time. That’s a big change going from a seasonal job that required 18 hours of office time per week as well as working from home. It’s been about 15 years since I worked full time in a “real” job. But there were still people she needed to talk to and get some facts straightened out.

A few weeks went by, and I really hadn’t thought much about it. I was busy with work and life, and I know my friend is always really busy with work and her own family. So last week when she called me, it kind of took me by surprise. She had talked to the VP and the other necessary people, and the possibility of a position became a reality.

I officially interviewed for the position Tuesday, got the official offer yesterday afternoon, and officially start today. Whoa! It’s all happening so fast! It’s both exciting and a little (lot) bit scary. I don’t really have a full grasp on what my job will actually entail. It’s one of those things that I will have to figure out as I go along. New software and systems, an industry in which I have no experience, and generally no clue what I’m doing or really what to expect. And this is no entry level position. How this all happened and how this landed in my lap is still a mystery to me. But my friend has faith in me, and I know that I’m a pretty quick study, so I’m trusting in myself that I’ll get the hang of it.

Things are going to be different for me in that I’ll have no Spring, Summer, or Fall breaks. However, there is something awesome about this job I’ve yet to mention.  I will spend the first couple of weeks going in daily for training (4-5 hrs per day), and after that I will be only going in a few times per week for a few hours, and the rest will be done from home. This kind of flexibility is unheard of for a full time position! PLUS, I will get benefits, like actual paid vacation and sick time… something that was not a part of my last job. I literally wasn’t able to leave town or go anywhere from December through March, which kinda sucked. And of course there is another upside to this new gig. Money. Having a job which gives me steady, year round income is pretty fab. Finally, having a college degree actually paid off for me. And while I’m a little ambivalent, this is a really great opportunity for me AND my family.

In my head, this is what I’ll look like at my new job:

The reality will probably look a lot more like this:

Guess it’s time to hit the shower and get ready for the rat race. Wish me luck, cuz I’m gonna need it.

I’m BAAACCCKKK

Not that I ever really went anywhere, and who knows how long it’ll last, but I’ll give it ago.

Where have I been? Was I doing a stint with Green Peace and was trapped under a blue whale for 6 months? Was I finally admitted to a mental institution (although it sometimes sounds good… maybe I’d get to sleep in!)? Or was I kidnapped by a Saudi prince who was just so enchanted with my beauty that he just HAD to have me? Fortunately nothing that exciting or dramatic happened… I’ve just been busy living life, or at lease surviving it.

Even though I’m still not a whale crushed, crazy princess, a lot has happened since I blogged last. I’m not going to do a write-up of everything because I don’t have time, and you don’t have the patience or interest. But here are some of the “highlights” of the past 5 months:

• Cracked tub+complete bathroom remodel=herniated disc (PAIN!), lots of blood, sweat, and more blood, infection in leg that lasted for 2 months due to a piece of tile lodged in my leg. Moral of the story? InstaCare dr’s really suck.
• Mr. Nickel had a pretty significant hernia, had to have surgery, and survived to tell about it.
• Christmas, New Years, Easter, etc… A handful of holidays have gone by. Our kids enjoy them all. Especially the new trampoline the Easter bunny left them! It’s been two whole days and no broken bones. Yet.
• More health problems. Pain, passing out, ER, large ovarian cyst, and then told I was in renal failure (that means my kidneys went psycho). Follow-up shows my kidneys are OK, but still have some “female” issues I’m dealing with. Hoping that they will be resolved soon.
• Work, work, work. Last week was my final week of office time (I still work from home). I’m soooooo glad that the ski season is over. I’m super burned out and super excited that I actually have some free time to do stuff I need and want to! Monday I actually caught up on laundry, Tuesday I met a friend for lunch… last minute!, and having more than 2 days in my week to run errands and get stuff done has been like unicorn dreams. I’m giddy with the prospect of having my life back.

There’s more stuff, but you get the gist.

I’ve been aching for warmer weather and the sun, and this past week has been wonderful! I’ve officially put my winter shoes away, and even if it’s 30 degrees outside, I will not give up my flip-flops until at least November. You would know how serious I am about this if you had seem me tromping through puddles this morning.  Now that my back is OK, it’s time to start some over zealous project. I’m looking at creating a new water feature for the yard, re-vamping our garden, and am busy planning our upcoming family reunion. LAKE POWELL… can’t wait!

I got an interesting call this week, which would create some changes for me. But it’s too early in the game to show my hand… if anything comes of it, and assuming I stick with blogging, I’ll clue you in 🙂