Today marked a major milestone for our young family. It was the first day of my early/temporary retirement. After careful thought and grueling deliberation over the past several months I finally made the decision to put my career on hold to devote my attention to our boys, my husband and managing our family life. This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made because it meant putting something on hold I've worked very hard to attain. Not, to mention the degree my parents saved tirelessly for and worked so hard to help me achieve without a cent of student loans.
Nonetheless, Brian and I know this is the best thing for our family. Speaking of Brian...knowing me like he does and respecting my need for independence he knew this was a decision I had to make on my own. For all the nights I was traveling - 60-75 per year - he was there rushing through his busy day to do everything he could to be home with the boys as much as his work schedule would allow. He knew the decision was a process for me and was very patient while I battled with my desire for perfection at being a wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, daughter-in-law, etc, as well as climbing the career ladder while being an exemplary employee. While I had all the bases covered, I never felt like I was doing any of it just right. A very wise woman told me once, "Abby, you can have it all, but sometimes we have to accept we just can't have it all at the same time." Right she was.
Anyway, back to the career tribute. I really enjoyed my career and was fortunate to land a great job with a well-established event media publishing company that - 7 years ago - was on the cusp of major growth and evolution. In those 7 years I had the opportunity to work in many roles from project management to operations management and to witness the rise of a company from 100 employees to 500 through acquisitions and then back to 100 again through devestiture.
Every day brought new challenges and incredible lessons in effective communication, problem solving, budget/profit analysis, marketing, sales, production and content development. Along the way I was humbled and blessed to work with some of the very best in the business within the company and as clients. Yes, there were days - like every job or career - when I wanted to jump out the sixth floor window, but - all-in-all - no amount of money (although the money was nice) could replace the experiences and lessons learned.
One of the owners used to have us complete a "Plus/Delta" analysis after client meetings and other big events. The "plus" accounted for all the things that went well. The "deltas" were things to change/do differently next time, etc. The plus/delta for my career is short, I wouldn't change a thing.
In 3, 5 or 10 years, I know without a doubt the plus/delta of our decision for me to be a constant force in our family life will be just the same - I wouldn't change a thing.
I am looking forward to this new challenge and opportunity. I'm not naive enough to think there won't be days I wish I could drop the boys at daycare and escape to the world of bid meetings, project fact sheets and conference calls. Nurturing, teaching and fostering love and kindness in children 24/7 is an endless task. God has entrusted and blessed me with three boys that need me now more than any other job could and the pay I receive will be in the lessons they learn, the experiences we share, the simple moments of play, each new concept they grasp and the people they become. So here's to new beginnings and the start of a great new adventure.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A little intro, please...
This is where our blog begins. A simple post to kick things off. A bit of an introduction....
We are a family of four...soon to be five. I am grossly outnumbered in a house full of five boys (cat included).
Brian and I recently celebrated our 11th anniversary - since our first date that is. Life has changed unbelievably in those 11 years. Back in 1999 I was an aspiring journalism student living it up in college. Brian was just kicking off a long journey in medical school. We kept running into each other in all the places college students like to go to avoid studying and decided to give dating a shot.
In a matter of months we were practically inseparable and hoping and dreaming of what life would bring. Life has brought us tremendous blessings, interesting adventures and challenges to help us grow. That pretty much covers the start. The blog will tell the rest of the story in time.
Fast forward from 1999 (and past many great adventures and challenges) to 2005 to meet our baby boy blessing #1 - Brayden. From day one this guy has been full of energy, inquisitive and - lets call it - independent. He has a personality and diverse interests all his own. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up his response is always "A farmer and a doctor." He is truly influenced and in awe of two of the men he loves most in the world - Papa G and his daddy. Brayden loves books, his Case pedal tractor, superheros, Legos, and his mama (hey, being the blogger has its privileges.)
Now, meet our sweet baby boy blessing #2 - Grayson. I call him sweet Grayson because he has an easy-going personality, smiles a lot and is just an all around loving boy. Each day he runs into daycare, finds his teacher and gives her a big hug. Who can't fall in love with that over and over. It just melts my heart. He adores animals, big brother and his pacifier and blanket. Grayson’s most important milestone last year was being baptized. He recently expanded his vocabulary to include such popular words as "tank you"- which means thank you, “mine”, “no”, “moo”, “papa” and “pink”.
It amazes me how different our boys are. It is fun to see and experience their similarities and differences as they grow and learn with each passing day. I want to cherish each day with them and look forward to seeing what baby boy blessing #3 will be like.
There is no greater blessing in life than the love a`nd laughter of children. Being so blessed to have two sweet boys - with a 3rd due in May - brings unmeasurable joy to our lives. We give thanks for our boys everyday and pray that we guide them to be loving, kind, compassionate, hardworking, Christian-stewards.
We are a family of four...soon to be five. I am grossly outnumbered in a house full of five boys (cat included).
Brian and I recently celebrated our 11th anniversary - since our first date that is. Life has changed unbelievably in those 11 years. Back in 1999 I was an aspiring journalism student living it up in college. Brian was just kicking off a long journey in medical school. We kept running into each other in all the places college students like to go to avoid studying and decided to give dating a shot.
In a matter of months we were practically inseparable and hoping and dreaming of what life would bring. Life has brought us tremendous blessings, interesting adventures and challenges to help us grow. That pretty much covers the start. The blog will tell the rest of the story in time.
Fast forward from 1999 (and past many great adventures and challenges) to 2005 to meet our baby boy blessing #1 - Brayden. From day one this guy has been full of energy, inquisitive and - lets call it - independent. He has a personality and diverse interests all his own. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up his response is always "A farmer and a doctor." He is truly influenced and in awe of two of the men he loves most in the world - Papa G and his daddy. Brayden loves books, his Case pedal tractor, superheros, Legos, and his mama (hey, being the blogger has its privileges.)
Now, meet our sweet baby boy blessing #2 - Grayson. I call him sweet Grayson because he has an easy-going personality, smiles a lot and is just an all around loving boy. Each day he runs into daycare, finds his teacher and gives her a big hug. Who can't fall in love with that over and over. It just melts my heart. He adores animals, big brother and his pacifier and blanket. Grayson’s most important milestone last year was being baptized. He recently expanded his vocabulary to include such popular words as "tank you"- which means thank you, “mine”, “no”, “moo”, “papa” and “pink”.
It amazes me how different our boys are. It is fun to see and experience their similarities and differences as they grow and learn with each passing day. I want to cherish each day with them and look forward to seeing what baby boy blessing #3 will be like.
There is no greater blessing in life than the love a`nd laughter of children. Being so blessed to have two sweet boys - with a 3rd due in May - brings unmeasurable joy to our lives. We give thanks for our boys everyday and pray that we guide them to be loving, kind, compassionate, hardworking, Christian-stewards.
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