After a stressful week that drove me to tears yesterday, I remembered today why I love where I work. Over 50 people from five departments gathered in one room to surprise me with a baby shower, complete with a pot-luck breakfast, gifts and cake! So much fun!
I have to say, it's nice to work at a place that values the family dynamic. Did I mention there are 12 women who are pregnant right now? Several of which are due any day now. It's a sight walking down the halls for sure. Bellies, bellies, everywhere. In fact, I fully expect to see at least one co-worker in the hospital delivering while we're delivering.
With all these moms, there have been a ton of baby showers, but I'll have to say, I'm pretty sure ours trumped them all. Probably because with the jobs Jamie and I do, we interact with a lot of different departments, in addition to our own home departments. In other words, we have a lot of friends who are very interested in our little man! This baby is not only our new addition, but also a unique new addition to our work family. We can't wait to introduce him to everyone!
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Childcare
Consider our eyes wide open. Open to the crazy world of childcare. Having completed two of our daycare tours this week, I'm just hoping it gets better than this! The two facilities we toured this week were at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first one being relatively cheap (around 1k/month) but not the nicest facilities... in fact the baby room was a bit alarming and I'm not sure I even remotely trust the director.
The second one was not cheap (think mortgage+car payment+another car payment) but oh was it nice. It was clean and refreshing - the babies looked happy and alert, the older kids were equally happy and content. There were classrooms - not areas - for the different age groups. The baby teacher is a registered nurse. It's only a mile from our house. But, again, it's A LOT of money...
So, we're left wishing for a happy medium. I mean, is a clean, safe, perfect daycare for a reasonable fee too much to ask? Apparently it is. When you live in Cary, at least.
And the search goes on...
The second one was not cheap (think mortgage+car payment+another car payment) but oh was it nice. It was clean and refreshing - the babies looked happy and alert, the older kids were equally happy and content. There were classrooms - not areas - for the different age groups. The baby teacher is a registered nurse. It's only a mile from our house. But, again, it's A LOT of money...
So, we're left wishing for a happy medium. I mean, is a clean, safe, perfect daycare for a reasonable fee too much to ask? Apparently it is. When you live in Cary, at least.
And the search goes on...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
All Points Bulletin
I know, I know... I've been a little slack on the postings lately. In my defense, we've been a little busy. After all, we have just 57 days until our little guy gets here! Just so no one feels left out, here's an update on all things Allison-and-Jamie:
Doctor's appointment:
All went well at our last doctor's appointment. My blood pressure, weight and belly measurements, and his heartbeat were right on target. It looks like our 3rd trimester is going to be just as uneventful as the first and second, and that's exactly how we'd like it.
As some of you know, we've been circulating through the practice for the past few appointments, since our doctor decided to go and have a baby of her own. Go figure. As much fun as it sounds - it's not. We've seen the pregnant one, the super formal one, the nice one, and the awkward resident one, and even the kookie one (who I think may be on drugs). Just kidding... sort of. Thankfully, our last appointment was with the nice one, again. With seven, yes I said seven, kids of his own, he exudes confidence and he's easy to talk to. You can tell he's been through this a time or seven before. He answers your questions, all of them, in ways that make sense and don't make you feel silly or embarrassed. And, unlike the others, he asks for your questions first thing in the appointment - so you don't have time to forget them! Because after you've hoisted yourself onto the exam table, rolled up your shirt, rolled down your oh-so-attractive full-panel pants, been measured, been slathered with ultrasound goop, and heard your baby's precious heartbeat... it's a little hard to remember all 17 questions you were planning to ask.
When you've been seen by Dr. Seven Kids, you leave feeling proud of your additional 30 pounds and you're totally ok with the fact that you now somewhat resemble an umpa loompa. You feel like you are prepared to do this thing called delivery - even after you've been given the down-low (pun totally intended) on an episiotomy, discussed the ways IV pain meds can make you rather loopy, and talked about cord-blood milking versus quickly cutting the cord. (By the way, all of these were fully discussed at our last appointment, so if you have any questions - I'm now an expert.)
So, over the next 8 weeks, I'll be praying that Dr. Seven Kids is on call when our baby boy decides to make his entry. Everyone's help with this ultra-important prayer request is greatly appreciated :)
Nursery:
The big nursery news this week: WE BOUGHT A CRIB!!!! It's funny how much relief I feel now that we have the crib. I guess, in my silly-maternal-nesting ways, the crib makes that room not just any room - it makes it his room. And, somehow, by providing a place for him to sleep, I feel like everything is going to be ok. This must be a maternal thing, too. Because, Lord knows, there is so much left to do before he comes!
House:
Not much to update here since last week was the big house weekend. We did buy our very first garden hose. One of the blessings of renting for the past 3 years is that we never had a lawn to maintain, thus the lack of yard equipment. So, now we have our very first hose to go with our very first yard.
We also hung up the hummingbird feeder we got for Christmas. I absolutely can't wait for the humming birds to buzz outside the kitchen window! These might be little things, but they sure do go a long way in making this house feel like our home.
Work:
All is well on the work front. Last week, I spent 3 days at our satellite office in Arlington catching up with the rest of the communications team. I'm starting to get some good projects, with some real substance, so that's exciting. For instance, I'm working on our communications efforts surrounding the upcoming Board of Directors meeting in Accra, Ghana. Thankfully, I don't have to travel there - the Ghana team will handle local specifics.
Next weekend, all of our country directors and global leaders arrive in Arlington for the annual week-long leadership meeting. So, Jamie and I will both head back up to Arlington on Friday to help with that. Should be pretty exciting and exhausting.
So, now you know all there is to know :) Night y'all.
Doctor's appointment:
All went well at our last doctor's appointment. My blood pressure, weight and belly measurements, and his heartbeat were right on target. It looks like our 3rd trimester is going to be just as uneventful as the first and second, and that's exactly how we'd like it.
As some of you know, we've been circulating through the practice for the past few appointments, since our doctor decided to go and have a baby of her own. Go figure. As much fun as it sounds - it's not. We've seen the pregnant one, the super formal one, the nice one, and the awkward resident one, and even the kookie one (who I think may be on drugs). Just kidding... sort of. Thankfully, our last appointment was with the nice one, again. With seven, yes I said seven, kids of his own, he exudes confidence and he's easy to talk to. You can tell he's been through this a time or seven before. He answers your questions, all of them, in ways that make sense and don't make you feel silly or embarrassed. And, unlike the others, he asks for your questions first thing in the appointment - so you don't have time to forget them! Because after you've hoisted yourself onto the exam table, rolled up your shirt, rolled down your oh-so-attractive full-panel pants, been measured, been slathered with ultrasound goop, and heard your baby's precious heartbeat... it's a little hard to remember all 17 questions you were planning to ask.
When you've been seen by Dr. Seven Kids, you leave feeling proud of your additional 30 pounds and you're totally ok with the fact that you now somewhat resemble an umpa loompa. You feel like you are prepared to do this thing called delivery - even after you've been given the down-low (pun totally intended) on an episiotomy, discussed the ways IV pain meds can make you rather loopy, and talked about cord-blood milking versus quickly cutting the cord. (By the way, all of these were fully discussed at our last appointment, so if you have any questions - I'm now an expert.)
So, over the next 8 weeks, I'll be praying that Dr. Seven Kids is on call when our baby boy decides to make his entry. Everyone's help with this ultra-important prayer request is greatly appreciated :)
Nursery:
The big nursery news this week: WE BOUGHT A CRIB!!!! It's funny how much relief I feel now that we have the crib. I guess, in my silly-maternal-nesting ways, the crib makes that room not just any room - it makes it his room. And, somehow, by providing a place for him to sleep, I feel like everything is going to be ok. This must be a maternal thing, too. Because, Lord knows, there is so much left to do before he comes!
House:
Not much to update here since last week was the big house weekend. We did buy our very first garden hose. One of the blessings of renting for the past 3 years is that we never had a lawn to maintain, thus the lack of yard equipment. So, now we have our very first hose to go with our very first yard.
We also hung up the hummingbird feeder we got for Christmas. I absolutely can't wait for the humming birds to buzz outside the kitchen window! These might be little things, but they sure do go a long way in making this house feel like our home.
Work:
All is well on the work front. Last week, I spent 3 days at our satellite office in Arlington catching up with the rest of the communications team. I'm starting to get some good projects, with some real substance, so that's exciting. For instance, I'm working on our communications efforts surrounding the upcoming Board of Directors meeting in Accra, Ghana. Thankfully, I don't have to travel there - the Ghana team will handle local specifics.
Next weekend, all of our country directors and global leaders arrive in Arlington for the annual week-long leadership meeting. So, Jamie and I will both head back up to Arlington on Friday to help with that. Should be pretty exciting and exhausting.
So, now you know all there is to know :) Night y'all.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Good news!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thankful
This blog would have been so much easier to write yesterday. Before I'd had a terrible day at work, back when I left church feeling so uplifted. But why would it have been easier to write yesterday? Don't I have the same things to be thankful for today? The answer is yes. I have so much to be thankful for - maybe if I'd been focusing on those things, I wouldn't have had such an awful day today. Thank you God for helping me realize that tonight. But instead, my focus was on me and what I lack - something that's sure to put you in a bad mood any day. So, here's the blog I meant to write yesterday, but put off until tonight - just when I need to refocus the most.
Church yesterday was great. It was a sermon about money. And, yes, it really was great. It's like the pastor said, "Who gets offended when a pastor speaks on adultery? Adulterers. Who gets offended when a pastor speaks on stealing? Thieves. So, we're talking about money today, and I'm not afraid to offend you if you aren't honoring God with your money." (God, thank you for a pastor who's not afraid to make me uncomfortable, for it's in my comfort that I so often fail you.)
A few points from the sermon (which you can hear here):
- You must give your FIRST tenth. God gave his first born, His first fruit, for our sake. As such, we honor him by giving our first fruits.
- We are not saved by good works. We are saved FOR good works. Honoring the One who saved us should be our motive for doing good.
- As an added bonus, God loves to reward those who honor him.
- He rewards on His schedule, not ours. (In other words, we should be patient.)
- His rewards are for His glory, not ours. (So, don't hoard the gifts God gives you.)
At the end of the service, we sang a new song that spoke volumes in very simple words. It was the song that made the service so great. Jamie and I weren't offended by the sermon because we try our best to honor God with the gifts He gives us. Granted, sometimes we fail ...and fail miserably. We're not perfect, but we try. We try because it's been the only thing that has worked 100% of the time. We tithe, not because we have to, but because we're thankful that God has provided. Each month we pay our bills on time. In turn, we tithe because we're thankful. Then we pay our bills again, and we tithe because we're thankful. It's a simple cycle that has worked since we first got married, back when I was getting paid in peanuts and Jamie was still in school. Back then the cycle was a little different, we tithed in faith that God would provide each month, because we were not capable. Slowly, we learned that He is faithful and we began to trust without worrying so much. It was a slow process though, trust me.
The funny thing is that we'd still tithe even if God didn't provide - but it's never happened. We have had to readjust our priorities several times, when we chose to do things our way and make a mess of everything, but God has always been faithful.
It's wonderful to tithe and be able to afford the things we need. That in and of itself is worth getting excited about nowadays. But God is good. And He loves us. I know because he has given us so much more than just what we need. God has given me a husband that loves me and still opens the car door for me. Who wants me to be happy. God has given us the miracle of a baby that we can raise to love and honor God. God has given us a home to call our own, where we can raise our family in peace and safety. Our pantry is full of food. I'm thankful for all this. I'm thankful for having a car to drive and a job to go to. I realize that a bad day at work is better than a bad day unemployed. I'm thankful for our families, who support us and pray for us, who we can share our blessings with.
I am thankful for God's mercy and grace - that He'd even be interested in someone like me, much less love me unconditionally.
At the end of the service, we stood there singing and I was humbled. God has been so good to me, and I don't deserve any of it.
You have been so good to me
You have been so good to me
I came here broken, You made me whole
You have been so good
You have been so good
You have been so good to me
You have been so good to me
You have been so good to me
I came here mourning, You gave me joy
You have been so good
You have been so good
You have been so good to me
How can I thank you?
There is just no way
How can I thank you?
Lord, how could I repay?
For your kindness
For your tenderness
For your constant presence here with me
Church yesterday was great. It was a sermon about money. And, yes, it really was great. It's like the pastor said, "Who gets offended when a pastor speaks on adultery? Adulterers. Who gets offended when a pastor speaks on stealing? Thieves. So, we're talking about money today, and I'm not afraid to offend you if you aren't honoring God with your money." (God, thank you for a pastor who's not afraid to make me uncomfortable, for it's in my comfort that I so often fail you.)
A few points from the sermon (which you can hear here):
- You must give your FIRST tenth. God gave his first born, His first fruit, for our sake. As such, we honor him by giving our first fruits.
- We are not saved by good works. We are saved FOR good works. Honoring the One who saved us should be our motive for doing good.
- As an added bonus, God loves to reward those who honor him.
- He rewards on His schedule, not ours. (In other words, we should be patient.)
- His rewards are for His glory, not ours. (So, don't hoard the gifts God gives you.)
At the end of the service, we sang a new song that spoke volumes in very simple words. It was the song that made the service so great. Jamie and I weren't offended by the sermon because we try our best to honor God with the gifts He gives us. Granted, sometimes we fail ...and fail miserably. We're not perfect, but we try. We try because it's been the only thing that has worked 100% of the time. We tithe, not because we have to, but because we're thankful that God has provided. Each month we pay our bills on time. In turn, we tithe because we're thankful. Then we pay our bills again, and we tithe because we're thankful. It's a simple cycle that has worked since we first got married, back when I was getting paid in peanuts and Jamie was still in school. Back then the cycle was a little different, we tithed in faith that God would provide each month, because we were not capable. Slowly, we learned that He is faithful and we began to trust without worrying so much. It was a slow process though, trust me.
The funny thing is that we'd still tithe even if God didn't provide - but it's never happened. We have had to readjust our priorities several times, when we chose to do things our way and make a mess of everything, but God has always been faithful.
It's wonderful to tithe and be able to afford the things we need. That in and of itself is worth getting excited about nowadays. But God is good. And He loves us. I know because he has given us so much more than just what we need. God has given me a husband that loves me and still opens the car door for me. Who wants me to be happy. God has given us the miracle of a baby that we can raise to love and honor God. God has given us a home to call our own, where we can raise our family in peace and safety. Our pantry is full of food. I'm thankful for all this. I'm thankful for having a car to drive and a job to go to. I realize that a bad day at work is better than a bad day unemployed. I'm thankful for our families, who support us and pray for us, who we can share our blessings with.
I am thankful for God's mercy and grace - that He'd even be interested in someone like me, much less love me unconditionally.
At the end of the service, we stood there singing and I was humbled. God has been so good to me, and I don't deserve any of it.
You have been so good to me
You have been so good to me
I came here broken, You made me whole
You have been so good
You have been so good
You have been so good to me
You have been so good to me
You have been so good to me
I came here mourning, You gave me joy
You have been so good
You have been so good
You have been so good to me
How can I thank you?
There is just no way
How can I thank you?
Lord, how could I repay?
For your kindness
For your tenderness
For your constant presence here with me
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Quote Book
In the car on the way home from work today:
Jamie: "Yeah, I can text and chat at the same time... I'm bilingual."
A service request Jamie got at work today:
"Dear Service Desk, The color printer needs a new magnetta ink cartridge. Thank you."
Jamie: "Yeah, I can text and chat at the same time... I'm bilingual."
A service request Jamie got at work today:
"Dear Service Desk, The color printer needs a new magnetta ink cartridge. Thank you."
Sunday, January 18, 2009
And the winner is...
So, this baby must be lucky! At the recent FHI Holiday Party, Jamie and I both won raffle gifts! A few days before the party, the company raffled off a night's stay at the hotel where the party would be held, to be used the night of the party. And guess whose name they drew? Jamie's!!! It was a wonderful surprise to find out we'd won anything at all, considering there are over 400 employees in the running for the hotel stay.
Now, fast forward to Saturday night. The company reserves most of the prizes for the night of - and to entice people to come out, you have to be present to win. Prizes usually include a host of gift cards, plane tickets and hotel stays. During dinner, everyone followed their congratulations on the room with comments like, "you guys better not win anything else!" and "you know you're not allowed to win another prize..." all teasing because, in fact, we were allowed to enter the raffles! But, I always responded, "Come on, what are the odds?!" Well... apparently, the odds were pretty good...
Thanks to our little lucky charm, I am the proud winner of two, first-class, round trip airline tickets to anywhere in the US! Maui here we come!!!I'm just waiting to hear the comments we get on Tuesday... :)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Recipe for a Happy Mama
2 slices of honey wheat bread2 slices BBQ chicken breast
2 slices of Honey Ham
1 slice Muenster cheese
two big fat slices of tomato
Kosher dill Pickles
Mayo on both sides
Salt & Pepper to taste
Yep, it's a sandwich, the ingredients for which cost $17.42 at Target on my way home tonight. But, this wasn't just any sandwich. This is the sandwich I've been fantasizing about since 11:25am, when my coworker unpacked her lunch, and proceeded to enjoy a similar spread as I sat and worked, stomach growling, waiting for a more reasonable time to eat lunch.
You see, if I ate lunch when I actually started getting hungry, I'd be chowing down at 10:00am every day. Do you know how long the rest of your day feels when you eat lunch at 10:00am?!?! Very, very long.
So, I waited until 12:30pm, proceeded to Arby's thinking I could get a delicious market fresh sandwich to curb my craving. But, no, it couldn't be that easy. Arby's was out of the sandwich I wanted, so I settled for a chicken club and fries, which, of course tasted terrible, as everything does, until you feed a craving.
But, not to worry, at 7:35pm tonight, after cheerful banter with the deli guy and a mad dash around the grocery aisles, I had my sandwich. My glorious sandwich. And, now, I am one happy mama.
Monday, July 21, 2008
It's Official!
Beginning Monday, July 28th, I will be working with Family Health International along with Jamie! My new job will involve supporting several writers within the Applied Research Department. This means I'll be assisting those responsible for publishing the results of FHI's research initiatives and grants in brochures, reports, etc. Although it will be a bit of a deviation from my previous career path, I am looking forward to helping further FHI's undeniably well-intentioned goals, not to mention knowing that I am advancing a greater good, not just the bottom line.A little bit about FHI:
Formed in 1971, Family Health International (FHI) is among the largest and most established nonprofit organizations active in international public health with a mission to improve lives worldwide through research, education, and services in family health.
FHI manages research and field activities in more than 70 countries to meet the public health needs of some of the world's most vulnerable people.
FHI works with a wide variety of partners including governmental and nongovernmental organizations, research institutions, community groups, and the private sector.
(taken from the fhi.org website)
Still curious? Visit www.fhi.org for more information.
Monday, June 9, 2008
To the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas
On the twelfth day of Summer,
my job hunt took from me
Twelve trips a-driving,
Eleven notes a-thanking,
Ten hours talking,
Nine face-to-faces,
Eight hours daily,
Seven sites a-searching,
Six trips to Raleigh,
Five tanks of gas,
Four weeks of waiting,
Three ballpoint pens,
Two parking meters,
And a writing test in a corner suite.
*I know, technically, it's not the twelfth day of Summer yet. But with temperatures in the upper 100s, it sure feels like it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Reston and Responsibility
Hello again. As many of you know, Jamie is out of town again (*sigh*). He's training in Reston, VA for something... he'd probably kill me if he knew I didn't remember... but oh well. It's called Citrix, or Cisco, or Crisco or something... Anyways, I have a little soap box speech today, so bear with me.
We were supposed to be maintaining this blog together, but as you can see, I'm the only one posting. I will admit that I do enjoy it, so I'm not too terribly upset about it. However, I thought you might like to see what Jamie has been doing while I've been keeping you all updated on our many adventures. Yes, he got another toy... it's called Guitar Hero, and yes, it's another video game.
Without further ado, I present my husband, the rock star:
I think it's only fair that I get a new toy too, right? I'm thinking a pair of Manolo Blahniks. ;)
Love,
Allison
We were supposed to be maintaining this blog together, but as you can see, I'm the only one posting. I will admit that I do enjoy it, so I'm not too terribly upset about it. However, I thought you might like to see what Jamie has been doing while I've been keeping you all updated on our many adventures. Yes, he got another toy... it's called Guitar Hero, and yes, it's another video game.
Without further ado, I present my husband, the rock star:
I think it's only fair that I get a new toy too, right? I'm thinking a pair of Manolo Blahniks. ;)
Love,
Allison
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A New York City Minute
Well, I'm back home from a whirlwind, 72-hour trip to NYC for training at the company headquarters for Adspace. Training was great and my new job looks like it has some great potential. During my stay, the company put me up in their corporate apartment. By NYC standards, the apartment was huge. By my NC standards, it was tiny! Not that I'm complaining... the apartment had everything I needed and was super close to the office. Guess I'm just used to backyards and driveways. However, the apartment did have one thing you won't find in North Carolina...
I will have to admit, I felt very city-chic waking up to this every morning :)
Love,
Allison
This amazing view:
I will have to admit, I felt very city-chic waking up to this every morning :) Love,
Allison
