Full Circle

Good morning and Happy Thursday to you all.

I guess you could say that I am still flying high from my news that I shared last week. I know it is just a job, but starting this job really makes me feel like my life has come 'full circle'. I feel like I am on top of the world. I was just chatting with my dear aunt Betty at my Grandpa's sale last week and I expressed how I happy I am with my life these days. I love the city I live in. I found a job that I am excited about and it's something that I know will challenge me - which is so important. I have a great group of friends and a super supportive family.

Really, what more could a girl ask for?

Well, not long ago, I would have told you that my life was never going to be fulfilling until I found my Mr. Right. I'm not saying I am giving up on that - I still hope he is out there. Sometimes I picture him in my mind. He's wearing horn-rimmed glasses, reading a book penned by Hemingway. He embraces my dorky/nerdy side and likes to wander around bookstores with me on date night. He holds my hand when we are driving and opens my car door for me.

Now I am not silly enough to think that my vision of this future Mister is going to match the reality, but it's fun to think about what he could be like.

But I don't feel like I am 'waiting' for someone anymore. For the longest time I felt like I would never be happy until I found my 'other half'. I thought the kind of happiness I feel now was reserved for those that were part of a couple.

It has taken me awhile to get to this place though, and this journey to a happier me has not been an easy one. I think back on those month after Ryan and I broke up, and the person I was then is virtually unrecognizable compared to the woman I am today. I was completely broken and such a mess. I am so thankful for the friends and family that helped me through those dark months. Especially my mom - she was on the receiving end of a lot of tearful conversations and always reassured me that I would get it through it. And I am so thankful for her patience and positive attitude.

Let me be explicit here, though - I do not in any way blame Ryan for those dark and empty months. I think I would have gone through a period like that in my life regardless of whether or not I dated him. I needed to face down some ghosts and figure out who I am and what makes me tick. That relationship ending was just a catalyst for that process.

Anyways, I share this with you for a couple of reason. First, it is always therapeutic for me to write about these experiences. There is something about putting words to emotions and experiences that make them more real and tangible. Second, I share them because I know we are all at different points along our path to happiness; the journey along this path is not always linear. I know there might be a day where I am feeling a little glum, and on those kind of days, I'll pull this entry up and remind myself that I have so much to be thankful for.

The way I feel is best summed up by the refrain of "More," a Tyrone Wells song (his most recent CD rocks, by the way).

I'm alive,

I don't wanna die,

I don't wanna waste another day,

Or night,

I know there's something more,

Than what we're living for,

I see it in the stars,

I feel it on the shores,

I know there's something,

I know there's something more.

Ok, your turn. Are there any periods of your life, either happy or sad, that stand out as a particularly formative time?

Temptations

Oh J. Crew, you tempt me. I love your clothes, but they would deplete my financial resources entirely too quickly if I gave into these temptations. Why, oh why, do your clothes have to be so pricey?

If I wasn't on a budget, I would re-create this look.

(photo courtesy of jcrew.com)

This look pretty much epitomizes my style - or the style I would have if I had unlimited resources. A clean, preppy look. I love the effortless look of this outfit - from the hair and make-up to the accessories.

Unfortunately, I will not be re-creating this look because that blazer alone is $250. Ouch.

I tend to do a lot of 'window shopping' at J. Crew and Anthropology - I will usually only purchase things on clearance. Most of my clothing comes from either Banana Republic and Gap. My wardrobe has been likened to that of a librarian - which I am totally ok with! I heart cardigans and blazers, so I am sure my wardrobe would transition well to a library setting!

How would you describe your sense of style? What is your favorite store?

Book Meme

Thanks for all the sweet comments on my job news post. :)

I have been a little light on the book review posts lately - I just haven't read much lately that I would recommend to you all. I am pretty sure I will be highly recommending the book I am currently reading (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), though, so stay tuned for that review.

Anyways, since I haven't done many book-related posts lately, I thought I would do this little book meme that A Little Pink in the Cornfields posted yesterday!

Here goes!

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
All of the above, please. If I had unlimited financial resources, I'd buy as many books in Hardback as I could. But since I do not have unlimited resources, I usually opt for paperback or mass market.

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?
None of the above. I'm a Barnes & Noble gal. I should buy more from Amazon, but when I want a book, I am usually way too impatient to wait for books to be delivered.

Bookmark or dog-ear?
I bookmark to keep my place, but I dog-ear sections that I want to go back and re-read or blog about. I hate to dog-ear books and keep telling myself to buy some little post-its to keep in my purse to mark sections.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
I like to look for books online but I prefer to buy them in a brick-and-mortar store. I love wandering around book stores!!

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
I used to alphabetize by author, but I got made fun of for doing this by some friends. So when I moved into my condo, I arranged my books by size. I hate it, though. I can never find books, so I am considering going through them and alphabetizing by author during my two week vacation. I have A LOT of books, so this is not going to be a small undertaking!!

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep. Even if I hate the book, I keep it. Although now that my bookshelves are overflowing, I am thinking about going through my books and donating the ones I hated to our United Way book sale at work.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Um, do people actually toss the dust jacket?? Of course I keep it!

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Read with it on unless it's a really, really large book.

Short story or novel?
Novels. Never really been a big fan of short stories!

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
HP

Buy or borrow?
Just started to use the library, but in general I usually buy books.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
In order... Recommendations, browse, book reviews. I try to keep up on the various best seller lists and then also find a lot of my 'to-reads' by looking through the list of books friends on goodreads.com have read & liked.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Tidy ending

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
I get most of my reading done on my bus ride to & from work.

Stand-alone or series?
Both.

Favourite series?
Harry Potter

Favorite children’s book?
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the Babysitter's Club series. I devoured those books and identified most with Mary Anne's character.

Favourite YA book?
Probably "Bridge to Terabithia" and anything else by Katherine Paterson

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Maybe "Es Cuba" by Lea Aschkenas? I am obsessed with Cuba for some odd reason so I loved that book!

Favourite books read last year?
"Love Walked In" by Maria de los Santos

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
Something by Katherine Paterson, maybe? I don't know any 11-year-olds right now so this is tough to answer. I am always picking out books for 2-5 year olds these days!!

Favorite book to re-read?
Tuesdays with Morrie

Do you ever smell books?
Yep!

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
I have read a few diaries.

What are you reading right now?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's the October selection for my 'Books & Bars' book club.

What are you reading next?
Probably "Beat the Reaper" since it's on loan from the library. Once I get through my library books, I plan to read "Outlander."

If you have a blog and are interested, post this meme and make sure you let me know that you are doing it. If you don't have a blog or don't feel like doing this, answer as many of these questions as you'd like! I love hearing about people's reading habits/interests!

My Job-related News

Good Morning, my dear readers.

After talking about jobs for the last two posts, I am ready to share my job-related news with you.

I just gave my 2 week notice to my boss. Err, my quasi-boss? Because I don't technically have a boss right now. You see, the company I work for is in the midst of a fairly large acquisition. A merger of equals, according to the corporate communication verbage. But I work for a tiny little business line and we are being sliced and diced and swallowed up by our merger counterpart. So even though I work for the aquiree, I have certainly felt like I work for a company that has been acquired. But it's been an eye-opening learning experience - I wish I had these experiences to reflect upon when I was taking my Mergers & Acquisitions class last spring!

Aside from a brief stint at a law firm, I have pretty much worked for my employer since I graduated from college in 2003. But we are parting ways as of Friday, September 18th, and I couldn't be more excited. I have learned so much over the last 6 years, but I am excited for my new opportunity.

The path to this new job has been long. Nearly 12 months to be specific. I went through multiple rounds of interviews and competed against other MBA grads from other highly respected schools, like Harvard (that was intimidating!) But I must have done something right because I received an offer back in November of 2008. But then things were kind of put on hold at the end of January, due to economic conditions, and I've spent the last 7-8 months fretting quite a bit, biting my fingernails when stressed, talking it over with my parents, siblings, and friends, and wondering if it was ever going to all fall into place. You see, I don't handle uncertainty very well and I've got these fairly sizeable student loans that I will have to start paying off in November. Eeks.

But, alas, it has all worked out. On Monday, October 5th, I'll start a 3 year rotational program in the finance department of a retailer that gets a fair share of my discretionary spending. I don't really like to explicitly mention where I am working, so I will just say that it's a good thing that I like the color red. :) If you live in the US, you can probably figure out what company I am referring to. It's a company that I am thrilled to be joining with a strong brand that I really believe in. They also really focus on giving back, both financially and through volunteering, to the communities they operate within; I am excited to join a company with such a strong sense of volunteerism in their corporate culture.

I'll be taking 2 weeks off between jobs so that I can re-charge my battery. I want to hit the ground running on October 5th and prove that my future employer made the right decision when they selected me.

So even though I'll still be working in the finance field, this is a big move for me. I'll be joining a team that is an integral part of the decision-making process. I'm joining a company that really, truly values an MBA degree and cares about me and my career. This new job made all the stress and anxiety of grad school completely worth it.

I can't hardly wait.

So have a fantastic Labor Day weekend, everyone. I'll be heading up to my parents' cabin for the 3-day weekend. I'll be back next week with a book review and other randomness to reflect upon!

Dream jobs

We talked about our first job yesterday, so today let's focus on our dream jobs.

If you could do anything you wanted to, what would it be?

For me, it's an easy question to answer. I would love to own a cute little bookshop, kind of like Shop Around the Corner in the movie "You've Got Mail." Except hopefully my dear little bookstore wouldn't be eaten alive by a big box retailer...

My shop would have lots of character. I'd have to hire my friend Brooke to do the seasonal decorating because that is just not my forte. Actually, she'd probably help with all of my interior decorating choices - she has such great taste! I can just imagine the window displays she'd come up with around Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas time. I'm picturing fake cobwebs strung across the corners of the store during the month of October; strings of little lights and trees featuring my hand-knit ornaments during the Christmas Season.

If I had enough space, I'd have a little coffee shop and would hire my friend Heidi to supply the cupcakes. Because no bookstore is complete without the whirring of an espresso machine or the sound of coffee beans being ground.

I could apply the business acumen I've acquired through business school and my practical experience to run a very successful little store. But this store would also be an outlet for my creative side (I do have one, and this blog is definitely nurturing it). I could have an adult book club that would meet in the evenings and I'd do a story hour for little kids on a weekday morning. Maybe I would even have a magician's hat that I'd wear for the children's story hour (again, inspired by Meg Ryan's character). I'd be so happy, I might ever start to speak poetically about bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, like Meg Ryan does in "You've Got Mail."

My evenings and free time would be spent researching the latest and greatest reads so I'd have ample material to suggest to the patrons of my store. Of course, in addition to the best sellers, I would also feature lots of classics and would make sure my adult book club read at least 1-2 classics a year.

Ahh. If only. The one thing holding me back from this dream is this little thing called capital. Something I don't have a lot of. But I refuse to give up on this dream - maybe some day it will be a reality.

So, dear reader, what is your dream?

Let's talk about jobs

I have some job-related news that I will be sharing with you on Friday, so my next couple of posts will be work-centric.

I have been working, in some form, since I was about 16. I probably started babysitting when I was 14, but I don't count those years as 'working years'. My first 'real' job was teaching piano. I taught piano from my sophomore year through my senior year of high school. By the time I was a senior, I had about 10 students, one of which was my younger sister Abby. Boy was that a challenge. I think we spent more time fighting than I spent actually teaching her. I digress.

Anyways, it was a fantastic part time job. My little student were all so cute! The job taught me time management and I had to fill out invoices to give to the parents of my kids. Oh, and what other job requires you to have a hefty supply of stickers to reward for star performances!

I always thought that if I ever got married and had a house full of kids, maybe I would be a stay at home mom and then give piano lessons on the side to make a little extra money. It's becoming less and less likely I will do that now that I have invested so much in my eduction, specifically my masters program, but it's a nice thought. My piano teacher was a SAHM and she had upwards of 60 students! So it was more of a quasi-full time job for her.

It's weird to hear about what my little pupils are up to. They aren't little kids anymore. Which is kind of odd - sometimes I feel like I should be getting older, but everyone else should stay at the age they were in my memories of them. So to hear that some of these kiddos have graduated from college and are getting engaged? Yowza! Makes this retired piano teacher feel a little bit old!

So what was your first job?

Grandpa's Little Girl

You could definitely say that I was "Grandpa's Little Girl." I was fortunate to have grown up with my grandparents just down the road from us. My Grandpa's shop was right next door to our house, so every afternoon, I would run over to the shop and spend the afternoon with my Grandpa and his brothers. I'd entertain them with stories and they'd take me uptown for their coffee break where I'd sit with a bunch of older men, tell more stories, and show off my abilities to count to 10 in Spanish (thanks to Sesame Street!). I have so many fond memories of those afternoons with my Grandpa. He is probably the reason that I am so chatty and love to talk and tell stories.

It's still hard for me to believe that my Grandpa is gone. It just happened so fast. He was truly larger than life. He loved my Grandma so much, and was so proud of his children, his grandchildren, and his great grandchildren. And he was definitely someone that you wanted on your Trivial Pursuit team - the man knew his history! He passed his love of reading onto to me and I loved to shop for books for his Christmas gift.

But he is gone and the time has come to sell the tractors and other machinery that he accumulated over his long and wonderful life. He spent many hours rebuilding the engines of some of these machines. He'd probably be pretty disappointed to find out that his own granddaughter doesn't know how to change the tire on her car!

The auction will be held by my parents' house today and I decided to take the day off from work so I could be there. I feel like it is important for me to be there. After all, I watched my Grandpa re-build so many of these engines. Attention must be paid to the fruits of this great man's labor.

I am sure Grandpa is looking down from above and must be smiling to see all these beloved machines lined up, ready for the sale. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of how much machinery will be sold today. According to my mom, the pictures don't do it justice, but this gives you an idea! There will be 2 different auction rings and the auctioneer is expecting 1,200 people!

So today another chapter of my Grandpa's life will come to close. But I know that his spirit is not contained in his possessions here on earth. His spirit is best summed up by the quote I used when I spoke at his Prayer Service back in February:

"The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children's children. It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone. It is in us that their history becomes a future."