I'll start this post the same way I've started 98% of them in recent years....I thought I'd be better about posting but life just somehow gets in the way and my ability to carve out even a handful of minutes to be able to update my blog is nearly impossible. But, I still enjoy blogging and still want to post updates when I can and I felt like now is a good time as any to post another life update.
Yesterday was my last day at the job I started in June. Obviously we know it started off on the wrong foot when I missed out on our family vacation because I didn't have any sort of coverage. I will admit, that alone, left me a bit heartbroken. I tried for months to get a team in place and couldn't get any sort of traction with a staff. Things finally started to turn around a bit in October; but, even then, I've been left with being micro-managed on absolutely everything I did. Funny thing though, I had handled far more complex and crazier situations at my time at TNi. The lack of trust in the entire staff made each day difficult as I felt like I was under a microscope for EVERYTHING. The rigid schedule of 8 to 5 in the office with no flexibility for any sort of appointments, practices, activities and life in general also made being a mom nearly impossible. I'd have to leave home at 7 am to get the boys to school and wouldn't get home until 5:40 at night. I have been missing so much of the boys lately and felt like my life was in a downward spiral through the holidays. I decided around the holidays I would start looking for a new position at the beginning of the year. On a whim in mid-January, I found a position through a LinkedIn connection that I thought I'd be great for. I debated with myself for a day or two if I should apply for it. It was closer to home, hybrid, and for a company with a good cause. By the end of the weekend, I had completed the online application and submitted my resume for review and within a few days I was setup for a phone screen. Ironically the day of my phone screen, me and another employee at work were screamed at and absolutely humiliated for being "lazy" and not doing our jobs, something that was completely untrue. It was a sign to me that I had made the right choice for looking to leave and I ended up nailing the phone interview that same afternoon. A few days later I had an interview with my now new manager and a few days after that I had a final interview with two other directors in the accounting department.
By the end of the month, on January 30th to be exact, while on my way to an out of town hockey tournament, I accepted the new position! I've gotten through the last two weeks just doing what I could to make it an easy transition for someone else stepping into the role I've left and thinking positively about my new start. One of the many great things about my new employer is the approach to employees, culture and work-life balance. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done and you'll be held accountable but they also trust the people they hire. It is more about being the right fit in the company rather than knowing it all. They offer leadership and mentorship opportunities and have a flexible environment. I clicked with everyone that I met with during my interviews and I'm excited to get started on Monday.
Besides a new job, we've spent a lot of time at hockey rinks since August. Declan officially started his hockey career with the St. Peter's Hockey Club and we've been on the go with practices, games and tournaments every weekend. D volunteered to be a coach and because he could skate and understood the game and rules of hockey, he was made the head coach of Declan's team.
The games have been fun to watch and the whole team is getting better each time they take the ice. At Thanksgiving they had a full ice tournament and finished in 3rd place. In the Christmas tournament, they finished in 2nd place and in the New Years' tournament all of the hard work paid off and they were tournament champions. To see the kids so excited for the big win will be forever etched in my brain. We had an out of town pond hockey tournament at the end of January at Kinderhook and it was a blast even in the zero degree temps. The team ended up finishing 4th out of 10 teams but it included some tournament only teams which I think caused some disparity for the teams that are only regular 8u teams. They have one more tournament at the end of the season in March and then get to scrimmage during the intermission at the Blues game on April 9th.
Connor has been taking more ice skating lessons to make his hockey debut next season (if he wants to) and right now he's taking a hockey tot class at the Rec Plex during the week. He was doing soccer at preschool and swimming lessons on the weekend but those ended and he's decided to stick with skating and also cooking classes at preschool. He's been a trouper with Declan's games and loves wearing his STP hat and sweatshirt to show his support.
Connor had an accident at school in mid-January too and we ended up in the emergency room with him needing to get 6 stitches in his chin after falling on the playground. Thankfully I've already done the stitches thing with Declan when he was 4 and Connor is a tough dude but it still was a long stressful night at the ER waiting to be taken care of. Connor is a champ though and it didn't faze him at all.
This weekend or today actually is Valentine's Day and it's funny how much Valentine's Day changes when you have kids and especially kids in sports. D and I used to go out to dinner or make a special dinner in for Valentine's Day during our early years. This year, we're headed to a double header of games for Declan at the Kirkwood rink starting at 5 pm. We have nothing special planned and it will be just another day for us, but I'm happy to be able to spend it with my 3 guys.
As always, here's a few photos of our fun!
