Progress
I can't believe it has been 6 months since I last posted a blog, but I suppose that makes sense since life has been happily hectic for us lately. All toward a forward-focused goal, so I've titled this entry 'progress'.
When I went back to work at GUARD last June, in a full-time position, I was working in a department that did not meet many of my personal career goals at all. Production work is not what I'm good at - or interested in. The training role I had been in during maternity leave was filled, so I was put into a different position. Grateful to have a job? Absolutely. Determined to find something better and more fulfilling? Absolutely.
In June 2011, almost one year after returning to GUARD in 2010, I started a new job at Wyoming Valley Health Care System / Community Health System. I am a Recruiter / Employee Relations Specialist. I'm using my education daily again, and I'm enjoying meeting people every day, helping them, guiding them, etc. Although I am not officially 'training' right now, there are opportunities I can already envision if I am there long enough. At least I am feeling better about making progress toward a longer-term goal for myself and for our family.
In my dance life, I have taken a chance and moved forward from my comfort zone - I choreographed a new dance for the company. It is currently a solo, which I've performed twice so far. But I hope to grow the piece into something more complex... with more meaning, movement, and purpose. The girls in the dance company have been so supportive and enthusiastic about it, which makes me excited to try more. Spring and fall are our busy performance seasons, so it has been nice to have the opportunity to showcase my choreography recently.
Mike is also progressing in his career. He was promoted to Software Development Manager at GUARD in the fall... but his involvement with some pretty major projects at work has continued to put him constantly in front of some important people at the company. He continues to guide his staff through adverse conditions with positivity, empowerment, and patience. I can always see bigger and better things for him because of that, but his promotion to Supervisor two years ago and then to Manager 1.5 years after that is exciting enough! I am so proud of his determination and success.
Although Mike is not involved in the wedding business anymore, he has offered to shoot two weddings this year for friends / co-workers. It's exciting to see him continue to use his creative skills for friends. I can't wait to get some pictures of Ethan this year, too.
Ethan is continuing to grow up too fast. He is now 37 inches tall and weighs 31 pounds. He has moved to the older toddler class at school, which is helping to encourage potty training, table manners, and sharing. Yay! Ethan's curiosity is still a charming characteristic, and he has started to mimick everything we do or say. It's exiting and adorable - most of the time. He plays so well with his cousins, Nick and Riley... and our neighbors, Abby and David. He is using manners (please, thank you, etc) most of the time without being reminded. Ethan is walking up and down steps on his own (always with an adult near by, of course) and his coordination with most things is unsettling.
So much so, that we enrolled Ethan into a Mommy and me tumbling class at a local gymnastics academy. I take him once a week for an hour of tumbling lessons - and he is really good. It's fun to watch him get excited about the activities we do, although he is still working on being patient while waiting his turn on an event. He does the bars, rings, and balance beam very well. Ethan even likes to do some of the warm up stretches at home! I know most parents are proud of their children for various reasons, as I am so proud of Ethan. But it's special to hear from a stranger (the owner of the gymnastics academy) that she's impressed with how well Ethan does for only being two.
We have so many reasons to be thankful. A beautiful home, jobs that we enjoy, a healthy happy child who seems to love us as much as we love him, supportive families, a loving relationship, and the drive to continue making progress.
When I went back to work at GUARD last June, in a full-time position, I was working in a department that did not meet many of my personal career goals at all. Production work is not what I'm good at - or interested in. The training role I had been in during maternity leave was filled, so I was put into a different position. Grateful to have a job? Absolutely. Determined to find something better and more fulfilling? Absolutely.
In June 2011, almost one year after returning to GUARD in 2010, I started a new job at Wyoming Valley Health Care System / Community Health System. I am a Recruiter / Employee Relations Specialist. I'm using my education daily again, and I'm enjoying meeting people every day, helping them, guiding them, etc. Although I am not officially 'training' right now, there are opportunities I can already envision if I am there long enough. At least I am feeling better about making progress toward a longer-term goal for myself and for our family.
In my dance life, I have taken a chance and moved forward from my comfort zone - I choreographed a new dance for the company. It is currently a solo, which I've performed twice so far. But I hope to grow the piece into something more complex... with more meaning, movement, and purpose. The girls in the dance company have been so supportive and enthusiastic about it, which makes me excited to try more. Spring and fall are our busy performance seasons, so it has been nice to have the opportunity to showcase my choreography recently.
Mike is also progressing in his career. He was promoted to Software Development Manager at GUARD in the fall... but his involvement with some pretty major projects at work has continued to put him constantly in front of some important people at the company. He continues to guide his staff through adverse conditions with positivity, empowerment, and patience. I can always see bigger and better things for him because of that, but his promotion to Supervisor two years ago and then to Manager 1.5 years after that is exciting enough! I am so proud of his determination and success.
Although Mike is not involved in the wedding business anymore, he has offered to shoot two weddings this year for friends / co-workers. It's exciting to see him continue to use his creative skills for friends. I can't wait to get some pictures of Ethan this year, too.
Ethan is continuing to grow up too fast. He is now 37 inches tall and weighs 31 pounds. He has moved to the older toddler class at school, which is helping to encourage potty training, table manners, and sharing. Yay! Ethan's curiosity is still a charming characteristic, and he has started to mimick everything we do or say. It's exiting and adorable - most of the time. He plays so well with his cousins, Nick and Riley... and our neighbors, Abby and David. He is using manners (please, thank you, etc) most of the time without being reminded. Ethan is walking up and down steps on his own (always with an adult near by, of course) and his coordination with most things is unsettling.
So much so, that we enrolled Ethan into a Mommy and me tumbling class at a local gymnastics academy. I take him once a week for an hour of tumbling lessons - and he is really good. It's fun to watch him get excited about the activities we do, although he is still working on being patient while waiting his turn on an event. He does the bars, rings, and balance beam very well. Ethan even likes to do some of the warm up stretches at home! I know most parents are proud of their children for various reasons, as I am so proud of Ethan. But it's special to hear from a stranger (the owner of the gymnastics academy) that she's impressed with how well Ethan does for only being two.
We have so many reasons to be thankful. A beautiful home, jobs that we enjoy, a healthy happy child who seems to love us as much as we love him, supportive families, a loving relationship, and the drive to continue making progress.
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