Good Fortune

I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to write a quick update for all of my loyal readers about the last week and my interviews for potential jobs. I had three interviews, and they all went well. In fact, I think interviewing is pretty fun! Totally not kidding, I just don't get nervous and it's nice to meet new people and hear about different possibilities. I have one job offer, and they want me to start tomorrow! Again, not kidding. I have been honest with the potential new boss at this company about the other things that I have going on, and he is understanding and patient as I process through my options. The other two job interviews resulted in 2nd interviews (pretty common these days) and those are scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and Thursday morning. Also, the original solid lead (from 2+ weeks ago) is coming into play as they called on Friday and I'm going over there tomorrow morning. So that makes 4 options if you are keeping track. I am so grateful to have options in this tough time, and this week will most likely be my last week of interviews. I am happy with the choices, but they are all vastly different and the intangibles really come into play to make a final decision. The one offer I have is very fair, good compensation and benefits but I have some questions I need answered before I can decide if it is the right place for me. In the course of the other interviews this week, I will get those questions answered and then see if the other interviews result in offers. Obviously, I am trying to push the companies as much as I can because I don't have the luxury of a current job paying me while I am exploring these options. But things are most definitely looking good, and I hope that by this time next week I will have a new job!

Paradin'

Today was the St. Patty's Day parade downtown. Every year, the kids' school puts a float in it. Last year we helped make the float decorations, it was very time consuming but we didn't get to see our hard work come to fruition because we didn't attend the actual parade. The weather was one of those bad March days, cold and gloomy. This year, I helped quite a bit with the decorations (since I have a lot more time on my hands lol) and I was bound and determined that we wouldn't miss the parade. And the weather was glorious, sunny and warming up into the 40s by parade time. We arrived early about 9 AM to set up. Our float was #75 of about 180 entries (!) so we didn't start moving until after 11 AM! Once the parade float was all set up, I finally took out the camera and snapped some pre-parade shots. Here is Keely with her two good friends from school, Lexi and Olivia.
And Quinn sporting some sprayed green hair for the occasion.
Finally, we were on the move. Because of the good weather, we had a great turnout with probably about 50 people walking behind the float in support of the school.
Here we are entering the Gateway, and making our way through the parade route.
Keely and Olivia walked together the whole time, arm in arm...so cute :)
So it was a nice kickoff to the upcoming holiday, and I am glad we took the time to travel downtown this morning for it. We're all tuckered out tonight but it was a lot of fun. Next year though, I want to actually watch the parade instead!

She Can See Clearly...For Now

When Keely went for her well check and immunizations, they tested her vision. This was really the first time in her life, because the previous times they tried she flatly refused to identify letters, shapes, animals, or anything else they put on that wall (you know she is nothing if not stubborn!). She can also now recognize and name all of her letters and that's the best way to do an eye test. So they tried the right first and she did pretty well, but then she seemed to get bored on the left. The results of this imperfect test were that her vision was not perfect in either eye, and slightly worse in one eye. So the doctor recommended that we see a pediatric eye specialist to make sure everything was developing normally. Now, James and I both wear glasses so I feel like we are treading on thin ice here and it's inevitable that one or both of them wear glasses at some point. Quinn so far though is fine, and now he gets tested every year at school.

So today I took Keely to the specialist, who dilated her eyes and tested her vision again. Keely was a model patient, and was super excited to be there (as I told the nurse, who wished that all her patients could be this easy). The good news (to me) is that she doesn't need glasses, but is slightly far sighted. This is common in children her age, and the doctor recommended a recheck in 3 months. The bad news (to Keely) is that she doesn't need glasses. Apparently, glasses are a fashion statement to her and she totally thought it would be fun to have them :) So now I have to try to explain that it's actually a good thing to not need glasses...

10-4

When Quinn first learned to ride his bike, he was content to ride in front of our house and down to the corner, where I could see him the whole time. Now that he's a pro, he wants to go farther and faster. He's now started going around the block, and obviously I cannot see him the whole time. First we let him go with Dylan, a neighbor who is about 14 and knows a lot of people in the neighborhood. Then he started wanting to see if his friend Emma could play, and now they ride together sometimes alone and sometimes with her older brother (he's in 3rd grade). The latest is that they play in the neighborhood "park", and I put that in quotes because I would hardly call it a park. It's about 50'x100' and has a small basketball court and a couple of little bouncy animals to ride on. But they like to hang out there, and it's way in the far corner of our neighborhood at probably the farthest distance from our house. Let me also explain that our street is a loop, and once Quinn heads further into the neighborhood, he can't get out without passing back by our house. Nevertheless, I worry and I've had to ride over to the park a couple of times already (and it's not even really warm every day yet) and get him to come back home. So I've been telling James that we need a set of walkie talkies, which will also come in handy when we camp.

This weekend we got our REI dividend, and we went over there on Saturday because it was burning a hole in our pockets :) What we found was a set of (mostly free) two way radios that work up to 10 miles away, and they will be the perfect solution to Quinn's new found independence. We tested them out yesterday...he rode around and James buzzed him every couple of minutes and then we tested it from the park and it worked great! So now I can rest a little easier knowing that I can give him a ring whenever I need to talk to him or tell him it's time to come home for dinner :)

Not So Fast, My Friend

What I failed to mention when I last wrote was that the kids' school schedule this month is almost non-existent. They have 5 half days, and two full days off. It's almost like they aren't in school, considering that they have half days every Friday already. And when Keely has a 1/2 day, she's only in school from 8-10 AM...hardly enough time to get anything accomplished before you have to turn around and pick her up. So when I was writing out the monthly calendar on Sunday, James looked at it and said, "Oh, that's a sure sign you will get a job!" Murphy's Law, you know...

Fast forward to the last two days. I should never complain about nothing happening because in the course of two days time, I have 3 interviews scheduled for next week! And one will likely result in an immediate offer letter, and can I start on the 16th?!?! Wow, how things change. Now things are moving too fast for me, and I want to slow it down so I can be sure I will be making the right decision. So as my favorite college football analyst Lee Corso likes to say, "Not so fast, my friend." I can sleep easier tonight knowing that I will most likely have some options in this tough job market, and I am grateful that things are moving in a positive direction.

Impatient

This really is an up and down time for me. It's hard not to let my emotions and insecurities get the best of me, and James is the one who suffers the most. Some days are just worse than others, and he gets the brunt of it when he gets home. The job search continues to be slooow...and it is a test of my patience. It is still hard to tell what companies are really hiring and which are just dangling carrots out to see what they can get. I would say I still only have 1 solid lead, but it looks like it will be another couple of weeks before it even gets to an interview stage. Each new day seems to bring both a mix of good news and bad, but I am trying to stay positive and only concentrate on the good leads and conversations I am having each day. My impatience lies with not only the slowness of this process, but also with my lack of decision making on Plan B. Putting the wheels in motion fof the teaching license is something that I just don't know when to do. I feel that the longer I wait, the more I compromise my ability to find a job in that area. At the same time, I feel that I haven't given this search enough time yet. Of course Murphy's Law is that when I decide to put Plan B into motion, something will happen on the engineering front. But the opposite could be true, and the longer I wait to start the Plan B process, the less time I have to find a teaching job by August when most new positions start. So many questions in my mind, and it's really hard not to second guess my decisions. The one thing I need to do is stay positive, and stay in control of those things I can control. And practice my patience because it's clear that I am going to need it :)

Tales from the Weekend

The rhyming festival was a success, at least by my definition. Keely is a good host, and she had the whole thing planned out. Of course as long as we will listen to her wishes, everything goes smoothly. As her Pre-K teacher says to me, "I know she will be a CEO one day, but will she be one with a heart?". She started by dressing me up, and having me curl my hair. She even applied my lipstick for me :) We took turns reading from rhyming books (mostly Dr. Seuss) and then the kids danced to some music. We ended with ice cream sundaes, and then I was allowed to take off my "fancy" clothes. Here I am with the kids, Keely is in her mermaid costume and the boys were not required to change. Notice the butterfly clip in my hair...
Here is me and Nana, who had limited dress up clothes so she used a belt to accessorize.
And here I am with Keely, ready for the festival!
The rest of the weekend was fairly normal, the weather was nice and the kids got to get outside. We also went out to dinner at Famous Dave's (thanks Nana!) and the kids went to see Tales of Despereaux with Nana yesterday while James and I went grocery shopping and I made Asparagus Lasagna, yum! Here are a few more pictures of the kids outside enjoying the springlike temperatures. We took the training wheels off Keely's bike so she can learn to ride it. She did good on her first time out!
Keely also did really well with her shots, and didn't cry at all. Two in one arm and one in the other! She is now officially ready for Kindergarten :)