Life Lately | Cuteness Overload

Over the past 5 days I've been able to spend lots of quality time with my favorite little people. 

Internet, I give you my nieces and nephew:

Joie turned 7 on Sunday and I flew into Boise to be there for her big day. We partied Frozen style and enjoyed a weekend full of family, fun, and shopping. It was good to spend some quality time with my niece, it's been far too long since our last round of "silly selfies."

Harrison, the newest of the group (and first boy!) was born at the end of September. He was 6 weeks earlier than expected and happened to come during my first bought with bronchitis this year, so between staying away while sick, and traveling, I hadn't been able to officially meet him yet. The timing finally worked out this week and I was able to pop in for an overnight visit! He's still in that "eat, sleep, poop, repeat" phase, so I was able to get lots of sleepy snuggles in, and in-between his snoozes I was able to play puzzles, read books, and sing songs with his big sister, Emerson.

It has been a heart-filling week for sure.

Ch-Cha-Changes

I applied for a new job back in April.
I worked extremely hard to get this new job, perhaps the hardest I've ever worked.

I networked.
I met with a consultant on my resume.
I beefed up my Linked In page.
I researched best interview techniques.
I made follow up calls and emails to HR after applying.

I worked hard.

In June I started this new job. And last week I walked away from it.

I was sure I had landed my dream job. It was in the industry I've come to know and love, with people I thought were on the same page as me, had the same passion as me and were working to better the community with me. The networking opportunities were out of this world with connections to every creative field I could dream of, and the salary was a large step forward.

But it wasn't enough.

I'm a big believer in working hard for what you want, while continually assessing to make sure it's still what's right for you. This job was perfect on paper, but the reality of the situation was less than ideal. I wasn't being treated well,  was fighting an uphill battle with the executives, and was asked to follow guidelines that were not ethically correct.

I gave it 5 months of effort, but when it all boiled down the cons outweighed the pros and everything was pointing toward moving on. So I did.

I got a call on a Friday morning about a family emergency. I took a flight that night to be there for my family. I called HR and told them that the future was unclear and that I needed to think about my options. I ultimately decided to give my two weeks notice that Sunday. My boss responded with a curt "there's no need for you to return. We'll box up your desk." This response from her, coupled with the fact that she never once asked how my family was, told me I'd made the right decision. I was not valued as an individual in that office, and it was killing my soul.

Obviously I have to work. I have bills to pay same as everyone else, but I didn't want to rush into just another office job, so I called the nanny agency I'd worked with in the past. After a brief conversation they suggested a family that needed weekend help. I'd be working Friday - Sunday and making the same amount of money I was making at my office job. Seemed like a good fit, so I met with the family, spent a day going through the scheduled routine and LOVED it!

I don't know how long I'll be a nanny this time around, but it's definitely a welcomed breath of fresh air right now. The hours are good, the parent's are lovely and the kids? Well, just look at those adorable faces...

For now I'm content, and to me, that's all that matters.