An amazing thing happened this morning, I had to stop to think about what day it was today. That was a very strange feeling. Not having a place to go each day is both a pain and a pleasure. I am really enjoying hanging out with my hubby and son so not having to be at a job each day is good in that regard. But trying to let go of that sense that I SHOULD be going somewhere important is difficult. I think I'll probably get past that point right about the time that I find a job and have to go back to the whole "routine" thing.
Time to go play on the Wii.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Great Landscape Project
If I were younger and could stand the heat, I might be tempted to go into the landscape business. But since neither applies to me, Thank God! I think I will leave it up to the experts. In the meantime, the following pictures represent just a small portion of a front and back yard project that took about a year and a half. The added bonus besides being pretty to look at is I get some new muscle mass and have lost a bunch of pounds. Woo Hoo!
The first picture is the view of our house from the road. The next two are before and after of our front garden along side the road.
The next two photos are the before and after of the south west side of the yard. The after photo is just the corner section.
The west side again but this time the after picture is of the northwest corner of the yard.
The next few pictures show the center half circle just off of the end of the deck in a before, during, and after process.
The first picture is the view of our house from the road. The next two are before and after of our front garden along side the road.
The two areas above are right in front of the house.
This one is in the center of the front yard.
Now we're in the backyard. The photo on top is the east side of the yard, unfinished. The second photo is the finished product. The next two are the before and after of the south east corner which is at the end of the row of blocks above.
The next two photos are of the northeast section of the fenceline before and after.
The next two photos are the before and after of the south west side of the yard. The after photo is just the corner section.
The west side again but this time the after picture is of the northwest corner of the yard.
The next few pictures show the center half circle just off of the end of the deck in a before, during, and after process.
The last picture shows the deck that we built and over to the right is the shed that we built from scratch.
To look at the finished landscape projects you would think it looks easy. I'm here to tell you that it is extremely labor intensive but in the end it is all well worth it.
On to the next big project.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Anatomy of a lay-off
Well, I never thought the day would come that I would get laid off from my now "previous" job. It was a position that I thought suited me as much as I suited it. I loved, really loved, going to this job each day. The company was awesome and the position was both fun and challenging. I learned something new each day. There I was at 4 years and 3 months and the company had a 30% reduction in head count. I became an addition to the ranks of the unemployed. This happened on the 28th of May and now it is the 15th of June.
During the first two days I was in total shock. I thought that if I ever parted from the "company" that it would be on my terms and would surely be my choice. Not that I thought that I was not expendable, I just thought that my position was necessary to the functioning of the "company". I was obviously mistaken. At any rate, I cried off and on for the first few days even into the following week. As I said, at first I was shocked and devastated. What alot of people don't get is that it does not just have a financial impact. It affects your psyche. In my case, this was not just a job to me. I put my heart and soul into my work. I was a completely dedicated employee. So what happens is it affects your sense of self worth, it affects your sense of being needed and needing to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It messes with your internal clock and your routine. You get up at a certain time, you stop for coffee at the same place around the same time, you drive on the same road, pass the same group of cars, go to the cubicle or office or station at your job and make a contribution to the success of the place that you work for. You have the places you go to for lunch and the places you stop at on the way home. You have the friends that you work with, the daily emails and jokes that everyone shares, the sense of comeraderie. The impact that a layoff has on the average person upsets the sense of balance that each of us has. And then there is the wallet. In my case, the financial impact came second. It was the complete jolt to my emotional center that took the biggest hit.
I do still stop now and then to ask why? Not why me, why the position? It makes no sense. I did get two weeks severance which I think should have been more but hey, I am grateful. I also did get any PTO that was accrued which was also fine and some of the really cool people there wrote some very nice personal recommendation letters for me. That was awesome. Since I have never really had any breaks between jobs in the past, I thought it would be really nice to take the summer off this time, if we could afford it. My husband decided that we could so that is what I am doing. He went so far as to tell me not to worry about it (finding a job) until the end of August. That was sweet but I will worry about it and I will eventually get really serious about it but for right now, I need time for me and my family and my house. I have taken care of the unemployment situation, had one job interview so far, and am slowly working up to actually updating my resume and getting on some job search engines. It's kind of a slow process because I've been spending most of my daylight hours working my butt off doing landscape projects. I've lost 9 pounds since I've been off work and have found muscles in my shoulders and back that I didn't know I had. Oohrah!!!! Mom is getting buff! By the way, I will post pictures tomorrow night of all of my finished garden areas. They look really awesome so it was all worth it.
During this past week I have also been mastering the art of sleeping in and nap taking. That surely takes some skill you know. I used to get up early even on Saturdays but now I am learning the ever so subtle art of rolling over and going back to sleep. I'm sure that by the time I get back to work I will have to break that habit.
I have found quite a few job search sites and so far have gone as far as adding them to my favorites. There is one that I looked at today that may be helpful but I had to leave to pick up Sean from school and go to Home Depot to get more bark for the front garden. My pets love having me here everyday as I get to spend time playing with them and going for walks. My list of projects is growing but they are all things that I've been wanting to do for a long time and had been wishing I had time for, now I do.
Ok, I am now trying to infuse this situation with some humor but in keeping with my personality, life is really all about perspective. On Thursday it will be three weeks since I got terminated from my paying job and started my other job at home. My perspective is this, it is an opportunity to have some time for ME. It is an opportunity to do the things that I want to do. It is an opportunity to take the time to look for a job that suits what I want to do next. I get to spend time with my son, be home on the days that my husband is home, and develop a new appreciation for the 6 acres that I live on. I can work on my genealogy projects, use the sewing machine that I got for Christmas which has never been out of the box, organize my photos and files on my computer, and finish my UK trip power point presentation to share with Rhonda. And I can take a little more time to thank God for all of the wonderful things and experiences that he has bestowed on me and be exceedingly grateful for what I have and who I am.
My situation is rather unique among the people from the "company" that lost their jobs. I have the advantage of having a husband who has planned for just such an instance and put away some money. We had already arranged to go on vacation in July and again in August and fortunately, had already paid for it. So, between working in the yard, reorganizing the house from top to bottom, and vacations, I will look for a job. But I really don't want to start until after the middle of August unless it is a totally killer job that I can't pass up.
So, as time goes on I'll add more of my thoughts about the layoff and it's impact on my world.
In the meantime, the animals need to go out and the front garden needs to be watered.
During the first two days I was in total shock. I thought that if I ever parted from the "company" that it would be on my terms and would surely be my choice. Not that I thought that I was not expendable, I just thought that my position was necessary to the functioning of the "company". I was obviously mistaken. At any rate, I cried off and on for the first few days even into the following week. As I said, at first I was shocked and devastated. What alot of people don't get is that it does not just have a financial impact. It affects your psyche. In my case, this was not just a job to me. I put my heart and soul into my work. I was a completely dedicated employee. So what happens is it affects your sense of self worth, it affects your sense of being needed and needing to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It messes with your internal clock and your routine. You get up at a certain time, you stop for coffee at the same place around the same time, you drive on the same road, pass the same group of cars, go to the cubicle or office or station at your job and make a contribution to the success of the place that you work for. You have the places you go to for lunch and the places you stop at on the way home. You have the friends that you work with, the daily emails and jokes that everyone shares, the sense of comeraderie. The impact that a layoff has on the average person upsets the sense of balance that each of us has. And then there is the wallet. In my case, the financial impact came second. It was the complete jolt to my emotional center that took the biggest hit.
I do still stop now and then to ask why? Not why me, why the position? It makes no sense. I did get two weeks severance which I think should have been more but hey, I am grateful. I also did get any PTO that was accrued which was also fine and some of the really cool people there wrote some very nice personal recommendation letters for me. That was awesome. Since I have never really had any breaks between jobs in the past, I thought it would be really nice to take the summer off this time, if we could afford it. My husband decided that we could so that is what I am doing. He went so far as to tell me not to worry about it (finding a job) until the end of August. That was sweet but I will worry about it and I will eventually get really serious about it but for right now, I need time for me and my family and my house. I have taken care of the unemployment situation, had one job interview so far, and am slowly working up to actually updating my resume and getting on some job search engines. It's kind of a slow process because I've been spending most of my daylight hours working my butt off doing landscape projects. I've lost 9 pounds since I've been off work and have found muscles in my shoulders and back that I didn't know I had. Oohrah!!!! Mom is getting buff! By the way, I will post pictures tomorrow night of all of my finished garden areas. They look really awesome so it was all worth it.
During this past week I have also been mastering the art of sleeping in and nap taking. That surely takes some skill you know. I used to get up early even on Saturdays but now I am learning the ever so subtle art of rolling over and going back to sleep. I'm sure that by the time I get back to work I will have to break that habit.
I have found quite a few job search sites and so far have gone as far as adding them to my favorites. There is one that I looked at today that may be helpful but I had to leave to pick up Sean from school and go to Home Depot to get more bark for the front garden. My pets love having me here everyday as I get to spend time playing with them and going for walks. My list of projects is growing but they are all things that I've been wanting to do for a long time and had been wishing I had time for, now I do.
Ok, I am now trying to infuse this situation with some humor but in keeping with my personality, life is really all about perspective. On Thursday it will be three weeks since I got terminated from my paying job and started my other job at home. My perspective is this, it is an opportunity to have some time for ME. It is an opportunity to do the things that I want to do. It is an opportunity to take the time to look for a job that suits what I want to do next. I get to spend time with my son, be home on the days that my husband is home, and develop a new appreciation for the 6 acres that I live on. I can work on my genealogy projects, use the sewing machine that I got for Christmas which has never been out of the box, organize my photos and files on my computer, and finish my UK trip power point presentation to share with Rhonda. And I can take a little more time to thank God for all of the wonderful things and experiences that he has bestowed on me and be exceedingly grateful for what I have and who I am.
My situation is rather unique among the people from the "company" that lost their jobs. I have the advantage of having a husband who has planned for just such an instance and put away some money. We had already arranged to go on vacation in July and again in August and fortunately, had already paid for it. So, between working in the yard, reorganizing the house from top to bottom, and vacations, I will look for a job. But I really don't want to start until after the middle of August unless it is a totally killer job that I can't pass up.
So, as time goes on I'll add more of my thoughts about the layoff and it's impact on my world.
In the meantime, the animals need to go out and the front garden needs to be watered.
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