So, I wanted to title this post "Sometimes things drop in your lap and your life makes a sudden right turn on a dime," but that seemed like it might be too long for a title.
Clearly my attempt to "catch up" in my last post was an epic failure. Not shocking to me at all, sadly.
Just to get to what I really wanted to start posting about, here's a mini(micro) catch up from October-February:
November
The good: I once again got older. C'est la vie. At least I have excellent people with whom to celebrate this yearly occurrence.
The sad: my grandpa passed away after three turbulent weeks of struggle. I'm still processing - and so grateful for my faith and testimony that I'll see him again.
December(only good...or so I choose to remember it)
The Christmas season always makes me feel better, and New Years at a gorgeous cabin by a lake doesn't hurt.
January
Pretty quiet - unseasonably warm and dry though...which made for the perfect time for some exploring in SF.
Now February is where things really get interesting...very quickly. So technically I guess the story started back in November...but it was such a little blip that I'd pretty much forgotten all about.
See, I'd been at my job for just over a year and, while I loved my coworkers, I wasn't really loving the direction my career was going. I had told myself I would give it a year and then reevaluate. So after a not-so-good day, on something of a whim, I applied for a job on the corporate website of one of my favorite companies. Just to see if anything would come of it.
Well, two days later the job posting was gone, I never heard anything, and I went back to my regularly scheduled life without much other thought about it.
Flash forward to February...when out of the blue I get an email from HR at the company I had applied at saying the position had been reopened, they'd reviewed my resume and would I please reapply. After a few hours of shock, I figured I might as well reapply; I didn't have anything to lose. So I did. And a few days later I had an interview scheduled. Onsite.
I may have neglected to mention that the job was in Utah. And I'm a California girl to the core. Born, raised, and never lived out of state. So the fact that I was interviewing for a job in Utah (a place I had vowed never to live) was a bit unexpected, to say the least. And the fact that I had already planned a vacation in Utah, which just happened to perfectly coincide with the interview timeline...that pushed things from unexpected to bizarre.
So off I flew, for a week long vacation in Utah (and what I thought would be a couple hours of throw away time at an interview for a job I figured it would be a long shot for me to even consider). The vacation was great. The interview was...hard to read. I thought it went well, but I didn't think I had the experience they were looking for. At least that was how I felt about it until I got a call three hours after the interview asking me to interview with the next level of management. By the time I flew back to California 6 days later I had the verbal promise of an forthcoming offer. And a lot to think about.
8 days (and a lot of thinking, praying and talking) later, I gave notice at the company I'd been working at for 8 years.
As a side note - I am not an impetuous person. Nor am I particularly decisive. I tend to wait until the very last second to make a decision...and then, only if I really have to. If there's a way to go with the flow or stay in my rut...that's usually my modus operandi. Making a decision this momentous, this quickly, was totally out of character for me.
And just to put into perspective my experience with the company I was leaving:
-It was my first real job after college
-I survived 4 waves of layoffs while there (including one that hit while I was a contractor, before I even got a permanent job there)
-It gave me my first opportunity to leave the country (and then proceeded to send me to Europe more than 10 times over the course of the following 6 years)
-It allowed me to work with amazing individuals, all around the world and to grow into a much more confident and capable person
-It gave me the opportunity to work with my Dad and develop a new aspect of my relationship with him (for which I will always be grateful).
Leaving Siemens was a huge decision for me. And yet, it just felt right. Everything fell into place in ways I couldn't have imagined. And so quickly...less than 7 weeks after I first got the email asking me to reapply for the job, I was living in Utah and working at my new job. And so far....it's pretty amazing.
Even if I do live in Utah now. At least I have all kinds of new places to explore. And I'm still only 90 minute flight from home.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Monday, October 21, 2013
Playing Catch-up...
So...the inherent flaw in the concept of me having a blog is my seeming inability to post on a regular basis (this is not a new flaw...it has haunted me throughout ever diary, journal, blog, etc. I have ever tried to maintain). There's some little voice (not the crazy kind, I promise) in the back of my mind that tries to tell me that if I don't post for a long time, I have to post like crazy to catch up, that somehow I need to document everything semi-momentous that happened since the last time I posted. The very concept of that just makes me tired.
So I'm turning over a new leaf. Or at least I'm going to attempt to silence this little voice and just let go and move on, rather than just give up on this blog all together. But, since I can't completely silence this little voice, at least not all at once, I'm going to do one "catch-up" post to try to cover a few of the minor/major things that have gone on in the past 4 months...
And away we go...
June -
I know, I did post in June, but I left out something very important:
the first annual Girl's Getaway Weekend with all the women on my dad's side of the family for my grandma's birthday (84th this year)!
My mom came up with the idea and it was a stroke of genius...and so much fun! We rented a house in Pollock Pines for Friday and Saturday nights and all 10 women on that side of the family (including my cousins' four girls) had a fantastic time relaxing together. It was wonderful to spend time with family that I don't see that often and get to know them better. Plus, I'm pretty sure Grandma loved it!
On a sad note, we lost Kate as a roommate. But really we couldn't blame her...paying rent at our place for baby Ava wasn't in the budget plan.
July -
A last minute workshop came up for work...in Delaware! So my coworker and I hopped on a plane to Philly and next thing I knew we were driving around the East Coast. The workshop was only for 2.5 days, but my boss let me take Friday off, so I got to do quite a bit of sightseeing before heading home.
What did I do while I was over there?
-ate an authentic Philly cheese steak
-walked through the streets of historic Philadelphia
-accidentally ended up in New Jersey momentarily when I made a right turn at the wrong time
-saw the Liberty Bell, toured Independence Hall and got a little misty-eyed seeing a real draft of the Declaration of Independence
-drove through PA, DE, MD and VA (and saw license plates from 20+ states in less than three hours of driving)
-marveled at the Washington's inviting home in Mt. Vernon
-took a cruise on the Potomac
-solemnly witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery
-visited the DC Temple (gorgeous!)
-explored a living history museum in Amish country depicting life in PA in the 18th, and 19th centuries
-and waited for an Amish (or Mennonite?) horse and buggy to cross the rode on my way back to Philadelphia to head home
Yeah, I really crammed a lot into 2.5 days...it was fantastic
.
I finished up the month with a 1 night stay in Sacramento (also for work) at the historic Citizen hotel downtown.
August -
One more trip for work to round out the summer...a week long project management training in Houston (my first time in Texas!). The training was intense (8am to 6pm every day and busy every minute of that 10 hour day), but it was fantastic! And I got to meet people from all different sectors within Siemens...in fact I was the only colleague representing Healthcare at all.
I didn't have as much time for sightseeing in Houston, but I did do the following:
-ate authentic Texas bbq brisket
-visited the Houston Temple (hands down prettiest temple exterior I've seen so far)
-drove through the "fancy" historic section of Houston
-got stuck in the airport for several hours due to a sudden, out of the blue...literally...thunder and hail storm...in August!
September -
No big trips this month...but some great smaller activities:
-A's game on Labor Day with the East Bay Mid-Singles crowd (A's won!)
-kayaking for the first time at Elkhorn Slough just north of Monterey
-got a new roommate
-celebrated with Amy at her baby shower (can't wait to meet that little one!)
-Won first place in my fantasy baseball league...and got the trophy to prove it!
And October -
Again, mostly a lot of little stuff this month:
-was inspired by the messages during the General Conference broadcasts the first weekend of the month
-presented some of my experiences and impressions of Germany at family home evening
-watched a live performance of Carmina Burana, which one of the performers described as, a "space opera"
-took my mom and brother to Pacific Grove for two nights while the heating/cooling system was replaced at their house (and those two nights were quite the story...)
-and nearly got scared to death at Halloween Haunt at Great America...my first time visiting that establishment since Physics day senior year of high school.
Whew...and now that I'm all caught up...I think I need a nap!
So I'm turning over a new leaf. Or at least I'm going to attempt to silence this little voice and just let go and move on, rather than just give up on this blog all together. But, since I can't completely silence this little voice, at least not all at once, I'm going to do one "catch-up" post to try to cover a few of the minor/major things that have gone on in the past 4 months...
And away we go...
June -
I know, I did post in June, but I left out something very important:
the first annual Girl's Getaway Weekend with all the women on my dad's side of the family for my grandma's birthday (84th this year)!
My mom came up with the idea and it was a stroke of genius...and so much fun! We rented a house in Pollock Pines for Friday and Saturday nights and all 10 women on that side of the family (including my cousins' four girls) had a fantastic time relaxing together. It was wonderful to spend time with family that I don't see that often and get to know them better. Plus, I'm pretty sure Grandma loved it!
On a sad note, we lost Kate as a roommate. But really we couldn't blame her...paying rent at our place for baby Ava wasn't in the budget plan.
July -
A last minute workshop came up for work...in Delaware! So my coworker and I hopped on a plane to Philly and next thing I knew we were driving around the East Coast. The workshop was only for 2.5 days, but my boss let me take Friday off, so I got to do quite a bit of sightseeing before heading home.
What did I do while I was over there?
-ate an authentic Philly cheese steak
-walked through the streets of historic Philadelphia
-accidentally ended up in New Jersey momentarily when I made a right turn at the wrong time
-saw the Liberty Bell, toured Independence Hall and got a little misty-eyed seeing a real draft of the Declaration of Independence
-drove through PA, DE, MD and VA (and saw license plates from 20+ states in less than three hours of driving)
-marveled at the Washington's inviting home in Mt. Vernon
-took a cruise on the Potomac
-solemnly witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery
-visited the DC Temple (gorgeous!)
-explored a living history museum in Amish country depicting life in PA in the 18th, and 19th centuries
-and waited for an Amish (or Mennonite?) horse and buggy to cross the rode on my way back to Philadelphia to head home
Yeah, I really crammed a lot into 2.5 days...it was fantastic
.
I finished up the month with a 1 night stay in Sacramento (also for work) at the historic Citizen hotel downtown.
August -
One more trip for work to round out the summer...a week long project management training in Houston (my first time in Texas!). The training was intense (8am to 6pm every day and busy every minute of that 10 hour day), but it was fantastic! And I got to meet people from all different sectors within Siemens...in fact I was the only colleague representing Healthcare at all.
I didn't have as much time for sightseeing in Houston, but I did do the following:
-ate authentic Texas bbq brisket
-visited the Houston Temple (hands down prettiest temple exterior I've seen so far)
-drove through the "fancy" historic section of Houston
-got stuck in the airport for several hours due to a sudden, out of the blue...literally...thunder and hail storm...in August!
No big trips this month...but some great smaller activities:
-A's game on Labor Day with the East Bay Mid-Singles crowd (A's won!)
-kayaking for the first time at Elkhorn Slough just north of Monterey
-got a new roommate
-celebrated with Amy at her baby shower (can't wait to meet that little one!)
-Won first place in my fantasy baseball league...and got the trophy to prove it!
And October -
Again, mostly a lot of little stuff this month:
-was inspired by the messages during the General Conference broadcasts the first weekend of the month
-presented some of my experiences and impressions of Germany at family home evening
-watched a live performance of Carmina Burana, which one of the performers described as, a "space opera"
-took my mom and brother to Pacific Grove for two nights while the heating/cooling system was replaced at their house (and those two nights were quite the story...)
-and nearly got scared to death at Halloween Haunt at Great America...my first time visiting that establishment since Physics day senior year of high school.
Whew...and now that I'm all caught up...I think I need a nap!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Super Saturday (of the non-sewing variety)
As most who know me may have noticed, I tend to always have some activity planned for each Saturday, whether it be one of our local sightseeing trips, or a trip up to see my grandparents. This recent Saturday I had not only planned not just one major event...but two: a birthday lunch for one roommate and a baby shower for the other.
A few months ago, I mentioned to Lisa that, being the baseball fan she is, I thought she'd like to have lunch at McCovey's. After explaining that McCovey's is a restaurant owned by Willie McCovey, filled with baseball (and particularly Giants) memorabilia we decided it would be the perfect place to celebrate her birthday this year. And to watch the Giants game, of course.
So come Saturday morning on the anniversary of Lisa's birth, we dressed in our Giants gear and made the trek up I-680 to McCovey's, where we had a fabulous lunch and watched the game to the bitter end (they lost in the ninth), and where I took far too many pictures.
After the game we headed back to our place to celebrate the pending arrival of Kate's baby girl Ava (due in just 7 short weeks).
All in all, it was a long day...but a great one!
A few months ago, I mentioned to Lisa that, being the baseball fan she is, I thought she'd like to have lunch at McCovey's. After explaining that McCovey's is a restaurant owned by Willie McCovey, filled with baseball (and particularly Giants) memorabilia we decided it would be the perfect place to celebrate her birthday this year. And to watch the Giants game, of course.
So come Saturday morning on the anniversary of Lisa's birth, we dressed in our Giants gear and made the trek up I-680 to McCovey's, where we had a fabulous lunch and watched the game to the bitter end (they lost in the ninth), and where I took far too many pictures.
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| Who doesn't love Bieber? |
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| Free birthday Sundae...no spoon included. |
After the game we headed back to our place to celebrate the pending arrival of Kate's baby girl Ava (due in just 7 short weeks).
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| The spread... |
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| Hard at work coming up with baby names... |
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| Guess how big mama's baby bump is... |
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| Presents! |
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| Adorable!! |
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| Lisa's wrapping paper baby bump isn't quite as impressive... |
Saturday, May 25, 2013
ADDoodles...
A few years back my dad was diagnosed with ADD (which explains a lot of things...). Now, I've taken some online tests and Kaiser pre-tests, and I don't think I'd be diagnosable with ADD. But...I definitely have some ADD tendencies. Or as I like to refer to it, ADOS (Attention Deficit...oooh shiny!).
Characteristics I've noticed in myself:
- inability to stay still (I've always got a jiggling foot or a taping finger)
- my inability NOT to pay attention to conversations going on in my vicinity
- the way I consistently have at least 2 things going on at once (TV while I'm online, music while I'm working, etc.)
One thing I've noticed recently is that I seem to be unable to pay attention in meetings at work in which I'm not actively participating, unless I'm doing something with my hands. As a result I now have an impressive collection of sketches in my work notebook. Which is not always easy to explain to my coworkers...
As you can see...there's not too much of a common theme, but hey, at least it keeps me paying attention.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
My Mama
My very favorite picture with my mom
I have a host of favorite memories of my mom and with my mom. Here are just a few(cause you know I love making lists...):
- watching her sew and mimicking her by dressing up my dolls in the scraps
- her endless patience and enthusiasm when I wanted to play bank (or hotel..or restaurant..or shopkeeper..) with her, even when she had a million other things she needed to do
- spending hours pouring over Barbie magazines together
- her relentless creativity when there was a problem to be solved (my rain cloak for Prom...slipcovers for my blow up furniture in college...)
- her unfailing kindness and the way she's always seen and treated everyone she meets as an individual worthy of interest and care
- staying up late watching Nick@Nite and crazy infomercials
- her selflessness and love towards her family
- wonderful vacations where we always had everything we needed because mom made sure to be prepared
- singing (all the time, in all ways)
- her comforting hugs and patience whenever I needed it
I could go on..and on..and on. But mostly I just want to say a giant THANK YOU! to my mom for all she's done for me and with me and for the example she's been.
Thank you for always listening...even when I fought and didn't want to to talk.
Thank you for teaching me how to admit it when I'm wrong and that it's okay to be wrong if you learn from it and make amends.
Thank you for sharing your creativity with me and for always encouraging me to develop my own.
Thank you for everything you gave up so that I could have something better.
Thank you for reminding me again and again of my potential and that you're proud of me (I hope you know how proud I am of you too).
Thank you for holding me close but letting me go when you knew I needed to grow.
Thank you for welcoming me back with open arms every time.
Thank you for laughing with me.
Thank you for letting me take care of you sometimes.
Thank you for being the best friend I've ever had.
And thank you for being the best mom I could imagine.
I love you!!
First trip to Disneyland with Mom
Most recent trip to Disneyland with Mom
Before Google or Pinterest...she made the best dress up costumes ever!
Who else had a mom that not only let them plant a garden on the refrigerator, but still brags about it?!
I got the best care pacakges EVER in college!
I love you, Mom!!!
P.S. I'm pretty sure this video will make you tear up, just like it did me. I'd rather have you than any manual.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Lady Antebellum
What's a girl to do on a Friday night? When Lady Antebellum is in town the answer is apparently: decide on a whim to hop in the car with 3 friends and pick up lawn seats for their concert.
I haven't been to a concert for a while (probably over two years?) so when Katy mentioned that she and our friend Michelle were going to see Lady Antebellum and I should come, I couldn't resist. And neither could my local adventure friends...
The concert was great! The band was awesome (especially impressive given the female lead singer was over 6 months pregnant!) and the crowd was lively. I think one of the best parts about lawn seats is that you can totally sing and dance along with the music and no one cares. In fact, it's almost expected.
All in all it was a fantastic night. Made even better because it was so spontaneous!
I haven't been to a concert for a while (probably over two years?) so when Katy mentioned that she and our friend Michelle were going to see Lady Antebellum and I should come, I couldn't resist. And neither could my local adventure friends...
The concert was great! The band was awesome (especially impressive given the female lead singer was over 6 months pregnant!) and the crowd was lively. I think one of the best parts about lawn seats is that you can totally sing and dance along with the music and no one cares. In fact, it's almost expected.
All in all it was a fantastic night. Made even better because it was so spontaneous!
We might have been far away...but the music was great and we had a blast!
So...nobody holds up lighters anymore...now it's all about the smart phones.
Malvern...
So I've officially been working for Siemens for 7 1/2 years. One of the fun things about working for such a large, multinational company is how many different Siemens locations there are worldwide. They have a presence in pretty much every country, state, and region. As expected, some locations are bigger and more "famous" than others in the Siemens world.
In the time I've been working for this giant octopus of a company, I've been privileged to visit some of their bigger (and smaller locations):
Concord, CA (home base for 7 years)
Berkeley, CA (home base for the past 6 months)
Mountain View, CA
West Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, CA
Hoffman Estates, IL
Cary, NC
Erlangen, Germany
Forchheim, Germany
Kemnath, Germany
Heidelberg, Germany
Nürnberg, Germany
And my most recent, and long-awaited Siemens destination? Malvern, PA.
Ever since I started at Siemens Healthcare I've wanted to visit the corporate headquarters location in Malvern. I've worked with a lot of different colleagues located in Malvern, received company-wide emails about Malvern, and heard about the huge complex there.
I can now officially say I've been to the offices in Malvern. I traveled to the infamous office with my manager for a two day workshop related to the huge project we're currently working on.
I had hoped that I'd have the opportunity to see something of the area while I was there, since it was my first time in Pennsylvania, but unfortunately our days were packed and I didn't get to see much outside of the office and hotel area. Although I did try to grab a few pictures on the road while we were sitting in traffic heading back to the airport.
My thoughts on the location:
-the area is beautiful! So quaint and green. And as my manager said, there are churches on every corner!
-the office complex is HUGE...at least 3 corporate buildings with 5 floors full of Siemens employees.
-it is a terrible place to try and navigate...there are no maps (that I could find) and people are listed in the corporate directory by their cube number (which includes no indication of what building or floor they are in/on)
-security is a little bit crazy...you not only have to badge through the front door, but there are doors in many of the main hallways that also require you to pass your badge over to get through
All in all it was great to finally see this mysterious location I've heard so much about and I hope I'll have the opportunity to visit again...and hopefully take some time to see the surrounding area too!
Pretty lake we drove by (please excuse the reflection through the window)
"The Classic Diner" where we had lunch on our way out of town.
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