Brianna's First Day

January 6, 2025 After 13 years, Brianna has made her way back to the Central Valley! I'm so happy to have her home with me--quite literally for a time, since she and Leslie the Puppy are staying with me for a couple of months until she moves into her own place. She started her new job as an E.A. with State Center Community Colleges. Now we have three of us who work in the district in various capacities--Bree at her job, Lisa as the VPI at Fresno City College, and me as an adjunct faculty member at Clovis Community. All in the family! Although Bree's day got off to a rough start, she jumped in and started learning the ropes in her new role. Since she has lots of experience as an E.A. (Executive Assistant), I'm sure she'll be up and running in no time. Her rough start, by the way, didn't come from the job itself, but the act of getting to the office. Bree has been living in Seattle, and prior she lived in Washington D.C., both of which have great and easily accessible public transport. Because of this, she hasn't owned a car for the past few years. Moving here will necessitate having a car, and until she makes that purchase, she is borrowing Lisa's second vehicle. Bree wanted to give herself plenty of time to get to work early this morning, and it's a good thing she did. Not being accustomed to warming up a vehicle on very cold mornings, she went out and found that the van's windshield was frozen, and nothing she did-defroster, water on the windshield, etc.--helped make the windows safe for driving. That's a frustrating way to start any day, but even more so on your first day at a new job. She kept calm though (I probably would have been in tears!) and called herself an Uber. Because she was leaving so early, she had built in enough of a time cushion that having to wait for the Uber didn't put her behind. She made it to the office just a bit early and got ready to check in to the new job. I was pretty impressed that she didn't let the situation frazzle her!

Bree is Coming Back to the West Coast

March 29, 2022 Brianna decided a couple of months ago that the East Coast life is not for her. As her mama, I am not at all sad that she'll be moving back to this side of the country, but more importantly, I am very happy that she is making a career decision that is going to serve her skills and desires. It is just as important to be reflective enough to recognize what you don't want to do as it is to understand what you do want to do. She came to the decision that continuing to pursue studying law would not be fulfilling for her in the long run, and she has chosen to move forward in her previous career path. I am so glad she chose to make that change now, rather than continuing to try to make something fit just because she started down that path, and then finding 20 years later that she regretted that life. Changing your path, or quitting something because you realize it's not for you is not a failure, but rather a sign of reflection and maturity, and I am so proud of her for her choice. Next week she'll be heading back to Fresno for a week or so, then she'll be headed up to Seattle to reunite with her former roommate and bestie, Kaci. They'll be sharing an apartment again and working at the same place (albeit different departments). I am thrilled that Seattle Children's Hospital will be her new home as she begins her new journey as an Executive Coordinator in the Office of the CEO. Hooray for new adventures (and a much closer flight to Mom!)

Target!

June 6, 2012

Brianna's home for the summer, and she wasted no time in getting out and applying for jobs.  During her interview at Target, she was asked the fairly standard, "So why do you want to work here?" question.  Her response?  "Well, basically, I was raised here!"

She got the job.  See?  I knew my obsession with Target would come in handy someday.

Fives for Friday

February 18, 2010

I love...
--my funny, sweet, big-hearted, quirky kids
--my hubby, the holder of my heart
--my job (well, most of it)
--sunshiny weather
--chubby cheeked toothless baby grins and giggles

I wish....
--my sister and her girls could just move here--now
--for a great job opportunity for Doug
--for the continued health and well-being of my family
--I wasn't sick right now
--for just one more....

I don't like....
--people who feel the need to create drama
--mean-spirited souls
--that there's more of me than I'd like
--when I lose my cool with the kids
--how long it's been since we've had a vacation

I want....
--more time to read (without falling asleep!)
--more teaching days like today
--a car (van) that doesn't screech, crackle, and sputter like an arthritic octogenarian
--a better camera so the pictures I see are the ones that come out on the page
--my kids to know how proud I am of them and that I'll always be their biggest cheerleader

I feel...
--amazed at the people I've reconnected with in the past couple of years
--thankful that in this economy I have a job and a home
--anxious about balancing all the blocks in the tower
--nostalgic already about the fact that my oldest graduates next year--NEXT YEAR!
--I'm making up the answers as I go along, but I know I'm not alone

A Little Jingle in the Pockets

December 8, 2009

We now officially have a new member of the work force living under our roof. Bree's step-mom is a district manager for Jack in the Box, so she was able to get Bree an interview at the Jack in the Box close by us. (Lucky for us it's within walking distance, since she's still operating under a driver's permit, rather than an actual license.) She interviewed last week, and today she walked through the doors a bonafide member of the working class. Four hours of health and safety and sexual harassment videos later, her first shift of orientation for Jack in the Box is over, and she's on her way to her first paycheck. It's a good time of the year to find a little extra jingle in the pockets.

I Love My Job? Yeah, Most of the Time

May 11, 2009

I don't know why I still take it so personally when a student says something mean to me in the guise of humor. I mean, they're teenagers. There are an awful lot of them who confuse 'mean' with 'funny.' (Come to think of it, there are an awful lot of adults who confuse 'mean' with 'funny.') But still. I work hard everyday, trying to do my job. I'm pretty sure they don't have any idea how much time after school and at home that I spend in grading and planning. So when I hear a flippant comment about what I do in class, it can get to me. It kind of makes it hard to be enthusiastic, and I hate it when I'm not enthusiastic about my kids and my job. Clearly, it's Monday, and I'm ready to go home. Here's hoping for a better tomorrow.