back at it ...

I'm baaaaaack!! It feels good to be a working girl again. Not SO good that I'd continue working if my Powerball ticket was "the big winner" but still, pretty damn good. I have made quite a seamless transition from unemployed to employed or should I say from no-time to full-time. I started my position last Wednesday. I already have a good feel for the 8.5 hours per day that I'll be spending away from home. I have quickly gotten used to getting up earlier, choosing daily outfits and packing up my "meals". I'm impressed with my adaptation I must admit. I thought for sure there would be a few tears and lots of moping around when I was to start working again. This scenario however is much different than I had anticipated. It isn't a crappy office job where I am: stuck at a broken PC using Excel and working with numbers all day, a slave to five bosses and expected to do the work of three people all while being devastatingly underpaid. I am on a brand new 27" iMac, using graphics software with a hands-off boss and a great supervisor who delegates work to me that I am more than capable of handling with a paycheck that will keep me comfortable. Score one for Sheri Lynn.

I have been taken under the wing of my friend and now supervisor, Maryellen. She's been training me and it's been pretty fun actually. A lot of the processes are so new that we are collaborating on the best ways to get them done. It's nice to not have to learn something that's unchangeable and set in stone. Everything is sort of a work in progress at this point. My primary job consists of manipulating Illustrator files. As orders for products come in I will be putting University logos and specified colors on the desired items. I enjoy the work so far. As other projects come in I will be used in those areas as well. The art department is brand new so there will be lots of changes in the upcoming months. I only hope that our work at least stays this steady and a "lay-off" isn't in the cards. Let's cross our fingers on that one! 

My new routine is working out swimmingly. I set the alarm for 6 but usually beat it and get out of bed by 5:50. I make coffee and feed Brody. I sit with my delicious cups of joe and watch Roseanne until about 7. I get ready and am out the door by 8:10. Leave the office at 5 and am home by 5:20. Awesome awesome awesome commute. I have never worked South of the city before. It's a whole new world. I grab a book or magazine and bike 10 miles in the bedroom, shower up and have my last meal. Done with my day by about 7:30 and the rest of the night is open for relaxation. It is a fantastic balance and I only hope that I continue to stay enthusiastic about it. My old job made my days disappear and my nights seemed to be just seconds long. This brand new schedule is wonderful and I hope that once the daily grind starts to wear on me I can still see the positive points. Thankfully I have this blog to remind me. 

I remain thankful for this opportunity and hopeful for my future. Good day to you! 

bye bye Roseanne re-runs ...

"Like a marble pulled by gravity along the course laid out for it, your next few moves will have a feeling of inevitability about them. Trust that destiny has your best interests in mind!"

This was my horoscope for Thursday, February 4. My mother had emailed it to me just around the time I was getting home from a spur-of-the-moment and impromptu job interview, unbeknownst to her. It was eerily appropriate.  

The night before I read a status update on Facebook that would ultimately change my own status. A friend of mine, and former co-worker, had noted that anyone seeking a desktop publishing/graphic artist position should contact her. Normally I talk myself right out of graphic arts positions because I do not possess the degree to win over the interviewer. I have experience in the field and have worked with the programs for several years but I am often intimidated by these job titles, especially knowing how many terribly qualified candidates are out there these days. I decided to shoot her a text anyhow, inquiring more about the job. She was enthusiastic to hear from me and said that I would definitely be qualified for this position. After a few emails with greater details I became quite optimistic. Working in the art department doing graphics for a Marketing company is exactly what I wanted to do. The location of the office is exactly where I had hoped to find a job someday. Only 15 minutes from home and low-traffic, highway driving. The hours would be Monday through Friday basic 8.5 hour day. The work was nothing I hadn't done before and, although it was a temporary position, it seemed like this could be a great fit for me. I didn't get myself excited and I didn't feel anxious or lose any sleep, I just felt intrigued and hopeful. The next morning my friend, let's just call her Maryellen, said that she would speak to her boss and keep me posted. Within an hour I received a text asking if I could meet with her and her boss that afternoon or some time on Friday. I was mid-egg sandwich when I read the text. I began shaking and my heart started flying. Holy shit. After giving it five minutes of thought I made a decision to meet right away. If I had waited until the following day I wouldn't have slept a wink and would have over-prepared which would probably result in a tired and somewhat phony demeanor. I am 100% genuine in any interview. I don't make promises that I don't intend to keep. I don't boast of skills that I don't possess. I don't lead you to believe that I am anything but what you see. I'm just me, and that has worked in my favor in every single interview I have ever sat through.

Now, Maryellen explained that it wasn't a hardcore interview but more of a meeting. She said her boss told her to let me know that I didn't "need to look all fancy". I ironed some black pants, found a couple of shirts to layer up trendily (which seemed more hobo-ey to me), settled on shoes and jewelry and went to the mirror. Jiminy Christmas! I had make-up on from 6:30 a.m. and my hair had literally been in the same position for a day and a half. I did a three minute fix-up and to those of you who know me - it is a miracle that I didn't get into that shower and start from scratch, emerging two hours later. BUT I figured I should go with my instincts and they were to get to this office ASAP as I was insanely eager and interested in this opportunity. I printed a fresh resume, shoved it into a manilla folder and pulled up the company website once again to find some general information. After reading directions to the office I was out the door. 

The office is perfectly located and so easy to get to. The large, main room is bursting with cubicles. A big conference room sits in the center of the building. I was given a slight tour by Maryellen along with a brief company history. We then walked into the owner's office for the 'interview' and I couldn't believe it - I wasn't nervous a LICK. I was so unprepared! I knew basically nothing about this company, I hadn't thought out answers to possible questions that would be fired at me, I had no portfolio to show this man and yet somehow I felt completely calm and casual. We had about a 15 minute meeting. He seemed to like me, my attitude and my work history. Maryellen vouched for everything I said and her word is gold - as it always was in any office. We were finishing up when I slid my resume over to the man and said "Here, you get to keep this." He looked at me and said, "With your proofreading skills I shouldn't expect to find any spelling errors right?" I said, "Try to find one, I dare you." He enjoyed that response and I was given a "thank you for coming in, we're going to talk a bit and we'll get in touch with you this afternoon". As I shook hands I thanked them in return for the invite and wished them a great day. I walked out of the building feeling pretty fantastic. 


About an hour later I received a text from Maryellen stating that her boss liked me and they were going to offer me a PERMANENT position. I couldn't even believe it and re-read the text to confirm. I was emailed an offer about an hour later and I graciously accepted it. I am to start next week. 


I am really still floored by this turn of events. So many things could have gotten in the way of this - the biggest being my self confidence. I am So glad that I decided to inquire about this job. I really learned a lesson by doing so. It doesn't always hurt to put yourself out there. Obviously it helps when you know a good friend is going to bat for you. There is an automatic comfort knowing someone on the inside. Knowing that your first day won't be filled with weird stares and whispers. Well, maybe SOME but at least you'll have someone on your side. You won't feel like the new kid with the wrong color sneakers. I can't thank Maryellen enough. As sad as I am to be giving up my wonderful, yet financially horrifying unemployed status - I am so thankful for this opportunity and really eager to begin this new chapter. I am hopeful that I will love it and settle in easily. Change is good. Change is really really good sometimes.

since you didn't ask ...

There has been an overwhelming demand, from not one single soul, asking the unpopular question, "How did you meet your husband?" Alright, already. I will fill you in on the lovely details. Just stop flooding my inbox please... sheesh.

 So there I was... 23 years old with a run-down car, crappy job waiting tables, bills piled up along with massive bottles of Captain Morgan, living with my parents - who has blasted past their wits end years earlier- and feeling like my feet were in concrete. I was stuck beyond belief. Sure, I had a great circle of friends who made my nights fantastic but that wasn't enough anymore. I needed a fresh start. I knew this path was surely the quickest route to a life filled with struggle, debt, illness and possibly a brief stint living in a car at the junkyard with a couple of missing teeth and filthy clothes. So, with that in mind, I booked my yearly trip to North Carolina to visit my Grandmother and my Aunt. I wanted to clear my head in one of the most relaxing places that I knew of.

I stayed for 10 days. 5 with my Aunt and 5 with my Grandmother. We visited for a while, watched movies, went out for lunches, did some shopping and made our annual trips to R.O.'s barbecue and Tony's Ice Cream. But one of my favorite parts of these trips were my quiet nights out on the back porch. Breathing in the "different" air and listening to the "different" sounds. Chain smoking my cigarettes, I would stare out at the shadowed trees and listen to the cicadas. This is where I had my moment of clarity, so to speak. It was as though the environment had given me a pep talk. I was ready to go back home and meet my challenges head-on.

The very next day after my arrival home I was on the phone with a potential new job. My friend Jen had told me about a position opening at the Publishing Company she worked for and I was all over it. The interview couldn't have been more casual. I knew that this was a great fit for me. I got the job with very little effort. Passed the drug test and gave my ONE week's notice at the restaurant that I had come to loathe. Within just 8 days of my touching down at the airport, I was beginning the best chapter of my life.

 I settled into the new job quickly and found myself in the company of a lot of good people. One of those good people - yep - you guessed it - good ol' Gregg. He sat quietly at his desk... blue hat, goatee, work boots. I noticed his work ethic probably before anything else. I loved that he could just come into work, do his job with no complaints and go home. There were a lot of "loose cannons" in this office, we had rough deadlines and long hours but Gregg was reliable and a great compliment to the team. We became friendly. He had a girlfriend at the time - a little, adorable, tan girlfriend. I had no intentions - I just enjoyed his company. We began having lunch together. Everyday. We exchanged emails and Screen-names and before long we were talking on the phone almost nightly. We spent HOURS on Instant Messenger doing what we did best - making each other laugh. He had the best sense of humor of anyone I had met. We got along so amazingly well. No effort needed. We were who we were - no alterations necessary. Our friendship lingered this way for several months and suddenly changed one night at a party for our boss.

The picture below is from that party...

 I showed up at the party with a few friends an hour or two before Gregg. My friends and I had numerous Lemon Drops and beers and just for the hell of it - some Xanax. I had actually never taken Xanax before but what's so bad about an anti-anxiety pill anyway?? The night went on ... we socialized ... mingling with different tables and groups of people... Gregg and I played some pool ... we took some pictures etc. At the end of the night I found myself sitting with my friends, my boss and Gregg. Gregg and I were involved in our own conversation and THIS was a pivotal point in our relationship. Apparently, Mr. Xanax had not only removed all of my worries and inhibitions but it had given me balls of steel as well. I was saying things that I would have normally kept to myself, buried, forever. The most important of these things? "You KNOW that if you didn't have a girlfriend right now, we would be together!" Yep. I said it. For anyone reading this that KNOWS ME ... you KNOW I would have never had the guts to say this to anyone that I had a "crush" on. Ever. Well, it was well received. Gregg was smiling - we finished talking and the night ended. My phone rang about an hour after we left the party and it was my friend Jeremy, who had been given a ride home by Gregg. "You made someone VERY happy tonight" he said. Gregg talked about it with him on the ride home and was really happy that I told him. Jeremy said he did not stop smiling.

Our relationship remained the same at work - undercover. In fact nobody knew that we even talked outside of work. We still had our lunches and our phone conversations, however, within a week or two of that party, Gregg ditched the girlfriend.

I spent many of my nights at my friend Cassie's apartment, with a few of our friends, drinking beers and playing cards. Everyone, including Cassie's brother, Nick, was up-to-speed on the "Gregg-saga" as we discussed it frequently. I was even bold enough to tell Nick that "if Gregg and I ever got together, we would get married." Later that week I invited Gregg to Cassie's apartment, she was going to be away for the night and I figured we could spend some time on our own. We hung out, listened to CDs, watched some TV, drew some pictures (silly stuff) and had our first real night alone. Sure, I drank a bunch of beers and we fell asleep watching MTV (I snored) ... it was all very Cinderella. But we loved it. And we hung out again a few days later.... and a few days after that ... and after that ... and before you know it - I was meeting his family.

Our office ended up relocating to Virginia and we went our separate ways, job-wise. We totally missed seeing each other daily and having our lunches together. I stayed with the company and worked for a different magazine in another Composing site and Gregg took his part-time job to full-time as a Cook and Kitchen Manager. Every Saturday, before leaving for work, I would pack a bag for my weekend stay at Gregg's parents' house. I stayed Saturday night through Tuesday. We had so much fun that year. Just watching movies, ordering take-out or cooking-in, taking long drives. As simple as those things sound - they couldn't have been more perfect.

In October of 2003 Gregg proposed. He carved 5 pumpkins to read "Sheri will you marry me?" It was all set up in his parents' backyard when I pulled into the driveway on a typical Saturday night. There were candles lit, a little Autumn scene set up and roses and champagne inside. Left me a bit speechless. We set the date for December 4, 2004 and this year will be our 5th Anniversary.

And that, my friends, is the story of 'how we came to be' ... hope you enjoyed  ...