Emma gets a car and Rachael gets a new job

My adult children are out in the world doing things and I am proud of who they are.

During Emma's time between contracts she took the opportunity to visit long time friends, Melanie and Victoria in Chicago, and also a trip tp Philadelphia to visit Maura.

Emma has been working at in the State park system and signed another contract for the 2022 year. She decided it was time to finally get a car that she liked. she car hunted and did her research and arranged for the used car to be available at the closest Carmax for a test drive. She asked me to join her and be there for the purchase if she decided to get it. I was happy to join her and accompany her through the process. 

The Covid pandemic really restricted the car supply and the used car market has been very tight, but she found a 2013 Honda Civic. It fit her budget and her wish list and she made the purchase. She signed her first loan and drove away happy.

Her old 2010 Nissan Versa was a bottom of the line, crank window, manual lock vehicle that did the job. We had been looking for a used car for the girls, since the 2003 xtera had to be retired but we weren't having any luck. So when Emma got her new car, we bought her old car. I replaced the muffler, and got it registered, and now Megan is using it to get around. Rachael has been offered the car if she needs it but hasn't really used it.

Rachael is still living in her townhouse with friends and she got a new job in the new year. She is working in the bakery at Weiss grocery store. It is right behind her townhouse complex so she walks to and from work.

We go to visit her sometimes and it is always fun to see her. She has been doing some cake decoration and she likes her co-workers. Rachael has also taken a number of trips to Boston to visit Josh and has become a seasoned traveler on South West Airlines. So much so that they sent her 5 drink tickets in the mail. Tickets for alcohol! I was laughing but it took me a minute to get over that.

I am so proud of my kids.

Emma at 23

My firstborn has been out of the house for years now and still I feel her presence. The sight of a cup of milk causes her little voice to echo in my ears saying "my milk cup".  Items in a row bring me back to her duplo blocks lined up on the toy box asking Jim to make a train noise. The turquoise blanket throws me into her middle school years, and jeans in the hand me down bin hurl me into her high school years. I love the unprompted moments to experience her, despite not being in her regular presence. They are all good memories, even the memories of hard moments, because they are memories with her in them and thinking of Emma brings me joy. I am so glad we are still making memories together.

Emma is now 23. She lives in Baltimore City with two roommates and is working in the Maryland State Parks as a Ranger. It is fun to see her grow in her job and see her pride as she adds skills like tree felling, arc welding, and bobcat driving. In the fall she got to use her art education to run a series of hike and paint programs. This was a a program I really wanted to attend. She didn't want me to join the first one but I did attend one a few weeks in.

Painting En Plein Air was so fun and sparked some dormant art muscles that I hadn't stretched in a long time. I do artistic things regularly but it had been years since I had painted a real picture. It was a thrill to see how much my kids have helped me develop and become who I am. In each phase of being a mother, my girls have prompted me to expand and grow and enjoy and thrive. Giving and loving makes us become more fully who God designed. It is a treat to see how my daughters cooperate with this divine plan for me personally and an even bigger delight to see them step toward God's beautiful design.

I love to see and talk to Emma when we get the chance but I do wish it were more. I also wish she used the names of the people in her life when she tells stories. She shares things but always with a generic "co-worker" or "roommate" or "friend". It makes it hard to feel engaged in her life.  But I also see and hear Emma reflect fondly on her childhood and our relationship. She said that the song "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift always makes her cry and there is something in that reality that I hold onto. We are moving forward together and it is different but each day with you is still the best.

I had the best day with you today.

New Job- Bond

It has been coming for a while and conditions were right for a shift in employment. But that decision to shift was still difficult. Jim loved working at Guinness but it was time to move on. Jim was amazing at being a tour guide but he wanted more and had hopes to move up in the company.  The pandemic brought changes moving his position under retail and it became apparent that there wasn't a path to advancement at Guinness for him. We were also getting really tired of him working weekends, holidays and evenings. It was wearing on our family. Jim's employment path has been covered in blessing and we trusted that the next step was no different.

He started looking at jobs in the sales/ distribution side of the industry and immediately got interviews. He got a job offer with Bond Distributing as a merchandiser and decided to say yes. The sales profession side of the industry will give him exposure to a whole new aspect of the industry and he will gain a whole new set of business skills. Being back at a salaried job with benefits and a regular weekday work schedule is also really appealing.

Leaving Guinness though was hard. He loved being a part of the Guinness brand. He loved getting to talk about his favorite beer and he enjoyed his co-workers. Jim told innumerable stories of his co-workers, their varied lives, struggles and journeys. Most of them were much younger than him and he became a solid source to them. When talking with them it came across that they really valued his solid decent presence and he became an example for them. It was hard to leave. On his last day his co-workers got together at the local after work hangout, State Fare. Lots of people turned out to send him off, buy him a drink, give a gift, and get a hug. I got a chance to join him that night and I was glad he got a good send off.

Jim's off-roading continues as he learns the ropes of a distributing company. The Rav-4 that we bought this past summer is coming in very handy as his office on the road. I see God's hand in all of this. God has us and I am so grateful.

Guinness Tour

July 20,2019

I am always glad for a reason to hang out with MarySue. So I was thrilled when MarySue and her boyfriend Mac decided to make a trip to Baltimore for Mac's birthday and they wanted to visit Guinness. They booked a tour and requested Jim to be the tour guide. Jim made that happen and I was so glad to join them, along with Jen and Donny.

The tour was a ton of fun, everyone enjoyed themselves, laughed and learned things. Jim was really good at his job and MarySue voiced the sentiment that filled me "I'm so proud of him."

After the tour, we went to the taproom and got some food to share while we waited for Jim to finish his shift. Then the 6 of us went out to get some steamed seafood. All around it was a fantastic time.

Grand Opening!

August 3, 2018

The Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House is a crazy dream come true for Jim. He has always been passionate about the beer and was thrilled beyond measure when he found out that they were planning on opening their first US brewery in 60 years. Guinness was actually in real life opening up in our city. When we first heard the news Jim was still working at Sprint and joked around about working part-time there when it opened. Now over a year and a half later, he is working there full-time in the first cohort of employees.

Dreams do come true!

Guinness here he comes

June 2018

All of his hard work paid off. Jim pursued his dream of working for Guinness and after a year of unemployment, patience, and dedication, he got the job offer. The offer wasn't for the level of position that he had originally hoped but he was in. He accepted a position as a tour guide. He would get to talk to people everyday about beer and he would be great at it. We all knew it.

I am so proud of him.

With an accepted job offer Jim's birthday celebration felt brighter. That could have also been all of those candles.

All of the girls have been routing for Jim to get a job at Guinness and weren't surprised when it happened. The matra became "Gizness is his Bizness". To celebrate we all pitched in to customize a corn hole set for Father's day.

Unemployment was hard but I knew we were in God's hands. He had this. He had us.  He had our finances. I felt like we were following God's plan and that made everything easier.

How did I know this? Here is the back story: In May 2017 Bridget was falling behind at school and I started looking at transferring her to Catholic school. We looked at a few options and St. Mark's was the most promising. I prayed through it all and asked God for an obvious answer as to what to do. It was time to make a decision. That week Bridget had a very promising IEP meeting at her current school and we found out that the staff was receiving training specific to dyslexia and would be ready for Bridget in the Fall. Then my Dad found out that he wouldn't be returning to St. Mark's as a teacher. Then Jim lost his job. God gave me an obvious answer. I thanked him and told him I got the message. I got a clear message from God that He had a plan and part of that plan was Jim changing jobs. Knowing that Jim's job was part of God's plan, let me breathe and receive the grace that God was pouring out on us.

We are so blessed and I am so thankful.

Bulgaria

May 10-20, 2018
Trip to Sofia, Bulgaria

My company is based out of Sofia, Bulgaria and they hosted a computer graphics event called Total Chaos in May. It was a huge organizational feat and the whole company was invited to attend. My boss, the CFO, Martin, was also wanting to have a finance team retreat and that was planned for the weekend before Total Chaos.  These two events made it the perfect time for me to make the trip to Bulgaria and meet the whole team.

In the lead up to the trip, my sister in law, Heather, had been talking with my dad and suggested that maybe Dad also visit Bulgaria while I was there. My boss thought it was a great idea and we made arrangements to switch my hotel room to have two beds. I think he was relieved that I would have company to see sites while I was in town.

I flew to Sofia on the 10th, and was met by Martin, who got me situated at the hotel and gave me a tour of the office. They set me up with a desk with a view of the mountains. Sofia is in a valley surrounded by mountains so there are many beautiful views in the city. The city is a very strange mix of communist concrete buildings ringing the city and stately neo-classical buildings downtown from the early 1900's.

Pirin Golf Resort

The next day the finance team drove to the Pirin Golf Club and Resort in the Pirin mountains. It reminded me of the Rocky Mountains and had similar trees and plants. The air was clear and crisp, cool in the evenings and warm during the day, with a panorama of sky, snowcaps, evergreens and meadows. It was a great chance to talk with my co-workers and trade info about our countries.

I had been practicing a bit of Bulgarian and they were kind to let me practice, repeat and correct my errors. They all spoke English incredibly well and could makes jokes in English. I was just trying to learn enough to be safe traveling and to be courteous. They really appreciated my attempt. My favorite Bulgarian tidbit was the slang for speed bump: spyasht politsaĭ which translates to "sleeping policeman".  Our team went out to a traditional dinner in the nearby town of Bansko, complete with a fire place, paintings of czars, thick woven cloths, and knives in the ceiling. It was fun, plus the food was really fresh and flavorful.

Team Dinner in Bansko, Bulgaria

Everything was foreign of course and the hotel rooms were so quiet. I missed our house, and the family. The time zone difference was hard to work around because the girls were getting home from school late in my evening. When I did get to Facetime with them, Johanna clamored to be front and center. I tried to interact with each of the girls on each call and it was something but not enough. I worry about all of them constantly, maybe it is better described as concerned about them. They sit in my heart and I hope and pray for them constantly, Jim included. Being away was hard on them and me too. Some mornings I would wake up just in time to say good night to Jim. 


When the finance team got back to Sofia, Dad's plane had already landed and he was resting at the hotel. Over the next few days he and I spent time sight seeing in between my visits to the office. Dad and I got very good at riding the metro, which was very convenient to the hotel and downtown. Touring with Dad is an adventure. He is prone to crossing streets at random and talking with strangers. He never hesitated to ask a local a question about a building or their opinion on a historical event or to translate a plaque. We went to a Catholic Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph and a few days later witnessed a baptism at a Bulgarian orthodox church, St Nedelya. There were many houses of worship in the city, all which exemplified different periods, faiths and styles, and many of which were works of art in there own rite. 

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia Bulgaria

Church of St. George, Sofia Bulgaria

Cathedral of St. Joseph, Sofia Bulgaria

That day was mother's day, and it was lonely but I got a chance to Facetime everyone and then I had a long call with Emma. I did these in the hotel bathroom because it was late in Bulgaria and my Dad was already in bed. I went to bed tired but my hear was full.

Dad and I booked a bus tour to take us to see some of the country starting with the city of Plovdiv. It was a former capital of Bulgaria and was a Macedonian city dating back to 400 BC. There were ancient ruins scattered about the city, mixed with revival buildings and traditional Bulgarian structures. Our tour guide, Dobs, took us through cobblestone streets up of the hills of the city that has been a center for the arts for centuries.  When we adventured on our own we got a bit far from our bus and turned around and had to make a quick hike back just in time. 

Roman ruins in Plovdiv Bulgaria

The House of 100 Windows, an ethnomuseum in Plovdiv

The bus drove through more mountains and valleys and fields of roses and stopped next in Koprivshtitsa, a mountain town, that was a town of revolutionaries. It is where the first blood was drawn in the revolt against the 500 year Turkish occupation. The town remained untouched through communism. It was idealic and the people were obviously self-sufficient.

Home of  Revolutionary Poet, Koprivshtitsa Bulgaria

On Dad's last night we took another trip into Sofia and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at an outdoor restaurant. The US dollar went pretty far in Bulgaria and it was easy to enjoy ourselves. Dad got an early shuttle back to the airport in the morning and that day the US marketing team from LA, California arrived. I met up with them and switched gears to Total Chaos.

LA team working in the hotel lobby while we wait for check in

I've only met a few members of the LA team in person but I've been communicating with all of them semi-regularly for years. It was good to work along side them, as well as just hangout after the events. Total Chaos had some really great presenters from HP, IKEA, and a lot of the best CG artists. I helped out here and there but I also sat in on some of the talks. One of the evenings our company sponsored a dinner at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant that had performers come around the tables. I was pulled up to do one of the dances, embarrassing but fun.

I was so glad to be heading home.  It was a really worthwhile trip for me. It was important to meet my co-workers and get a feel for their office dynamics. Seeing Bulgaria was fascinating and I learned a lot about a part of the world that I previously knew almost nothing about. It was a great trip but 10 days was too long. Home felt so good.

Job Hunting

Winter 2018

Jim being laid off has been a journey of questions, faith and patience. His severance pay ended at the end of 2017 and he waded into the bureaucracy of unemployment benefits. It was not by desire that we entered this and it was with a bit of discomfort. And yet throughout this I have been peaceful. I feel so covered with grace and I trust that God has this, that God has us.

Jim has been pretty ambivalent about his more recent professional career. It wasn't all bad, he was good at what he did, but it would never have been said that telecom was where his gifts or passion were on display. I have always been a proponent of taking care of  your responsibilities, even if it means doing work you don't find enjoyable. Jim has done that. I also believe that success is not a monetary measure. The layoff , the reduction in force, the business impact happened and it became an opportunity to look at reshaping the next stage.  We talked about it, we prayed about it, and the dream of Jim's favorite brewery opening 10 minutes from our house felt like more than a coincidence.

The focus shifted from just getting a job and continuing the status quo to becoming employable in the Brewing industry. Jim signed up for Cicerone courses, and with the Portland State University : Business of Craft Brewing Certificate Program. His interest in brewing and craft business became academic. His podcast listening took on a professional and educational slant. He is doing the work to reach the goal.

This goal also required networking with those in the industry, following the new breweries, visiting breweries and getting up to date on the industry's legal complexities. We know that this shift will mean a change in our family routine and our families finances, but we also think that it will mean positives for our quality of life.

God has this and God has us, and this knowledge gives me peace.

Ten Years Later

Our Emma turned 10 years old on Saturday. Double Digits. Children's birthdays present a strange time dynamic. On one hand it seems like they were just a newborn and I can't imagine the child in front of me is as old as they are. Then on the other hand I am so full of memories of her that I can't imagine my world without her and it feels as if she has always been. It also strikes me deeply that it was 10 years ago that Jim and I became parents. Our life is so different now and we have grown so much. What an amazing gift parenting is.

Emma's birthday was a very rainy one as the remnants of tropical storm Hannah came through. Soccer games were canceled so we'll wait another week for that to dominate out Saturday mornings. the rain made her breakfast in bed even cozier. We celebrated Emma's birthday by taking a group of her friends ice skating and then we all headed back to the house for pizza, cake and ice cream. It is a bit like an invasion. While we waited for the pizza, the girls made their own sodas from a kit that Emma had. Some of the creations were much tastier than others as the girls voting uncovered. Rachael and Megan participated as well and had a great time. The party ended with a game of Cadoo for which they divided up into teams. Emma really enjoyed herself.

Our week also included some other firsts. Jim joined a Catonsville Dad's Soccer group that plays pick up games on Sunday afternoons. The group is non-competitive, well as non-competitive as a Men's group can be, and has a range of skill levels. Jim holds his own quite well. The kids and I enjoyed going to watch and support. I did more watching of the kids but I caught some of the game.

I had my first day at my new job, Investment Reporting. It went well but it is a huge change from what I am used to. There was no training to speak of and I was given little direction. The office is really quiet, not at all like a call center or restaurant management. It will be a big learning curve but I am confident in my ability. With my first day came Megan and Bridget's first day at Ms Lacey's day care. Drop off was really easy and Bridget's didn't cry at all during the day, she also didn't nap either. That same night was also Emma and Rachael's first day of Religious education at St. Marks. Jim had a crazy evening: getting the big girls from the bus, picking up the little girls, feeding them quickly and dropping the big ones at St. Marks all by 5:30. I picked them up from Religious ed on my way home from work, took Emma home and went with Rachael to her first Brownie meeting of the year. I am the Troop co-leader this year and am enjoying it so far. That was our Tuesday.

Wednesday Jim ran around again after work gathering girls, doing dinner and getting them to soccer practices. My 3 day work week is definitely adding a lot to Jim's plate. Thursday was Emma's girl scout meeting. I attended that to launch the cookie sale for the year.

It was a busy week but a good one. Emma is 10, and we are seasoned parents with so much more to learn.