Looking for work online

I'm finding this to be a very different process than I remember. I've been thinking through my jobs before Mr. Phil & Co., and coming to the conclusion that in a decade, our world has changed. My last job Before Children(BC) was Ames, a department store that no longer even exists, working at the customer service desk and troubleshooting all over the store, as I had learned so much about every department in the years I worked there that I could find any item in the store. Before that, I worked a series of temporary jobs in Nashua, anything from dispatching to Wedding photography assistant. And going back before my marriage, I worked as a cashier at a convenience store, and a Daycare worker. In highschool, I had started working at Ames, and before that, when I was too young even to be "paid" I worked with a landscaping company. My work career has been a little different, hasn't it?

But here, running the business, I have had to learn so many things to keep our business going. Organization, time management... vital just to make a home office work with four kids running through it. Marketing, sales, advertising; I had to learn them well, or we would starve. Funny how depending on this for the family's sole income adds incentive! I like learning - in fact, I really need to get cracking on my HTML. But I also like a little stability. Working for someone else will be nice in that regard.

I'm having trouble quantifying my skill sets. I can type, use the computer - if it's a Mac I can make it do anything! - have good phone skills, and e-mail, and face-to-face... I cook, I clean :P

I was asked a question this week... what is my long term career goal? and I couldn't immediately answer it. It isn't that I drew a blank, more that I suddenly had so many ideas I felt like a kid again. What do I want to do with my life? If I could further my education (and I think I will have that chance) where would I go with it? I don't know yet. But I know I am looking forward to figuring this out.

What a wild and wonderful day.

After the girls left for school, Dad and Johann and I started our odyssey. First we loaded up the Queen size bed and took it into Laconia, to trade for a twin bed. The lady with the twin wasn't home, so we dropped the bed and went on to Too Good to be Threw - my new favorite consignment shop! if you are near Laconia you have to stop in and see what Melanie and Paige have! - to pick up the furniture Nana and BoPop bought for me yesterday. As I was waiting, I realized that Paige was one of the organizers of the Holy Trinity's Craft Fair - so I asked her if they would like a facepainter. Turns out she was one of Mr. Phil's helpers - er, victim - at the back-to-school party there in September. Long story short, I will be doing my very first pay-per-face gig at the craft fair!!!

Dad and I loaded on the Entertainment Center, went home, dropped it off, turned around and went back to Laconia to load the Jelly Cupboard. We also picked up the twin bed and met a sweet Akita named Mary Jane. Stopped for lunch on the way home, then dropped off the twin bed and cupboard. While I was quickly fielding voicemails and e-mails, Dad measured the cupboard for me. 79" high, and the beams are 81" from the floor in the room I want it in. Whew!

Hop back in the truck and head for Manchester to pick up the two twin beds I want for the kids. Fortunately the house we are going to is not far off the highway, so we load those on. Oh, and I call the school to have the girls go to afterschool, just in case we don't make it home in time. So back up the highway, stop in Tilton to go to the market. I haven't been to the market in over a week - I just need a few things! LOL.

Home again. Unload the groceries (more than a few!) and the beds. Deal with a cranky Johann. Send Dad to pick up the kids. Pant a bit. Put the groceries away, feed the kids dinner, and Dad says, "it's going to rain." All that stuff is out in the driveway! So out we go, into the wild blue yonder...

Finally, as we are cleaning up the last bits, I get a call from the people who are taking the king-size bed, they will be here in twenty minutes. So we get the bed cleared off of 18 months worth of garage clutter, and it is dark wen they pull in and we help load the bed.

Come into the house, sit down to catch up on voice-mails, e-mails (yes, Phil, a gig did come in today) and take a peek at job listings. This is something I have to do every day to qualify for the financial assistance. So I see a super opportunity and suddenly for the first time in 12 years I am applying for a job. Yikes. What do I do for references? I call a few people, and get permission, and write a draft. E-mail it to BoPop, the best man for English checking I can have. He sends back a little correction, I format it, and press the send button. For the first time in over a decade I have taken this step. My last job was Customer Service Specialist at Ames, which doesn't even exist anymore, and that I didn't have to interview for - they knew me from highschool when I worked there. The job before that... I can't even remember what it was. This is going to be an interesting experience, whatever happens.

I love you all, and will be here more tomorrow, as Nana and her friend Connie and BoPop and Michael are all coming to help me. This life of mine is sweet and wonderful, and very exciting times for now.

Good Night!