We're going to officially put it in writing...Jonathan's first words were "Momma". This morning I was holding him while he was "pumping" breakfast. Since Stacey was checking her work email at the time, I was trying my best to stay away from her with Jonathan. He always wants the other person when being held. When I went back into the kitchen to get more Cheerios he saw her. He fully extended his arms and let out a faint "Momma". The context is what made it official. We've been teaching him names for awhile now, but he's never before said it, let alone used it in the correct context.
Jonathan is quickly developing a personality. He still smiles all the time, dances to music, and is practically walking. He can walk very well as long as he has one hand on the wall. Soon he'll let go. The latest thing he's added to his repertoire is the hug. Just today he tried to give our neighbor's infant a hug. When I was sitting on the floor after lunch he crawled over to me and put his head down on my shoulder for a good 10 seconds. I think he likes giving "lovies", because he also put his head down on Quincey and gave him "lovies" at the cabin.
31 May 2011
30 May 2011
Catch B If You Can
I know these videos aren't that exciting, but they at least give you an insight into our life. It's pretty funny to watch a child (Julia) play. I started filming this because it was funny to see Julia entertaining herself with a game of catch. She's at a fun age.
Jonathan enjoyed watching her with his new buddy Quincey. You'll see in the video that at one point he starts crawling towards her but doesn't quite make it. He's had a cold for a few days...so watching him run out of steam was pretty funny too. You can tell that he is pretty tired in the video since he keeps rubbing his eyes.
Despite our tiredness, I still think these two are pretty darn cute.
Jonathan enjoyed watching her with his new buddy Quincey. You'll see in the video that at one point he starts crawling towards her but doesn't quite make it. He's had a cold for a few days...so watching him run out of steam was pretty funny too. You can tell that he is pretty tired in the video since he keeps rubbing his eyes.
Despite our tiredness, I still think these two are pretty darn cute.
29 May 2011
Tractor Rides
The wind at the cabin was pretty bad each day, so we mostly stayed inside. When we did go out, Julia wanted to ride on the tractor or throw pebbles in the pond. I think we're all getting pretty tired of the wind and the poor weather this spring, but we made the most of it. We had some fun at the cabin, but, once again, the poor weather and the little kids made us question whether or not we should have gone in the first place. I guess it doesn't matter what we want all the time anymore - Julia had a blast.
28 May 2011
26 May 2011
Boogie Monster
Tonight Stacey and I were watching television in the basement when we heard blood curdling screams coming from Julia's room. Stacey raced upstairs to Julia's room, fearing the worst. She found Julia crying, tears streaming down her face, sitting up in bed with her finger in the air. "What's the matter?", Stacey asked. Julia looked at her finger, looked back at Stacey, and said, "booger Momma, booger!"
25 May 2011
Reset Button
Today I resigned from Early Connections. I know, it's shocking to think that during the second week on the job anyone would leave. I'm a bit disappointed that it didn't work out, but in the long run it's for the best. I'm going to continue looking for a job - one that's the right fit. It's only taken me three months the previous two times I've searched for a job before I was hired. If that holds true again, we're looking at sometime around the beginning of September. That will mean I've stayed home an entire year, which really was part of the original plan.
I could have stayed employed there until I found another job, but I didn't feel right about the "take the money and run" approach. It's not ideal for us financially (obviously), but I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. Also, they need to get someone in there as soon as possible if I'm not going to stay. I'm sure all of you are wondering the reason(s) that I left. I'm not going to give you my opinion or "talk" about it on the blog. I'm going to take a different approach and just list the facts (as much as possible, even though by nature some of it is based on my observations) so you can form your own opinion. You might have a different take on the situation, but for me it wasn't what I was looking for in a job right now.
1) This is a one person deep position. There is no backup and no one else knows anything about the job
2) Position was finance, accounting, insurance, payroll and tax departments all rolled into one
3) The previous person did not leave any instructions, let alone a list of what needed to be done
4) After 12 years on the job, the previous person still worked long hours and left because she was burned out
5) Reasons one, two, three and four mean long hours and a steep learning curve with no assistance
6) I was the only male in the corporate office
7) The first week on the job, they had to close two centers (maybe 20%) since they weren't profitable
8) The first week on the job, we almost had to use our line of credit to pay bills and make payroll
9) The position supervised three hourly, young and new to the organization, data entry positions
10) Although the building is on the National Register, it's almost 90 years old and in need of repair (think feel)
Those were the facts (among other things like benefits) that I observed the first two weeks. I recommend reading each reason above and really thinking about what each one means, in terms of evaluating the position. It's easy to initially discount some of them unless you stop and think about the impact each one would have on you. Then again, it could be that one or two of them alone aren't the issue - it's the sum of all of them. For me, it wasn't a good fit. For someone else, it may very well be. We all spend so much of our time at work each day, so it's something worth getting right.
I could have stayed employed there until I found another job, but I didn't feel right about the "take the money and run" approach. It's not ideal for us financially (obviously), but I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. Also, they need to get someone in there as soon as possible if I'm not going to stay. I'm sure all of you are wondering the reason(s) that I left. I'm not going to give you my opinion or "talk" about it on the blog. I'm going to take a different approach and just list the facts (as much as possible, even though by nature some of it is based on my observations) so you can form your own opinion. You might have a different take on the situation, but for me it wasn't what I was looking for in a job right now.
1) This is a one person deep position. There is no backup and no one else knows anything about the job
2) Position was finance, accounting, insurance, payroll and tax departments all rolled into one
3) The previous person did not leave any instructions, let alone a list of what needed to be done
4) After 12 years on the job, the previous person still worked long hours and left because she was burned out
5) Reasons one, two, three and four mean long hours and a steep learning curve with no assistance
6) I was the only male in the corporate office
7) The first week on the job, they had to close two centers (maybe 20%) since they weren't profitable
8) The first week on the job, we almost had to use our line of credit to pay bills and make payroll
9) The position supervised three hourly, young and new to the organization, data entry positions
10) Although the building is on the National Register, it's almost 90 years old and in need of repair (think feel)
Those were the facts (among other things like benefits) that I observed the first two weeks. I recommend reading each reason above and really thinking about what each one means, in terms of evaluating the position. It's easy to initially discount some of them unless you stop and think about the impact each one would have on you. Then again, it could be that one or two of them alone aren't the issue - it's the sum of all of them. For me, it wasn't a good fit. For someone else, it may very well be. We all spend so much of our time at work each day, so it's something worth getting right.
21 May 2011
Busy Bee
What a week. Apparently, I forgot how stressful and tiring it is to start a new job. Sprinkle in two little kids, Stacey's job, doctor's appointments for Jonathan, and a house that needs attention and you've got a recipe for no blog posts all week.
This was more difficult then future weeks will be. I found that a nine month break from work did make me a bit rusty. The first week on any job you're always overloaded with information. Jonathan still had doctor's appointments. We were trying to adjust to a new schedule that didn't involve me being at home. I can't forget to mention having to get up at 5 a.m. every day. I basically worked all day, came home and had dinner, did some other work, and went to bed this week.
I'm not going to comment in too much detail here about my first week of work. Good or bad, that's a fundamental no-no in today's world. I will pass along some of the things that are facts and that I discussed with my supervisor (i.e. this isn't an opinion). This position is going to be a challenge. Not only did I not get overlap training with my predecessor, but she didn't leave me any instructions on how to do the job. She didn't delegate, so no one else knows what or how she did. I'm going to have to learn on my own. Since this position's duties were so closely kept, I'm going to learn through a combination of hard work, inquisitiveness, and mistake making. One good example is that I don't know how to use their accounting software. She was the only one who knew how to use it. I can't really do my job until I learn how to navigate through the system, in addition to learning a new organization, supervising three, and everything else. Things are going to take awhile. The good news is that everyone knows this and is pretty understanding. Diane (my supervisor & CEO) is very understanding and after talking through some things, knows it might get worse before it gets better. I am at least going to be given the opportunity to learn in a reasonable environment.
This was more difficult then future weeks will be. I found that a nine month break from work did make me a bit rusty. The first week on any job you're always overloaded with information. Jonathan still had doctor's appointments. We were trying to adjust to a new schedule that didn't involve me being at home. I can't forget to mention having to get up at 5 a.m. every day. I basically worked all day, came home and had dinner, did some other work, and went to bed this week.
I'm not going to comment in too much detail here about my first week of work. Good or bad, that's a fundamental no-no in today's world. I will pass along some of the things that are facts and that I discussed with my supervisor (i.e. this isn't an opinion). This position is going to be a challenge. Not only did I not get overlap training with my predecessor, but she didn't leave me any instructions on how to do the job. She didn't delegate, so no one else knows what or how she did. I'm going to have to learn on my own. Since this position's duties were so closely kept, I'm going to learn through a combination of hard work, inquisitiveness, and mistake making. One good example is that I don't know how to use their accounting software. She was the only one who knew how to use it. I can't really do my job until I learn how to navigate through the system, in addition to learning a new organization, supervising three, and everything else. Things are going to take awhile. The good news is that everyone knows this and is pretty understanding. Diane (my supervisor & CEO) is very understanding and after talking through some things, knows it might get worse before it gets better. I am at least going to be given the opportunity to learn in a reasonable environment.
14 May 2011
Colonel Muster...
...in the conference room, with the revolver.
I spent Thursday morning at Peterson AFB reliving all the memories of active duty. I received orders from the Air Force to attend an IRR (Individual Ready Reserve) Muster. I'm not an active member of the Reserve, but still on the list of "reinforcements". In the four years since getting out of the Air Force, this was the first thing I've had to do. In case anyone doesn't know what a muster is, you can click on this link for a definition. Basically, it's just a way for the Air Force to keep tabs on its personnel, their information, and their readiness - and a way to make sure everyone is informed on their benefits, HQ contact information, resources, etc.
The process only lasted two hours. It was the easiest $250 I ever made. My strategy was to be the last one in and the first one out. It worked pretty well. Even though I was one of the last people to report in (it was still within the time range required), I still sat with everyone else in the conference room for a good 45 minutes until the PowerPoint briefings started. During the briefings I realized that all 150 - 200 people that had shown up were going to have to stand in the same line afterwards to out-process. So, at the very end of the last briefing, I left my seat early and got a jump start on everyone else. I and two others finished first, so we decided to walk back to where we had parked. Since the muster area had no parking, we all had been bused there from the base theater. We weren't going to wait for the bus to fill up, so we walked a few blocks back to our cars. I'm positive I was the first one to leave the base. Suckers.
For me and many other officers, we were given an unexpected piece of information. We all knew members of the military are required to meet a military service obligation (MSO) of eight years, whether that be on active duty or in the reserve. If you leave active duty before the eight years, you fulfill the remaining time in the IRR. Then, you are let go. Since many of us had passed the eight years we were wondering why we were called in. Apparently, officers are commissioned for life and will only leave the IRR if they resign their commission. Some of the officers thought that's what they did when we separated from active duty, others, like myself, didn't know we were in for life. I thought at some point enough time would pass (like the eight years) until we were pushed out of the system.
That presents a problem for me. Do I resign completely and eliminate any risk of involvement of call-ups in the future? The world is getting crazier by the moment. Is that honorable? I don't think it's that likely I'll ever be called up. If I do resign and WWIII breaks out, I'll probably have to enter as an enlisted member since I resigned my commission. Does anybody really care? The way I see it, I don't feel like the Air Force owes me anything and I don't owe them anything either. I served my time but also reaped the benefits. My time in was good, but I don't like having any strings attached since I've moved on and cut all ties on my end. I'm leaning towards resigning my commission as long as there are no consequences. I think all it takes is a written letter - a small task to avoid a potentially life changing order in the future for both myself and my family.
When it comes to these issues in today's world, I'd prefer it to be on my own terms as much as possible. I don't want to be involuntarily called up for the next Desert Storm (last time it happened, but only for certain career fields). There's a big difference between an operation like that and WWIII - one mainly involves volunteers and the other, an entire nation. I'm still game for the latter but not necessarily the former.
I spent Thursday morning at Peterson AFB reliving all the memories of active duty. I received orders from the Air Force to attend an IRR (Individual Ready Reserve) Muster. I'm not an active member of the Reserve, but still on the list of "reinforcements". In the four years since getting out of the Air Force, this was the first thing I've had to do. In case anyone doesn't know what a muster is, you can click on this link for a definition. Basically, it's just a way for the Air Force to keep tabs on its personnel, their information, and their readiness - and a way to make sure everyone is informed on their benefits, HQ contact information, resources, etc.
The process only lasted two hours. It was the easiest $250 I ever made. My strategy was to be the last one in and the first one out. It worked pretty well. Even though I was one of the last people to report in (it was still within the time range required), I still sat with everyone else in the conference room for a good 45 minutes until the PowerPoint briefings started. During the briefings I realized that all 150 - 200 people that had shown up were going to have to stand in the same line afterwards to out-process. So, at the very end of the last briefing, I left my seat early and got a jump start on everyone else. I and two others finished first, so we decided to walk back to where we had parked. Since the muster area had no parking, we all had been bused there from the base theater. We weren't going to wait for the bus to fill up, so we walked a few blocks back to our cars. I'm positive I was the first one to leave the base. Suckers.
For me and many other officers, we were given an unexpected piece of information. We all knew members of the military are required to meet a military service obligation (MSO) of eight years, whether that be on active duty or in the reserve. If you leave active duty before the eight years, you fulfill the remaining time in the IRR. Then, you are let go. Since many of us had passed the eight years we were wondering why we were called in. Apparently, officers are commissioned for life and will only leave the IRR if they resign their commission. Some of the officers thought that's what they did when we separated from active duty, others, like myself, didn't know we were in for life. I thought at some point enough time would pass (like the eight years) until we were pushed out of the system.
That presents a problem for me. Do I resign completely and eliminate any risk of involvement of call-ups in the future? The world is getting crazier by the moment. Is that honorable? I don't think it's that likely I'll ever be called up. If I do resign and WWIII breaks out, I'll probably have to enter as an enlisted member since I resigned my commission. Does anybody really care? The way I see it, I don't feel like the Air Force owes me anything and I don't owe them anything either. I served my time but also reaped the benefits. My time in was good, but I don't like having any strings attached since I've moved on and cut all ties on my end. I'm leaning towards resigning my commission as long as there are no consequences. I think all it takes is a written letter - a small task to avoid a potentially life changing order in the future for both myself and my family.
When it comes to these issues in today's world, I'd prefer it to be on my own terms as much as possible. I don't want to be involuntarily called up for the next Desert Storm (last time it happened, but only for certain career fields). There's a big difference between an operation like that and WWIII - one mainly involves volunteers and the other, an entire nation. I'm still game for the latter but not necessarily the former.
13 May 2011
Dinner Etiquette
After Jonathan had been put to bed, Julia, Stacey and I had dinner together. We all sat down at the table to each enjoy a baked potato that had been cooked in a mere seven minutes in the microwave. Julia's potato had been cut into small pieces and had been topped with a little bit of cheddar cheese. Naturally, Julia ate the cheese first. When the remaining shreds of cheese became scarce, she had to start looking under and around the pieces of potato. In one quick motion with her fork she pushed one aside and respectfully said, "excuse me potato", while she scooped up the tiny shred of cheese that had been hiding behind it.
I'm glad to see that Julia is learning some manners at the dinner table. I never thought she would be so polite to her food though.
I'm glad to see that Julia is learning some manners at the dinner table. I never thought she would be so polite to her food though.
12 May 2011
New Hobby
Dad, in case you're feeling a little bored, I have a new hobby for you. Check out some of these links if you're interested in caring for, training, and racing homing pigeons. Think your pigeon is the best? Enter him into a race! Who needs horses? A lot of bird seed and newspaper will do.
Pigeon Racing
American Racing Pigeon Union
News Article
Pigeon Racing
American Racing Pigeon Union
News Article
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