A New Chapter

From the time I was twelve I was making my own money.  I started out babysitting for neighbors a few hours on weekends and by the time I was fourteen I had a summer job babysitting my neighbors kids.  All day long, 5 days a week, I took care of these kids.  I enjoyed the responsibility and the opportunity to earn money.  I never stopped working after that.  In high school I had a job working at Idaho Fries in the Cottonwood Mall.  I worked my way up to assistant manager and then was approached by an employee at Pro Image to come and work there.  I didn't know much about sports teams but I quickly learned and became very fluent in all that was going on in the sporting world.  I worked for Pro Image until it was bought out by the Utah Jazz and renamed Fanzz.  I was a manager at a number of stores and then took a position in the offices as an inventory specialist.  From there I took on another job as a buyer of specialty products.  I managed to take care of the needs of 26 stores in 5 different states.  I LOVED this job.  It also helped that I had tickets to most every Jazz game during the height of their franchise.  (Western Conference Champs).  It was a great job while it lasted.

The one job that I am going to miss the most is my most recent job.  I traveled a little with the Jazz, mostly west coast travels, but with Sagebrush I traveled to NY and Atlanta a couple times a year.  For the past six years I have had a job that I really enjoyed.  People would ask me about work and I would tell them how easy it was.  It was easy because I loved what I was doing.  I loved walking into a store and seeing designs that I helped get placed. Designs like these shower curtains that were placed in Bed Bath & Beyond or the super cute Chef Collection of tabletop accessories that can be seen in all sorts of kitchen specialty stores.

design by Anita Phillips

design by Kathy Middlebrook

design by Stephanie Marrott

I loved my work and I mostly loved the people I worked with, there were a couple I could do without..  The Licensing Department consisted of Deana, the Licensing Director, and me.  The two of us worked great together.  We complimented each other well and I learned so much from her.

When I became pregnant with Strider Larry and I talked about me staying home from work.  I've been wanting to help in the classrooms with Dresden and Logan and I thought it would be great to stay at home with a baby.  When I was pregnant with Logan I quit working so I could have some one on one time with Dresden before baby number two came along.  I managed being at home until Logan was about a year old and then I felt like I was going crazy.  I needed to be working so I didn't go out of my mind.  Remember, not working was a new experience for me.  Anyway, Larry and I talked about me quitting at some point after Strider was born but we weren't to that point yet.  I have this need to work.  Some might call it a controlling personality trait but I do take pride in working and I feel self worth from having a job.  I need to know that someone can rely on me to do a job and to do it well.  I want to hear the words of gratitude from my coworkers and the clients that I work with.  These things give me purpose.

I was supposed to go to NY a couple weeks after I returned from my maternity leave but I told my boss that I just couldn't leave a new baby.  I was pretty sure he understood.  Then, Larry's job gave him a promotion moving him to a day schedule.  Hallelujah, he has not had a schedule working days in...I can't remember the last time.  I was so excited but that would mean that I lost my day sitter and I wasn't about to put Strider in daycare.  I still had my Mom and my Mother in Law willing to watch Strider once a week and Larry would be able to watch him on Fridays so that gave me three days to work 8-5.  I talked to Deana about working part time and she thought it would be manageable.  So, I talked to my boss on Monday.  He had to mull it over for the week.  On Friday he sent me a message letting me know that he would have an answer for me on Monday.  I think I knew in my heart that he was going to let me go but I still hoped for the best.  Monday came around and he called me into the conference room. He talked about how the company is switching strategies and that if he was in my position with a new baby he would want to be home.  He was beating around the bush so I finally asked, "Michael, are you laying me off?"  He answered "Yes".  The meeting was quickly over.  No one in the office imagined that I would be laid off.  He didn't even discuss my request or his decision with Deana.  Robyn, the office manager that has been with the company since it started, told me that she gave Michael a piece of her mind, using some strong language, and really stood up for me.  Robyn is awesome and I am going to miss her so much.  So, here are some of the things that I am really going to miss about working...

         Staying at amazing hotels like the Marriott Marquis in Times Square

Shopping on Canal Street

Exhibiting at the Surtex show in NY and meeting face to face with the clients I worked with.

I'll miss the pride I felt as I worked, the recognition I received, I'll miss the paychecks that were deposited into my account, and I'll miss our V6 engine and leather seats in our Accord.  But, as I had a quiet moment while holding Strider I came to the realization that this is my new job.  I can sit and hold my baby for as long as he needs because it is my job to take care of his needs.  My job is to be the best mother and wife I can be and to take pride in taking care of the needs of my family.  I may not get the recognition or the thanks and appreciation that I received while working but I am so grateful for the decision made by my boss.  It hurt my pride but now I am so thankful he forced the decision I was too scared to make.

The new chapter of my life will consist of me spending more time with my boys, volunteering in their classrooms, learning to be a better cook, learning to be more frugal, learning to like tents rather than hotel rooms, and becoming the mom my boys need me to be.