Not Fair

Today at worked sucked....

We got word a few weeks ago that things were not looking good at work budget-wise. Numbers are down from where they were and they were thinking of some budget cuts. Our manager had a meeting coming up with her higher-ups so it was just a matter of time to see what was happening. Her meeting was 2 weeks ago and right away we found out one of the PT employees was going over to the hospital to work (she already worked there 2 days and then with us 2 days). So that was one employee down. We hadn't heard anything since then, so we assumed that was all.

Boy were we wrong and got a shocker today! Our manager approached each of us around 3pm and alerted us we were having a "pow-wow" after hours meeting today and that everyone was to attend. Our day ends at 430 and around 4, a human resources rep showed up-so that made us all uneasy. Around 415 the new girl at work (she was just hired 3 months ago) was in with the HR rep and came out in tears saying as of today she's done working with us. A few minutes later, another girl was in with the HR rep. While she was in there, our manager rounded us all up and met with us and told us those 2 employees were finished as of today! No previous notice to them...nothing. It sucks.

I feel bad for the new girl-she just got hired and went through all this training. She's young and fresh out of college and was so excited and happy to be with us-and she was great! I feel awful about it-she was so upset and in tears-she got fired from her first "real" job basically.

I feel even worse for the other girl. She's been there longer than me-probably 3-4 years. She's a single Mom with 2 kids-what the hell is she supposed to do?! She has a family to support! And now no income....they did say she was getting some sort of severance package, but I'm sure it's not much. It just sucks. She was one of my closest work friends too so I'm really going to miss her-she is such a great person inside and out. She was also my walking buddy during lunch.

So work is not going to be the same now....we're down 2 people (we only had 12 to start) so we'll all be covering each other's jobs like crazy-which probably means a lot more stress and a lot more illness due to stress. Not fun....not fun at all. And now I think we're all on edge-what if we're next? You just never know....

Work Baby Shower

Today my coworkers threw me a baby shower during our lunch break. It was very nice! Everyone brought in a dish to pass-the food was so yummy. We had regular salad, fruit salad, chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, asian cole slaw, peanut butter brownies and a really good cake for dessert.

We got some nice gifts for baby as well. One of the doctors got us a halo sleep sack and some burp cloths. Another coworker got us a few really cute outfits. The rest of the gang chipped in for a gift-a boppy pillow and cover, a ton of onesies, burp cloths, a book, snack cups with lids, teethers, and a toy all put in a nice wicker basket. It was very thoughtful of them all and a nice break from the day today!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful lunch and baby goodies!

One More Day

....of work that is....then I'm on vacation :) We leave for FL Monday morning and for the first time (probably ever) I keep forgetting about it! I'm usually the one counting down trips months in advance ("we leave in 2 months from today"). For some reason, this trip totally crept up on me. Maybe because I'm pregnant and have "pregnancy brain", maybe because our house is still disheveled? I don't know, but it seriously didn't hit me until last Friday when I left work. It dawned on me: One week left then I'm off for a week! Even this week at work I kept looking at next week's schedule to see what was in store for us, then it would register-duh-I won't be here! So yes, tomorrow is my last day, then I have 6 work days off! Can't wait!

In other random updates-we set up appointments with 2 daycares for next month to go and tour the facilities. We're meeting with 2 pediatricians the week we get back from FL. And we got called today that our baby furniture is in! We're not picking it up until April/May though-we want to get the nursery done first before we cart all that junk here. Other than that, nothing is really new. I feel boring for once! Haha! I'm sure I'll have more to update in the next few days, but for now, I got nothin'!

The Dreaded Day

Two years ago today would be the dreaded day for me-the first day of school and the end of a nice summer break. That year and the two years prior, I was a teacher. So the first day of school was huge-that knot in your stomach huge. Would the kids like me? Will I be successful with them? Will it be fun? Oh the stress....flash forward to today and it's just another day for me. Except that with most of my friends teaching, and having been in those shoes, it's always kind of a weird day for me. These days, I don't teach-I have a regular year round job.

Do I miss it? I get asked that a lot. The answer-yes and no. Things I miss-the actual teaching of something-knowing that someone is learning something from me. I also miss the time off-who doesn't want to work only 180 days a year?! And to some extent I miss the kids-the good ones that is. There were some that just made your day or made you laugh. I also miss the paycheck. What don't I miss? Oh boy-answering to 1000 different people and making them all happy-parents, kids, team teachers, subject supervisors, administrators. They all wanted to see you do something different and all had different thoughts on your teaching ability. I also don't miss the kids-the brats-there were a few in every class-they just drive you insane and constantly are bad. I don't miss planning, grading, being creative (lord knows I'm the least creative person out there), contacting parents, meetings, etc. And for me, it just didn't seem like a family friendly job. Yeah its great when you have summers off, but during the year-not so much. I'd be at work before 8 everyday and there until 5 on a good day. Come home, eat dinner then grade papers or plan until bed at 10. How do you fit kids into that schedule?

So do I love my non-teaching job? Hmmm...I don't love it. I seriously think I'm one of those people that will never find my true passion in life. I know I'm meant to do something, I just have no idea what. I've never had a job that I loved going to everyday. Nothing I saw myself doing for the rest of my life. Going to college? Yeah, I have my bachelors and my masters but deciding what to even go to school for was a chore. And clearly I didn't make the right decision. I have no idea how to know what I'm supposed to do in life. I'm smart enough (luckily) that I could get through any program you threw at me. Would I love it after? Who knows. I mean, I love to bake, I love makeup and skincare, I loved wedding planning. But if I had to even do those things all day every day, would I love it then? I'm afraid that my "hobbies" would become something I dreaded doing all the time. And the frustrating thing is that at my current job, I've met so many teachers and other people who love their job. And it's tough when you have a husband who loves his job too. I wonder if this type of thing is hereditary? I look at my Mom and she hates her job-yet has no clue what she would do if she wasn't where she is. I'm totally following in her path-I want to like what I do and enjoy work when I go and not care that it's Monday. But maybe that will never happen for me. Maybe I'll always dread Mondays like I dreaded the first day of school.