Today I am grateful for down time . . .

This morning I'm being lazy.  After working a few 70-hour weeks and then heading out of town for a conference, staying in bed late playing Words with Friends on my iPad is just what I needed.  I always feel guilty when I accomplish nothing during my limited free time, but I'm really working on getting over that . . . one lazy morning at a time.  :)

Today I am grateful for courage . . .

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted.  To say I've been busy is quite the understatement.  After working at my last job for just seven months, I decided it was time to make a change.  I had been there just a few months when I realized it was not a good fit.  I really liked my co-workers, but that just wasn't enough to make me happy there.  I was thrilled when the opportunity to get back into homebuilding came along, and I decided to go for it.  I'm definitely not a job-hopper; I was at my prior job for twelve years and the two jobs before that for five years each.  So, it took a lot of courage to face my fears and take a new job in an industry that's still a little shaky rather than staying in a comfortable job in a much more stable industry.  I worried that I might find out I'm not a good fit for this job either, and I just couldn't have another short stint on my resume.  Well, I'm so glad I found the courage to follow my heart.  I love my new company, my co-workers are great, and I'm back to doing what I love.  I'm working a lot of hours these days, but it's so worth it.  All in all, I've learned that sometimes you just have to trust your gut and take that leap of faith.

Today I am grateful for the art of choreography . . .

My 15-year-old dances competitively. She's at her studio a minimum of 14 hours each week, and she'd be there even more if she could. We're blessed to have amazing choreographers at her studio, and they regularly bring in other choreographers from out of town to teach master classes. Sometimes we're even lucky enough to have these guest instructors choreograph competition numbers. We got that opportunity this past weekend when my daughter spent about 12 hours learning a new dance she absolutely loves. I can't wait to see the finished product on stage!

Today I am grateful for exciting Super Bowl endings . . .

Today I am grateful for weekends . . .

I'm a work-hard-play-hard kind of girl. I have no problem putting in long hours at work all week, put I try to avoid working weekends if at all possible. My soul needs those days to be all about family and personal time. So to steal a line from Rihanna, "Cheers to the freakin' weekend!"

Today I am grateful for guilty pleasures . . .

Today I am grateful for short work-weeks . . .

Today I am grateful for Words with Friends . . .

Today I am grateful for the encouragement of friends . . .

Back in October, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Conference for Women in Accounting in Charlotte. One of the keynote speakers, Mary Bennett, talked about how none of us attains success without the help of others. I couldn't agree more. I am blessed to have amazing friends who encourage me in so many ways. Sometimes they don't even realize it. Today, my friend Marina mentioned that she misses my grateful posts. Well, that was just the motivation I needed!

Today I am grateful that my camera broke . . .

I'm a bona fide picture freak! I carry my little point-and-shoot camera around in my purse so that I never miss a photo op. This weekend my camera broke, so I HAD to get a new one. I spent hours researching cameras and finally settled on one. I LOVE IT!!!!! It has some cool features and takes great pictures. And the best part is that I feel zero guilt over buying myself a new toy!

Today I am grateful that I like my new job . . .

I started my new job yesterday. After spending 12 years at my last job, I was a little worried that I might not like the new one. I'm happy to say that I really like the people I'm working with and I'm already learning a lot. I'm so thankful that things seem to be working out so well. :)

Today I am grateful for new beginnings . . .

Yesterday I received two job offers and today I accepted one of them. I start next week. I'm a little nervous to be working in a new industry after 22 years in homebuilding, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge. I'm so thankful for the opportunity, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me!

Today I am grateful for advocates . . .

Last week at the Annual Conference for Women in Accounting, our opening keynote speaker, Mary Bennett, spoke about the difference between having mentors and having advocates. She pointed out the fact that nobody achieves success on their own. Many of us have gotten where we are with the help of others who have taken a personal interest in us, whether we were aware of it or not. During my job search, I am learning who my advocates are as I'm getting feedback regarding reference checks. I am really touched that others are doing what they can to help me land my next job. I am truly fortunate.

Today I am grateful for music . . .

My iPod broke last week. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of songs that aren't on my computer due to a couple of hard drive crashes I've had. I had 4200 songs on my IPod, and I still haven't figured out how many songs I still have. Regardless, I'm thankful for the music I have left.

Today I am grateful that when one door closes, another one opens . . .

It's been quite a while since my last post. After being laid off, I was having some difficulty finding the motivation to share my journey. However, I attended the Annual Conference for Women in Accounting this week, where I had the chance to catch up with many old friends and make a few new ones. While reconnecting, I realized that it's so cathartic to share our ups and downs and support one another. So I will be making a concerted effort to keep up with this blog, even when focusing on what I'm grateful for proves to be more challenging than I would like.

Today I received the disappointing news that I will not be moving forward in the hiring process for a company I had hoped to get a job offer from. After feeling down about it for several hours, I received another phone call. A position I interviewed for almost three months ago is still open and the hiring managers want to see me back for a second interview! Since I have had several interviews and no job offers, I remain cautiously optimistic. In any event, I am grateful for the opportunity. One of these opportunities will eventually pan out, and I am confident that everything will work out for the best.

Today I am grateful that my lack of employment is allowing me to be home when my kids get home from school . . .

Today I am grateful for comfortable shoes . . .

Today I am grateful for professional dog groomers . . .

Today I am grateful for family time . . .

Today I am grateful that my kids go back to school tomorrow . . .