grrrrr

The last post was written during the summer. :P I'm just not that good at posting. I saved the post but didn't publish it.

Anyway, not much else is new here. Just working a lot. I thought that my part time fundraising job would pan out but I can see now that it's not going to. I'm okay with it. I have different ideas and I know that something will come up. I would like to say though that today I secured a 7 figure gift (seriously I've only been in the job 7 weeks)and I'm damn proud of that. I also know that someday very soon, something good will happen and I'll be able to fundraise again. It's just who I am. Having said that, if something else comes up, I'll be fine with that too. :)

I also want to say that I got a hole in one this summer and I'm looking forward to playing much more golf next summer.

That's all for now. My favorite words for today are.... "Don't look back you're not going that way." :)

Summary of my summer!

My husband reminded me that I have not posted in a long time. He's right but please don't tell him. He's right a lot of the time but seriously, he doesn't need to hear it too much.

My Summer - So much has happened. I settled into my job. I think that I have opened some doors and have certainly brought in new business. It's been fun to be marketing again. I really, really love marketing. I'm trying to get my mojo back. :)

So in spite of my desire to play more golf I didn't get as much golf in as I would have liked. I did however get a tan this summer. I know, it's not what my dermatologist would like but hey...YOLO. And I didn't get burned, so there.

The fact is...I don't like to relax too much. It's just not my thing. I do so much better when I'm busy, have a lot to do and I'm up against a deadline. But really I have had the most wonderful summer. I thank my husband for not only my summer but for the opportunity to work with him. I didn't know how it would go but it has been very good.

I have taken a part time job with Parkland College Foundation as their Major Gifts Officer. I think it's perfect for me at this time. Truth is I love helping people and especially people who cannot achieve their goals without others help. I have been lucky to have great job opportunities in my life but I believe that Parkland College offers the best of all things. I look forward to this and I can't wait to see the wonderful ways to help students and our community.

I was able to spend more time with my kids this summer as well. Now that things have gotten busier for all of us I'm missing them more. Right now my son is sick and I wish I could be there even though I know he has the most loving wife who is taking care of him. I'm missing my girls too and I know we have a future date to get together but it won't be soon enough. Oh did I say that me and all my (favorite) girls went to Vegas this summer? If I could figure out how to input a photo, I would.

Anyway, it's been a great summer and I thank my husband, my children and my friends for all of it. :) Love you all!

Happy Father's Day!

It's complicated. I suppose that it's natural to only remember the good times with the passing of time. That's what I do. Time has diminished the difficulties that I had with my father. Now I can say that I didn't know what it was like to be in his shoes and with that I accept him for who he was. I am reminded that a person can learn a lot by just observing. I was tough with my kids but I didn't lay a hand on them (ok so an occasional smack on the butt) or say derogatory things to them. Those two things never felt good to me and I learned that it probably wasn't a good thing to do to them. Having said that, I was not perfect and although I was tested many times I did the best I could. I love him and I miss him and I wish that my children could have known him. I'm sure they would have thought that he was the bomb! :) Today I wish all fathers out there a happy day! Time does help to heal all wounds.

Thought for the day: I don't have a good quote today. What I know for sure was that my father was mellowing out when he passed away. I wish that I could have had more time with him.

Has it been a week already?

I have the best intentions. I hope to post more often than I have this week. I took Monday off and got a few things done and went to the pool. Tuesday I started right in to my job. I think it's going to be a little while before everyone is totally comfortable but I think it will be great! Interesting story though from the week. Last week an co-worker came up to me and said "Why did you leave the U of I?" I answered with 'Why? Are you surprised that I left?' He said yes, I saw how much you made and can't believe that you walked away from that. (all salary information is public record and can be found online). I looked at him at said, sometimes, it's not about the money. It's about quality of life and I'm at the point in my life where I want to enjoy my family and friends more than I've been able to. He hesitated for a moment and agreed telling me a story of options he had when he could have left his job for another that paid a little more. Yes, flexibility and quality of life are important. Looking forward to next week and all that it brings.

Thought for today: Don't look back- you're not going that way.

Complete

It's been a long week. Not necessarily a hard week though. It's hard when you leave one job for another. I had to let folks know that I was leaving. I'm glad that someone sent an internal email letting folks know I was leaving. We had a nice gathering on Thursday evening and I got a gift. I really had intended to get out early on Friday but that didn't happen. Just too many loose ends to clean up. A very nice thing happened on my way home from work yesterday. One of my donors called with concerns that I was leaving and what would happen to him. He and his wife are lovely people. Anyway, after a 10 minute conversation I encouraged him to think of moving a level by giving athletics $15K a year. He agreed. That was a nice way to go out. I will miss that part of my job. I know that I'll miss fundraising also. I have a few ideas on how I can still participate with fundraising. First though...I'm going to relax this summer. I feel very good. Very relieved and a little tired. I'm looking forward to a wonderful summer. :)

Quote: You become like the 5 people you spend most of your time with.

It's the freakin weekend!

You'll probably see this post again. Today is Friday. One more week and I move on to my next venture. I'm excited to be doing marketing and sales for UpClose. I think it will be a good fit. Like I have said, I'm appreciative of the opportunity that I have had but I'm looking forward to new things. I have so many appointments set for next week. All I know is that I'm in a very good place.

I had a good morning. I spent it with church friends. I learned a few things.

1. CCCC - Cool, Calm, Collective & Christian.
2. No one can ruin my day.
3. Give 10 compliments a day.

How's that? We'll see how I do.

Thought for the day: Start the day with a grateful heart.

one week

It's been a week since I posted. I have every good intention of posting every day but things come up. Did I mention that I feel this great sense of relief? I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of me. I understand it. I'm proud of the work that I did at the University. I'm proud of the impact of the money that I raised. I'm happy to be moving on for now.

I have had great discussions with people in the past week. I will miss my donors but I have heard from several that they feel like our relationship has surpassed my work and that they want to keep in touch. I'm glad. I feel the same way. :)

The girls and I are going to Vegas at the end of June. I'm so darn excited. All my girls in Vegas. We'll have so much fun. Can't wait!

Not much else for now. I'll be back sooner next time.

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. ~Maya Angelou

Have a wonderful day!

Thursday

Lost my post. Don't have anything else today.

Night Night!

Continuing Countdown

It's been a busy time. It's really been a good week. I'm feeling very relieved and looking forward to my new job. :)

I'm in the process of shredding documents and deleting files. It's amazing how much crap I saved. I'm not sure I needed it all but time passes so quickly at work and sometimes you just put stuff in a binder with a plan to shred it and then you forget. I'm feeling very organized.

As I tell people I'm leaving and what I'm going to be doing, most are supportive. Everyone internally totally gets it. External folks don't get it as much but when I mention spending more time with my family, they really do get it. Did I say I feel relieved?

Peter and I go over work stuff at night. I have a lot to learn but I love learning new things so I'm really excited about this. Also, I'm looking forward to the marketing part of the job. I really miss is.

Thought for the day: Life is all about taking risks. If you never take risks, then you'll never know what you're capable of.

Have a blessed one!

T minus 13

Hi! I can't believe it's only Tuesday. Work was uneventful today. I told a few more people that I was leaving my job. Most all understand and are happy for me. I'm getting so excited. I'm trying to wrap things up but its always a challenge to stay somewhere while you are finishing up. Bestie (a co-worker who helps me out so much) said that he went home last night and he was sad. It made me sad. You know that you go through your days, weeks, and months and you don't know that maybe you have an impact on someone. I always say that I won't be far away. I do have terrific co-workers.

Thought for the day: I'm gonna make the rest of my life, the best of my life.

Love!

Sunday

Tomorrow I have to face my colleagues and tell them that I'm leaving. I'm not crazy about being the center of attention so I'm not going to like this part of it but I'm ready. I'm glad to have a new blog to commit to. I'm looking forward to start this new chapter in my life. There are so many things I want to take time to do and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do them.

I am committed to not taking on any more than starting my new job and enjoying golf this summer. No extra committee stuff at this point. I have plenty to keep me busy. I'm just going to enjoy.

On this happy Sunday, we started out at church where I gave thanks for my family and my friends. Go out and make it a great one!

Thought for today: The best kind of people are the ones that come into your life, and make you see the sun where you once saw clouds. The people that believe in you so much, you start to believe in you too. The people who love you, for simply being you. The once in a lifetime kind of people.

Love!

The first day after...

I gave my notice yesterday at my job. It's been coming on for awhile. It's a little scary and a lot exciting. I'm grateful for the opportunity in front of me and thankful that I'm going to be able to slow down and recharge for a bit. I have appreciated the opportunity to work at a great university with some really great people. As my blog mentions, it's time for a change. A Cool Change. I can't wait to write more, take more pictures and help others be successful. I'm looking forward to the ride. :)

Thought for the day: It's amazing how far you can go when someone believes in you.

Go out and make it a great day!