The Help Desk

So I work at the headquarters for a global company. What I didn't know is that the IT desk is literally on another continent. All I needed was someone to reset my password for my application. In the "olden" days - you'd just call down to your IT department and they'd fix you up in about 2 minutes. Today - I learned what has changed in the 6 years I've been out of the corporate world. When I first started my job and they told me it'd be a few weeks to get all my logins and passwords because they outsourced IT, I scoffed. Who's ever heard of waiting a month to get your logins once you start a new job. They weren't kidding. It took 3 weeks. Now that I have my logins and passwords, they don't work. And my buddy down in IT wasn't there to help, because he now lives in India. I had to call halfway across the globe to get the help desk, spell my last name somewhere close to 10 times to the man who barely spoke English, and wait on hold close to 20 minutes. All of that to generate a trouble ticket that will go to the next tire of the help desk. To see why my password won't work.

Does it really cost that much less to outsource your IT dept? And let me add, is it worth it?

Dinner

So as a part of the switch, I make out the meal plan for the week, which I love to do, by the way. I heart cookbooks. I love to settle down with 4 or 5 of them and just look at the pictures and read the recipes and try to put together a week of interesting food. I even made a great weekly meal spreadsheet. Yes, that's right, I said spreadsheet, and I am not embarrassed. Back to my story. Oh wait - I didn't even start my story yet. Okay. So - all Andy has to do is look on the menu/spreadsheet and see what is for dinner. In the morning, I set out the recipe and pull out any ingredients I don't think he can find (since he still needs the pantry orientation). The other day, all I had on the menu was chicken and a veggie. No recipe. I told him to just use the bottle of Italian dressing and bake it in the oven. This wasn't satisfactory to him, and I just didn't have any other ideas so I told him he was on his own. When I got home, I was pleasantly surprised. He had jumped on Martha's website and found some recipe and had in the oven baked chicken with whole garlic cloves (that we later spread on bread) and roasted asparagus. Now what is funny is that the entire time we contemplated this whole switch places thing - his biggest concern was cooking. I'm slightly annoyed that he just might show me up. But I think I'll just enjoy the nice dinners after a long day of work. And now I will leave you with a picture of Mr. Martha. (that's my apron, not his)

The cliche' Christmas post

I had it all written out with pics and everything. Then I hit post and for some reason lost it all. So I'm going to settle with our family Christmas pic and try again another day.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

Rene'

She makes us laugh.

This is where we found her the other day.

She got up there all by herself.

Tonight I realized I hadn't seen her in awhile. When I called her name, she came running out from behind the living room chair with a half opened present.

Christmas with kids is the best!

What will I do with my expectations

Seriously - I should not be blogging.

But I feel so completely disconnected from my family and friends that it is going to be therapeutic.

So - the job is going well. Every day gets better. I even instigated some departmental Christmas decor and the planning of the department Christmas potluck. They hadn't even thought about that. Can you believe it?!

Andy is doing amazingly well in his new role. Although he said he feels like he's on vacation. Friday he officially had a crazy day. Paige was sick and had a Dr's appt and then he noticed Rene's eardrum had erupted. He was slightly freaking out of the phone so I called my wonderful mother to accompany him to the Dr with 2 sick kids. They made it. And it was secretly nice to just go about my business, knowing my kids were going to be well taken care of.

I am mourning the fact that I am not going to get the homemade gifts out to my friends, that I didn't get to host my annual dinner party with my high school girl friends, that my greenery to make a wreath is STILL in my garage on the floor, and that I can't just sit at home and enjoy the Christmas music. But I am very aware of how blessed I am to have a job, and that my husband is loving spending time with his kids.

Life gives you lemons - you make lemonade.

Since everyone's asking.....

Okay - so much for my blogging break.

I have to just let everyone know how my first day went. It was a typical first day. Including orientation, tour of the building, lunch with the boss, and lots and lots of information I will not remember.

Here are the things from the corporate world, I had forgotten, and was promptly reminded of. Coworkers with stinky breath, coworkers who think I will be piling their desks with work, therefore telling me they are swamped, coworkers telling me their grievances about other coworkers, and coworkers flaunting their pay grade.

All in all, I think I will like it. I just need to stop comparing it to the best job ever that I had at Focus on the Family.

Andy is finishing out the week at his job and starts at home next week. And I can't wait. I have to say that getting the kids up and ready to go to the babysitters is for the birds. My evening is full of getting ready for the morning. Then my evening is gone. For those who have to do that every singe day, you are my hero as I am a wimp.

And there is the first day in the first chapter of my return to the corporate world.

Change

Tomorrow is the big day. I start my new full time job. It comes with a lot of emotions. This is Andy's last week of work. He'll be home next week full time. You might remember us in prayer this week. I'm also going to take a little blogging break for a week or so. I'm going to have to find a new routine, because I thrive on routine. So in order to work out the kinks and give everything else the time it deserves, something has to go. And its the blog. But I'll be back, with lots of stories, I'm sure. I'm going to try to talk Andy into starting a blog. That would be entertainment for sure. Here's to change, and better days!