Progress

It's been a long time since my last entry. There's been a lot going on

We took our last camping trip for the summer over Labor Day weekend. Wish we had known about this campground before. It was in a "forest" with lots of shade. It was a much more comfortable weekend for camping. Much cooler than the last two times. I'm thinking that Jazz is not really fond of camping. She wouldn't sleep with me the whole weekend. She slept with Loretta, who already had her dog in her bed. As soon as we got home, Jazz was more than happy to sit in my lap.

Work has been busy. I have a new computer and a new printer that will go to PA with me. We will begin testing our new processes in a couple weeks to be sure that they will work. We may find a few things that need to be tweaked. I've said that I will close my door, close the blinds, come in my PJs and pretend that I am working from home. Guess I won't really do that.

One of my concerns was driving the truck to PA by myself with a car in tow. One of my uncles has volunteered to fly out and help me drive back. He is a truck driver so that makes me feel a whole lot better. I will probably not tow my car and will try to sell it before I leave.

I've done a little packing and sorting things out that I won't keep. I plan to have a yard sale in a couple weeks and hope to get rid of some stuff.

Sometimes you have to wonder what God is up to. He is answering prayers about the move and then there are some monkey wrenches thrown into the mix. A few days after my uncle let me know that he would come out to help drive back, I experienced trouble with my car. I had to have the thermostat replaced and the reservoir. Then I started having trouble with my computer. It wouldn't boot up. I took it to the shop and they said it was the motherboard and would cost $400-$500. Might as well buy a new one. I brought it back home and started looking online to see if there had been a recall on this model. Turns out there is a special warranty for the problems I am experiencing. However, HP is not convinced that I am truly experiencing the problems that are covered by this warranty. They are sending me a box to ship it to them and they will make that determination after they look at it. The problem is that it will not always boot up. Sometimes it will, but most times it won't. Since I talked to HP last evening, it has booted up every time. I will see how it works until the box comes. So.....what is God trying to teach me through this? Maybe the car thing was just a push to get rid of it before I leave CO. The computer? If it's covered by they special warranty - maybe it's a reminder not to panic and allow God to work it out. Won't it be interesting to get to heaven and find out what God was doing and how far off the mark we were. :-)

I'll try not to make it such a long time before my next post.

I've got a job!!!!

Ever since I submitted my resignation there have been rumors and speculation about the possibility of my working from PA. Over the last week there has been some serious discussion about how that might work and the new processes that might be involved. Wednesday afternoon I had a 2 1/2 hour meeting with Mary, my boss. We discussed almost every aspect of my job and how that might work remotely and if it really is the best solution. We came to the conclusion that it is possible and may be the best solution. After Pam, the CFO, talked to the president this morning and told him that we thought this was the way to go, he gave his "blessing". I told Carlis this morning and it was announced to our team in our team meeting this morning. There will be a three month trial once I start working from home in PA to see if it really will work the way we think it will. I am truly excited. I was not looking forward to training someone and I love what I do and didn't really want to give up my job. It will also help my bosses as they have enough on their plates and really don't have time to pick up the slack until someone new would be up to speed.

The plan is for my last day in the office to be October 15th. I hope to pack up the truck on Thursday and Friday and hopefully leave here on that Saturday. It will depend on how much is left to do and when I can get help to load the truck. If I'm driving alone, I expect to take three days driving. Anyone up for a road trip?

God has really provided in a way that I wasn't expecting and is far above what I would have asked for or even thought. Isn't it great to be His child?!

Tent Camping

Over the last year or so I thought that I might give tent camping a try. I love being outdoors and sitting by the campfire. But, I also love a shower and hate being dirty. So....what makes me think I would like tent camping? My idea of camping, for many years, has been a trailer or RV where all the comforts of home are included.

I researched tents and found the one I wanted and ordered it. Then I searched yard sales for some equipment. I bought a coleman stove, a coleman lantern, some pots and pans and utensils. And, of course, an air mattress. Then I began picking up other accessories at Wal-Mart. Soon I had accumulated enough "stuff" to go camping. I asked a friend, Loretta, if she was interested in going along. She has a brother (Chip) to my dog Jazz. So, we set a date (this past weekend), made lists and prepared to take the dogs and go camping.

Thursday we got off work early and loaded up the car and arrived at the campground around 4:00. We didn't go far....about 30 miles from home. We set up camp in about an hour or so and then headed back to town for Rachel's soccer game. We got there a little late and there were thunderstorms all around. At half time they decided to not play the rest of the game due to the storms. So, we headed back to the campground (after stopping at Loretta's house because she forgot her pillow). We got to see fireworks on our way back. I also hit a pot hole and flattened a tire on the way back. We were only a 1/4 mile from the campground so we called AAA on Saturday and they came and fixed it.

Our first night was very warm but cooled off towards morning. It was a hot weekend...in the 90s both Friday and Saturday. We just sort of sat around and talked and read and took naps and.....didn't do much. We tried to stay out of the heat as much as possible. The coleman stove worked like a charm and we did some charcoal grilling. Yes, we got dirty but there were showers close by. Overall, the experience was a success. We had a great time and we think the dogs did as well. Our only real problems were the heat and biting flies. I think it was worth all the work involved. Next time maybe we can find a cook and housekeeper to go along so we won't have to cook our meals and keep the tent clean. :-)

It's good to be back home and I'm looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight but we are planning our next trip. Probably Labor Day weekend if not before.

Resignation

Monday, June 23, I submitted my resignation. I was very nervous and anxious to get it over with. I was trying to get three people together at the same time so that was proving to be a little tricky on a day when there were meetings and other things going on. I found a time in the morning between meetings and asked them if I could talk to them. I talked to my boss, Mary, the CFO, Pam and the director of trust services, Joseph. Pam sort of had a feeling but I believe that Mary and Joseph were shocked at the news. I simply told them that I believed that it was time for me to move back to PA to help out my folks. They understood but were not happy about losing me. I have said that I will stay as long as they want as long as it is not longer than the middle of October. Joseph was on vacation the last part of the week and Mary has been on vacation this past week. They will be talking about looking for someone to take my place soon and we will work out a final exit date. It will be good to have a date and be able to work towards that.

Later in the afternoon on Monday I had an evaluation to do for Carlis (the trust accountant under me). At the end of that meeting I told her that I was leaving.

Tuesday morning a short staff meeting was called to tell the rest of the staff of my departure. I've gotten all kinds of comments, including being called a traitor (in fun) and asking if I would send care packages of home baked goodies.

It is good to know that I will be missed: for my cooking, friendship and work skills. I know that I am not indispensable but I also know that it will be a challenge to find someone to take my place and get them trained before I leave. You can pray that the right person is found in the right time.

I know that where God leads, He provides so I am trusting Him to provide the perfect job for me in PA. It will be exciting to see what He does in the next few months.

Time for a change

Before I went back "home" for my parents 50th anniversary, my parents were having some health issues. I did not like it that I was not there for them. There's not much I can do when I am 1600 miles away. I began to think about moving back "home." While I was there I had a conversation with my parents about their plans to move to a retirement community. Were they really ready to make that move or if they could, would they stay in their house longer. I was sort of surprised by the answer I got. I expected them to say that they were ready to make the move. The answer I got was that they would love to stay in their house but they could no longer take care of all the yard and house work. After some thought and prayer, I was about 90% certain that I would be moving back by the time I left for Colorado. I was waiting to make a final decision until my parents had talked to the retirement community about how staying in their house would affect their status if/when they needed assisted living or one of them did and the other would want to be there with them. When I found out that it would not affect their status and in fact they were number 15 on the waiting list (which could mean several years before there would be an apartment available), I made the final decision to move back. I had been asking God to make it clear to me if moving back was not the right decision. He brought nothing into my path to say that I should stay in Colorado. In fact, one Sunday morning when I walked into class late (I'm always late because of singing in the choir) the discussion was about our changing life stages and life tasks and how we should be prepared for those stages. One gentleman talked about how it was never God's intention for the government to take care of our elderly but that the family should be taking care of them. That definitely was not an indication that I should stay. :-)

It is with mixed feelings that I will leave Colorado....I love the weather, I love the views - I can see Pikes Peak from my office, I love my job and the people I work with are great. But those are all just "things". PA has horrible heat and humidity and gray winters but it also has my family and life long friendships. In the long run, relationships are more important than the weather or the mountain views. Other than my sister, I never really put down deep roots here or developed deep relationships. So, even though I will miss this place, it is far better to be where God wants me.

Today I turned in my resignation, I was a bit emotional but I think most of that was because I was nervous all morning and I was making a major decision. At times it seemed surreal - like what was I doing?!? After breaking the news to my immediate boss, the CFO and another of the directors, I had an evaluation to do for the gal who has worked under me since September. I broke the news to her after the evaluation. The CFO told the leadership team in their monthly meeting this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, she will tell the rest of the staff. My exact departure date has not been determined but will be sometime before the middle of October. I'm not indespensible but what I do is pretty specialized and although if I left in two weeks, they could carry on, it would put a burden on others in the office. Since I am in no great hurry to leave, I have said that I will stay as long as they want me to as long as it is no later than the middle of October.

Stay tuned for more of this new journey on which God has sent me. It will be interesting and exciting to see what happens along the way.

Explanation of my Blog

I guess I should explain why I titled my blog, "Diary of an Old Maid". I'm approaching 50 and have never been married. Most people would consider me an old maid by now. However, I don't feel like an old maid and I don't think I act like an old maid - at least I don't act like the old maids that I've known throughout my life. So, the title is sort of a "tongue in cheek" description of myself. It in no way reflects a mindset.

As I entered my 50th year, I wanted to keep a journal of what is taking place in my life. I'm not much of a pen & ink journaler, so I hadn't started one. I thought maybe a blog would be a better idea. So, this blog is mostly for me to log the changes that take place in my life as I enter a new chapter, but I am happy to share it with you.

I have a friend who has been blogging and I have enjoyed reading her insights into her life and life in general. I 0nly hope that I have some insights into my life and life in general that are as beneficial as hers.

This is just a start for me. I am entering a new chapter of my life which I will explain in a future blog. Until then.....enjoy life's journey.