Cheerful and Tear-filled Lunch Revelation

I had the pleasure of eating lunch with my friend Angie today. It was technically a spiritual interview, but it was like eating with a life-long relative. Through this conversation, Angie helped me better understand that I'm not defined by my skill as a singer- I am a child of God. It is my identity in Christ that defines who I am, not the gifts He's given.


I loved being on the stage and I was very good at it. I landed many lead roles, collected awards, and even ventured to [the University of North] Texas in pursuit of a career in opera. Throughout high school, my classmates knew me as the girl who sings and does theater. The photo above is from our high school production of Kiss Me, Kate. I won an award for best leading actress out of 60+ area DC schools for my role as Kathryn (Kate). My favorite part of this photo is that I'm slapping my friend Michael who happened to be one of the earliest Christian influences in my life. His family showed me Christ in their actions before I knew who Jesus was. This was one of my final roles before retiring from musical theater and focusing on opera. Thankfully, God took me to Texas for more than just vocal training; He removed me from my small pond so I could really see the life He has in store for me.

I quickly realized that I wanted more than to be known as a talented person -

I want to be known for my contribution to others' lives.

I changed my major then changed my zip code back to Virginia to complete a degree in Communication. Fast forward to today - living in Lynchburg, very few people know that I'm a good singer, and I like it that way. I think our culture tends to place musicians, especially singers, on very high top-heavy pedestals that will fall over. I love being on stage and performing, but I don't like the stigma that is attached to talented people, that they are full of themselves or are only performing to gain attention for the wrong reasons. It's ludicrous to assign all performers the same identity because of the talents they posses. I enjoy performing because I love to sing, dance, and act! I feel comfortable on stage because its a way of expressing myself and a way to show people who I am as an individual.

I did not seek to become a professional singer and I am very thankful for my choice. I am loving my current position as a manager because I am able to pour into others' lives. It puts a pep in my step to be able to take care of others and help them be better at what they do for our organization. Sure I may whistle a tune while I work, but I don't sing while sitting at my desk- I save it for the stage (or my car).

Another de-Facebooking process

I have cut my friends in half. I have gone from nearly 1,300 "friends" to a little over 600. Many of the folks that didn't make the cut were people who were friends of the time, not friends for all time. (geographic relationships that didn't develop after being removed from the environment like former co-workers, fellow high school grads who would likely not recognize me now if we bumped into each other on the street, etc.)

I want Facebook to be more than a boredom tool to click through everyone's wedding and baby photos. I want it to become a networking tool that I am able to go to, not something I must go to.

We'll see if I can get it down to 300-400 :)

I love my husband :)

By the way, I love my husband :) I think this is my favorite photo of us. Just look at the way he is looking at me and the way he is gently and firmly holding my hand and back! It doesn't get any better than that.

God, thank you for blessing me with a man I do not deserve.

"How to hire.." : Interview Questions

After showing this post about How to hire and How to get hired to some co-workers, they've suggested other great interview questions:

Additional Interview Questions

• What is your greatest strength/weakness?
• What do you do to relieve stress?
• How do you measure success?
• Tell me about a mistake you have made and what you learned from it?
• What motivates you?
• What qualities do you look for in management staff?
• Do you have any blind spots? (this question threw me for a loop when I interviewed for my current position.)
• Tell me about your dream job.
• What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
• Have you ever had to fire someone? How did it make you feel?
• What is your biggest professional disappointment?

Reminder For Applicants

Never underestimate the power of a hand-written thank you note. I recently heard from interviewers about an applicant writing a thank you note. They were very impressed at that individual's professionalism!