Birthday

It's my birthday :)

26 days

I turn 26 in 26 days. When I was in high school, I thought by the time I was 26 I would be married with a Bachelor's degree and staying home with one or two kids and a dog. Instead I'm married with a Master's degree, a job I love, a wonderful cat and no kids. I have more than I ever thought to ask for yet there are things I want more than anything I've ever wanted in my life.

Perhaps this is what John Mayer was thinking about when he sang "must be a quarter-life crisis"?

Hairchop!

I chopped about 9 inches off of my hair :) I LOVE IT!

Before and After!

I'm donating my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths hair donation program. It's similar to Locks for Love but they don't charge cancer patients for their wigs.

I adore having short hair - its low maintenance and fun to style in different ways. Long hair had its benefits, especially in the winter. I had fun curling and braiding, but it got to be a hassle every morning to make it look nice for work. My new cut can dry and style quickly. I also like the way it frames my face.

On a semi-related note, God has been molding and changing so many aspects of my attitude and perspective. Change is so exciting!

Snow and Decorations

My "Office" Office!

Yay for the first snowfall of the season!

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Professionalism and Facebook

In our office, we consider ourselves members of one large family. We have a broad range of ages, educational backgrounds, professional goals, geographical origins, heights, fashion styles, you name it. Like any group, there are pockets within the family that form friendships that go beyond the office. This is healthy and I'm thankful it happens. However, where is the line drawn between managers and non-managers? When should a manager be Facebook friends with employees, if ever?

I recently encountered a slightly awkward situation when one of my former employees was still connected to me on Facebook. I was not sure whether to "unfriend" them or not. I didn't feel like we had a friendship that would extend outside of the office, which is no fault of this person's or my own, we just didn't have that kind of connection. So, as a former manager, what do I do? I ended up "unfriending" them along with a dozen or so other former colleagues. If this had been several months ago when I had about 1,500 friends I likely would have kept them on my list. However, after multiple de-facebooking processes I couldn't justify keeping them. They have my work email address which is more than my Facebook friends have. I will be reachable for them in the future but they don't need to see what I had for lunch or what my hair looks like.

Another cool feature on Facebook is to group contacts together and set privacy settings based on the grouping. This helps give not-so-real friends limited access to your personal life.

So in our newest chapter of technology in the marketplace, what is appropriate for a manager in terms of their workers? What do you think? Is it a case by case basis or is there a one ring to rule them all philosophy?

Good day

I need to come clean - I've been keeping another blog from you all. It's a safe place for me to really vent and have a conversation with God. I tend to be cryptic in 'Freckledear' about touchy circumstances because it is viewable to everyone. I still love you and all, but a girl needs her space, ya know?

Anyway, hi world! Life is good. I have few complaints and many blessings. Professionally, today was a difficult day that I knew I would have to face in my career as a manager. Through prayer and Godly council, I think everyone involved walked away ready to face our next chapters. God knows what He's doing.

Jonathan started working in the same building as me! I am thrilled to be sharing my morning routine, commute, lunches, and day-to-day life. It's fun to have a partner that understands the need for alone time and the time for togetherness. I'm not sure how I managed to receive such a wonderful husband. God blesses me beyond what I deserve.

Our office is decorating for Christmas!! I will definitely be posting photos soon. Everyone in our office is doing a beautiful job expressing their creativity. I'm excited for my own "Office" office, complete with wrapped desk and filing cabinet as well as a bobblehead, exercise ball, Shrute Bucks, and nutcracker. I'm hoping to find a Princess Unicorn this weekend.

Ta ta for now, until we meet again.

wtf - where's the finish?

I know valleys aren't supposed to be short.

I know struggles aren't supposed to be easy.

I know that God is good and He knows what He's doing.

I know that this world has no mercy.

I know that I have been plucked from my depression to be here in this moment, right now.

I know all things happen for a reason.




But c'mon!! Really!??!?!

Gen-uh-veeeev!

My friend Genevieve visited this past weekend and we had a blast! We went to the LU v. Stony Brook game and saw LU earn their 4th consecutive Big South Conference Title!! The Marching Band was awesome, as always. (My husband is a percussion instructor for them.)

Pink Elephant

Don't think about a pink elephant.

No I mean it, stop thinking about the pink elephant.

STOP IT.

That's me right now, obsessed with a pink elephant.

Nothing will happen if nothing happens

I don't think elections are about right or wrong, or even about right and left; it's about what candidate best represents you. We live in a representative democracy, also known as a republic. We elect those who best align with what we believe and how we want our city / county / township / state / nation to be handled. There is no correct way to handle a group of people. I probably shocked half of you, but it's true! There is no "one ring to rule them all" principle when it comes to people. Diversity is good! Differing opinions are good! How boring would it be if we were all the same?

I think even my ultra conservative friends can agree - we would be straight up boring if we were all mirror images of each other. God created the Heavens and the Earth and every living creature. God created diversity! He created us to make our own actions and choose our own paths. He gives us a choice of devoting our lives to Him or live a life apart from Him. Even within those who follow Him whole heartedly, there can be many different choices that can still honor God.

Getting back to the real world where not everyone is guided by faith, I think a mutual respect needs to occur when we discuss how we can improve our nation. Every pundit on television is a caricature of a thought and rarely represents an actual demographic within the American population. From Keith Olberman to Glenn Beck, these sorts of talking heads are to be treated as characters and shouldn't be used as a gauge to see "how the other half lives". Sure they make valid points every now and then, but when you do an hour long show 5 days a week, there is only so much quality in the quantity of sensationalism and chalkboards. I think it's gotten to the point that even our President has turned into a character and not a respectful leader of this nation. His rhetoric is very divisive and he often blames others rather than rising above division to set an example for the elimination of bipartisanship, like he promised.

By the way, if you believe in restoring the Constitution, then you believe in the same Constitution that gives people the freedom of speech, religion, to bear arms, and the pursuit of happiness. That gives everyone something to believe in: freedom for life at conception, freedom to marry one's same gender, freedom to have and use a gun, and the freedom to have religious expression. It's easy to forget that Obama doesn't support gay marriage. It's easy to forget that not all Republicans are gun-toting Bible thumpers. It's easy to forget that terrorists can be any color, and any gender.

All I'm saying is that if you want to make a chance, then use your American-given powers for good and VOTE. Nothing will happen if nothing happens. If you don't vote, then don't complain.