Ukulele

I bought a new toy - a ukulele! Her name is Ukulola and I have already doubled my guitar repertoire. It's WAY easier to play than a guitar and it makes everything sound very cheeky and adorable.

My favorite songs to play are Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"- SO much fun!

Birthday of Love

I feel very loved today. My staff decorated/trashed my office with streamers, baloons, and a Laura look-alike. It was such a welcome surprise as I trudged in with a sinus infection. They also surprised me with a birthday lunch!! I am beyond blessed - my staff is awesome.

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.)