Thursday, April 21, 2011

My Schedule Has Suddenly Opened Up

I spent most of last week in Florida for work. Lots of meetings. Got home Thursday. Attended the West Ridge Academy spring gala / fund raiser on Friday night. Met a new great-nephew (not sure why he isn't my "grand" nephew, but oh well.)


Benson Lee Allen was born on April 7th and was a big little guy -- one more ounce and he would have been a 9-pounder! He was 8 days old in this picture -- and I think he looks older than that! (Ignore the hairy leg in the background -- I couldn't get a good angle to snap his picture!)

Taught the adult Sunday School class on Sunday. Worked on Monday and Tuesday as usual. And then everything came to a screeching halt! My boss called me yesterday (Wednesday a.m.) to let me know that our business unit was being re-organized and that I no longer had a job. And that Wednesday would be my last day. Within a couple hours FedEx had delivered my final paycheck, vacation payout, and all of the paperwork I had to sign. Three of my direct reports also were let go. It all happened so fast that I'm still digesting what happened.

So amid bidding co-workers farewell via e-mail and phone, I had to switch my cell phone from the corporate plan to one in my name; cash out all of my vested stock options; and then pack up all of the company's computer equipment, etc. and get it ready to take to FedEx today.

I'll always remember the day I was laid off (after more than 21 years!) because another great nephew was born. Please meet Tysen Mitch Hansen when he was only a few hours old.


So, I'm very quickly behind by 2 baby quilts (not that I didn't have plenty of notice to work on them!)

Today I applied for unemployment -- could do it all online which made it a snap. I updated my resume. And will begin sending out my resume probably tomorrow or Monday. (I think I do deserve some chill time to mentally prepare for what's ahead.) One of the competitors to the product line I was responsible for product and industry marketing is based about 50 miles from where I live. I checked their website and they have 3 openings that I am qualified for. I kind of wanted to have a couple months to decide what my future would be, but I doubt I would find anything so perfectly aligned with my background, that I feel I need to apply for them immediately. Of course, I'm not counting my chickens....

I received 6 months severance which I can probably stretch to up to a year (provided I don't spend it on fabric and quilting services). Add to that whatever unemployment I qualify for, and I'm not worried about day-to-day living. (Thank goodness my house and car are both paid for!) The biggest bite will be paying for COBRA insurance in the meantime.

I'm in house-cleaning/organizing mode. My home office has been transformed after removing all of the work-related stuff. I also decided to make bread since I needed bread and didn't want to risk a trip to the grocery store where I might buy unnecessary stuff.

I have wheat in a food storage supply, so I ground the wheat into flour using my trusty wheat grinder.


I  used this tried-and-true whole wheat bread recipe from Deals to Meals. It really is the best whole wheat bread recipe. I make mine from winter white wheat which is lighter in flavor and color than red wheat. I always get compliments on this recipe when I make it.


And this is the result. (My house is smelling so wonderful right now as the bread cools enough for me to dig in!)


I haven't been in my sewing room for a couple weeks -- but I plan to remedy that this afternoon! I have made more progress stitching my family history sampler. I don't think I'll have it done by our next family reunion in July, but I hope to have about half of the blocks completed.

Have a great day!

3 comments:

Berit said...

Woww!! :o

What a shocker, but I am glad to hear that your circumstances are secure, and prospects good. :D 6 months seems like a nice and generous severance, but I can't say that I'm well-versed in what is standard in this case.

I hope that you get that position with the rival, but I also hope that you'll get a couple of months worth of break. :D

Also, congrats on the new little ones. He does indeed look older than 8 days there.

Josie McRazie said...

All things happen for a reason. The difficult part is sometimes stepping back and having the patience to figure out what that reason is!
The boys are both as cute as can be and you have been blessed with more healthy family!
I hope and pray you will find your way have the strength to figure out where this journey will take you!!

Loraine said...

Oh my goodness! So shocking indeed. I'm sorry to hear about your job! That seems to be something that everyone is worried about now days. I must say you seem to be taking it rather well. I hope that you find a better job in the future. Change can be hard, but also bring with it blessings. I hope you have some sewing time, and can enjoy life for a while.
Enjoy the little one. He is so cute!

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