I am a Secretary

If you would have asked me 10 years ago, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  What’s your career plan?”  I would have never, ever responded with “I want to be a Secretary.”  I was just starting out in my career.  There were so many possibilities.  So many options and so many things I wanted to do.  I wanted to get to the top and I was more than determined to get there.  I started my Master’s Degree as soon as I graduated with my BS.  I was eager to learn and get into the “coolest” career possible.  I had dreams of making maps, changing lives, and traveling the world and I knew I could do it.  And I did get to work on some really cool projects, travel to some great places in this country and abroad, and learn awesome skills.  Before Brian and I moved to Atlanta this summer I knew finding a job was going to be a challenge mainly because I no longer felt like I knew what I wanted to do.  The current job I had wasn’t the best of experiences.  It was a frat house and on some days it felt like no one knew what the hell they were doing.  I’d become discouraged and bored to be honest.  There was no room to move up and I felt stuck.  The move was going to open opportunities for me.  At least that was the plan, and I thought those opportunities were going to be in the GIS world.  However, we moved and I spent the first half of the summer still working for the company in DC part time which meant more time to spend with Tucker and Gabriel at the pool.  IT WAS AWESOME for about a week or two but then it was hard.  Now, don’t take this the wrong way.  I love spending time with the boys but I needed something more than that.  I needed the work.  Of course, that doesn’t mean staying at home wasn’t work because it was.  A LOT of work but I just didn’t see me doing it full time.  For the summer, Great!  But full time it just wasn’t for me.  I started looking for different jobs.  Most were administrative or tech support jobs.  None of them seemed like it was a good fit and let me tell you how much fun it is to try to explain to someone outside of the GIS field my resume.  I was over qualified for every job I was interviewing for and trying to convince them that yes I really do want this job when really I wasn’t sure I actually did.  I turned down a few jobs and was rejected by a few others before going on the last interview.  It was for a county school but the difference was they were an online school.  Different, interesting, and right up my alley.  I interviewed for the Secretary to the Office of Principal.  I thought having most of the summer off, a week for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas and Spring break was the best thing about the job but it also seemed interesting so I took it.  I was a Secretary.  When I first started I sat back and just did my assignments, answered the phones, and helped whenever I could but didn’t tell anyone what my background was.  To everyone there I was just another office worker.  It’s actually amazing the attitude people have towards the secretary. I hope I never turned my nose down on my admins was all I could think.  And those that know me know just how hard keeping quiet is for me.  I say what I think and am completely honest.  Keeping a low profile lasted about two weeks.  I think I made it about 4 before I downloaded mapping software.  Since then I pipe up when I can solve a problem and offer suggestions when I know of a way that will make things easier for someone.  I’ve made maps that have been sent to the Superintendent of the school system and as of today will begin developing courses for the 6^th Social Studies classes.  Sometime this year I will work on also developing GIS courses for the high school and middle schools students and next year I just might teach those courses part time while still keeping the title of Secretary because although it was not where I thought I would be in my career it has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made.  It's fun.  It's challenging.  There is potential and I have the freedom to keep learning and working with GIS and now I even have the opportunity to show students just how cool a career in GIS can be.  I would have never said this is where I would be in my career, however, I couldn’t think of a better place to be right now.

The move down south

We planned this move for about a year.  Before Tucker was born I loved living in the DC area.  I loved having so much at my finger tips and really really loved the fact that there were hundreds of miles of trail just outside my door.  My view changed not too long after Tucker.  Brian and I started talking about moving closer to my family so Tucker could grow up with his grandparents and cousins.  At first it was an idea but then we realized it was something we both really wanted.  So the planning began.  My parents are looking to retire so the timing was perfect.  We would move back to the house I spent a good portion of my teenage years.  It would provide us with more room, a pool, and also put us closer to family and friends in the area.  It was a perfect opportunity.  We talked and talked about it and got more and more excited.  As it got closer it became a little more real.  Suddenly, there was a lot to do.  The weeks before the move we were pretty much packed and living out of boxes.  By then I was ready to be moved and settled but then Tucker's last day at school came.  It was the only day I cried about the move.  While I will miss my friends I know I will talk to them and see them again so I never cried about it but when we were getting Tucker to say goodbye to his friends I realized he didn't really understand.  He wasn't going to remember them or understand that he would never see them again.  It broke my heart.  I took as many pictures as I could that afternoon trying to capture some of the moments for Tucker to look back on one day.  I know....he's not really going to care.  He may find it sweet but he won't remember that it was sad.  I think the saddest part is that he won't remember his teacher and her family.  Sure I had my moments but we loved them and he loved, loved, loved going to see them.  We are so grateful that we found such a wonderful family to take care of him and love him.  From the day I dropped him off when he was 8 weeks old I never worried.  I knew he was safe, loved and well taken care of.  I only hope we can find someone here that is just as wonderful and don't think I didn't try to convince them to move with us because I did!

Tucker's first day of daycare at 8 weeks old

Tucker's last day of daycare at 17 months old

Tucker's first friend - Eric

And then before we knew it it was moving day.  It took much longer than we had planned.  We have a lot of stuff.  The movers got everything load and we got the place cleaned up and then we were off.  It was 3:00 in the afternoon before we pulled out of the townhouse.  Dad drove the truck, Brian was in his car, and Tucker, mom and I were in the jeep.  It was a long drive.  We made it to the house around 2:00 am and everyone just crashed.  The next morning our wonderful neighbors came over to help unload.  The unloading was much quicker.  Mom kept Tucker at her house, which just happens to be in the neighborhood across the street.  With everyone's help we were able to get unloaded.  We started the unpacking and I had it all finished by Monday evening.  We still have little things to do here and there and several changes we will make but we are settled.  We live in Georgia and it was one of the best decisions Brian and I have made for the family.  And now on Sunday, Father's Day, Gabriel will fly in and we will have the whole family here.  We have a lot to look forward to this summer.  Lots of play dates, family coming to visit, and much more.  We are really looking forward to it all.  We are happy to be back in the south and after 10 years it finally feels like we are home.  In a home that we will be in for a long while.  It's time to just sit back, settle in and enjoy the ride!  :)

Cherry Blossom 10 miler weekend

The Cherry Blossom 10 miler is one of my favorite races and it was also on my bucket list of things to do before we leave.  I love this race.  I don't know why really but I do.  It is a nice flat course that takes you around DC and if you are lucky you get to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms.  We weren't so lucky this year but it was still a fun race.  Saturday we headed downtown to pick up race packets and explore parts of the city....mainly the zoo....with Tucker. 

On Sunday morning we were up early and headed downtown for the race.  Renee came with us to watch Tucker during the race.  He fell asleep soon after the race started.  But Brian and I ran.  It was a good race.  I did better than I thought I was going to do which always makes a race more fun.  Running through the city will always be one of my favorite parts of living in the area.  I remember when I first moved to DC every run I would just look around and think "I live in Washington, DC."  For some reason that always amazed me.  I'll cherish the time I spent living in the area and running this race was a perfect way to say goodbye.

Easter fun

We had a great Easter weekend!  Friday was my birthday and we kept it simple which is just how I like it.  On Saturday morning we walked up to downtown Herndon for Tucker's first Easter egg hunt.  We took him last year but there was no hunting involved.  He was asleep when we put him in the Easter Bunny's arms and only opened an eye for a moment to check out the fluffy guy holding him.  This year, well, it's always a chance.  You never know how the kid will react.  I put him in the Easter Bunny's lap and he just looked up at him and smiled.  We couldn't even get him to look at the camera.  Needless to say, he loved the Easter Bunny!

Picking up the eggs as fast as he can.

Tucker and his loot from the egg hunt

Checking out what the Easter Bunny brought

A real woman wouldn't even consider adoption....

I was at Target yesterday and over heard a woman on her phone say this.  Granted I didn't hear the whole conversation but I don't think I want to.  I have never actually considered ripping a phone out of someone's hand followed by punching them in the face until that moment.  It took ever bit of control to just keep walking after, of course, I wiped my head around and glared at her.  It drives me crazy when people walk around the store talking loudly on their phone.  It drives me insane when they do this and say comments like this.  I've never over heard something that has offended me more than that  which of course is the cause of this post.  To start for those of you reading this that might not know me too well we need a little background.  So here it is.....

When I was 21 I had a beautiful little girl that I gave up for adoption.  I made this choice and to this day have no regrets about it.  I was 21, in school, and really still a kid myself.  There was no way I was ready to raise a child.  I wouldn't have been a good mom then and that might have been the only mature thing I did at that age.  I made the decision that was best for her.  Could I have managed and raised her?  Of course.  I would have dropped out of school, moved home to my parents house and managed.  But I didn't feel like that was fair for her.  She deserved a good life and really a stable mother, which I was not at 21.  I won't go into everything that happened. The short version....

At the end of May 1999 she was born.  I spent three days with her before saying goodbye.  I have thousands of pictures of those three days, a baby book full of every memory I had, and a journal of everything that happened during that time.  I have a birth certificate with the name I spent months deciding on.  Grace Alexandria. On day three of her life I have pictures of me saying goodbye to her.  If you look at those pictures you will see just how hard that day was. 

But I wasn't the only woman in this story that decided on adoption.  On the hardest day of my life another woman was having one of the best days of hers.  That woman had already said goodbye to a baby but under completely different circumstances and a much harder situation.  Her son had past away only weeks after he was born.  The doctors told her she ran a 95% chance of another baby having the same problems he was born with if they tried again.  She couldn't do that to herself, a baby or her husband so they made the difficult decision to stop trying.  They were not going to have a biological baby but it didn't mean they couldn't have a baby.  They began the adoption process similar the the adoption process I began when I found out I was pregnant.  I strongly believe in fate and I believe fate is what brought me and this woman together.  Her sister was my nurse at the doctor's office.  She cried when my response to the after birth care for the baby was "adoption."  I thought she was judging me until she pulled out the "life book" of her sister.  A life book is created by parents who are looking to adopt so that the woman of the child can see their family life and get to know them a little bit before meeting them in an open adoption process. The crazy thing about this was that they were going through the same adoption agency I was.  Fate.

It was like someone was telling me I was making the right decision.  I met them a few times before Grace was born.  And at the hospital I left them to care, love and provide for her.  I trusted them and to this day know that they are giving her the best life possible.

So to hear this woman on the phone say a real woman wouldn't even consider adoption I just wanted to scream.  A real woman, who isn't ready to be a mom, will always consider adoption.  A real woman who, for whatever reason, can't have a biological child will always consider adoption.  These two situations don't make you less of a real woman.  In fact they build character in you and make you stronger as an individual. 

It was the hardest day of my life and anyone that would ever say a "real woman" wouldn't make that decision has never been put in that situation.  Has never given up a piece of themselves because they knew it was the best decision for everyone.  A real woman will make the decisions that are best for those involved and not a selfish decision because they are worried about what society will think if they found out they had given up their baby or that their daughter is not their biological child.  I have no regrets and since the day she was born it has never been a secret.  She has a wonderful life.  She looks just like me.  I get letters each year on her birthday and she is very blessed with wonderful parents and a real woman as her mother to provide guidance every step of the way.  A real woman will make decisions that are best for her family.

A St Patrick's Day to remember

So to start the weekend Tucker went to his first sleepover (that wasn't his grandparents) with our friend Renee.  I was a little worried he'd decide to keep her up all night or just be a little pain and she'd never want to do a sleepover again.  :)  Instead...he was a sweet angel.  We fed and bathed him before taking him over.  And that didn't stop him from snacking when he was there.  That boy can eat!  If I only had his metabolism!

Having fun mom....don't worry :)

When we got home from dropping him off we got things ready and went to bed.  4 am comes early!  Race morning we headed to the metro and rode in with lots of other runners.  The race started and ended at the Armory which is nice because it was open and a great place to stretch out of the chilly morning air.

Inside the Armory before the race

This is the first race Brian and I had decided to run together.  Normally, we do our own thing and just meet at the finish line but we've both been sick and hadn't been training much so we figured we'd just have fun and enjoy the race together. 

Waiting for the start

The fun part was running through the streets of my old neighbor.  Brian got to hear all the old stories of places I'd go and things I'd do.  I'm sure he loved it.  :)  It was fun though.  Some good memories of a city I do love and streets I use to train on every day.

The Capital

Smile Brian!  We're having fun!

They even turn the fountain green for
St. Patrick's Day at the White House

And while running we even came upon the DC Juggling Man!!  He is at every DC race I have ever been in.  It was great to see him.  He juggles the entire way.  It's crazy!

DC Juggling Man!

 We ran most of the race.  Walked the hills because I'm out of shape but still did about as well as I did in Savannah so the good news is I'm getting back in shape.  And we were all smiles at the end.  Although, I'm not sure I can talk Brian into running a long race with me again.  My pace is a little painful for the giant :)

When we picked up our bag from the gear check we had these pictures waiting for us.  :)

It was good to see that he'd played himself into exhaustion.  :)  We fought with the crowds on the metro and headed to pick up the little man.  On the way home we decided to stop at our favorite neighborhood pub that is just down the street from the house.  Lunch and a Guinness (for Brian) and Kilkenny (for me) to celebrate with our favorite little Lucky Charm. :)

It was a great race and a perfect way to get some views of the city, old neighborhood, and town.  It was fun to run the entire race with Brian also.  We're a good mix.  ;)

As May gets closer I get more excited about moving but then again a little sad about what we are leaving here.  This place has been great to me and this city will always be special to me.

New Orleans adventure...

We had a great time in New Orleans.  Brian has many friends who are very much like family in the area and we were able to spend time with some of them.  We stayed in Slidell through Friday and then headed to the city on Friday for the weekend. Thanks to Cindy and Ken for putting us up at their beautiful home for those nights!!  We are looking forward to bringing Tucker back this summer! :)

Wednesday night at Cindy and Ken's

Friday night was the "going out" night.  Roy and Tina had come down from St. Louis and other friends from Slidell came into town for the night.  After Wednesday night's adventures of too much wine, cider and beer, I learned that I am old so Friday night I knew to limit myself to only a few drinks if I wanted to do anything on Saturday!  We started the night at Roy and Tina's hotel room where they all did shots.  Again....old so I don't do shots ;)

Then out to bar hop with the rest of the crazy people in New Orleans starting at Pat O'Brien's and moving on to more places than I remember.  The people watching in this town is incredible!! We ended the night grabbing some food before heading back to our hotel.  It was 3 am before we got there.  I can't remember the last time I was out that late!!  Haha...even writing that makes me feel old but it was a really fun night.

Piano Bar and Hurricanes

Roy and Tina

Some of the gang...it was hard (impossible) to get everyone looking at the same time!!

On Bourbon Street

Late night snacks

On Saturday morning we got up and headed to the race expo....this is about the time that I was so thankful for limiting myself on drinks the night before!  Some of you may remember from my facebook post that I talked Tina into the race two weeks before.  She isn't a runner nor had she ever been in a race before.  She had no idea what to expect so the expo was a new experience for her.  Of course, by then she was also getting really nervous about the whole thing.  :) 

After the expo we took in some New Orleans history with a walking tour of the city.  It was really interesting.  We learned that you should never look for the mouth of the Mississippi from the Gulf cause you will die; never marry a weak Frenchman because his dad will shoot you for your money; and you never want to go to a dinner party with strangers....cause you will die.  We also learned some real stuff too that was very interesting.  It was the first time we have taken a real tour in the city and something I would do again.

Jackson Square

Us and our tour stickers.

Sunday morning was race day.  As typical, it was cool at the start but really warmed up to be perfect.  Brian took off on his own and Tina and I started out jogging with the crowd.  I figured after that we would just walk the rest of it but Tina is a Rock Star and we ran/jogged a little over half of it and did 10 minutes better than we had planned!!  I think she was surprised at how relaxed it was.  I had fun (I think she did too).  I might even be able to talk her into another one of these one day. ;)

Coffee is a must at any start line!

And then Sunday afternoon, after we said our goodbyes to Roy and Tina, Brian and I took a walk up to Jackson Square to get some pictures together and visit "our tree."  :)

Our fountain picture

Beside "our tree"

On one of the trips to New Orleans before we got married there was an actual Pirate standing under this street sign.  We have a picture of us under the sign every visit after that just so we can laugh and remember how funny and strange that was :)

 Fun times were had by all!  We are looking forward to making the trip back next year!