How much do I love my job...

Can I just tell you how much I love my job?!  I feel like I hear so many people complain about their jobs these days.  They hate their job, they hate their coworkers, they hate the time away from their families, they hate the pay.  But I just wanted to take a few and put it out there how much I really do love my job.

I never dreamed of being a massage therapist as a child, I mean, who does? But the opportunity arose, and it turned out to be something I am really good at and I enjoy, (for the most part.)  I love that I can work part time and make close to full time money.  I am able to stay home with AJ most of the time, and still take care of him and the house and cook dinner every night, even if it's in the crock pot.  Yes, he goes to the sitter maybe 10 hours a week, but truthfully, he loves it!  Our sitter is a stay-at-home mom with a boy his age, and they just love each other.  It gives us a good break from each other too, being around anyone 24/7, even my beautiful child, can make anyone want a minute to themselves.  So I like  working a bit every day, and coming home to a smiling child who is crazy happy to see me! It's worth leaving for, to get that super hug and sloppy kisses.

I also just really love my job.  Where I work in particular, not just what I do.  I work for a wonderful spa, it has great energy and is just such a relaxing place to work.  We have a great owner, whom I love working for.  I have to admit, I also really like being the boss.  Like anyone who has ever met me is surprised by that sentence.  Yes, I like being in charge, in control.  I may have a smidge of a control problem.  BUT, I like being in charge because it makes me reign that in a little, I have to be diplomatic and work well with others.  As much as I maybe want to punch people in the face when they make poor choices, I can't do that.  I have to be nice, and explain and train them so it doesn't happen again.  Discipline is not my favorite part of the job of course, but it has to happen.

The other great thing about my job is that I get to do the hiring and training.  I love that part!  I have always enjoyed training, I like showing people how to do thing the right way (my way) lol. Plus, hiring massage therapists means that I get a massage every time I interview someone.  Let me tell you, this is not a job where you can just hire someone who interviews well.  You have to have the touch, as well as good time management and intuition, and the only way to test those is to receive a massage.  So that's definitely a plus.  I've been pretty fortunate to have only had 2 bad interview massages out of about 10.

And can I tell you about the people I work with?! I have an amazing team of leads that I get to work with and I love them!  We get along so well, we seriously have that mutual respect that allows us to all be heard and taken seriously.  My "work wife" Amanda and I are such a great team.  Together we have hired an awesome team of therapists who do us proud, (99% of the time).  Seriously, sometimes it's like working with toddlers, but for the most part they are fantastic.

My job is not perfect of course, but it makes me really happy.  I am sorry for everyone I know who doesn't feel the same about their jobs.  I don't know that this what I want to do for the rest of my life, I'm 31 and I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but this is great for now.

Happy Holidays being over!!!!

Happy Holidays, but even better, happy holidays being over!  This Monday, as all of my teacher friends, my mother and my husband were lamenting going back to work, I was doing a little dance of joy.  Actual a big dance for joy, an ecstatic crazy dance welcoming Monday, a normal, regular, back-to-my-routine Monday. 

I really love the holidays, I really do, but it seems like it has gotten so crazy with plans and parties and shopping and cooking.  I love it all, but man, was it on overload this year.  Here is some of the craziness that we had going on.

We hosted 3 parties, my company party, Christmas day and a New Years Eve fiesta.  I love to host parties, I feel I'm pretty good at it.  I don't go all fancy schmancy, but I throw a good shin-dig.  I love planning a menu and cooking, making desserts and appetizers.  For our work party, I made tiramisu, which was just ok, and a jalapeno popper dip, which is the best thing I've ever eaten.  My boss provided beer, wine, soda and Famous Dave's BBQ, which was fantastic.  We had a dirty Santa game, with nice gifts.  I hate the ones where people bring crap.  I have enough crap, I don't want yours.  Anyway, we were seriously a bunch of old ladies, fighting over a couple of really cool teapots, and some homemade body products .  After all the "cool" people left, the really cool  people got down to business with some Dance Central, and Cards Against Humanity.  It was pretty epic.  Dave likes to sit and watch, (and laugh) as people dance and make fools of themselves, but then once forced to partake, he wipes the floor with everyone. 

Christmas Eve came, and was too full for my liking.  Everyone ended up having to work, except Dad, who was making our magnificent dinner, so AJ spent the day with our sitters family.  I worked for most of the day, and got off a little early to finish my shopping, and rush AJ to Christmas Eve service at church.  Well, that was not as calming and soul soothing as it normally is for me. Taking a toddler to church is like bathing a cat, or nailing jello to a tree, or holding a tornado.  It is not a fun experience.  He enjoyed the puppet show, and as much as I know that I need to take him, it was not my idea of a good time.  After that, we had a quiet and amazing dinner at my parents house, just my little family and one brother.  It was a quiet moment in the month. 


Our second big party was Christmas day, although there was much less frivolity.  AJ didn't even wake up until 8:30, and we didn't even start on presents until 10.  It was pretty nice, and we are well aware that it will not last. After presents and breakfast burritos, we cleaned up a bit and got ready for my sister in laws family to join us.  The day was beautiful, and the boys actually played football in the street, which led to much bemoaning of how old they were getting.  We switched dinner up a little this year, with smoked turkey and ribs, mac and cheese, Chinese coleslaw, deviled eggs and fruit salad.  Dessert was a buffet of our Christmas cookies.  It was delish, and pretty low key, which was nice.  We left the next days for 3 days in La Junta with Dave's family.  It was lovely actually, I took a much needed nap, and AJ was thoroughly loved on and enchanted by his grandparents and great grandparents. 

New Years Eve was supposed to be just a few friends, for games and dinner, something we did at Colleens last year, but it turned into more of a party.  I made fajitas, Spanish rice, homemade salsa and guac, (even though I worked all day), and my mom made black beans and blackberry margaritas, which were amazing.  We played games, and partied like only middle age people can.  Babies were snuggled and put to bed, kisses were given at midnight and the parents went home.  After they left, we played a bit of Quelf with the Oakes' and our friend Mason.  I've pretty much decided that game only exists to make people look like giant idiots.  Which we did. 

After all these fun amazing times, of course I got sick and have been struggling with that for a week now.  I hate being sick, it doesn't happen very often, but it really hits me when it does.  I had all these grandiose plans of getting the house clean and organized during all of our time off, but that happened very slowly.  I would get a wild hair to clean an entire room, and Dave would find me exhausted halfway through.  I hate not having the energy to get stuff done.  But I eventually got most of it done, although our tree is still sitting in the living room, all boxed up and waiting to head to the basement. 

So anyway, long story later, I'm very happy to see this side of the holidays, ready to make some life improvements, dare we say resolutions, and get back to normal life.  No more crazy shopping, maybe just one party a month, lol, and some downtime with the family.  I think I'm going to work on not spreading myself so thin, I know I take on too much, so I'm going to try and nip that in the bud.  Happy 2014, happiness and health to all, and May the Odds be Ever In your Favor!

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