Smelling the Proverbial Roses

Last night, Ryan, James & I were debating the attributes and design of BMWs versus Mercedes - the former being Ryan's mode of transportation and the latter mine. This conversation had followed a discussion of how unfortunate it was that Ryan's parents no longer stock their refrigerator with Dom.

What happened to me?

Once upon a time, I was a small town girl growing up in a family where money was tight. I lived in hand-me-downs, and my dad worked two jobs for most of my childhood so we'd have enough money to do fun things like play softball or take our now infamous educational vacations. We drove modest cars, shopped at discount stores and rarely went out to eat without a coupon. And I didn't have any less happy of a childhood for any of this.

Now I wouldn't buy a house without granite, hardwoods and stainless steel appliances, and I HAD to install crown molding because who the heck built a condo without it? When it came time to replace my car, I didn't look at anything other than Mercedes, and my handbags have to have a designer tag. James & I think it's acceptable to go out for dinners with price tags at which my mother and father balk.

How, and when, did I become this way?

I'm still painfully proud of where I came from -- but it wasn't a good enough place to stay. I listen to country music about simple lives in small towns, and while it touches a cord in me, it does not portray who I actually am today. After working so hard to stop being so judgmental and be a better, more genuine person, I think I've lost hold of those attributes. Instead, I feel like I've gotten caught up in the drama, the city, the competitive young professional circuit... and in the process, I'm forgetting the important things in my life.

I've regained my focus on my marriage, which had been suffering until last fall but is now stronger than it's ever been. I should take it as a lesson learned that progress can be made, but it will take time and effort. I want to focus on my friendships, exploring the history & culture of Georgia, going outdoors, reading books and reigniting the passion I used to have about so many things and people in my life. I want to rediscover the hobbies I used to have and find new ones, new interests and new people.

There is so much to love, enjoy and explore as we travel through our lives, and you don’t have to be driving a luxury car to get there.

For My Momma

My parents married straight out of high school and soon found themselves with two young children and wanting a better life for their family. It was my dad who continued working so my mother could pursue her degree in education. As far back as I can remember, my mom was attending college part-time, which set an early and lasting example of the value of education and the importance of staying dedicated to a task for my sister and me.

I watched my mother start her career in her early 30s, make several tough job decisions and eventually go back to school for her master’s degree before landing her “dream job” at a low-income school – when she was nearly 40 years old. Since then, I have truly seen the amazing woman my mother is. She has become a well-respected leader in her district, a mentor to other teachers and a “mom” to many children without stable parents in their lives. When I see her at work, I am so proud to say that I am Mrs. Schelat’s daughter.

Throughout all of this, my mother also showed me how to be an all-around good person –volunteering in the community, leading my sister’s Girl Scout troop, pushing us to always reach higher, and cheering me on from the sidelines at every game, meet or competition. She is half of a 32-year marriage, an amazingly supportive daughter and is truly one of my dearest friends.

My mom may not have changed the world, but she was shaping mine. Like many others, I see it more now than I ever did when I was growing up, especially as she has now taken in my husband and his sister after they lost their own mother, and she has been just as wonderful to them as she’s been to me. My family is blessed to have her, and I am incredibly grateful every day.

Day 17 – A Song That Makes Me Happy

This is a tough one, actually, because a lot of songs to which I feel a strong affinity do not evoke a positive emotion. I know it sounds horrible, but I think that's one of the reasons I listen to country music. For the first few months after I moved to Georgia, I would come home from work crying on a nearly daily basis because I'd heard a sad song on the radio that made me think of home and my parents. Fast-forward 3+ years and I am still listening to country, but now it simply makes me nostalgic for my small town upbringing. Even a lot of rock songs make me feel that way. I guess I'm happy with where I am, but I struggle with the contrast of where I've been.

I don't want to skirt two questions in a row, so I guess I'll have to answer most of the songs from  Katy Perry's Teenage Dream CD. I'm not normally into pop music, but her songs are catchy, and they make me want to crank it up and dance... especially Fireworks, Last Friday Night and California Gurls. Maybe it's because I think I'm a California Girl at heart?

Day 16 – Your first kiss

I plead the fifth. It wasn't with DH, so I don't care to re-hash.

Instead, I want to say how wonderful my husband is.... I love you, boo!

 

Georgia Tech Football: Whiteout vs. Miami - September 2009

 

Oysterfest 2010

 

Hoover Dam - Feb. 2010

NYC - June 2010

Destin, Fla. - July 2010

August 2010

Auburn beats Alabama - November 2010

Park Tavern -  December 2010

First Anniversary, August 2008

Mini-honeymoon, September 2007

August 25, 2007

 

Georgia Tech - September 2009

Popple!

Today, I found something very interesting: a Popple.

I loved my Popples -- all three of them. The greatest thing about a Popple? After you got tired of playing with them, you rolled them up into a ball, and voila! Instant weapon! Hence the reason when I found mine, I promptly rolled it up and threw it at James.

And then I realized a tragedy: James never had a Popple. He didn't even know what it was. Terrible!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

It's been 4 years coming...

I went to work today, tired, hungry and not looking forward to another day of doing the Elite Team's work. And sure enough, when I got there, there were quite a few cars in the lot, seeing as it was 915 and we don't open 'till 10. Dammit. And it appeared that the new DM must be there because all the managers' cars were there.

So I go inside, put my shit away and go about my morning routine of turning on TVs and the like while snacking on some crackers i happened to find in my bookbag. Sandra paged us to the front counter and I figured it was morning meeting time.

Only on my way to the front counter I realized that there were a lot of ppl in street clothes there and a bunch of CC people in company-issued button-ups, not fleeces like a lot of the Elite team wore. Ashleigh whispers that she thinks the store is closing.

"No," I said. "The Elite Team said last week that they weren't here to close the store." After all, they'd changed about 8.2 million things in my department and we were, suprisingly, doing quite well. Our department was 11th in the company in our focus TV category. Fantastic.

So then I look over at one of the women standing there, Julie, who is our HR representative and notice that the booklet she is trying to hold at her side, but is instead waving around.... says "Store Closing Booklet."

Fucking A.

I mean, seriously, I've always known this was coming. It's been hanging over our heads for the last four years. Literally. It was four years on the seventh that I have been working at Circuit City. In those four years, I think that everyone had the time when we were throughly convinced that the store would be done. But we made so many switches, changes, improvements.... and I thought that in the last six months, things were looking a lot better. I mean, I still complain a lot, but mostly because I honestly felt that the manager had a personal vendetta against me. Not that I'm being crazy but some of the shit she'd say to me was rediculous. She told me that I should re-evaluate my employment at Circuit City because I was honest with her and told her that school was my number on priority, not work. She coached me and gave me a corrective and threatened my job because I was regularly 7 minutes late. Yet the people who show up 10 , even 20 minutes late, or just don't show up at all... nothing. And when someone put the SOP for scheduling on her desk because she couldn't seem to get it right... she accused my sister and I of doing it before she even looked into it.

The point of all that....

Really, as much as the scheduling sucks, some of the managers are not quite right... Circuit City isn't that bad. I mean, there were the perks... I made 9.25 for doing nothing more than most retial associates. I've gotten cool shit for cheep. I met James. I rocked out with my sister a lot. I am not a stupid girl; I actually know quite a bit about electronics, computers and the like. I met a lot of freakin' cool people. I became unafraid to talk to strangers. I developed some kickin' sales skills that could come in handy at a later date... I mean, the Regional Pres. of Pizer offered me a job two weeks ago!

So despite all the bullshit, packing everything up and saying goodbye is actually going to be a kind-of sad experience. I've spent four years of my life, that's 20that's the majority of my working years, in one place. It's errie, looking at empty shelves that I damn near killed myself trying to fill with products, to see product on pallets waiting to be shipped, to think that I'm going to walk out of that store on February 22 for the very last time. Ever.

Maybe I'm being over dramatic. But really, it's bittersweet. I think I'll miss the guys the most, though. I may laugh and joke about being the only girl in my deparment, but the guys I've worked with have been pretty cool. I came over there, knowing I had to prove myself, and despite their joking, I feel like they at least respect me a little bit. Sure I'm a little spastic about stand-build tags, but that's another story all together. I mean, I've been wasted in Canada with Josh and Nick (I need that picture off Steve's wall), been asked for advice about damn near everyone's relationships, whined to everyone, seen Rob off to Iraq and welcomed him back.... crazy shit. We've all grown up, that's for sure.......

I'm just concered about money because, while we get a good severance package (I will if they fix my hire date, anyway) I am obv going to need another job... and here's the problem. I'm going on Spring Break and cannot and will not back out. So I'm here for three weeks, gone for one, home for 5, and then I'm off to intern. Who's going to hire me for that? I can't collect unemployment b/c i guess good ol' Ohio passed a law that full-time college studnets cant file for unemployment anymore. Shit. I just hope Lou will maybe give me some decent hours when he re-opens April 1. Cross your fingers or Mimi might get repoed.

But oh well. All chapters of one's life must come to an end at some point in time. I guess this is it for me. Time to move on. So long, Circuit City. It's been a ride.