Following my heart.....

.....okay - so a lot has changed in the last 36 hours or so. I went up to Chicago to tell my bosses that I was leaving yesterday. We were supposed to meet at 10am, but the normal sales meeting ran long so it was 11:30am by the time we actually got to meet. We ended up going to lunch for our meeting. It was me, Rick and John. They are both owners - Rick is "in charge" of our office down here, but John is the President and I worked inside sales for him for almost 3 years and we get along great.

When I told them that I was quitting, John dropped his fork. I wish I would have had a picture of the look on both of their faces. They were truly shocked. John's first words were - "what if Mark were not in the picture"? Hmm... good question. I love my job, I love my customers, I love the flexibility I have with my position, I love the factory people that I get to talk to all of the time, etc. I guess I was not prepared for that question. I told him that based on the history and the fact that the accounts list was split up like it was a few weeks ago that Mark would be sticking around for the forseeable future. They told me that they don't want to lose me, I am a valuable employee, customers like me, etc... John asked me if it was a done deal and I told him that I already told CAT yes. He then told me point blank that if I would change my mind, Mark would be fired next week and I can have the whole territory. If I get too busy and need help I can have inside sales support from Lombard (our main office) or if it gets really busy he said we can hire me an assistant down here. I told him that I could not give him an answer on the spot like that. He told me to go home, talk to Rob, take as much time as I need and get back to him. He would not accept my resignation letter - he said if that is what I decide he would respect my decision and wish me well, but he obviously does not want to see that happen. We continued to talk and I told him I was worried about the backlash of Mark. He said that when he's let go, there will be no 2 week notice, no transition period....they are coming down and telling him, giving his box for personal belongings, taking his computer, changing voicemail/email passwords, and changing the locks before they leave. He said that I don't have to have any more contact with Mark and he understands that he has put me through hell. Mark has a big commission backlog that can be held over his head if he tries anything. As far as him going on a slander campaign with customers, John made a good point when he said "who's going to listen to him"? Most customers don't like him anyways - which is when I said for the 10th time...."then why did it take me finding a new job for you to realize it's time for Mark to go??????"

So - after a lot of talking with Rob, my parents, Katie and even a customer who I consider to be more of a friend now I have decided to stay at Thermosystems. I wish I had a crystal ball to show me one year in the future at Thermo and one year in the future at CAT. I don't, so I have to base my decision on what I know and I KNOW that I love what I do - just not doing it with Mark. I don't know if I would love my job at CAT....I might, but no guarantees. I do know that CAT is a 50 hour/week job - in the office 5o hours which gives me very limited flexibilty. I do know that with Thermo as long as I am getting the job done I could be typing this from my bed in sweatpants and a ponytail (okay, so maybe I am!). I do know that Thermo gives me the flexibility to be a working mom and not feel horribly guilty about it because I can still go work the daycare halloween party or play hookey after one of Justin's doctors appointments.

In the end, I had to follow my heart and my heart tells me that I have a job I have enjoyed since I was 19 and did my first internship in this business. I am good at it and I enjoy it - with Mark out of the picture. I know that I work with people I enjoy talking to - again; minus Mark and I really have a lot of respect for my bosses. They have helped me and Rob out in tough times and that is something else that does not happen in a big corporation.

I hope I am making the right decision....only time will tell.

Wedding Weekend in Michigan!!!!

We had the most FABULOUS weekend we have had in a long time. We were fortunate enough to have almost all of our family in one place at one time - which does not happen very often anymore. I have picked some of my favorite pictures below, but you can click on the picassa link if you are bored and there are over 350 more....and these are just our camera and my mom's! We might be a little camera happy :)

Ryan and Amanda's wedding weekend

Thursday we went to Mt. Pleasant to the casino for lunch...it was so nice to ride out there all crammed in the Yukon and spend the afternoon together. Seriously. It was a great family afternoon before the craziness of the weekend set in!!!









Friday after decorating the hall we met the Fossitts for lunch. Justin was not in the mood to sit and eat. We had been to breakfast a few hours before and he had WAY too much energy. He was so horribly behaved....it was embarrassing. At least we were with toddler parents who understand :) It was still great to see you guys!!!!!




Ignore my squished nose here; I was playing with mine and Rob's birthday present to eachother.....we LOVE it (Nikon D80)!!! Some pics from the wedding are with it and some are just our old camera; too much beer and new cameras should not be in the same evening we decided!











Justin and Mackensie....I was so happy that he actually walked down the aisle - even if it was behind her and he had his hands in his mouth :)











Think she's excited????









Justin with Gramma Airplane and Papa!












Family picture!!!!
















The Brooks Family - we should have taken one with Kurt and Ashley in it...I wasn't thinking :(











Me and my little brothers....I am so proud of both of them :) This was at a bar on our bus stop. The bus had a DJ and bartender - very fun!!!!!















Dad with his mom and dad aka Gramma and Grampa Metzler! It was so nice to get to visit with them :)












My favorite boys......
















Me and my angel - at 12am....he was still going strong!!!!











I love you guys so much! You are truly an inspiration for what a happy marriage is like!!!















Me, Rob, Mikey, Ryan, Amanda and Great Gramma Bowen. She would have left LONG before this (~11:30pm), but Uncle Paul didn't want to leave!!!








Me and my daddy..... at the end of the night - ignore my drunk eyes :)













I LOVE this picture - a little cropping and it will be perfect. Five generations.... we took one when Justin was 2 months old and now we have an up to date one. Maybe we can take another one in another two years....

Advice needed.....

I had to email my bosses and ask them to meet with me on Monday morning. I can't just drive the 3 hours up there and have them not there. So now, if one of them calls me (which I think Rick will), and asks what I want to meet about - what do I say? Just tell him that I'd rather discuss it in person? If he asks me outright if I'm quitting, do I tell him? Also, do I need to submit a formal letter of resignation? I have not done this before, so I need any advice you have!!!!

My little angel....

:(

It's 12:43am and I can't sleep. I keep tossing and turning going over how I am going to tell my bosses and trying to anticipate how they will take the news. I even took 2 Tylenol PM's an hour ago and no luck :(

New job!!!!

I have some very exciting news.....I got a new job! I didn't want to say anything on here about it before because I didn't want to jinx anything, but now that I have the offer I can spill it :)

Most of my loyal readers know about my co-worker issues. Well, a couple of weeks ago, my boss came down and split up the accounts so we were no longer in a "team" enviroment. He and I had already discussed accounts that I would be given and how to turn them around, etc. Well...he let Mark keep almost ALL of his accounts. He gave me all of the residental guys who don't buy our equipment anyways. And for unassigned jobs that come up it is dictated by territory. Mark got the territories with any population to them - I got the cows and corn. I can bitch until I'm blue in the face about it, but I figured that the only one who can change the situation is me. So I looked on CAT's website and saw a job opening that looked like a perfect fit (see below):

Job Title: Engineering Project Management Specialist

Location: IL-East Peoria

Qualifications
Minimum:
The applicant must have a minimum of three years of experience in engineering or construction management fields. Planning, project management and verbal communication skills are essential. Applicant must be a self-starter, have good analytical and interpersonal skills, work well in a team environment, be adaptable and very customer-focused. Applicant must be competent in the use of basic desktop software.

Desirable:
Bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management or similar field. Applicant should have experience with managing a budget. Formal training in Six Sigma and Project Management are a plus.
Responsibilities
This position is part of the Maintenance and Facilities Engineering team and will work with others in this team to support facility objectives. This position coordinates design and execution of facility improvement projects and may manage certain service providers in support of those objectives. The position coordinates capital projects, advises on the capital management system, assists in budget preparation and coordinates some facility-related services, including office seating. The position will have one or more direct reports.
Job Posting Close Date
This posting will close on 09/16/2008.
Additional Information
Engineering Project Management Specialist
1.3 years experience in engineering , construction management or similar field
2.Verbal communication skills
3.Interpersonal skills
4.Analytical skills
5.Initiative


The biggest problem was that I looked online on 9/15/08 so I had less than 24 hours to make a resume. I did a rough draft and then Katie helped me polish it up, change the format to look unique, etc. Thanks Katie! It must have worked becuase I got a call the first week of October to come in for an interview. There were 26 people who applied and they brought 3 of us in. I was the first one last Monday 10/13/08 and the other two were not until Thursday/Friday. So it was a really long week just waiting and hoping the other guys would suck :)

I got a call this morning from the guy who would be my boss (he was out of town the day of the interviews) and said that he'd like to meet me for lunch since he didn't get a chance to meet me at the interview. So of course I called Katie and we figured that he would not care to meet me if the (3) guys I interviewed with did not recommend me for the position? Anyways, I went to lunch - he is a really nice guy who also happens to be a Chemical Engineer by degree and he made me a verbal offer! I am just waiting for the formal letter and I should be all set! Yeah :)

Now comes the problem with telling my bosses. I don't feel as bad after all of the crap that Mark has done and he still gets to retain his money making accounts that I have done all of the work for! The problem is that they are all in Florida this week for the national sales meeting, so I think that I am going to try and set up a face to face meeting in Chicago on Monday to tell them. I have to start at CAT on 11/3/08, so it's only technically a week but I am not going to just leave them hanging. I will still work on transitioning things with whoever takes over my jobs. My new boss understands that and just asked that I be done with the tranistion by the first of the year and then be 100% dedicated to CAT.

I am so happy! I will feel a lot better though after I tell my current employer. That should be the last of my worries though, right? They didn't care about me when Mark was publishing that crap about me on our server, or when he bad talks me to customers, etc. I can't imagine my life without the drama of Mark - I am soooo excited!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me - a day early! With this news today (we are going out with my mom, Justin, Katie and Josh to celebrate at Flat Top tonight), my bday tomorrow (my 24th!) :), and leaving for my baby brother's wedding on Wednesday this week is shaping up to be a great one!!!!

Hi Aunt Manda and Uncle Ryan!!!

 

Can I wear this to your wedding (with my Ralph Lauren navy blue pants) instead of short sleeves? The tie is navy blue and light blue and perfectly matches Mommy's bridesmaid dress colors. I feel pretty spiffy in a tie like Daddy wears to work :) As you can see in the picture I like wearing my tie!!!

Let me know!

Love,
Justin

Justin update

Hi there!

It's been a while, but we're too busy having fun with Gramma Airplane :) She got here Monday afternoon and we went to the chinese buffet for dinner. Justin loves the new Koi pond they put out front! Tuesday morning we had to be at the hospital for a 7:45am check-in. We were back in the car on our way home by 10:30am! It was a quick surgery. They put tubes in both ears and took out his adenoids. He bounced back VERY quickly. Within 3 minutes of walking in the door he was playing hockey and below is one of the many videos I have of him at 7:30pm - less than 12 hours after surgery! I can't get them all to upload, but I'll put his one here for now!

Last night Katie & Josh came over for dinner and we watched Thursday night TV. Tongiht Rob and I are going to the Rivermen game - without Justin - don't tell him :) We're going out to dinner before and going to relax!

This weekend I am hoping to get lots of stuff done - putting away patio furniture, bikes, wagon, etc. Get our garage cleaned out (besides Ry & Manda's furniture!), our shed packed for winter, etc. Might as well take advantage of Gramma being here to entertain!

Oh, and my house has NEVER been so clean :) Please move here mom and dad!!!!!!

Justin at the Koi Pond

Justin kept taking pictures of himself while we were waiting for his surgery :)

Rivermen!

Chris Connor (from Tech) got assigned to the Rivermen yesterday! I was talking to him this morning about helping him find an apartment in the area; right now he's living at the Embassy Suites hotel. We will probably have him over for dinner sometime soon - I think Justin will think he's pretty cool to then go watch him play. Plus they are about the same height :) J/K! Do any of you tech friends know Chris? It lists him as 5'8", but I think that is on skates!!!


Dallas assigns a pair to Peoria
10/09/2008 9:14 AM

General Manager of Hockey Operations Kevin McDonald announced today that the Dallas Stars have reassigned defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and forward Chris Conner to the Peoria Rivermen.


Vishnevskiy is expected to make his professional debut with the Rivermen on Friday against the Iowa Chops. The Barnaul, Russia native was the Stars’ first round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Vishnevskiy spent the last three seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, picking up 44 goals and 100 assists in 159 games played.

Conner appeared in 22 games for the Dallas Stars in 2007-08 and 11 contests in 2006-07. In 33 NHL games, he has accumulated eight points (4g, 4a). While with Iowa, the Westland, Mich. native accounted for 76 points (32g, 44a) in 103 games. The 24-year-old winger played his college hockey at Michigan Tech before being signed by Dallas in July 2006.

The Dallas Stars are without an American Hockey League affiliate for the 2008-09 season. The team will be spreading its prospects to several AHL teams, including Peoria, this season.

The regular season opens on Friday as the Rivermen head to Iowa for a game at 7:05pm. Norm Ulrich will come out of retirement to make his return to the broadcast booth and you can hear all the action on Hippie Radio, 101.1 FM with the pre-game show beginning at 6:50pm.

On Saturday, October 11, the Rivermen face off against the Iowa Chops in their home opener; it’s the back end of a home-and-home set between the clubs. It is Heritage Bank Magnet Schedule Night for the first 5,000 fans, and one lucky fan will win a Frigidaire Refrigerator, courtesy of the UFS Downtown Outlet Center, on which to put their magnet. Fans can also enjoy a pre-game tailgate event – “Smoke The Chops!” – just outside the Jefferson Street entrance of Carver Arena from 5:30-7:00 p.m. It is presented by Alwan & Sons Meat Company, Anheuser-Busch, Brewers Distributing, Coca-Cola and Centerplate.

Happy Day in the Hills :)

Today turned into such a great day!!! I am getting an early birthday present - at 3:20pm on Monday October 13th :) My mom is coming to stay with us until the wedding!!! I am so excited to see her! I absolutely love it when she's here and so do Rob and Justin! Justin has his surgery on Tuesday morning, so she is going to be here to watch him all week so Rob and I can work. He might be back to normal in a day if they just do tubes, but if it's adenoids also he will be under the weather for 2-5 days. I am sure recovery will be better with Grandma Airplane here to play with him :)

Here are a couple of pictures - I took them literally less than 3 minutes after he was awake for the day. Agenda: Cry for daddy (who was already at work), go potty, get hockey stuff and play for as long as possible before daycare!

Political humor

Sorry if anyone is offended, but this is my blog and I'll post what I want to!

Ms. Productive!

I was so productive this morning! Not for work, but for things I needed to get off of my "to do" list!!!

*Secretary of State - I DREAD this place! I went at 8:30am and by 8:58am I was registered to vote, got a new drivers license and got new stickers for the Yukon! Yeah :) It was even the office in Peoria...not a po-dunk office like I usually try to go to!

*Took in my dress for Ryan and Manda's wedding to the seamstress. She is putting boobs in the dress for me :) She basically cuts up a strapless bra and puts them between the layers of the dress. This lady is a fabulous seamstress - she used to work at Macy's but now just does it in her house. She lives in this dingy little basement apartment with her husband who is also a tailor...they don't speak great english, but they are good at what they do! He used to be the tailor for Bachrach before it closed down here. Now Macy's could not find anyone to replace her, so they just give their customers her business card to have it done on the side! She told me - "I just charge you little bit....tell your beautiful mother I said hello" :) They met my mom when she was here visiting for a week and always tell me that we look like sisters - mom loves her!

*Okay - I guess it wasn't THAT much I got done, but it felt like a lot since those were the things I have been putting off for a while now!

Have a great day :)

CAT Family Day - Peoria Proving Grounds 60th Anniversary

This Saturday morning we went to CAT Family Days with the Wisley's - thank you for inviting us...we had so much fun! They had a lot of stuff for the kids to do, plus free ice cream treats, so Samantha and Justin were happy campers :)



Samantha and Justin on the Germantown Hills Fire Truck - Justin loved it :)








Our family in front of a big something :) I don't know the "lingo" like some people who read our blog!







David, Rob and their kids!





Justin loved the inflatable toys they had set up. I was not sure he would be able to do this on his own, but he proved me wrong - about 23 times over :)






He loved it! Our friend Evan has a nicer camera and he got the action shots of at the top, middle and bottom - I will have to get those from him! Speaking of which...I really, really want a new camera. I want an SLR where I can get better action shots, more zoom, etc. Some day.....they are in the $1000 range. I am going to have to sell a lot more equipment!






This one had a horn - we had to peel Justin out of it :)
















Here is Justin with his dog - he wanted a baseball bat, but we decided a dog was easier to carry around. By the time we got home his dog was a deflated long balloon!

PS. The road rash on his face is from when we were waiting in line to get in - he was standing on a landscaping rock with his hands in his pockets. He fell forward and his face broke his fall - that brought quite a few tears until we gave him a CAT goodie bag and then he was all better :)






Here is the horse that Megan & Morgan gave to Justin when we were in Michigan - it's from when they were little! He likes it and he has only fallen off of it twice :)






And the big news from our house.....Justin will now wear the green gloves!!!! For those of you who were at his 2nd bday party, you know how big of a deal this is! He was deathly afraid of them because they made really mean noises when he was trying to unwrap the gift. We still can't turn on the sound though :)



Here are the rest of the pics from the day:

CAT Family Day - PPG 60th Anniversary

St. Louis Blues Night in Peoria!

**EDIT** Here is the link to the rest of the pics from that night.

The Hills 10.3 thru 10.5

Last night the St. Louis Blues were in Peoria for part of their pre-season practice. They did an autograph session at 5:15pm and then a scrimmage at 7pm. It was fun seeing them without helmets on and Justin was probably the cutest kid in line. Seriously - if you ever want more face time with famous people have a little kid with you :) The nicest ones were Manny Legace and Paul Kariya. I have pics of Justin with some other players on our Picassa site with a link later in the blog.

I have to go get ready so we can meet the Wisley's for CAT family day at the proving grounds. They said we are their Peoria family, so we qualify :) Big, yellow, loud machine demonstrations - food - games....I think Justin will have a ball!





Our family with Manny Legace - the goalie for the Blues and used to be on the Red Wings. He was really nice!





Justin and Paul Kariya. He was nice too - the line was held up when we were in front of him and he was asking Rob how old Justin was and if he's a Blues fan, etc. His younger brother played in Peoria last year, but he moved to Europe this summer to play.





Justin with his signed hat. After we met everyone we went into the bathroom and he saw it in the mirror and said "They drawed on my hot-key (hockey) hat" :)




We had about an hour to kill after the autograph signings until the scrimmage started so we walked to the bar a few blocks away. Justin wanted diet coke and fries. He LOVES diet coke. When we went to Bob Evans last Saturday with the Gibsons and the waitress came to our table to see what we want to drink he blurted out "diet coke" - it was 9am. I think I've created a monster! (PS. He had juice.....I had diet coke!)





Mommy and Justin at the scrimmage




After the scrimmage the ref pointed at Justin and then threw a game puck over the glass to us. He loves it because it has the captain on it. He's been bummed that the captain has not been at a game. I asked the girl in the store about it and she said he's "on vacation" - I think that means his head is still being re-felted in Canada :) I hope he comes back soon!


He was so proud of his puck - he held it all the way home and had to take it to bed with him last night. He looks so old in this picture - look how long he is!

Pre-Season Hockey :)

I am so excited! Only 3 1/2 hours until the first Rivermen game - and it's only pre-season! I love having something we can do as a family that we all really enjoy! Then on Friday night there is a Blues autograph session, practice and scrimmage for part of their pre-season that they are doing in Peoria. Fun times!!!!

Justin already knows what a zamboni is, now we just need to teach him the song "I wanna drive the zamboni".....stay tuned :)