Two Years Since The Night Was My Day

While there certainly have been a lot of changes that have happened over the past year, both good and bad, the difference between our lives two years ago versus what it is now is even more staggering. In addition to moving to a new place, two years ago I was still working the night shift at our old apartment building. It was about this time in 2013 when I handed in my two week notice and prepared for the long days ahead working two jobs during this important transition. The next day, October 2, 2013, I started with my current employer and haven’t looked back since.

Not only was this a moment that restarted my career, it was a time that marked the end of what was a rather difficult period for me and my wife as we had spent the previous year and a half just trying to get by as we both worked for an hourly wage while trying to find the time to spend together. We had to just put our heads down and work trying to get enough money to pay bills and cover living expenses. Of course, with our finances so tight it also meant that we accrued some debt (to put it lightly). Things began to change once I rejoined the daytime workforce.

The past two years at my new company have been tremendous. While my initial thought heading into the job was that it was going to be a great place to work and advance my career, I really had no idea what to expect or whether I would be able to shake off the rust and get my career moving again. It was a bit of a challenge the first few days but I was surprisingly able to get things moving again rather quickly. And it was a good thing as those first few months getting the company up and running was both trying and rewarding at the same time. By the end of the first six months I was starting to feel completely comfortable once again and just in time for my review and promotion.

Since then it has been both a lot of work and also tremendously rewarding to watch the company grow. Some things happen for a reason and being out of the industry so long is now paying dividends in my being able to work where I do. It has been a great relief to have a career again that I enjoy and working for a company that sees all of us as a family rather than just a name on an account. I am looking forward to the next year, two years, and decades after that.

Three Months!

It seems like I just posted the two month blog yesterday but here we are just over three months since our son was born (three months and three days to be exact). There have been good times and hard times throughout the last month as our son has become aware of more and more of the world around him. He is slowly learning little pieces here and there and now communicates in his own way with us (especially when daddy comes home from work). That moment when he turns his head and smiles at me is, by far, the highlight of my day.

Everyone said that these days go by fast and while there are certainly times when time seems to move very slowly, I really don’t know where the last three months have gone. It is a blur of work and baby with a few memories from lodge meetings and other events. Everything seems to have faded into unimportance while the specific moments of seeing my son do things, see things, react certain ways, and sooth us remain vivid in my mind. Even some of the unpleasantries that have been experienced are quarantined into the recesses of memory. It is a hard thing to explain but many of you know exactly what I am talking about.

There are times when I have come through the door after a particularly long day at the office and everything seems to just fade away. Other times I have come home later than usual knowing I have to get some more unavoidable work done but lacking the energy to do so… sneaking up to his crib and watching him sleep is all I need to keep going and keep working that night. And when I am at work and my mind begins to drift, I think about my son and I get back on task knowing that if I don’t finish things up during the week, I am going to have to spend some time away from him on the weekend tethered to my computer… I have managed to avoid working on the weekend for some time now.

It has been an interesting and quick adventure so far. There has been a lot of poop and a lot of laughs, many headaches and numerous giggles, a few hard days and countless beautiful moments. All the while we have watched him grow still not quite believing that he is here and that we are a family of three. Things have changed so much and as he understands a little bit more of the world around him we are eager to introduce him to new places and experiences and that is exactly what we have planned for the next three months.