Cool Day!

 

Hey...I just wanted to post something cool that happened on the Nike campus yesterday on my 2nd day on the job. I would not have known about Roger if Mike was not a tennis freak and made me watch the world cup last summer where Federer won for like the 4th time. He is the best tennis player in the world (and a really nice guy)! So while visiting campus, he stopped to play Wii tennis in my building with employees who had the nerve (or the guts) and I watched for awhile. It was ironic how he did not win every time but it just goes to prove that the Wii is rigged and not entirely based on skill.

Days at Nike are much slower pace than I'm use to. Nice change. My first task is to recruit and place 22 MBA interns, all over the company. In basketball, running, golf, PR, Experiential Mkt. And the calibar of the talent I'm seeing is amazing! I'm really impressed. Well, needless to say it is getting me into the swing of Nike culture quite well. I have a really nice team but I'm not use to how quiet it is around me. Not like my agency office where there was music, noise, talking all the time...I am going to bring my headphones in and listen to some (hand picked) tunes. Well blog readers, have a blessed day!

End of a season...beginning of a season

Last night I celebrated what I feel is the end of a season for Mike and I. Some of my favorite people where there to insure I enjoyed this. In the group photo is from left to right: Jim – who I’ve worked with for 2 ½ years at Aquent, his beautiful pregnant wife Elena who was our realtor when we bought our house, Kelly who is just started a new job herself, Ozzy my awesome ex-Aquent coworker and Jennifer, my good friend, past client turned co-worked at Aquent, 6 months ago.
 

For 2 unforgettable years Mike and I have commuted into downtown together, eaten lunch at my office together, Christmas shopped on our lunch breaks during the holidays, walked the 5 blocks in-between our buildings together and so on. And me being the somewhat sappy, memory loving girl is very sad to see this come to an end. Granted it will be replaced by other good things but most likely I will not spend time with my husband like this again ever. And because of this past 6 months of waiting, praying, hoping, and trusting I feel I've experienced somewhat of a spiritual growth spurt.

Janice Begley a dear friend shared this verse with me right as I was going through all of the transition and changes both mentally and physically.

I Peter 5:10 And the God of grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Next week I start my new job, hurrah, very excited. Next month, Mike will be starting culinary school at Cordon Blue from 7am-noon and then working at US Bank until 8pm. Ouch. Needless to say…life is about to change but with change brings new reasons to draw close to God and trust his will for our lives.

And I hope I can count on many of my blog readers to come to some Saturday, culinary workshops at our house over the coming months. ;)

NEW JOB!!!

I am so excited to finally get to share this great news. I got the job at Nike. So what if it’s taken almost 6 months. God had a plan. A great plan with perfect timing.

It all started in July, when I heard my company, Aquent, had gotten a call from the Director of Global Brand Recruiting at Nike. He wanted to start a relationship with Aquent in order that we might help him staff contract recruiters. Since the partnership didn’t work out, I decided to call the guy. He invited me to have coffee and we made a great connection. But he told me when we met that he was leaving his position as Director (which he had been in for 17 years) to “travel”. Even thought it sounded like bad news for me, it actually ended up opening up an opportunity. A week later I met with the woman who was soon to take over his job. 3 weeks later I came back in to meet with the woman who would take over that woman’s job. My future manager. We had an instant connection. But she did not know what was going to happen or when…

In October, I got a call from her saying that they had requested approval for a new staff employee in their department. But in mid November she let me know that the approval was indefinitely on hold, uhh. When Ozzy (my buddy and colleague for the past year at Aquent) put in his notice in November I knew that the writing was on the wall for me. 3 other people including my manager had left in the past year, of a team of 5. And the timing was beginning to be very obvious that if I was going to leave my job, I needed to do it at the first of the years. In mid December, I realized that over half the work I had done in the past 6 months was going to result in the contractors going permanent with the companies I’d placed them with. In turn, creating a ton of work for me in 2008. I’d be starting over pretty much.

When I got the email from Nike asking me if I’d be interested in taking on a never-ending contract, I thought, ya. But what I did not anticipate is that they would make me that very offer 2 days later! The offer Nike made me was more than I would have asked for, plus it is a Marketing Recruitment and Research position. What I am passionate about!!!

To make the whole situation even more ironic, I am going to be contracting not through my current company (who had a chance at the contract with Nike) but the staffing company that offered me a position 6 months ago (which I turned down) It is such a small town.

Needless to stay…I'm thrilled! I will be making the jump next week and my first day at Nike is the 28th. WhooHOOO!

Puerto Vallarta Trip

 

I was so tickled to get to post these photos from our trip for you all to see. We get to see Mike’s family so seldom that the photo-op is rare. Wanted to post a little about the trip but will let all the photos speak for the memories we made.

Those on the trip included: Mike’s mom, Jennifer Irish (also called Gran by the grandkids), Mike’s sister, the youngest sibling and her two kids Preston (3) and Jonah (5) who all came from Oklahoma, Matt (Mike’s twin brother) and his wife Christi came from Ft Worth, TX and they left their 2 kids with Christi’s parent’s so they could have some alone time. Vera Irish who is Jennifer’s mother, (called Great-Gran by the all the kids) came all the way from Florida to spend the week with us and it was a special treat to have her come.

All together we made out for a filled 5 days of fun. Day 1: arrival in our wonderful house, guacamole, margaritas and lots of fresh pico de'gallo followed by da’ hot tub. Day 2: Gran/Great-Gran, Vera and the boys went to see and swim with the dolphins while Matt, Christi, Mike and Jen went on a jungle hike followed by a few hours at the spa. Day 3: Canopy Tour of the jungle with everyone. Day 4: shopping and R&R at the house with lots of mint juleps and fresh guac. Day 5: Beach, snorkeling and dinner out at La Papaya.

Mike and I spent 3 days before the arrival of the family staying in a little hotel on the beach, we did lots of the prep for the families coming, did a day of diving and had some good alone time too.

We had a fabulous time!

Click on this photo to see the slide show from the trip.

PV 2008

Happy New Year!!

 

Just thought I would blog some photos from our New Years party. Chris and Sheena our "new" neighbors were perfect hosts. I am SO thrilled they moved in right next door. We are taking off for our Jacobs family Mexico trip on Thursday and I am not sure I will post again until we are back. But I wanted to wish everyone a VERY fabulous New Year!