Farewell Noah Webster Academy

School ended back in May, but I stayed and worked three additional weeks in June to help get ready for the new year and to train my replacement. And when my time was up, it definitely was hard to say goodbye to the place where I had spent most of my days for the past seven years. 😢 

When we moved back to Utah for Dave's MBA in 2010 I had no idea what my future would hold. One day I was browsing job listings on Craigslist and found an office position for a charter elementary school in Orem. I was called in for an interview within hours of applying and then an offer was extended a short time after. I started the next day, which happened to be the day before the first day of school. Those first few weeks were an absolute whirlwind, but there's nothing quite like on the job training to get you caught up quick!

Fast forward to 2017 and the kindergarten students from that first year have now graduated and are moving on to Jr High. I guess it's only fitting I am moving on as well. I could not have asked for a better job and feel so blessed to have been part of the NWA family. Noah Webster helped support our family financially for seven years while Dave was in school, but more importantly it gave me the opportunity to do meaningful work in a great environment where I was able to interact daily with hundreds of amazing scholars, families, and staff. Change is hard, but we have exciting times ahead. I am looking forward to being able to spend more time with my kids while they're still little and the many adventures we will have in Texas!

The current office crew - I will miss these ladies! Heather on the left is my replacement, Caradon next over was my desk mate for the last year and so fun to work with, Angie was pretty much the best boss ever, and the Debra was also one of my desk mates for a few years before changing offices. 

My collection of badges from the last seven years

Start of Something(s) New

Well, we're done with summer vacations and ready to start real life again. It was a busy, busy week for us!

Dave
Dave began MBA orientation on Tuesday and will be orienting himself until next week. He will officially start classes on the 30th. So far he's been busy getting to know tons of new people, meeting recruiters, tearing apart and reconstructing his resume, and studying more than I thought possible.

 Although Dave's younger than most people in the program, he's feeling pretty good because his job at CH Robinson gave him great experience in the field he is planning to emphasize in - the supply chain/operations track. He's already started exploring different careers in this field and started to compile a list of companies he'd like to intern with this summer. Exciting times ahead!

Dave's  "first day of school" picture - he needed a head shot for his profile, so that's what we got.

 

Mel
I also unexpectedly started something new this week - a job! One of the hardest parts about leaving WA was heading off to Utah without a plan for myself. Dave was leaving to go back to school, but I didn't really know what I was going to be doing for the next two years....

Turns out I didn't have to wonder for very long. On Monday night I was browsing Craigslist and saw an opening in the front office of an elementary school in Orem. I applied Tuesday morning, interviewed on Tuesday afternoon, went in for a second interview on Wednesday where I received a formal offer 10 minutes after getting home, and then started work on Thursday. Phew!

 This job is pretty much better than anything I could of hope for and here's why:

• Location about 5 minutes from our apartment
• Pay not what I was making before, but competitive by Provo standards
• Hours - allow me to drop Dave off in the morning and pick him up from campus in the evening - he is thrilled to not have to walk both ways
• Schedule I'll get the same holidays Dave has in the MBA program so we'll be able to enjoy our breaks together -  a long Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas, time off in the summer, etc...
• Benefits included, no BYU student insurance
• Responsibilities I really like the school and am going to enjoy working in the office!

Those who work the front desk shouldn't play with knives...

I bought my brother a knife off eBay for his birthday. Because the mail going to our house can be a bit slow (the landlord tends to let it accumulate before handing it off to us), I had the knife shipped to the office instead. The package arrived today, and I brought it with me back to my desk. Wanting to examine the quality of my purchase, I decided to flip the blade open real quick to check things out.

Knives and I don't really get along. The last knife I "played" with was similar to this one. It was my dad's knife and the release button was pretty hard to push. When I finally applied enough pressure the blade flipped open and sliced a hole in my mom's new tablecloth... oops.

This time I tried to be more careful. The knife opened fine - no blood, no gouging of office supplies. But then I ran into a problem. I couldn't get the knife to close. I tried pushing buttons, flipping the safety cover, jiggling things, pressing on it real hard - nothing worked.

This is when I realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to brandish a 9" knife in the reception area of a corporate office. Employees are walking by all the time, guests come to check in with me, and there is a security camera right above my desk. I began looking around for a place to hide something long and sharp incase I needed to stash the knife quickly.

Not knowing what to do, I sent Dave an email to tell him I had a PROBLEM. He called me back and in hushed tones tried to walk me through things over the phone:

"Ok. From what I've seen there are pretty much two different ways to close a knife." I'm listening.
"Is there a release on the end of the handle?" Nope.
"Is there something inside the cavity where the blade comes out?" Not that I can see.
"Are you sure? Sometimes there is a lever you push so the knife can collapse." I see something, but I already tried pushing on it and nothing happened.
"Try sliding it to the side." Oh! It worked! You're a genius!

Thank goodness for husbands. I am now a wiser woman, and I still have 10 fingers :)

Good start to the morning

When I got into work I discovered that there had been a small explosion in the outside pocket of my bag. Somehow the lid came off my lotion bottle and cream was smeared everywhere. There are, however, two positive aspects of this incident:

1. My iPod was miraculously the only item in that pocket that was spared from the deluge
2. Everything else now has the crisp scent of rainkissed leaves

Best seat in the house

I may only work the front desk, but the view from the reception area is spectacular! I don't think I could ever get tired of this:

Looking out over Elliott Bay towards Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains

Watching ferries come and go throughout the day

A cruise ship bound for Alaksa is in port today!