Everything happens for a reason!

Well, I gotta tell ya - I have always believed that everything happens for a reason. OK - maybe I haven't ALWAYS believed that, but as I've gotten older, I've learned that it really does seem to be true. I've had things happen in my life that seemed like the end of the world, only to discover something good that came out of it, even if it was a year later. So I've come to believe that everything really does happen for a reason, and that those reasons might not be evident at the time. It can certainly make some situations easier to get through by believing that.

I love my job - I've been at my job for 3 years now, and I truly love it. I rarely wake up in the morning thinking "damn, I have to go to work." Now don't get me wrong, I love weekends and vacations, etc. - but I am lucky enough to really enjoy what I do for a living. Last Friday, I saw an ad at another local college for a Bursar position. My position is kind of one step down from Bursar - I'm the Billing & Collections Manager. So anyway, totally on a whim, I sent in my resume for that job opening. I was not job-searching, and I didn't even expect to get a call. They called me the following Monday - wanted me to come in and interview the very next day. So I did - they asked me to come back for a 2nd interview immediately! They wanted me to meet their CEO. I was thrilled and flattered, but I did let them know that I really was not job-searching and that I wasn't really planning on leaving my job, but that this was an opportunity I had to pursue for professional and financial reasons - I had to check it out, basically!

To make a really long story short, they really liked me and I had a feeling I'd get an offer. I mentioned this to some co-workers and said that I had a lot of thinking to do. So later on that day, the VP of the college came into my office and talked to me - he said he had heard I went on an interview (they had already started calling my references) and that they basically didn't want to lose me and to keep him informed before I made a decision. By Thursday, I had been offered the job. I spoke to someone else at my current job and before I knew it, I had been offered a raise and a bit of a promotion - basically a change in title from "Manager" to "Director" - I was so flattered, honored, thrilled - and I truly love the college where I work. So I am a happy girl this week - I have never in my life negotiated for anything, that kind of stuff really makes me nervous. And this all happened so quickly and without any real planning, that I didn't really have time to get nervous! It all just fell into place, and it all worked in my favor. How often does THAT happen? Not often, let me tell you!

Can you believe the summer is almost over? My kids go back to school next week and we all get back on a schedule - I am definitely looking forward to that, at the very least. I am trying to stay optimistic about it all - THINK POSITIVE, right? Trevor is looking forward to being a sophomore and Cassidy is glad that she will be an 8th grader, the big cheese at the middle school. One more year and BOTH of my babies will be in high school - GULP!!! Where in the name of God does the time go, I'd like to know?!?

So here are some end-of-summer pics, from probably one of the last days at my parents' pool:

Cassidy, isn't she just beautiful? I'm a little biased.

Trev - my handsome little man (actually, not so little anymore!)

This is Cassidy and her friend Jamie, my 2nd daughter:

And this is me, at the conference I went to for work at the end of July. They gave us ice cream and then this guy walked around taking pictures. I had a mouthful of ice cream and I was cracking up threatening his life if he took a pic of me like that. This is the result. LOL

Enjoy what's left of the Summer!