So much to tell, where do I start? The last month has been full of triumphs and challenges. In January, I tested for Supervisor in my office. I was pretty sure that I was a solid candidate for a position, but things did not turn out the way I had hoped. In short, I was devastated. It became very clear I was not as appreciated by my agency as I would like to be. The process is more to blame than the panel. The process does not take into consideration what your achievements are over period of time or amount of experience you have to offer. It is all about hitting the keywords the panel wants to hear. Therefore, where I fell on the list of applicants had nothing to do with how I do my job or what I have done for my agency. It is what it is.
After a great deal of processing my feelings hovered over a receptacle of some kind, I was ready to evaluate what is next for me and my family. What is our ultimate goal? What do we want and need more than anything else. Steve and I had many discussions about our careers, family, the impact of my career on our family and our inability to have a baby.
We decided more than anything else, we wanted to be back in the Northeast. We wanted to build our home and be close to family and friends. We evaluated what will it take for us to get back to Pittsburgh by the summer of 2013.
To start, we authorized the build on our home. Hopefully, we will break ground in August or September of this year. I have begun researching employment opportunities in Pittsburgh in my field. In order to get a position in a higher salary bracket, I will need to complete my Masters; I have a thesis and math class to do and I will be finished. With that being said, I am starting school on February 19th. My estimated graduation date is September 21st, provided I can get my thesis finished by then. Once I finish, I will be hitting the job search hard for telecommuting investigations positions with the court system in the Pittsburgh area. I hope to do this until our photography business is thriving, then do contract consulting from there.
Since our new studio will be built into our home, I am spending some time getting great business experience running Magic Mirror Images out of a shared studio; it is a lot of work. The idea of walking away from my retirement is nothing short of scary. But, my family is the priority. I want to work to live, not live to work. In the end, I am not walking away entirely, I will take what I have vested when I go.
Steve and I have also decided to have my tubaligation reversed instead of doing another round of invitro-fertilization. I have an appointment on February 17th to schedule the procedure. According to what we have been told, it will be a micro-surgery and within 4-6 weeks after the surgery we will be able to start trying; with the assistance of fertility medications I am sure. Here is where we find out if triplets runs in the family or if Julie is the lucky one. :O)
Here starts the countdown to going home and having the things in life we really want.
