The End of an Era

I gained some much needed perspective as my dad's health declined. I began reevaluating my life and priorities, ultimately deciding to make some substantial life changes. The biggest being leaving my job of a decade. When I started working there I was a nineteen year old newlywed planning on just staying until Tony was established his career and I started having babies. Ten years later Tony was established in his career and I in mine. In addition to Alex, we had two boys and were doing our best balancing life as two full-time working parents.

I loved my job, I worked hard to get to the position I was in and relished in my successes.  I exclusively worked from home for almost three years after Brady was born. Once I went back in the office to grow my career, I still had the option to work from home when needed so it was a pretty sweet setup. Tony was always supportive of my decision to work after having children, he was also supportive of me staying home if that was what I wanted. Supportive spouses are the best.

My beautiful family January 2013

After Ryder was born in April 2011 I started questioning if I should stay home. I was constantly going back and forth... should I work or stay home with the kids? The notion of quitting my job was absolutely terrifying. While Tony could support us on his salary, having mine in addition to his was always reassuring. With the shaky economy I took comfort in knowing if Tony was ever laid off, we had my salary to fall back on and wouldn't struggle. As stated above, I also enjoyed the work I was doing and advancements I made over the years. I had extreme loyalty to the company and had the utmost respect for my mentor/boss. With so many people hating the companies they worked for, I had really hit gold in so many ways.

In December of 2012 my dad landed in the hospital on multiple occasions. I would receive a phone call at work and would run out of the office to be with him. The company was very supportative of this and I was always encouraged to leave to be with him. Being out of the office so much while running a division of over 100 employees was difficult. I didn't feel as if I was giving enough to the job and felt I was doing a disservice to my team. During Christmas break I decided it was time for me to leave. I spent most my days yearning to be with my family and dad more and feeling guilty because I was either dropping the ball at work or in my personal life.

My last day with the company was February 1, 2013. I will always look back fondly and be satisfied with everything I accomplished in my career but have no regrets with my decision to dedicate my time to my family. I had several people question if I was going to go back to work after my dad died. Right now I'm enjoying life as a stay at home momma too much and don't have any foreseeable plans to rejoin the work force. I have no doubt that one day I will work again and am thankful for the experience and skills I acquired over the last ten years.

One of my favorite candid shots of my three kids. Taken February 2012. Yes, Ryder was trying to devour Brady's head.  That's what good brothers do!