There are so many options, and while I’m no spring chicken (in fact, I’m much more like a summer turkey sometimes) the truth is, I have a very long life ahead of me.  I think it’s time for me to take a leap.  I’m starting to make a list of all the things I’m passionate about and what kind of “career” would really keep me challenged and engaged.  I will continue to pursue options with the US Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer, but I also want to look into working for either the United Nations, various American Universities overseas, or even freelance writing in my (very, very little) free time.

Of course, this could all be a side effect from the massive amounts of allergy meds and ibuprofin I’ve been taking over the past week.  Hopefully the neurologist wil be able to shed some light on all of that tomorrow.  Either way, I’ll keep you posted.

Until next time…

Stay tuned, as I’m hoping to update this blog more frequently now. After all, writing is very similar to many other addictions: The more you do it, the more you want to.

How will a pulp result?
A quaff swims like a trash can.

Because I was married at a young age, and also because my first son was born before I had even thought about what I wanted to do with “the rest of my life”, I have always been considered a non-traditional learner. Both my home and work lives have always had to be my number one priorities, leaving my education to be merely a “spare time hobby.” It wasn’t until 2000, when my second child was born, that I finally made the decision to return to school. I was fortunate enough, at the time, to be able to attend school full-time without having to hold a part-time job.

Computers and technology have always just kind of come naturally to me. So in 2002, I graduated from, then, DeVry College of Technology in North Brunswick with an Associates Degree in Computer Information Systems. Upon graduation, the job market in just about any field of technology that I was qualified to enter was saturated, at best. In addition, it was becoming increasingly difficult to support our family on my husband’s salary alone. This left me no other choice but to reenter the workforce using the professional skills I had already developed before I entered school: Administrative Assistance.

Working in the administrative field for a number of very diverse organizations has given me a lot of insight into the world of business. It has also shown me how much of a factor globalization is in many business-related ideas and transactions. Because I am now able to work with colleagues all over the world, I have finally found something that not only interests me, but can also serve as a means to support my family: International Business and Relations.

My only roadblocks on this path seem to be related to managing the multiple priorities that I have and in time management. It is my hope that I can become more disciplined in setting aside some time each day to focus on my educational goals. Sometimes, finding the time is more difficult than others. But, I’m finding that it is necessary if I want to be able to not only complete the requirements of each course, but to absorb and understand the content of each course.

After researching many options, I think I have finally settled on an educational path that suits me and who I really want to be. This academic resolve will put me in a better position to project my career in a direction towards working globally with others towards some common goal. And while my initial interest is in working for either the United Nations or the U.S. Department of State to help others across the world to see the benefits in working together for a brighter future, I would certainly welcome opportunities within organizations striving to make the world a more sustainable place in which to live.

In any event, I figured I would use this post to point my reader(s) in the direction of some of the great bloggers that I follow. Here are just a few:

• The Bloggess
• Diary of an Unlikely Housewife
• Dooce
• Kristen Chase
• Jaxthatgirl
• Pete Cashmore (Although, I’m beginning to wonder if he really exists. He’s just too perfect to be real!)
• Arianna Huffington
• Seth Godin

Maybe I should reconsider who I follow? It’s quite possible that I’m reading the posts of some really great writers and feel that I could never measure up. Or, maybe I just don’t write enough. (Laziness tends to walk slowly – not run – in my family.)

Until next time…

So many things have happened in the last six months. I’ve been on a sort of journey of self-discovery recently and I’m hoping that the transition is smooth. Oh, nothing major, just a few things I’ve realized. For example, if I’m going to spend 45% of my life either at, or commuting to/from work, I should really find something that I like more than I do right now. I don’t have to LOVE it, but I shouldn’t be ‘unhappy’ either.

This has, in effect, led me to look into a few options. First, I plan to take the Foreign Service Officer Test in June. I may not pass on my first try, but that won’t stop me from trying. (It’s actually a difficult exam from what I hear.) Second, I am going to finish my Bachelor’s at Berkeley Online. I took a semester off to ‘regroup’ but now I’ve regained my motivation and I’m ready to get back to it. And finally, I am determined to write more. It’s actually a very effective outlet for me.

So, between that and all of the other things I have planned for this year (i.e., vow renewal) I have decided that I am going to make this my best year ever – the ‘year of the Jess’ – and I won’t stop until I’ve done everything on my list. Ahhhh, change is good.

Saturday, 11:00am: Things start to get really interesting when my friend, Liz, calls with her dilemma: all of her sitters are either busy or out of town.  She has twin six year old girls.  After talking to my husband, it makes sense – what’s two more?  It will be like a slumber party! Besides, if we help out two of our friends, we were sure to be “owed” a night out, right?

3:30pm: The twins arrive. We all give lots of hugs all around, it’s been a while and we’ve missed them a lot.  Mom leaves, things are pretty quiet.  Brad’s sleeping on the couch, babies are napping, life is good….

4:00pm: The next two arrive.  Things get a bit loud, girls are everywhere, but they’re all listening, so it’s not too bad.  Did I remember to get wine?

4:30pm: The doorbell rings, my daughter answers, I hear, “Get your mom!  Ray fell off his bike, he’s bleeding!”  So, I jump up, run out the door down the street to Ray (which I’m pretty sure is a sight in itself), who’s crouched on the ground.  When I come around to his face, all I see is the blood in his mouth, the veins on his forehead, broken and red, bulging out from the very noticeable egg forming just underneath.  He’s holding his arm.  I can formulate what’s happened through the bits and pieces of the story going back and forth between the other kids who were riding with Ray.  As I take off his riding gloves (which I’m pretty sure are Brad’s, but that can wait) I can see it.  There’s something about his arm that just doesn’t look right: it’s crooked?  We walk back to the house slowly, kids running up and gathering all around to see just how bad it is.  After getting him cleaned up, we get in the car and start our trek to the hospital.

5:15pm: Triage. They’re asking questions about his history, allergies, pain scale.  I look around the waiting room, trying to gauge just how long everyone’s been here.  There’s no one sleeping, that’s a good sign.  There is a woman surrounded by about four police officers.  It isn’t until later that I notice her feet – and the shackles… Odd, she’s just a tiny thing.

6:34pm: Watching Underworld in the waiting room.  I vow to Ray that if they don’t call him back by 6:45 I will ask how much longer they think it’ll be.  I send Brad a text to see how he’s doing.  “OMG! What were we thinking?” is his response.  Part of me feels guilty, the other part relieved.  At least he’s still got his sense of humor.  (That is humor, right?)

7:00pm: I decide to see if we can at least get back to x-ray.  I don’t think I could bear going back into the ER then waiting another hour just to get the x-ray, then waiting another hour for the doctor to look at it.  She agrees, and 15 minutes later we’re in x-ray.  I can see it when the image is displayed on the technicians screen.  The fracture is very apparent, even without years of training and experience.

7:45pm: Back to the waiting room.  Ray’s starting to get a bit impatient.  It’s understandable, so I don’t get too frustrated.  Finally, our number is up.  We get a room!  It’s small, but it has it’s own TV.  Ray lies down on the bed.  I’m just watching him while he watches television.  I start to think back.  It’s so hard to believe he’s 11 years old.  I remember when he was born, I remember the NICU, I remember the trips to the Kluge center, I remember his first words, I remember his favorite shows (2: Blue’s Clues & Teletubbies 3: Out of the Box & PB&J Otter 4: Spongebob), it all comes back to me.  Where did the time go?

8:00pm: The doctor comes in, it’s broken.  (Duh.)  Another girl comes in to wrap it up, and yet another to give us our discharge papers.  Finally, three hours later, we’re free.

Well, free until we get home, to a house full of kids, loud kids, loud hungry kids.  What were we thinking??

Recently, I was approached by a networking contact whose company is in the process of starting a website devoted to Administrative Professionals.  The idea is to host a forum where admins can read, write, and explore the administrative profession, along with all of the ups and downs that go along with it. While it’s still in production, the company is looking for freelance writers and editorial managers to populate content on the site.  Of course, I’ve just recently left the admin field to pursue opportunities in project management.   But since I have quite literally always wanted to explore writing as a profession – even if it means exploring on a freelance / part-time basis – I jumped at the opportunity.  So, I thought, if I can write and manage content on a part-time / freelance basis for someone else, why not start doing it for myself, as well.

And so, here I sit typing away, reminiscing about my first written story (I was in the third grade and it was about a shark) and feeling the world come full-circle.  And while I realize that there have been a number a fleeting interests in my life – like selling Avon, wanting to be a Travel Agent, and joining the Navy – I’m hoping the fact that I truly do enjoy writing will help push me through.

So, until next time…