The Verdict Is In

Yours truly has just been "crowned" Barrington's first ever "Community Center Director"!!!!!!!!!!!! After interviewing for the part-time position on Friday, I received a phone call first thing this morning, serving up the job offer on a proverbial silver platter. I really could not be more thrilled!

I'd been chasing down potential employment opportunities for a few months, and in the midst of it all something dropped into my lap that seemed almost too perfect.....While reading our Borough's Community Paper I came across a small add for a 20-Hour/week Community Center Director position for the town's brand new Youth Center. With a significant background in youth work, and with particular experience in building a youth program from the ground up, I applied. I felt good about it for a million reasons, not least of which is that I really believe in contributing to my community, in some tangible way, other than through the payment of rather exorbitant property taxes. Wink, wink.

I interviewed on Friday, felt confident in the aftermath, and as I already mentioned, the official offer rolled in with the tide of 9-5ers at the Municipal building this Monday morning. The pay is good, the municipal building is a 2 minute walk from my front door, and the hours are such that I will have no need of outside childcare for Ella. I'll be working a few evenings a week out of the house, supervising programming at the Youth Center, during which time Robert will watch Ella. And about 10 hours a week I'll be planning, promoting, and performing other administrative tasks (such as researching available grants, etc.)- FROM HOME!!!! Assignments I can easily complete during the 2 hours a day that Ella naps!

Furthermore, the position is brand new, which is why it's part-time. But the Director of Recreation talks about the growth of the program heralding in the evolution of the position to full-time, as the program and budget expand. (Which would likely coincide almost directly with Ella starting school in a few years!!!!)

I am so excited, speechless, and blessed by this opportunity! Thanks for letting me share. Grin.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

I am almost afraid that by blogging about our beautiful weather, I will jinx it- send it back into hiding, and thereby be forced to bid it farewell. What a splendid and springlike day we enjoyed, this second Saturday in March!! We awoke to drunken sunshine, blissful breezes, and the static of Spring in the air...After mugs of coffee consumed and clean diapers donned, we made our way outside. It was a day to get our hands dirty!

We moved into our home in November, amidst the scene of leaves falling, and crunching brown beneath our shoed feet. In that cool month and those to follow, we concerned ourselves with the interior. We broke out gallons of paint, in shades of Ryegrass, French Roast, Teacup, and Plum Dandy, and buried ourselves beneath the work of refinishing floors, and rearranging furniture. We snuggled beneath blankets and throws, and wore extra socks and sweaters, as gas prices rose and our thermometer setting fell.

Our one nod to the exterior was the installation of our fence. Men showed up on our doorstep on December 5th to begin their arduous task. They played hookie on the 6th, when it snowed 3 disappointing inches, and returned promptly on the 7th to make good on their promise.

And today we made good on ours.

Robert cleared the yard of sticks and branches, roots and limbs, while I raked buckets-full of overripe autumn leaves, and hauled them to the curb. We chuckled as we came to the conclusion that our mulch-loving predecessors were yardwork-phobics. I cleared and swept, then re-organized our garage, while Robert dug at the stubborn roots of a bush, planted square in the center of the yard, for reasons we've given up trying to explain. Ella collected sweet gum balls and stones, teetering and tottering around the yard and driveway, covering herself in a dusty shell to be shed tonight in the bathtub.

And that is the scene in our house now. I have turned over bath duty to daddy, entirely. HE is drawing the bath. HE is dispensing the bubbles. HE is dousing and scrubbing and rinsing. And I am sipping Syrah, listening to the glorious ruckus a room-and-a-hallway away, and composing a symphony (aka- blog) to make music of our rather regular life.

Good night, fair readers. Sleep well, and dream of days like ours...

No surprises here

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Words of Affirmation
with a secondary love language being
Physical Touch.

Complete set of results

Words of Affirmation:		11
Physical Touch:		6
Quality Time:		6
Acts of Service:		5
Receiving Gifts:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Orange Hair

Courtesy of Meggo:

Incidentally, we both have dark brown hair with some lighter highlights....but should each apparently call on Ronald McDonald for our next dye job ;) LOL

Your Hair Should Be Orange

Expressive, deep, and one of a kind.You pull off "weird" well - hardly anyone notices.

What's" Your Funky Inner Hair Color?