Year 9 – January

Job hunt update: Crazy times are approaching us! I found out at work that my last day with Big Lots will be March 17. While that’s better than most people–who will be let go on February 17–it’s still unsettling trying to figure out what I’m going to do for a job. I’m sticking around longer to help wind down the business, which will consist of writing talking points for unfortunate phone calls that need to happen to tell everyone that they’re losing their jobs and I’ll also help shut down the Big Lots Foundation. This is probably the toughest part because I’ve been close to the foundation for seven years and we’ve been able to do some amazing things in our communities.

As for the family, you had a great birthday month! Grandma Carol came to visit a little before your birthday and she of course spoiled you (and Houston a little). She ended up buying you a really nice pair of Rollerblades from Dicks’ Sporting good. We were going to get you a $60-70 pair, but the ones she got you were around $150. Lucky you!

Things you’re enjoying:

• Bubble Bears – you make these little bears on paper and then we “laminate” them by covering them with tape before you cut them out.
• Playing with your brother right before bedtime – for some reason, you two act like best friends right before bed. We usually give you 5-10 minutes after you both brush your teeth.

Year 10 – February

Job hunt update: I’ve been on full job-hunt mode this month. I’m doing all I can to find a good job to provide for the family, but it’s not easy. With what I do as an event planner and communications professional, there are not a lot of local opportunities. I’ve found some, but nothing that pays near what I’m worth or what I need to take care of the family. Most of my time is spent searching LinkedIn for jobs or reaching out to my network.

Dad Lesson: always work on building and maintaining good relationships. Make sure it’s a two-way street and you are offering some sort of value as part of these relationships. You want to make good impressions on people because you never know when you’ll need something from someone down the road. I know that my next job will come about from someone that I knew being employed at this new company. We’ll see, but I bet I’m right!

Somewhat good news is that the company that is buying 200 of the Big Lots stores offered me a job to stay on with them. It’s not a job that I want long-term, but it’s definitely a nice emergency plan. I took a small pay cut ($123k to $110k), but the real kicker is that their benefits are terrible–they barely cover you and Houston and they don’t cover mom! I currently pay about $600/month for healthcare for the whole family and with the new plan I would pay around $2,000 month (which includes having to get mom coverage through the Healthcare Marketplace.) It’s terrible! It leaves a bad taste in my mouth that they treat their employees like this. But like I said, it’s a nice emergency plan in case I can’t find something else.

Year 10 – March

Spring Break Update: everyone had some sort of stomach bug so we weren’t able to do much. Combine that with my job uncertainty and it was a pretty lousy spring break….womp womp. But we’ll make it up to you and Houston one day! We did get to have some fun on Friday – we had lunch at Mr. Sushi (yummmm) and then went to Pins. You and Houston loved the giant slide and I of course dominated bowling 🙂

You had your first soccer game this month! And I coached my first soccer game! I was so proud of you for trying something new and you were genuinely excited about it. Your playing through i9 Sports, which is formatted with practice and the game on the same day. It’s perfect for beginners and families who are looking for sports leagues that don’t take up too much time out of the week.

The day before your game, we met with Grace to give you a few basic lessons. The main thing you learned was which part of the foot you use for different shots. She also taught you the basics of dribbling and shooting. As for gameday, we were both a little nervous. As a player, I don’t think you knew what to expect and as a coach, I sure didn’t know what to expect. But we survived and had a great day!You said you were more excited than nervous and it probably helped that Madelynn was on the team. You started at goalie where you didn’t allow a goal and you had one save! You said you had the most fun as an attacker because it was exciting being around the ball.

But I think the best part for all of us was the post-game meal at Roosters!

This was a real special moment for me, and I hope you too! I wasn’t sure about coaching, but I think it’s going to be a special bond that we’ll have forever! I’m excited about the season ahead.