They Will Shine Out of Your Face Like Sunbeams

I adored all of Roald Dahl's books as a child, but I really loved The Twits.  Gotta love the take home message of the book.

Speaking For the Sallies (and Others With No Voice)

Sometimes in professional life, stars align.  Your job becomes something that you absolutely adore.  Not for an eternity, but for much longer than a moment.  And these periods of time get you through the times when you just feel out of sync. 


9-11 had a specific effect on everyone.  For me, I did some major reevaluation of what I do during the majority of my life: work. 

I studied business at UT and graduated a few months before 9-11.  Many of my classmates were puzzled by my decision to study business because the private sector didn't appeal to me.  I wanted to be an entrepreneur in the nonprofit sector, and I knew that a strong business background would be a prerequisite.

But when I graduated, I found it difficult to find a job that suited me.  The dot com bust had happened, and I wasn't quite sure which direction to go.  I did know that all I wanted to do was to save up as much money as possible and see more of the world.  So I moved home and got a job at the headquarters of a department store and worked in trend development for women's clothes.  I told myself  It's only for a few months.  But I quickly realized that 90% of my coworkers were miserable, and I wasn't happy myself. 

9-11 happened, and I had a flight to Malaysia for two days later.  I was meeting a friend who was in Australia, and we were going to travel around Malaysia and India and then go trekking in Nepal for several months.  Of course, the trip was canceled.  Aside from the cancellations of international flights, there were riots in Kathmandu and typhoons in Malaysia.  So, we changed our plans.  She met me in San Francisco, and we saw as much as the western US as possible.  We visited a dozen national parks and drove through snow and desert heat.  And I had a lot of time to think about which direction I wanted my professional life to go once the trip was over.  I decided that even if I was saving up for something big in the future, it wasn't worth it to me to take a job (even temporarily) that didn't fit my needs.  I came to the conclusion that I really had three requirements for jobs.

1.  I must be constantly learning.  I'm absolutely miserable if I'm bored.
2.  I must be contributing to the greater good of the world.  Bash my bleeding heart, but I know from experience that this is an inescapable requirement for me.
3.  I must be working in the realm of education or environmental work, and my absolute sweet spot combines these two passions.

My dad and I had many heart-to-hearts while I was in college and after, and he brought up his valid  point of view that I don't have to save the world at work.  His thought was that many great people have ordinary jobs and spend their free time volunteering and helping others.  I came to realize that these people are awesome, and I really respect them, but they are different from me.  It comes down to the fact that I want to spend the majority of my waking hours making a difference and leaving the world just an inkling better.  And the reality is, I can still volunteer in my free time.  Nothing keeps me from that. 

So once I realized my personal requirements, my career path took a turn for the better.  I took jobs in Germany and Cape Cod, and then I joined Teach For America and moved to the US-Mexico border.  I got to see the world while I was working.  And while I've had utterly exhausting jobs, I can honestly say that I'm proud of the work I've done at each of them. 

Which brings me to why this topic has been on my mind so much lately.  My working days are numbered.  At least, my working-outside-the-home days are numbered.  While I'm not opposed to doing some contractual work here and there, I will not be working full-time outside the home for at least a few years.  I've dreamed of the day when my job will be to raise an amazing little child full time, and that time is finally here. (YAY!)

But that doesn't mean I won't miss my work.  I've been extremely fortunate at my current job because I have worked on a variety of projects that have kept me humbled by my lack of knowledge and the sheer brilliance around me.  Not only that, but the icing on the cake is that my work family is such a loving group of people that have supported my husband and I when times have been tough.

A few weeks ago, I spent the week downtown at a workshop between my employer and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  I was proud to be part of a team working to write a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for a local threatened species, the Jollyville Plateau salamander.  Here's a photo one of my coworkers took of one of the little sallies.

These salamanders only live in northwest Austin, and while they are not on the endangered species list, they should be.  The reality is that too many species are becoming endangered for the Service to list them all in a timely manner, so my employer, the City, is taking a proactive measure to treat the salamander as an endangered species even though it is not. 

No city in this country has ever created a CCAA.  (They are usually done by environmental nonprofits.)  We will set an example for others to follow not only in our area, but all over the country.  As I sat in the workshop all week, I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to be a part of it.  I had a week of professional bliss.  A week when I honestly didn't feel the need to be paid because I was learning so much and was so eager to be a part of the team.  Weeks like that can carry me a long way.  Even though I'm back in the office doing the back end grunt work now, I'm still on Cloud 9.  It's probably a combination of really being professionally fulfilled right now and also knowing that I will miss this next year.  I'll be in a different line of work, but lucky for me, it will still fit my three requirements. 

Babies on the Brain * Babies on the Brain * Babies on the Brain

I guess I haven't officially said this on my blog, but Chris and I have begun a new adventure.  I'm pregnant!  Our little one will be here right around Christmas. 

In honor of the best thing in the whole world (and because pregnancy brain is in full effect and I can't concentrate on work for longer than 8 minutes), here are a few cute babies!

My 11-year-old buddy took this photo with my camera.  I love how it is obviously taken from a child's perspective - looking up at the big sky, demoting the skyscrapers and promoting the clouds. 

I also love this photo because that's My Town.  Even though the great majority of those buildings went up in recent years.  And those trees in front are in Zilker, one of the best parks that we are all fortunate to have equal access to. 

Last night my husband and doggies and I were walking around Lady Bird Lake, and we couldn't help but discuss how great it is to live in Austin and how great it is to be able to see it from that perspective.  And hundreds of tourists were seated all around, anxiously awaiting the bats' emergence from Congress Bridge.  As we walked our dogs across the bridge on a Thursday night, we felt like a two-person parade, with everyone seemingly enamored with our dogs and our way of life here in Austin.  It made me think back to my first real visit here in high school to check out UT with my family.  We did the exact same thing - sat out and waited for the bats - and I remember being very jealous of young people out on trail with their dogs, obvious Austin residents.  The culture here probably had more influence in my moving here than UT did, which is why I'm still so happy to be here. 

Home

Everyone is entitled to a home where the sun, the stars, open fields, giant trees, and smiling flowers are free to teach an undisturbed lesson of life.

-Jens Jensen, landscape planner, 1930s

Zen

My Kind of Dog Races

I'm thankful for moments like this.

Time to Brag on My Friends

I am such a lucky girl. Really. My Austin friends came together last weekend to throw me a Bridal Shower that was really just So Special. My friends Connie, Abbey, and Deana and future sister Megan are my Austin-based bridesmaids, and they threw me a Sunday brunch. My mom and future mom were both able to come to town as well as many of the lovely ladies I love so much in Austin. And man, the love was in the details. The girls know I love local stuff and particularly anything Austin, so they went out of their way to add the little touches. We had breakfast tacos from a nearby taqueria, fruit salad made from fruits from the local farmer's market, bagels from a neighborhood bakery, and all of the goodies below.

Homemade cupcakes

Connie made mimosa cups with everyone's names!

Megan and Chris cookies from Quack's in my neighborhood. The heart is in Austin!

Handcrafted soap for everyone...Connie never ceases to amaze me!

Megan Bingo!

The girls had also found old, embarrassing pictures of me doing wacko things (some of which I had never seen!). And they organized a Megan bingo game with trivia questions about myself. It was hilarious. There was also a game that involved everyone explaining how they met me or experiences we had shared together. It was so special and I can't stop thinking about how wonderful my friends and family are to me. Many a tear streamed down my face, which I've come to accept as a given Sembera trait (my dad cried when we told him about the shower afterward). I was just so touched by the things everyone shared.

As much as the mind numbing pace of life has been frustrating me the past few years, I was so nice to just be in the same room for a few hours with so many people that mean a great deal to me. It was so energizing and just so warm. I love you all so much.

Some of my wonderful bridesmaids :)

moms & Megans

the gang

This Will Make Your Day (or Week)

I think this video could be a metaphor for life. It makes me so happy. Make sure you watch until the end.

All the Dogs You've Ever Loved

I check out PostSecret from time to time, and I really liked this postcard I saw recently. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy :)