New Clothes and a New Attitude

Yesterday I got some new clothes to go with my new job at work. Actually, I just stood in the dressing room while my very fashion-forward husband brought me various items. He bought me; one pair of pants, one pair of short pants, a skirt, five shirts, three necklaces, one belt and one pair of shoes. I hate shopping. Always have. My mom (AKA Super Shopper) would beg me to go with her when I was a kid and I’d refuse because she had to look at everything, touch everything, drag me from one end of town to the other - no thanks. I’d rather stay home and read. I’m not good at shopping, either. I never know what goes together or what will look good. My husband can bring me something that I would have passed by because of the way it looks on the hanger and it looks amazing on me.

Armed with these new clothes, I intend to reinvent myself at work. I want to put as much space between ‘Admin Christy’ and ‘Proposal Writer Christy’ as I can. I’ve got a new desk, new title, new clothes and a new attitude. I’m a Jumper, which is a term I’m familiar with coming from a route-based industry. I go where the need is. Currently I’m working on 13 healthcare (school therapy) staffing proposals, two IT staffing proposals and one document for a current client regarding my company’s services and ways to add value while saving money. Yes, that is high volume. I like to be busy and I like to feel like I’m contributing. Things have changed so much and I’m so happy there. I’m all in and ready for the long haul with our current management team. Now…let’s just all pray I don’t screw up. I’m waiting on the edits for my new big girl book. June 1 2012 is my release date. I’m excited to get through the edits and start something else which is going to be *DRUM ROLL PLEASE* The Lady, The Lake and The Locket (herein referred to as LLL). I’m 30K in and will take a good look at everything I have, outline again and start with fresh eyes.

So, in a nutshell, life couldn’t be better. Hope she’s being kind to you as well.
Love, Christy

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Proud of Me

After eight years, four bosses, two buildings and one merger, I’m finally a fully fledged proposal writer at my day job. I started as a coordinator to a group of six proposal writers, running an MS Access project database, filing content in humongous word documents. Now we use web-based software to track projects and content, have process and work with so many branches I can’t even count them all. Most of us are assigned to a specific brand but I’m a jumper. What that means is I’m the most tenured person on the team and know more about our core brands than most so I work on all of them. I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t disappointed that I wasn’t assigned to our healthcare brand, I feel like my writing style fits best with them, but I like the stimulation that comes from working outside the monotony. I am a Gemini after all.

It was never announced, this HUGE accomplishment and milestone in my life. I’m still not quite sure why, no one wants to fess up to making the decision not to. I almost gave up on the whole thing but thankfully my friend, Alissa stepped in to make sure I was acknowledged. She’s that friend. You know, the one who always looks out for you, remembers you on your birthday, changes your life with her kind words and compassionate blue eyes. I’m lucky to have her in my life. Anyway – my new boss, who I love, love, love, is finally going to announce this in our meeting on Monday morning. I just don’t think they get it, you know. They all have degrees and came in as proposal writers and well, most of them aren’t really ‘writers’ per se, or that is, they don’t aspire to write for a living. I do. And now I am. And well, that’s a big deal for me. Huge. You can understand why it hurt my feelings that no one felt the need to acknowledge that. In fact, I was told on February 21st that HR changed my title and there was no need to announce anything by my old boss. I’ve been picking up the pieces of my broken heart/pride since that day. They’re together but could fall at any moment. I’m pretty sure that the announcement on Monday will be the glue to hold them into place. It would be nice to tell our entire Marketing department but I guess just our department will do.

Aside from all of that, I’m waiting on the edits for Timeless Love, which for those of you keeping track, will be my 5th published novel. Between that and my new title at work, I’m going to take a moment and be proud of myself. No matter how others react, no matter if my mother refuses to acknowledge writing as a career, or colleagues at work still look at me as an admin, or my husband has never even read one of my novels, I am proud of myself. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

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