Top Five Best Days

Top Five Best Days

1. The day I met Nick
2. The day I married Nick
3. The day my son Nicholas was born
4. The day my brother Erik married the love of his life
5. The day I gave my notice at a job I have been unhappy with for years, and chose to do something that I know I will love.


Obviously, this post is about number 5 as you are all familiar with those other stories. I gave notice at my current job on August 1st. I won’t go into details, but for several months I have been quite unhappy with my work and took a step back and really looked at my life.

Having Nicholas is the most incredible thing I have ever done. I want to be a good role model for him. I want him to look up to me. I want him to be proud of me.

I have worked in Insurance for 15 years. It has paid the bills, I've worked with nice people, and I had a great commute. In my early 20’s I remember working with women in their 50’s and 60’s who were so unhappy. Being young and naïve, I would say “Quit! Go do something you love!” They would respond that they were stuck, they had a mortgage, a child in college, etc. I knew I never wanted to be one of those women, and I felt myself slowly becoming one.

I said to myself –what will make me happy? What do I love? The answer was simple: I want to work with animals. I tend to like them better than most people. Nick and I talked, a lot, about what I wanted to do. He was nervous about being the only one with a salary, carrying that burden, worrying about providing for his family. We made spreadsheets. We talked about day care. We talked about me not having a job for awhile (which just seemed so weird!) The decision was made. I would quit my job and go to school two days a week, and be home with Nicholas for 3.

Starting in September, I will be going to school to become an Animal Care Specialist. It will take some time as I can only take so many classes, but I am incredibly excited and happy. I am so lucky and so thankful to have Nick. He is an incredible husband, father, friend, and has supported me 100% in my decision. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in life.

I am also so excited to be able to have more time with Nicholas. Part of the reason I was so unhappy with my company is that I requested to leave early an hour (AN HOUR!) a week to have more time with Nicholas, and my request was denied (correction, I never received a formal response to my request). My priorities changed immensely when I became a mother. My family comes first, and it always will. It's unfortunate my work could not see that, but I realize now it is for the best.

Thank you for all of the support from my friends and family that knew what was going on. You’ve helped me through some very stressful and difficult times along the way to making this decision. You know who you are and I will never forget it.

xo