Announcement #2

I figure I ought to write this post considering it mainly affects my life, though it should also prove to be an adjustment for the entire family as well. The big news is...*drumroll please*......*no seriously, do a drumroll*...I got a promotion to what is most likely my dream job!

I don't want to go into too many details about the whole story because there are a few people at the office that are still very set in their ways in terms of "managing" my free-speech. Earlier in the year, I was disappointed in the way my opportunities were turning out. I have always had a strong desire to work in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in a Chinese-speaking country. Well, about halfway through the year, I came to realize that the opportunities I was developing fell through.

BLOCKED!

It was somewhat sad and disappointing that my ambitions were not being fulfilled, and to top it all off, I was essentially dinged at work because I wanted to take the initiative (on my own time, even) and improve the efficiency of some of the internal processes that I worked in every day. In short, me != happy camper.

Brittny's note: For those of you uninitiated into programmer speak "!=" is how you express "does not equal" in many programming languages.  So Eric was saying he wasn't a happy camper.  I now return you to your regularly scheduled Eric blog post :P

So I did the next most logical thing: I start looking elsewhere for opportunities to grow and develop my skills and talents. I searched for opportunities all over the country, from New York to San Diego. After a few months, I had a few job actual job offers in hand, but at the same time, I was reluctant to accept any of these other offers because I really enjoyed the people I worked with and I felt like I was part of a stable, long-term company that I could work for until I retired. Of course, that was only if I could find a legitimate reason to stay, namely finding a way to develop my talents, abilities, and career paths. When I expressed my concerns and desires, I was fortunately able to discover some unforeseen options I could pursue, but they were not guaranteed.

The key part of the story is this: I had a specific offer letter in hand, but I wanted to stay and pursue these new options. I really did not know what to do. I prayed constantly for days on end to know what to do. I went to the temple and pondered my various choices that lay before me. Yet still after all I did, I still felt confused, distraught, and like I did not have a real answer. After weighing the choices, I decided to go with the new options, even though I was not certain to get them. Immediately after I made the decision, a feeling of peace came over me. It was simply night and day, and I knew that I had made the right choice. It reminded me that God answers prayers in His own way and own time, not according to my schedule. It was a good lesson to relearn.

So as you can tell from the title of the post, the new local options worked out for me! Now I get to really shift into an excellent career space that I always wanted to be in. I've accepted a job as an Emerging Markets Manager in charge of applying our company's products to the Digital Home market, things like Set-top boxes, internet-connected TVs, and video game consoles, oh yeah! Innovation, research, and creativity--everything that I wanted in a job. The pay raise is much appreciated, too!

So that's the second big announcement as of late, but stayed tuned because we have more coming up soon!

Birthdays, Babies, and Bated Breath

written by Eric

I figured it's been awhile since I've really contributed a post, so in light of my recent birthday, I figured I take a crack at it, though I am not as entertaining a story-teller as Brittny seems to be.

First off, thanks to everyone who helped make my birthday party a blast. Brittny gave me some great clothes to help "professionalize" my wardrobe, especially since I hate clothes shopping, I'm glad I could have some help on that front. While I am able to wear more comfortable styles of clothing in my current job, I do hope to move up the corporate ladder eventually. So now I can dress for the job I want to have, right?

It's crazy to think I have lived for a quarter of a century now. I've lived through the fall of the Berlin wall, introduction of the Internet, miniaturization of technology, and the continual degradation of what used to be common moral values (Enron, wide acceptance of unchaste behavior, and so on). Ten years ago, I had incredibly high aspirations for what I wanted do and where I wanted to be in my life at this point. The high expectations are still there, albeit tempered by understanding of the actual work it will take to achieve my goals. Also, changes come into my life that help me see a better path than my original desires. China, for example, I have come to believe will be a big part of my future.

Speaking of which, we are still trying to be patient in waiting to find out about upcoming opportunities to work abroad. It is a little frustrating at times to see how slow things are moving, but we are keeping our hopes up because we know we are supposed to be there, whether it be later rather than sooner.

Sam has been growing so well recently. He is fun and full of life, learning something new each and every day. Most recently, the little tike has started climbing up and down everything he can. The coffee table in our front room has become the obstacle of choice this past week. He climbs up on top, stands and then patters around in a circle for a few laps. Then, he lays down on his side and deftly and safely slides off the edge. It's quite impressive considering I didn't even learn to walk until my first birthday.

Other than that, our family has enjoyed watching some really neat Olympic events. Despite quite a few difficulties experienced by the hosts, most of the competitions were really amazing and fun to watch. Congratulations to USA to setting the record on the medals count this year.

Well, I think I have covered recent events. I know Brittny is planning on writing about our trip to California mid-February, so I will encourage to finish that quickly. Until next time...love life, laugh loud, and lead onward.