From Consumer Electronics to...Beds????

It's official...The search is over. I will be an employee of Select Comfort as of March 21, 2011. So, what is the connection between consumer electronics and mattresses? Well, if the following photo is any indication, apparently having a Sleep Number bed helps you not only use your laptop, but also helps you get closer to the one you love. I never knew I could impact lives in such a huge way!

In all seriousness I accepted an offer from the Plymouth, MN-based company just a couple of days ago. After the FOUR rounds of interviews I was pleased with what I learned about the company, the people I met and the offer they put in front of me. While I was entertaining another company, I decided this was the opportunity I couldn't pass up. If it wasn't for the ridiculous commute I'll be facing each day (50 minutes each way without traffic), I'd be doing backflips.  While I'm sad that my extended "holiday" will quickly be ending I'm also looking forward to getting back into some hefty work and exercising my brain again. So...What's your sleep number?

Keira and I have enjoyed our time at home together and it's one aspect I'm sad to let go of when I return to work. I guess that just means we'll have to make the most of the weekends and evenings we have together! Today we had a blast with our friends, Ms. Sarah, Will (aka Keira's husband) and Grace. They came over, played and had lunch at our place. Keira really loves it when her friends come visit! She has another friend coming over soon and then she gets to hang out with her Grandpa Jim and Grandma Margaret for an overnight stay!! What a busy and fun day!

Lunch was mac 'n cheese, carrot sticks and grapes...Mmm.
William and Keira enjoyed sitting together on the same chair.

Not Working Is Great...

Minus the lack of income and monotony...

It has been quite awhile since I last wrote. You'd think I'd have more time given that I haven't been working since October 1st...If you're confused, let me back track. In the midst of the 5th (maybe 6th) re-org/restructure at BBY, the HR team notified those of us whose positions had been eliminated that the severance packages were being improved from 1 week/year of employment to 6 months. After some deliberation (it didn't take much convincing) I declared, "Sign me up and can we move my separation date to Oct 1st (rather than end of Nov)?!" So, after 6 1/2 years at the consumer electronics giant, I left. I thought I'd be freaked out, but as I walked out the doors for the last time, the only thing I regretted was knowing I wouldn't see some of my favorite colleagues and friends as often. Other than that, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.

BBY Headquarters where I spent 6 1/2 years.  Au Revoir!

So...I enjoyed the holidays by having all the time in the world to shop for gifts, play with Keira, stay in my PJs all day when weather conditions warranted it (quite often this year I must add), take time wrapping gifts, decorating the house, catching up with family and friends, going to the movies, watching soaps (yep, guilty pleasure), etc. Somehow I managed to fill up almost every single day with activities and things to do. It truly has been a privilege to have this time off even though there are times I wonder how I ever got so much done while working full time. I figure I must've just been more efficient or something.

Did I mention I like wrapping gifts?

Back to the present...I was really going to make an effort to keep up with blogging, but I literally pack ever single day with activities and things to get done. Everything from working out, cooking, grocery shopping, doing chores, volunteering, meeting up with friends and family, facebooking, e-mailing, applying for jobs, interviewing, going to the library, playing with Keira, cleaning, etc have kept me busy. I know it doesn't sound like much, but trust me, I am maximizing my time off. I even have to "schedule" a day for me here and there or I almost always fill up the day with things that don't often qualify as "fun" things to do. It's hard to fight the Type A personality that is innate.

I am ready to go back to work...I think!

In January I started to research companies and positions and am now actively applying for and interviewing for jobs. I'm hoping to get an offer out of my latest round of interviews, but also know the importance of keeping the pipeline full. So, if you know of any open positions for marketing and/or product management in the Twin Cities metro area, let me know!

And, that is the update and you are officially caught up!

Holidays in Minne-SNOW-tah

To my few blog followers...Sorry for all the updates today, but I just spent the last hour trying to figure out how to embed a slideshow from Picasa. It's a bit of HTML (the only bit of HTML) I learned and clearly forgot. It took me many attempts to remember how to do this. That is why you are able to click on the photo below and be taken to a separate window to view the slideshow of other photos. I know, I know. Some of you are thinking, "So?" Please remember that I have OCD tendencies so I kept at it until I figured it out again. Looks like Picasa has changed up some of their coding when embedding photos and such...ANYWAY, the downer is I can't "check" it without publishing the post to make it live on the site. That's why I kept publishing; to check if it was working. Wouldn't it be nice if such functionality was available via the preview option to avoid needless publishing? Anyway, sorry about that for those who may get alerts of new publications!

Despite the snow and cold weather we had a great Christmas celebration with family and friends. In fact, the party didn't end until 1am which meant I didn't get to bed until well after 2am. The food was phenomenal. Blackjack was a hit and the As Seen On TV white elephant took the cake with folks licking and doing other things (you don't want to know) to the items they coveted to prevent them from being stolen. It was nuts to say the least! But a great time too!

Without further delay and fanfare, please click on the photo below to see more photos of our fun evening. Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!