A New Phase

Here I am in the kitchen at my fake dad, Johnny’s house at midnight waiting for my meatloaf to bake. I got home tonight at quarter after eleven to a dark and sleepy house. There was a slice of chocolate cake whispering my name on the kitchen counter. I go upstairs to get my laptop and I see that Yvonne, my fake mom, has opened my windows in my room to freshen it up. I’ve lived here for several months now while waiting for my new home to be ready in River Falls. Johnny and Yvonne have generously been putting up with me in their home. Tonight I was working at Eddie Bauer. I am noticing that my left eye is doing the exhaustion twitch.

So yes, I took the Co-Manager position at Eddie Bauer in Burnsville, MN. It is about an hour drive from River Falls. Or at least, I need to leave at least an hour ahead of my scheduled time to make sure I get there despite any unexpected traffic issues. Eddie Bauer is a fantastic company. If any other retailer offered me a position in Burnsville I would be sure to turn it down, believe me. The job is an exciting opportunity to flex my Manager skills in a new venue and maybe even learn some new tricks. Since starting there three weeks ago, the store’s performance has risen dramatically. I can’t take all the credit, of course. There is a great staff and a new Manager as well. And there is enough success for us all to share in the glory. Besides the management opportunity, the position offers reasonable pay and bonus opportunities. It has been since March 2011 (I actually had to check my LinkedIn profile to get the year right) that I had a regular full time position with reliable pay.

There have been other things happening as well. I was working on the Summer Marketing Plan for WeatherVane and many things got delayed. For those of you who know me- I do get slowed down, but I never stop. So just trust that things are still moving forward. One of the things I have been working on is my video blog series, Sarah Kowal: Cheese Hustler. I will do a whole blog on this soon. And I know I have been teasing about this one for awhile. It *will* actually show up at some point, I promise.

Additional things going on:
1. My new (for me) car arrived today. I haven’t seen it but I will tomorrow. Turns out banks actually WILL lend money for some things. Hehe.
2. My new house is getting ready to be moved into. It is a 5 bedroom home that is getting some renovations done at the moment. I am looking for two roommates. I am clean and not around much, but when I am, I like to relax and cook and other things around the house. Painting will be taking place on Sunday. Moving in will follow the plumbing installation in the bathroom.
3. I am taking on a 90 day wealth program with a friend. Aside from the formal aspect of the program, I am also working out a new budget. So far, this has been both frustrating and exciting at the same time.
4. I am in the Introduction Leaders Program at Landmark. This is an intensive eight month leadership training course. One of my next steps is leading a three hour interactive introduction seminar to a group of strangers. Whee! Anyway, that goes until early October.
5. I actually do hustle cheese to chefs and grocery stores on my days off. Surdyk’s is a client of mine and I am currently romancing chef Wyatt at WA Frost in St Paul and chef Tony at the WestWind Supper Club in River Falls.
6. I have a Little Brother in the Big Brother Big Sister program. His name is RJ and he is 9 years old. We like to go to farms and frolic in nature. This Sunday I am taking him to the Golden Gloves boxing tournament at River Falls Days.

So, I don’t know- that is what I am up to these days. I am filled to the gills with stuff to do which is why I find myself making meatloaf at midnight so I have food to sustain my body during the day. I have theme paper filled to-do lists that get updated daily. I have accountability partners. Today, I have four that I report to. It varies by week and what I am up to. And yes, I am exhausted and even dealing with a mild depression that is a result of the normal stuff as well as a side effect of a medication that I am on. Not that most people would ever guess. But I know. And I have even been told that it is to be expected considering the major life transition that I am going through. So please don’t worry about me. I keep plugging away, ok? I am keeping my head down and my nose clean. And when the dust settles, I will toast to the new phase. And then we can REALLY talk about what the future for WeatherVane is, ok? ‘Cuz for now, I am taking a brief leave of absence. Talk to me in August. In the meantime, I might even blog some more. I’ll be in touch.