Oh man, I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve updated. Switching jobs is pretty stressful on one’s personal life, especially now that I have a 45 minute commute added to my regular schedule. Getting myself back into some sort of routine has been tough and as a result, I’ve been absent from the online world that I absolutely adore so much! Facebook only exists through the random phone notifications I receive when someone posts something on my wall and as for the blogosphere? Yeah right. I’ve read maybe two of my regular blogs in the past two weeks…let alone post one my own. Needless to say, the transition has been a bit tough.
But the job? I LOVE it. Seriously. Although being the new girl isn’t always the best feeling, it’s nice to know that my current position holds so much potential for growth, and I’ve already learned so much in just the four days I’ve been here. Not to mention, one of my best friends works here so it’s nice to see here more often than every few months. It’s strange being back in Burlington, but I can’t say I can complain about being able to park right outside my office, especially now that the bitter cold Wisconsin winter is on its way!
I still miss Harley, but I’m grateful that everyone there has managed to stay in contact, and keep me updated on the happenings. It makes me feel like I’m still a part of it all somehow.
I’m in the process of getting internet (and cable) installed in my apartment, so I PROMISE as soon as that happens I’ll be around much more. Just hang in there =)
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Friday, October 12, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
A Final Goodbye To H-D
Today, I say goodbye to Harley-Davidson. Yesterday, I said goodbye to my boss. And to be perfectly honest, I wanted to cry. In fact, I almost did, and so did 
he. Then again that's what I do, I cry. A lot. I can't help it.
I found myself incredibly sad yesterday as co-workers stopped by to say their final goodbyes to me and I found myself at the verge of a breakdown when my boss dropped off a custom painted gas tank, signed by everyone in my department. I couldn't believe I was just being handed the honorary gas tank, that each employee receives upon the end of their time at Harley (or in that particular department) as a token of appreciation for their efforts. I was also handed a beautiful leather bag filled with a cute Harley T-shirt and a travel Harley coffee mug for my new morning commute each day. Everyone knew that I would only be satisfied, if I could go out in Harley "style" =)
I'm going to miss this place, so much! The people, the job, the life-long friends I've made, and the amazing contacts I'll always have. I'll miss the smell of motorcycle exhaust as I enter the security turnstile at 8:00 am each morning and I'll never forget the little wave of acknowledgement from the morning security guards. I'll miss sitting in Amanda's cube and hiding out from the world as we gossip and plan the weekend's festivities or the morning overly energetic visits from Craig that always managed to put me in a better mood. I'll miss the convenience of the cafeteria and even all the unnecessary meetings that posed only to eat up more of my time and I'll miss the many nicknames I've accumulated in such a short period of time. I'll miss my unlimited supply of office supplies, the smell of my cubicle, and the noise my high heels made in our hallway that acknowledged to everyone that Christi was coming down the hall.
I hate goodbyes. I really do. I've only been her for ten months but it feels like so much longer. This place has become home to me, in that comfortable "home" sense that only a fantastic job can provide to you. It sort of makes one wonder if money really is all that important anymore, considering how unbelievably happy I am here!
But alas, the reality of the situation is that I have a much better opportunity offered to me somewhere else, and I owe it to myself to at least be open minded about it. I finally have the chance for financial stability, upward mobility, and the ability to grow with a company from start to potentially finish. The good thing about it is, if this doesn't work out, I always have Harley to fall back on.
And with that, I end my final post as an employee of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. It's been an amazing ten months!
he. Then again that's what I do, I cry. A lot. I can't help it.I found myself incredibly sad yesterday as co-workers stopped by to say their final goodbyes to me and I found myself at the verge of a breakdown when my boss dropped off a custom painted gas tank, signed by everyone in my department. I couldn't believe I was just being handed the honorary gas tank, that each employee receives upon the end of their time at Harley (or in that particular department) as a token of appreciation for their efforts. I was also handed a beautiful leather bag filled with a cute Harley T-shirt and a travel Harley coffee mug for my new morning commute each day. Everyone knew that I would only be satisfied, if I could go out in Harley "style" =)
I'm going to miss this place, so much! The people, the job, the life-long friends I've made, and the amazing contacts I'll always have. I'll miss the smell of motorcycle exhaust as I enter the security turnstile at 8:00 am each morning and I'll never forget the little wave of acknowledgement from the morning security guards. I'll miss sitting in Amanda's cube and hiding out from the world as we gossip and plan the weekend's festivities or the morning overly energetic visits from Craig that always managed to put me in a better mood. I'll miss the convenience of the cafeteria and even all the unnecessary meetings that posed only to eat up more of my time and I'll miss the many nicknames I've accumulated in such a short period of time. I'll miss my unlimited supply of office supplies, the smell of my cubicle, and the noise my high heels made in our hallway that acknowledged to everyone that Christi was coming down the hall.
I hate goodbyes. I really do. I've only been her for ten months but it feels like so much longer. This place has become home to me, in that comfortable "home" sense that only a fantastic job can provide to you. It sort of makes one wonder if money really is all that important anymore, considering how unbelievably happy I am here!
But alas, the reality of the situation is that I have a much better opportunity offered to me somewhere else, and I owe it to myself to at least be open minded about it. I finally have the chance for financial stability, upward mobility, and the ability to grow with a company from start to potentially finish. The good thing about it is, if this doesn't work out, I always have Harley to fall back on.
And with that, I end my final post as an employee of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. It's been an amazing ten months!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Goodbye Harley-Davidson
In two weeks time, I will no longer be an employee of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. It was such a hard decision considering the love I have for my position, my boss, and the company. But in Harley, I was offered uncertainty. A position that had no plans to become permanent in the near future, especially considering the future health at the moment, of a downward sloping industry. I wanted to cry as I had to spit out the words "I was offered another position" and yet I felt relieved as I watched my boss's face beam with happiness as he encouraged me to jump on opportunities. At that moment, I wanted to hug him. I couldn't have asked for a better person to have worked for these past 9 months and I know that should my life take another course, I'll be able to find my way back there...no questions asked.
As I say goodbye to Harley, I look forward to saying hello to another chapter of my life. One that provides a bit more financial freedom and a chance to express myself creatively. One that brings me back, yet again, to Burlington, WI to the city that for some reason or another I just can't seem to leave. I'm extremely sad to be leaving, but I'm optimistic about my future. I'm confident that this is one more baby step in the right direction.
As I say goodbye to Harley, I look forward to saying hello to another chapter of my life. One that provides a bit more financial freedom and a chance to express myself creatively. One that brings me back, yet again, to Burlington, WI to the city that for some reason or another I just can't seem to leave. I'm extremely sad to be leaving, but I'm optimistic about my future. I'm confident that this is one more baby step in the right direction.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
A Nap In Exchange For Your Smoking Breaks Seems Fair To Me
Sometimes, I wish I smoked. Because smokers don’t have to work as hard, and that makes me jealous.
Smokers get AT LEAST two hours every day that they get paid to not work. Seriously you guys, I’ve done the math on this. At any given moment, many smokers at this facility are 5 minutes away from the designated smoking areas, and I’m being generous with how quickly they’re walking to said areas. So, 5 minutes to smoking area, 10 minutes to smoke, and 5 minutes back. That’s 20 minutes it takes these smokers every time they need to go out for a cigarette break. But it’s not as though they can have one and be done with it for the day. Nope, some of these people are out smoking once every hour!!! That’s 160 minutes just in daily smoke breaks!!!!
What’s with that?!
I wish I could get two hours a day to spend doing a leisurely activity and still get paid for it! (Okay, I kind of do when I play on Facebook…but let’s be realistic. Whether we’re smokers or not, we ALL have periods where we take care of personal stuff ahead of work stuff…which then just ADDS to the grand total of how much less work smokers do!!). I vote that we non-smokers get to cash in those two hours the smokers get and utilize them for a napping hour. The smokers can smoke all they want, as long as I get to enjoy my cozy bed for two more hours out of every day. I should form a Union. I bet they would support that equal trade.
Smokers get AT LEAST two hours every day that they get paid to not work. Seriously you guys, I’ve done the math on this. At any given moment, many smokers at this facility are 5 minutes away from the designated smoking areas, and I’m being generous with how quickly they’re walking to said areas. So, 5 minutes to smoking area, 10 minutes to smoke, and 5 minutes back. That’s 20 minutes it takes these smokers every time they need to go out for a cigarette break. But it’s not as though they can have one and be done with it for the day. Nope, some of these people are out smoking once every hour!!! That’s 160 minutes just in daily smoke breaks!!!!
What’s with that?!
I wish I could get two hours a day to spend doing a leisurely activity and still get paid for it! (Okay, I kind of do when I play on Facebook…but let’s be realistic. Whether we’re smokers or not, we ALL have periods where we take care of personal stuff ahead of work stuff…which then just ADDS to the grand total of how much less work smokers do!!). I vote that we non-smokers get to cash in those two hours the smokers get and utilize them for a napping hour. The smokers can smoke all they want, as long as I get to enjoy my cozy bed for two more hours out of every day. I should form a Union. I bet they would support that equal trade.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sturgis Bike Rally - 2007
Okay, I’m sorry I’ve been absent for so long. For some reason I just can’t seem to find the time to update this blog lately!!! Work is crazy busy and I don’t have internet yet at home so I have to try and fit it in between projects and traveling and….
No excuses, I’m sorry.
My two weeks at Sturgis Bike Week were awesome. I got a chance to go on a 14 hour bike ride through South Dakota where I saw Mount Rushmore, Custer National Park, Deadwood and of course, Sturgis itself. I never envisioned South Dakota to be so gorgeous. It makes me very excited for next year’s rally. Hopefully by then I’ll have my own bike and I can ride out myself.
No excuses, I’m sorry.
My two weeks at Sturgis Bike Week were awesome. I got a chance to go on a 14 hour bike ride through South Dakota where I saw Mount Rushmore, Custer National Park, Deadwood and of course, Sturgis itself. I never envisioned South Dakota to be so gorgeous. It makes me very excited for next year’s rally. Hopefully by then I’ll have my own bike and I can ride out myself.
At Mount Rushmore
This is the buffalo that almost ate me. It was literally 10 feet away from me.
Driving down Needles Highway.
Okay, so I don't REALLY ride, but it was fun to pretend.
Harley employees definitley know how to have a good time
Other than that, since I’ve been back I’ve been settling into my new apartment. Everything is unpacked and put into its respective place and I’m just now starting to compile a list of everything I have yet to purchase for my new apartment. It’s a growing list, as my wish lists usually are, but I’m hoping that in the next few months things with my job are going to progress a bit more and then maybe I can actually afford that new couch that is so badly needed!! Unfortunately a few things have been misplaced due to the move and because of that, I can’t seem to find my camera charger. As soon as I have it though I promise I will post pictures of the new pad. It’s just too cute not to show off. =)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
A Post, Not Necessarily About Daytona
The part I hate most about sitting down to write a blog post, is figuring out how to start it. The second thing I hate most about sitting down to write a blog post, is figuring out how to combine two weeks worth of experiences into a post that won’t bore the pants off of anyone reading it. So this is where I sit right now. No idea how to begin describing my two weeks in Daytona Beach, and no desire really to recap two weeks worth of happenings!
A friend of mine once wrote about how irritating her blog can become as it forces her to sit down and recap the experience she just had. At the time, I couldn’t understand how she wouldn’t be able to find joy in informing the world of her life, but as I sit here today – irritated – I am beginning to understand exactly what she was talking about.
I just don’t feel like doing it.
It’s easier to list off things that I loved about it: the ocean, the diversity, the really cool motorcycles, the free drinks all week; and it’s fun to recap the things that sucked about it: the rain, not seeing Katie, the male comments…but what good are random lists to someone who doesn’t know the story behind any of them.
So alas, my two weeks at Daytona Beach Bike Week will go undocumented, at least on this Weblog. I’ll post some pictures as soon as I have those all compiled and at that point, you can create your own story for my time there.
I’ll be back in a bit with a post about something a bit closer to home, and a bit more interesting to MOST people reading this blog…the Justin Timberlake concert. Now that is something I wouldn’t mind recapping over and over again.
I must go daydream now.
A friend of mine once wrote about how irritating her blog can become as it forces her to sit down and recap the experience she just had. At the time, I couldn’t understand how she wouldn’t be able to find joy in informing the world of her life, but as I sit here today – irritated – I am beginning to understand exactly what she was talking about.
I just don’t feel like doing it.
It’s easier to list off things that I loved about it: the ocean, the diversity, the really cool motorcycles, the free drinks all week; and it’s fun to recap the things that sucked about it: the rain, not seeing Katie, the male comments…but what good are random lists to someone who doesn’t know the story behind any of them.
So alas, my two weeks at Daytona Beach Bike Week will go undocumented, at least on this Weblog. I’ll post some pictures as soon as I have those all compiled and at that point, you can create your own story for my time there.
I’ll be back in a bit with a post about something a bit closer to home, and a bit more interesting to MOST people reading this blog…the Justin Timberlake concert. Now that is something I wouldn’t mind recapping over and over again.
I must go daydream now.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Winter Dealer Meeting 2007
After a week of traveling, I have finally had the opportunity to sit down at my computer, and spit out an update into the life of a jet-set working girl =) I must admit that after a week away from home, my life is feeling a bit disorderly, and chaotic and I have a feeling it's going to take me a few days to re-enter some sort of routine and organization. But alas, chaos of life aside, I am long over-due for a blog update (as is usually the case) so I have set aside a few minutes here to stop unpacking, sit down on the chair, and hammer away on my little keyboard.
My trip to Orlando, FL this past week was both exciting and exhausting, with a range of emotions thrown somewhere in between that spectrum. As I departed General Mitchel International Airport early Friday morning, destined for my first event far away from home, I had much anticipation for what lay ahead of me in those coming 6 days and I hoped that at the end of it all, I would be able to leave with a reaffirmation that I was truly destined to be in the events industry.
It was tough at first to grasp what I was supposed to be doing with myself, but I think most of that stemmed from my insecurity of wandering around a strange city by myself, representing a company I had only been employed by for three weeks. But the independent girl in me took over eventually and after getting my bags, finding the hotel shuttle, and checking into the hotel I was ready to begin my assignment.
I arrived to a convention hall bustling with union workers and a few of my fellow employees who had arrived earlier in the day, working hard to get the events center ready for the coming show. I found my boss, and after a quick chat, I was put right to work. The rest of the marketing employees trickled in throughout the rest of the day and at 6:00 we all decided to call it a night, and I hit up the closest seafood/sushi bar with a few of my female co-workers to put a cap on the hard day of setup.
The remaining couple of days went pretty much the same way, minus the air travel of course. Get up, grab coffee, set-up, go home. By the time Monday came I was so exhausted from the 10 hour work days, that I found myself happily in bed by 8:00 each night.
Monday was the first day of the show and from what I hear it went really well. I spent the first day doing mindless tasks like handing out promotional t-shirts and assisting my boss with seminars. The next few days of the show I wandered around the show floor feeling pretty useless. It's hard to find your place occasionally in such a large company, especially when you're so new and your skill sets haven't exactly been determined yet. My boss tried to keep me as busy as possible, but for the most part I just stood around and smiled, trying to make myself look busy =)
The show wrapped up on Wednesday, and a few of us celebrated with an outing to Downtown Disney for some yummy Cuban food, plenty of Mojitos, and some dancing at the local Irish pub. It was the perfect end to a long hard week.
And with that, my week ended. I boarded my flight back home early Thursday morning and I was back to work today. As I look back at the week I have to say that it wasn't exactly what I had envisioned it to be, but I can't say that I'm dissapointed either. I think for my first show it went as well as it could have. I learned a lot, met a lot of great people, and familiarized myself with yet another gorgeous US city =)
In getting back to my previous inquiry: Am I cut out for the events industry? I think it's still too soon to say, but I'm optimistic for what lies ahead. My next stop is Daytona Beach, FL at the end of this month. It'll be one more event closer to figuring out my true professional calling in life, or if nothing else a fabulous excuse to hang out away from the bitter cold of Wisconsin for two weeks.
My trip to Orlando, FL this past week was both exciting and exhausting, with a range of emotions thrown somewhere in between that spectrum. As I departed General Mitchel International Airport early Friday morning, destined for my first event far away from home, I had much anticipation for what lay ahead of me in those coming 6 days and I hoped that at the end of it all, I would be able to leave with a reaffirmation that I was truly destined to be in the events industry.
It was tough at first to grasp what I was supposed to be doing with myself, but I think most of that stemmed from my insecurity of wandering around a strange city by myself, representing a company I had only been employed by for three weeks. But the independent girl in me took over eventually and after getting my bags, finding the hotel shuttle, and checking into the hotel I was ready to begin my assignment.
I arrived to a convention hall bustling with union workers and a few of my fellow employees who had arrived earlier in the day, working hard to get the events center ready for the coming show. I found my boss, and after a quick chat, I was put right to work. The rest of the marketing employees trickled in throughout the rest of the day and at 6:00 we all decided to call it a night, and I hit up the closest seafood/sushi bar with a few of my female co-workers to put a cap on the hard day of setup.
The remaining couple of days went pretty much the same way, minus the air travel of course. Get up, grab coffee, set-up, go home. By the time Monday came I was so exhausted from the 10 hour work days, that I found myself happily in bed by 8:00 each night.
Monday was the first day of the show and from what I hear it went really well. I spent the first day doing mindless tasks like handing out promotional t-shirts and assisting my boss with seminars. The next few days of the show I wandered around the show floor feeling pretty useless. It's hard to find your place occasionally in such a large company, especially when you're so new and your skill sets haven't exactly been determined yet. My boss tried to keep me as busy as possible, but for the most part I just stood around and smiled, trying to make myself look busy =)
The show wrapped up on Wednesday, and a few of us celebrated with an outing to Downtown Disney for some yummy Cuban food, plenty of Mojitos, and some dancing at the local Irish pub. It was the perfect end to a long hard week.
And with that, my week ended. I boarded my flight back home early Thursday morning and I was back to work today. As I look back at the week I have to say that it wasn't exactly what I had envisioned it to be, but I can't say that I'm dissapointed either. I think for my first show it went as well as it could have. I learned a lot, met a lot of great people, and familiarized myself with yet another gorgeous US city =)
In getting back to my previous inquiry: Am I cut out for the events industry? I think it's still too soon to say, but I'm optimistic for what lies ahead. My next stop is Daytona Beach, FL at the end of this month. It'll be one more event closer to figuring out my true professional calling in life, or if nothing else a fabulous excuse to hang out away from the bitter cold of Wisconsin for two weeks.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Thursday, January 05, 2006
My 2006 ... so far
I rang in the New Year in Green Bay this year. Actually, it was for the second year in a row. It was fun...nothing spectacular. The same old crowd, the same old scene...just the same old. Drama arose as is per-usual which put a damper on a lot of things, and my phone got stollen which is always a plus (especially when you had a $400 phone), but other than that the evening was nice.Tara and I hung around on the first being hung-over, watching movies, and pigging out on everything in sight. I practiced my dance routine a little bit (I'm doing a dance performance for Karnitz and Marissa's Humane Society Benefit), and then watched as Karnitz, Tara, and Katie practiced their routine as well. Ahhh those girls crack me up.
The following Monday I had off from work and took full advantage of doing absolutley nothing! It was great! Then, to top off the evening, Tara made me my favorite meal on the planet...her magnificent Chicken 'n Dumpling soup. Mmmm Mmmm Good. I think that Monday topped the weekend for sure!! =)
Tuesday it was back to work and it has been CRAZY busy here at the store for the last few days. As we knew they would, all the brides waited until after the holidays to make any wedding decisions and they're coming in in full force this week!! It couldn't come at a worse time as I have so many things to prepare for in the coming weeks, and my grandpa died last night so my mom can't be here, meaning I have to man the store by myself. Somehow between all the people and all the phone calls I'm managing to slip some of my other work in between here and there so it's working out so far. I have been progressively getting sicker as the days wear on (I think it has something to do with the fact that I gave up caffeine on the 1st) so I'm not exactly on my A-Game today. Uh what I wouldn't give for a big bottle of diet coke right now!!!
And I guess that's it. I'd write some profound post about how much my life has changed in the past year, and where I project it to go in the coming 360 days...but I'm much too busy and quite frankly, I just don't feel like it =) 2005 was a combination of stress, anxiety, joy, relief, desperation, confusion, simplicity, comfort, and chaos all wrapped up into one year. I can only expect 2006 will bring me much the same thing. And I look forward to every minute of it.
See the Rest of the Photos HERE!!!
Monday, December 19, 2005
So THIS is Christmas Season in the Bridal Industry
I always know that I've been slacking on my blog updates when I receive a little message in my email inbox saying "Time for an update", signed always with love by my dear friend Erin. It's nice to know someone's always around to keep you in line =)
Things have been extremely slow here at the store. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, the last thing on most bride's minds is not a wedding dress purchase. Unfortunatley for us, this means no business! In this period of customer drought, I have managed however, to keep myself busy as I have three shows to prepare for in January as well as a Fashion Team to keep motivated!
Our first Fashion Team agenda was to shoot a commercial to be aired at the Plaza Theatre here in Burlington, WI. I enlisted the help of Hair Works Salon here in Burlington to do the hair for our shoot and I was thrilled that they were willing to provide a free service, in exchange for a mention in our commercial. Thus at 3:00 on Thursday, 20 of my girls headed to the Salon for their Prom updos, and I met them at the WinTV Media station at 5:30 to go over wardrobe assignments.
The shoot went better than I could have expected! The girls were so excited to be helping out and the energy really was portrayed in the shots we got. I turned on some music to help keep the mood light and fresh and instructed the girls to just "have fun". The shots Jim got were great, and I'm excited to head back this week to oversee the editing process with him.
Oh! I just realized many of you may not know what my Fashion Team is! I sought after 25 girls from the local area high schools, to help me in a number of promotional activities for Christy's Bridal and our Prom lines. Activities they'll be helping me out with include advertisement, distribution, mailing lists, and of course...modeling. We meet about twice a month and discuss different marketing techniques as well as go over their required assignments for the month. So far it's been working out really well. The girls are great!
The rest of my weekend was pretty low key. Saturday Tara and I celebrated Christmas together by having dinner at Benihanas, and then a few drinks at The Pint in Milwaukee. It was a bust, as it most always is, so we opted for an evening back at my apartment.
And the work week returns but I'm already anxiously awaiting my three day weekend. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
Things have been extremely slow here at the store. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, the last thing on most bride's minds is not a wedding dress purchase. Unfortunatley for us, this means no business! In this period of customer drought, I have managed however, to keep myself busy as I have three shows to prepare for in January as well as a Fashion Team to keep motivated!
Our first Fashion Team agenda was to shoot a commercial to be aired at the Plaza Theatre here in Burlington, WI. I enlisted the help of Hair Works Salon here in Burlington to do the hair for our shoot and I was thrilled that they were willing to provide a free service, in exchange for a mention in our commercial. Thus at 3:00 on Thursday, 20 of my girls headed to the Salon for their Prom updos, and I met them at the WinTV Media station at 5:30 to go over wardrobe assignments.
The shoot went better than I could have expected! The girls were so excited to be helping out and the energy really was portrayed in the shots we got. I turned on some music to help keep the mood light and fresh and instructed the girls to just "have fun". The shots Jim got were great, and I'm excited to head back this week to oversee the editing process with him.
Oh! I just realized many of you may not know what my Fashion Team is! I sought after 25 girls from the local area high schools, to help me in a number of promotional activities for Christy's Bridal and our Prom lines. Activities they'll be helping me out with include advertisement, distribution, mailing lists, and of course...modeling. We meet about twice a month and discuss different marketing techniques as well as go over their required assignments for the month. So far it's been working out really well. The girls are great!
The rest of my weekend was pretty low key. Saturday Tara and I celebrated Christmas together by having dinner at Benihanas, and then a few drinks at The Pint in Milwaukee. It was a bust, as it most always is, so we opted for an evening back at my apartment.
And the work week returns but I'm already anxiously awaiting my three day weekend. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
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