Riding Bikes

A few months ago Grant and I realized that we were really failing on a couple of parenting fronts. Our kids didn't know how to tie their shoes and they didn't know how to ride bikes! So we got them bikes for Christmas and we have been working on learning to ride. It has been harder for Cadie, but JR took off the very first time!

Annual Irish Festival Outing

$20 per kid for unlimited bounce house bouncing was maybe the best $60 of DDs money that I have ever spent. The kids were tired and I was happy and relaxed watching them bounce and drinking cider.

Hello Southwest & Nashville Rally

I am so happy about my new adventure! I have always admired Southwest Airlines and one day I was sitting at my desk at PepsiCo feeling so disheartened and I thought, "Self, where would you really love to work?" Southwest Airlines immediately came to mind and so I went to Southwest.com and applied. I really didn't think anything would come of it, but I was feeling discouraged so I figured it couldn't hurt. Over the next 8 months things went back and forth and then eventually everything fell into place. I am on the Change Leadership team and my new boss, Lori Winters, is awesome. Here are all the great things about my new job!
- Commute - I can get to work in 15 minutes. It is truly life-changing to have such a short and relaxing commute. I don't even get on a highway. I go basically down one medium-sized street and then I am right at work.
- People - My new boss and my new team are lovely. They are smart, fun, hardworking and kind. They were gracious to me throughout the hiring process and they bent over backward to eventually make all the puzzle pieces come together.
- Flight benefits - Grant, the kids, my parents and I all get flight benefits! We can fly anywhere on Southwest for free. It is amazing. I used the benefits during my very first week!
- Company - Southwest has a reputation of treating its Employees right and so far this has proven true. The atmosphere is fun and kindness is a priority.
- Work - I get to do the Change Leadership work that I love, but with less stress and more reasonable hours.

Going to the Nashville Rally has been a highlight so far. Fun, food, inspiration from the SWA leadership, celebrating Lori's birthday, and going to Nashville for the first time. A great start with more good things to come!

Happy Valentines Day!

They spread love all day long!

Monster Truck Rally

It was not cheap, but it was fun! We got really great seats and by the time it started, Cowboys Stadium was totally sold out. It was super loud and we all had a good time. Cadie seemed to like it the best and she wanted to go back for the dirt bike rally the next weekend!

Leaving PepsiCo - The Story

My last day at PepsiCo after a little over 6 years. I would love to say it was a tough decision, but it wasn't. I have know since last spring that PepsiCo wasn't the right place for me anymore. It was a matter of finding the right next step. I remember vividly praying in the car on my ever increasing and tough commute for God to please help guide my path, and I truly believe He has done that.

At the very beginning of 2016, I shared with my supervisor, Adrianne, that my #1 priority was to find a better balance and spend more time with my family and kids. Adrianne was incredibly supportive and I felt positive about starting out the year with a clearly communicated focus on my family. Inside, I knew that I needed to challenge myself to find better balance because I was being drained and if I couldn't find that balance then something was going to have to give. As the year went on, the demands of my job continued to grow and it was impossible to carve out more time for my health and family. A high degree of change in the organization, an increased need for communications and a new leader with high expectations and specific needs was driving up the workload and I could feel myself on the edge. I would come home some days with a knot of anxiety in my chest and tears that threatened to fall at the slightest crack in my emotions. I took things day by day, trusting in God for strength, as I always try to do, but I knew that the situation was not sustainable. 

I was sitting at my desk one particularly challenging day feeling overwhelmed and I thought, "If I could work anywhere, where would that be?" And Southwest Airlines came immediately to mind. I had admired the company for years, the Southwest Headquarters are 15 mins from our house and the culture was second to none. So, I went to Southwest.com, saw some Change Management related jobs, and I applied! It was a long story of back and forth, back and forth over the course of 10 months, but I could feel God's hand in my journey and the ongoing conversation with Southwest gave me the hope and courage that I needed to let PepsiCo know that I would be staying until the end of the year to earn my bonus and then I would be leaving the organization. When I told Adrianne the news, I was so nervous but she was gracious and not surprised. She worked with me on a transition plan and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The last part of the year was still tough, but with the light at the end of the tunnel I was able to let the tension begin to release and start to pray and focus more on the future.

I told my team the news on Dec. 14 and they made me feel so special. They were sad, but understanding. Leaving the team I had built from scratch was the hardest part, but my heart was crystal clear that I needed to move on and so I was able to say my good-bye's with thankfulness for my time at PepsiCo and excitement for the future. At one point during the good-bye dinner and happy hour, Adrianne said that maybe I should be a little less smiley and a little more sad. Fair enough, but God has so many good things to come that I can't help but smile. 

For the record, good-bye to my PepsiCo team - Kelly Trouy, Emma Everid, Peter Litwin, Sarah Henry, Sara Ratliff, Amanda Porter, Melissa Moon, Amy Walsh and Rhonda Carlson. Good-bye to my PepsiCo friends - Adrianne Wright, Amy Dowdy, Jeanie Vachon, Annette Couch, Jen Dema, Byron Johnson, Natalie Browne, Sukshma Rajagopalan and Martha Roos. 

Good-bye PepsiCo

Here is my good-bye letter...

PepsiCo Friends –

Today is my last day at PepsiCo. The past 6 years at this company have flown by and have included traveling the world, helping to develop the next generation of leaders and trying my best to communicate as effectively as possible. Personally, the last 6 years have included two house moves, giving birth to my third (and final) baby, supporting my husband in starting his law firm and giving my all as a mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend.

My goal for my next chapter is to find a way to continue doing what I love professionally while spending more hours each day at soccer games, making grilled cheese sandwiches and reading bedtime stories. I have the most lovely 8 year old daughter, 6 year old son and 3 year old son and they need more of my time and energy and I am excited to reprioritize and refocus my life. For your viewing pleasure, attached is a pirate night picture of us over the holidays on a Disney cruise.

I will walk away savoring the friendships, experiences, learning and opportunities that I have had here. Thank you for being a part of my journey.

I would love to stay in touch!

Last PepsiCo pic from our holiday "ugly sweater" party.