Transition Day

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Wednesday. Time is just speeding by. I'm not sure what happened Thursday, but Friday and Saturday I was in Owatonna doing the last 16 hour pre-adopt training of my life. It was bittersweet. It is a very tiring experience, but I like knowing that I am doing my part to prepare families on a very personal basis. Both Friday and Saturday nights Sadie and I worked on a project with my friend Joy and got black and white pictures of my kids and grandkids ready to cover a wall of my new office.

Yesterday was a great morning at church followed by lunch with friends and an afternoon of errands including getting a fitness center membership -- with people from church over last night for 7-layer bars that Sadie made.

For just a couple more hours I am finishing up some loose ends for Downey Side and Adopt America and then I will be heading off for lunch with my co-trainers for the adoption competency class I teach -- and then heading to Bethany to begin my first day there.

I'm having some pretty conflicting feelings. Even though the work can be emotionally exhausting, I love the relationships that I have had with the families I have worked with providing direct service to those in the adoption process. The relationship is a very intense one -- not like some professional relationships and I love the way I have been included in their lives.

I will now be moving into a supervisory position where I will be one step removed from that. I have always enjoyed management -- in fact ever since we got married I told Bart "The only thing I'm really good at is telling people what to do, and ever since we started parenting I've been surrounded by people who won't do a thing I say."

When I was a college VP I loved being the leader of a team who was passionate and working together. I already know a few of the people at Bethany here in MN and I know it is going to be great.

Wish me luck!