Thursday, April 28, 2011

Administrative Professionals Week is April 24th – 30th

Come along with me for a week of
Administrative Professional Stories


Thursday
   Back to John, my great boss in Jacksonville. He and his wife were in a pickle and they asked if I would come out and sit with the boy’s while they went out and I could bring my daughter. We loaded up and headed out to his house at the beach. We got there, no problem, got the boys bathed and settled. My daughter was performing on Sunday, so we had to roll her hair in the pink sponge roller. Yes, this was a few years ago.
   When John and Tracye got home, he took one look at Jaclyn and busted out laughing and 2 seconds later Jaclyn busted out crying! So I’ve got my boss, who had had a couple of drinks, on one side and my daughter, who thought the world had come to an end, I didn’t knew whether to laugh, cry or RUN!
    We got everything calmed down and John and his precious wife insisted that we stay and have some “horse dovers” and a few glasses of wine. Well, we stayed until I couldn’t remember exactly how many glasses of wine I had . . .time to go!
    Backing out of the drive way . . .did I mention that I drove a company car . . . I hit the mailbox! Did I stop, no not me, I just kept on going, going and going ‘til I got home.
    Panic set in the next morning. How bad was the mailbox damaged, how bad was the car, oh, my gosh, the CAR. Was I going to have to pay for fixing the car, where would I get the money, oh, my gosh . . .was I going to get FIRED?
    I got up the nerve to call John at home, apologized about the mailbox and the car. Being the great boss he was, he just laughed and said, “I stood the mailbox backup and I’ll have someone look at car on Monday, so relax and enjoy the rest of your week-end.”

How could one administrative assistant be soooo lucky!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Administrative Professionals Week is April 24th – 30th

Come along with me for a week of
Administrative Professional Stories
Wednesday
   Once again, a, “You have got to be kidding!” story! Once again, Bob was my boss. You have to remember that this was the 1980’s, when we were secretaries and no one knew what a sexual harassment law was!
   Bob had a friend that was turning 40 and he wanted to make sure he didn’t forget his 40th birthday. Bob had an idea (again). Have a party, buy lots of liquor, find 40 black roses, a black Rolls Royce and, of course, the obligatory plastic blowup doll! Guess who was in charge of this affair (again) Moi!   
   Bob had a dealership friend that just so happen to have a 1960’ish black Rolls Royce. My connections helped me get the black roses. What to do about plastic blow up doll? Visualize this: A 5 foot tall blonde behind the extra large steering wheel, of this very conspicuous big black Rolls Royce. With gallons of liquor in the trunk and the black roses on the passenger’s seat . . .get ready.
   I am now at a filling station, using the air hose, remember when they used to be between the gas pumps . . . In the backseat, I have the “doll” blowing it up and trying to make sure no one sees me! Thank goodness I had my raincoat with me to cover up the “doll.”
   So here I go driving down the street, looking like Cruella d’Ville, except I don’t have puppies to hide, I have a blow up doll to deliver!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Administrative Professionals Week is April 24th – 30th

Come along with me for a week of
Administrative Professional Stories
Tuesday
     As I am sure every admin can tell you, there are times when you look at your boss and say “You have got to be kidding!”
     Once upon a time there was another boss, Bob.  He was single and wanted to impress his current girlfriend. He came up with this great idea and just knew that I could make it happen. The day – Thursday.  The idea – Dinner for two at his home with butler service. The event – Saturday.   Great, no problem, I’ll just whip it up and make sure everything is perfect! Bob had no idea of what menu he wanted, just when and where.
    This is where the “you have got to be kidding” comes in. I was fortunate enough to call a remarkable catering company and they took on the dinner!  They did an outstanding job!

Monday morning came around and he slipped me a $100 bill for job well done!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Administrative Professionals Week is April 24th – 30th

Come along with me for a week of
Administrative Professional Stories
Monday
After spending the last ?? years (you really didn’t think I would tell you) as an Executive/Personal Assistant, I have received some great stuff for Administrative Professional Week. It used to be called Secretary’s Day; yes I have been around that long!
I have received all the usually fare, flowers, gift cards, Godiva Chocolates. In a lot of cases, I was the one that picked out the gift and made sure that all the admin’s in the office were covered. Yes, I always made sure that the gift was something that I liked . . . did you expect anything different! Please. . .
I worked as an Executive Assistant for a great guy for 8 years, who has since passed, way too young. Rest in peace, John. He NEVER got mad at me, but just once, he did and it was bad. We had special guests coming in from out of town and I was never told that they were to be in our office at 9 am; therefore, he did not know. Once they got in the office and were settled in the conference room, he closed his office door and read me the riot act. Come to find out, the visitor’s admin had not called to inform me that they would be in the morning. The last we heard was the appointment was at 2 pm, so I had planned to call her that morning to confirm the time, but didn’t get a chance.
Well, once the meeting was over and everything was sorted out, and since it was Administrative Professionals Week – I got a $500 bonus . . . I am thinking it was just a little out of guilt! We never once had a cross words again!

Would like to share your Admin Stories?  Just leave in the comments below!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Job Hunting - 1st step to looking your best!

In my quest for a job, in my mid 50's - did I really say that?  I'm looking at doing a few things to enhance my natural beauty (lol).  Whitening my teeth is #1 on the list and what a deal. 

Click and find the great deals in your town!


Monday, April 18, 2011

Giveaway: Royal Wedding 64 GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G Ends 4/30

My friend, Jeanine, over at I Could Use a Deal and Southern Bella’s Ways To Save, are giving away a brand new iPad 2!  Follow the instructions and start entering today!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

A New Opportunity Awaits!

My position was eliminated at jcpenney along with two other coworkers (maybe more) . . .  But these things I know:
  1. God has a plan.
  2. When one door closes another opens, but man it is gonna suck waiting in that hallway!
  3. I went through financial hardship in the early 90's and managed to survive.
  4. You can't take blood from a turnip.
  5. God has a plan.
If you are in the DFW area and have a lead for an executive assistant, just send me an email and I will forward my resume.  I would be most grateful!

To all my Jacksonville friends, does your company have a Dallas office? Could you recommend me?
Always remember, God has a plan!  (That reiteration is for me!)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Prayer for Women's Conference in Iraq

I have a dear friend, Colleen.  Colleen is a missionary in Jordan.  She has a love for educating Middle Eastern women about God's love for them.  I only worked with Colleen a few years, but her ministry has keep us in touch beyond those years.  She is in Irbil, N. Iraq this week to help with a women’s conference for pastor’s wives.  Please pray for her safety, her health and all women are brought closer to God's sweet love.
Her March newsletter is below...
March 31, 2011
Catching up with Colleen


II Tim 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Dear Friends,
    It has been a stressful couple of months here and not because North Africa and the Middle East have turned upside down! Just like with any job there is a lot of work to do and not enough people to do the work. I have been in the office and my apartment the last 3 months writing reports to donors, proposals for future donors and just about any other kind of paperwork you can imagine.
    I am ready to get out and be with the people and I get that opportunity in April. I will be going with 2 other AWT staff members to Irbil, N. Iraq to help with a women’s conference for pastor’s wives. I will be doing the audio and video recording (new skills I am learning). Also, a woman from Ohio whose son was killed in the war has a heart to minister to Iraqi women, so she going with us. She will stay with me from the 7th until we leave on the 11th.

     As far as the unrest in this region, Jordan still remains the most peaceful. Last Friday there were demonstrations in 3 parts of the city. I got caught in traffic where university students were expressing their support of the King. It was the tail end of the event and the only problems it caused were traffic jams! Fortunately, the majority of Jordanians support King Abdullah, so that means less trouble!

Colleen is on the far right.
Blessings,

كولّين
Colleen

Prayer Requests:
 Please pray for all the details to come together for the Iraqi conference (logistics and finances) and safety for the women that will be attending. The conference will be from April 11-13 and the theme is “Jesus is the balm of our soul”. A Lebanese Christian counselor is the main speaker.
 Praise that my residence visa was renewed, so I am legal for another year.
 Please pray for me to learn how to manage my stress with living and working in a different culture. I was having chest pains and I knew it was stress but did go to the Dr. to make sure. He did all the typical tests and my heart is strong, I just need to take better care of it.
To learn more about the ministry follow this link:  http://www.awtministries.com/english/main.php
If you would like to be a part of this ministry, tax deductible gifts can be made to Christar, P.O. Box P.O. Box 850357, Richardson, TX 75085. You can put “for account #413” in the memo section of the check. You can also give online at http://www.christar.org/.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Happy Birthday to My Big Dog!

Nitro was a purchased, even though he was a mutt! His momma was a Black Lab and daddy was a Harlequin Great Dane. There were 8 puppies. They had just been to the vet for their 8 week shots. They were sleeping very happily on the front porch of their temporary home. So choosing a puppy was not easy, no one ran to you, no one licked your face. So I began to look at their precious faces . . . one, two, three . . . four was a cutie, she was black and had a white circle around her eye . . . if we chose this one, her name would be "patch". . . five, six, seven and then number eight . . . Looking into his face, it was perfect, a little like a dane and a little like a lab. Jet black with a patch of white on his neck. He was our choice and my husband named him Nitro.

We got him June of 1999. My only child, a daughter was graduating from high school. I knew in my heart of hearts that her transition into the next phase of her life would be quite an adjustment for me. So, Nitro became my constant companion and buddy.
Around his 10th birthday I began to worry that his days were numbered. "Big dogs don't live long" was the mantra of the masses. Today is his birthday - he is 12 - he is showing his age, but has not ever stopped greeting me at the door, listening to my triumphs and troubles. I have cherished every extra day that the masses told me I would not have.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NITRO!