Today marks my one year anniversary at the G.T. District 87! Never before have I noted a work anniversary but with jobs scarce at this time I feel it's to be celebrated!!! I brought Cherry Bomb brownies and Hawaiian cookies yesterday ~ as a welcome back to one of the ladies who'd been off for a month and to mark the occasion of my one year there!
Speaking of sweet treats ~ my very first job, which I started on my 16th birthday, was for Keeler's Candies that was located on St. Charles Rd. in our town. I loved that job cause it was my first
and it was a yummy place to work. Nothing beats handling sweets ~ one in the box and two in the mouth!!! The candy dipper had a trade talent that I don't think exists anymore ~ she would scroll the letter of the type of candy on the top as she finished dipping each cream. There was no having to poke the bottom of a piece to see if you wanted to eat it!!! I can still see her every move ~ knowing full well even at 16 that it was a talent that not many had.
I left the candy store after a year and went to work for the upholstery store across the street (the new owners of the same business now reside in what used to be Tower Printers ~ imagine the connection I feel). My position there was more office related ~ answering the phones, checking the stock market updates for the boss, helping customers. I stayed at the job until after I graduated and realized that I needed a "real job"!
After many applications and job interviews I was given a chance with an accounting firm right in downtown Lombard (almost directly across the street from my first job!) The office used to be above what was Henderson's, then Long's and now Morningstar. My boss Mr. V ~ well he was great!! Still is ~ I will always hold a special place in my heart for him! When I think back to my inexperience I know that he really gave me a chance ~ and I proved myself ~ and by time I left there, 5 years later, to have our first child I had brought our office into the #1 slot of keypunching activity!!!! To date this was the longest I'd been at a job and was a bit sad to leave ~ but very, very ecstatic at my next position as a full time mom!!!
I spent the next 5 years being a full time mom and loved every second of it! Just before I found out I was pregnant with our third child we had stopped into what was the 'new' Keeler's Candies (it had been bought by a woman named Mary) ~ I mentioned to her that I used to work at the original Keeler's at which she then offered me a job! I thought it would be fun and 'yummy' but also a couple of hours for 'me' to get out. I worked evenings so the girls had 'Dad' to occupy them!! Like I said this was all shortly before I became pregnant with our son so my time there was limited ~ but most certainly okay cause to me there was no job more important than being a mom!!
With my love for kids and being a mom ~ baby #4 came along! My peeps, who were all about 2 years 2 mos to 2 1/2 years apart from each other, kept me quite busy!! When the youngest was getting ready to start kindergarten I knew I needed to find something for 'me'!
I had become involved with Lombard Juniors and while at a GFWC IL 5th District meeting I meet Laurie B., the Executive Director of Safe Harbor!! To this day I am in awe with the fact that I approached her, introduced myself and said that I would be interested in volunteering at the room for children whose parents/guardians are in court. I started volunteering at S.H. shortly after they opened and about a year later I was asked to become a part time employee! At first it was an uncomfortable feeling for me to be getting paid for the job when I'd been doing it for 'free'!!! That feeling didn't last long because my part time position turned into my longest job held ~ 7 years of being able to 'play' with children everyday that I was there!! It was rewarding being able to help create a safe setting for the children that would visit.
Laurie and I became great friends, have remained so, and even though we don't see each other often enough I know there will always be a special place in my heart for her! Giving notice that I needed to quit was very difficult for me but I needed to move on to help out at the family business ~ of which 'that door has closed' and a 'new one has opened' ~ I now begin the 2nd year with my job that involves many different responsibilities...
