And it's a new...

VAN!

Does it look familiar anyone? Since it's the same van the my sister, my sister-in-law and my parents-in-law have, it's a little crazy! It's even the same color as my sister's. I guess if it's a good van, it's a good van.

We can fit all three car seats in the middle seat--very convenient for day to day driving!

We got it from CarMax and it's a 2007 with 10,000 miles on it. I'm excited because it has the amenities that Dave's car has, so maybe we won't have to fight over me getting to drive the car anymore (or maybe I'll want to drive that, too!). It has a navigation system (much needed, if you've ever driven with me), sattelite radio, a sunroof and a dvd player!

We already had the talk with the kids... We're not watching it all the time, just on long trips. Then we had to define long trips. To Grandma and Grandpa's? Yes. To Gram and Grumpy's? Yes. To daycare? No. To Auntie Lisa and Uncle John? Yes. To Aunt Jen and Uncle Mark's? Depends on how crabby they are (or how crabby I am!). Anyway it's exciting to me!!

One of these days I'll write how happy I will be to not have to face mornings anymore, at least not mornings of getting the kids up early and getting out the door. Nolan will be the death of me for that!

But for now, here's the email my leader sent out for me leaving.

Partners,

I’m sad to announce that Jill Gawrych has resigned her position as Marketing Operations Manager to spend more time with her family. Jill is not only our MOM, she is also mom to Abbey, Nolan and Max who are delighted that mommy will be around a lot more. (As is husband Dave!)

Jill began her DS career as a merchandiser in 2002. She was promoted to Product Management Operations Manager in 2005 and Marketing Operations Manager in 2006. Jill has made many lasting contributions to our processes both within marketing and across DSE. She has also been an outstanding leader, confidant and friend to many, including me.

This may be old news to some as Jill actually announced her intentions a month ago. She graciously agreed to stay on until the end of May to aid in the transition. Joel Strassburg will be the acting Marketing Operations Manager as we search for a replacement for Jill. You may see still see Jill around for a while as well. She will be assisting with the integration of the DSE and DSSI marketing teams into the recently announced corporate marketing department.

We will have a send-off for Jill on May 30th – details will be forthcoming.

Please join me in wishing Jill well on this exciting new chapter and thanking her for her outstanding contributions to Direct Supply.
Thank you,

Joel

As much as I'm excited about leaving, there's a part of me that will really miss it, too.