End of an Era....

Beware! There will be no exciting photos with this blog post -- only words to read (and it could get lengthy).

Today was an exciting yet hard day. You see, it was my last day with International Dairy Queen -- a company I've worked with for 10 years. Yep, I first got the job about two months after graduating from college. Now, 10 years later, I've been married over four years, and we've finally had our first child (now three months).

It's funny because over the last 10 years, I've definitely had some frustrating moments in this job. There are aspects of it that I know for a fact I will not miss. Then, there are aspects of it that I know I will definitely miss -- most of all, the people I work with.

Here are some things I remember, good and bad, from the last 10 years -- in no particular order.

1) I haven't counted exactly, but I have probably spent nearly 700 nights in hotel rooms over the last 10 years. I can tell you exactly what I like about various hotel chains (and what I don't like). I can tell you which hotels in my normal travel area have the best internet connection :) I know what types of rooms I like (for instance, Hampton Inns tend to have the best beds). I have stayed in old dumps (in Ulysses, KS, for instance). I have stayed in fabulous suites (at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, for instance). I have joined many different hotel chains' frequent stay programs. Marc and I have taken many vacations, and frequently, we don't pay for hotel rooms because of my accumulated "free" nights.

2) This job has taken me on trips for three weeks at a time. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend three weeks, all-expense paid (albeit working) in Seattle -- a great city! I also had the "opportunity" to spend three weeks, all-expense paid in Chattanooga, TN (beautiful in the fall, but definitely a cultural experience for me). In Chattanooga, unfortunately, I learned about some of the racism that still occurs in this country. In January, 2006, I "got to" go to Hawaii for work. Marc joined me, and we had a wonderful vacation as part of my job. One of the prettiest sites I've seen on the east coast was crossing over the Chesapeake Bay at sunrise (absolutely beautiful).

3) This job has allowed me to witness the excitement of teenagers (in their first job) when they finally mastered the famous DQ curl on a cone. What an accomplishment for them (it's really not an easy task).

4) Very importantly, I have met many friends for life. The DQ system is filled with some fabulous people.

5) One of the most memorable times for me was when I was having a conversation with a particular store owner. Her family had just been involved in a tragedy (involving a car accident). She was merely talking to me about life events and why she believes they happen. She finally said to me, "Sarah, I'm telling you this not in a professional sense but because I believe you're a Christian." The cool thing about this was that she and I had never had a conversation about Christianity. She realized I was a Christian because of my actions and words. Isn't that what we all should be doing?

The list could go on and on and on....

Now, I'm a mother to Luke (after being a child of God and wife to Marc first). Luke needs me at home. I'm fairly certain that he would not want me being gone 70 nights a year, and I certainly don't want to be gone from him for 70 nights a year. My job as a mother is and will continue to be far more important than my job at IDQ.

But, I must not forget my last 10 years. In a lot of ways, these 10 years have shaped who I am today.

Thanks for reading!