After being unemployed since January 20th, my wife has decided to go back to school to obtain her Masters in Counseling, and it looks like she will be attending the Denver Theological Seminary this fall. Right around the same time that she knew she would be going back to school, I was contacted by a friend of mine who heard the news about my wife and ended up offering me a position to work in his company as the Sales Director for the west coast. I accepted the position and will be selling the company’s product (which is a system that sets-up a Medicare prescription program at hospitals) in four states which include Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington, and my home office will be in Denver.
I have submitted my resignation to the Red Cross, and my last day with the organization will be Friday, June 26th. After being with the Red Cross since 2005, I am leaving with many mixed emotions as I have been blessed with great colleagues, managers, mentors and projects. The Red Cross has a great mission, and I am honored that I was able to work in this organization for the past four years. I’ll be starting my new job on the 29th and in New Jersey for training until Ashley and I move at the end of August.
Both my wife and I are really excited yet somewhat nervous about the next steps in our lives. We love D.C., our church and our east coast community that surrounds and supports us. Leaving this place will be very difficult as we fell in love in this city and continue to be surrounded by incredible friends and family, but we also know a new and exciting adventure is in front of us.
Categories: Life Update
Tagged: Barack Obama, California, Denver, Denver Theological Seminary, Medicare, Oregon, Red Cross, Sales, Washington
If you go to the Clorox Bleach website you will find a tab at the top of the page that says “Our Story”. When you click on the link you’ll find that Clorox bleach has rich history spanning almost 100 years, self-proclaims itself the “Miracle in a Bottle”, and is doing philanthropic work by “Rebuilding Hattiesburg” and “Helping to Save the Frog”.
Everywhere we look companies are showing their goodwill and talking about their past and future plans. Target is touting the news that it recently gave away $3 million to a variety of charities. GM says that I can have “total confidence” in the company because it has a long record of selling affording vehicles to Americans. And Dell is giving money away to support education and information technology in developing countries.
Companies tell these stories for a lot of reasons. Stories connect people to their past, and companies are able to share what products, services and philanthropic efforts they currently (and will) offer down the road. For the most part, people like hearing these stories. There’s a level of authenticity and trust that I can have in the company because I know the company’s purpose.
What initially brought on these thoughts was a good friend of my wife and mine who asked us: What are you and Ashley going to be about as a couple?
At that point, we had the opportunity to share our story. We could have talked about the ways that we’ve been formed, shaped and molded to be the individuals and couple we are today. And we could have told our current and future plans for our careers, family and community. But, very truthfully, silence reigned because these ideas weren’t in the forefront of our minds.
Since that point, we’ve tried to do what many companies have done and decided what “what products, services and philanthropic efforts we currently (and will) offer down the road”. Translating this to non-corporate language, we’ve been thinking about type of people we want to become, what kinds of careers and activities we want to (and don’t want to) be a part of, and who will be receiving our time, resources and money.
We feel that we’re ready when asked: What are you and Ashley going to be about as a couple? And hopefully, a level of authenticity and trust will emerge after being asked.
Categories: Randomness
Tagged: Ashley Riley, Clorox Bleach, Dell, GM, Target
My wife and I never imagined that one of us would be jobless for more than a month or two, but for the past four months my wife has been in the process of nailing down a job as she was recently laid off by Barack Obama (mainly because she worked for the Bush administration).
When we got hitched in September, we were spending money at or just above the amount of our two paychecks. This unnecessary spending stopped in February when we came face to face with the reality that unless we seriously adjusted our expenses, we would be in trouble. We paid even closer attention to our money and saw that we had to cut our monthly dining and grocery expenses (which averaged $1,000) in half to break even. Also, any “extras” like decorations for the house or clothing had to be on the cheaper side or given to us as presents.
In the past two months we’ve realized how happy we are now that we live with fewer expenses. Dinners happen in the house more. Lunches are brought into work and turn out to be healthier than the cafeteria. Dates are creative and usually to free events. Clothes are bought at great prices but still look good. And my wife and I are growing closer to one another amidst it all.
Since February our total expenses have been lowered by almost 50% a month, and we continue to pay off debt and give money to our favorite charities. When we finally have two incomes again, we already made a pledge to keep our spending where it is (at least before kids) and put the rest in savings or give it away.
Ben Franklin said, “If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone.” Our hope is that we continue to spend less than we receive, have peace about our finances and help our friends come to find the same joy we’ve found by living with less.
Categories: Unemployment
Tagged: Barack Obama, Ben Franklin, Finances
Vicky's Nail Salon in Georgetown
About a month ago I bought Ashley a manicure as one of her birthday presents. To celebrate her birthday I made a scavenger hunt that took her around Washington, D.C., and it ended with a visit to Vicky’s Nail Salon so that Ashley could have her nails done. Because I had never been in a nail salon before and we already spent the entire today together, I thought I would join her for the experience.
Upon walking in to the nail salon one of Vicky’s associates immediately greeted us and asked “What color?” The associate sat us down at the nail counter and next to us happened to be one of Ashley’s good friends from the Bush Administration (who was also unemployed at the time). After talking for a few minutes, Ashley’s friend finished drying her nails, paid the associate and came back to say goodbye. On her way out the door she looked at us and with a huge smile said, “Life is good now that I have my mani.”
Almost immediately I remember looking at Ashley, rolling my eyes and chuckling quietly at this woman. How could something so superficial and insignificant make a smart, personable woman’s mindset completely change?
A week later Ashley and I were shopping for jeans, and it was one of those times when you try something on and everything fits well. The jeans’ length was perfect, waist felt great and overall fit looked just right.
At that point, it all made sense. Even with one of us being unemployed and the mild chaos of life, “Life was good with a new, good looking pair of jeans.”
Categories: Unemployment
Tagged: Ashley Riley, Nail salon, Shopping
'Bo' the Portuguese Water Dog
How do I become friends with Senator Ted Kennedy?
This past week the Senator and his wife Victoria bought Sasha and Malia Obama a Portuguese Water Dog fulfilling a campaign promise President Obama made to the First Daughters. Ted Kennedy’s choice of dog is great (especially for families like the Obama’s) as most Portuguese Water Dogs grow to be about 50 pounds, have calm, personable demeanors, never shed and are easily trainable.
Although this is exciting for the Obama family, my dream of owning a purebred Portuguese Water Dog was crushed last week. For the past two years, I’ve been looking to buy one of these dogs as their size, intelligence and personality would be perfect in our home. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the resources to afford one. As demand for these puppies skyrockets and the simple economic principle of supply and demand takes over, the price for these puppies ($2000 in 2008) isn’t going to drop anytime soon.
If you happen to run into the Senator, please pass along my hopes of owning a Portuguese Water Dog. And while you are at it, tell him that I hope he’s recuperating well after his collapse on Inauguration Day. Maybe he’ll see my caring spirit and fulfill a promise I made to myself to own one of these dogs.
Categories: Politics
Tagged: Malia Obama, Portuguese Water Dog, Sasha Obama, Senator Ted Kennedy
The blog “Love the World You Find” is alive and running!
I’ve talked with a lot of people about this blog, and the first question I am usually asked is, “What will your blog be about?” To answer that question, you will commonly see topics related to relationships/marriage, living in America’s capital, music, faith/Christianity, working in the non-profit world, (a little!) politics and personal finance.
I want to update this blog frequently but know that the demands of life can get in the way of good intentions so you’ll probably see new posts at least once or twice a week. Also, the picture of the week will change weekly, and the favorite albums will be frequently updated.
Be on the look-out for new features like “Where in the world is George W. Bush” which will discuss what the 43rd President is doing in his spare time and “The Balding Counter” which will provide you with the number of times that week, month and year someone has reminded me that I am balding.
Before I end I need to give a big shout out to Justin Thorp for his wisdom and help with setting up this site. Justin is a social media guru and doing amazing work in the web 2.0 world. Please check out his blog if you get a chance (http://drinkingoatmealstout.com).
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you visit often.
Categories: Randomness
Tagged: Balding, Chrisitanity, D.C., Faith, George Bush, Justin Thorp, Marriage, Music, Non-Profit, Personal Finance, Relationships
