Partay
Today is a very important day. Today the VA Puget Sound Fisher House celebrates the first anniversary of opening. It also marks one year of working with the best boss a girl could possibly have.
Since we opened, the house has served over 700 families. 10% of those have been active duty. We have experienced joy and sorrow, some frustrations, a lot (A LOT) of laughter and some really good food. (I weighed less when I started this job, just saying).
I still can't always quite believe that every day I get to go to work and do something meaningful, something that contributes so profoundly to others. I can't always quite believe that I get to work in such a beautiful place, with such a wonderful team of people. I can't always quite believe that I have a boss who values my input, trusts my abilities and is always letting me explore new ways to make a contribution to the house. (And who also just cracks me up on a daily basis).
Want an example of how cool she is (besides the whole insisting-I-come-in-late-on-Friday-so-I-can-write-my-Project-Runway-recap thing?) We've had some guys stay in the house who used to be in show business. One of them, among his other credits, used to do the choreography for Bob Hope's shows. MAB used to take tap lessons so the boys wanted to get her back in her shoes. The last time they stayed we had some lessons. It all came back for MAB, of course. She put on her tippy tap shoes and went to town. I required more work, since all I ever learned was step-ball-change and that only on my right foot. By the time they checked out I had learned to do step-ball-change on my left foot, was working on step-shuffle-change AND, perhaps most importantly, learned how to do a jazz square. We promised the boys that we'd practice and be ready for them when they came back in October. Which we've been doing.
So on Tuesday I came to work and MAB had a present for me. She handed me a pretty gift bag, glee in her eyes, and I opened up the bag to find....wait for it....tap shoes. She's seen them at a garage sale and frantically called The Child to find out what shoe size I wore. Happily, they were the right size.
So now we both have tap shoes. And now we're working on a routine, sort of a "typical day at the office" in tap dancing.
Ever have a boss who did stuff like that?
Me either. And I've had some pretty great bosses.
So there it is. I am blessed beyond measure. And I get to wear a party dress to work.
Since we opened, the house has served over 700 families. 10% of those have been active duty. We have experienced joy and sorrow, some frustrations, a lot (A LOT) of laughter and some really good food. (I weighed less when I started this job, just saying).
I still can't always quite believe that every day I get to go to work and do something meaningful, something that contributes so profoundly to others. I can't always quite believe that I get to work in such a beautiful place, with such a wonderful team of people. I can't always quite believe that I have a boss who values my input, trusts my abilities and is always letting me explore new ways to make a contribution to the house. (And who also just cracks me up on a daily basis).
Want an example of how cool she is (besides the whole insisting-I-come-in-late-on-Friday-so-I-can-write-my-Project-Runway-recap thing?) We've had some guys stay in the house who used to be in show business. One of them, among his other credits, used to do the choreography for Bob Hope's shows. MAB used to take tap lessons so the boys wanted to get her back in her shoes. The last time they stayed we had some lessons. It all came back for MAB, of course. She put on her tippy tap shoes and went to town. I required more work, since all I ever learned was step-ball-change and that only on my right foot. By the time they checked out I had learned to do step-ball-change on my left foot, was working on step-shuffle-change AND, perhaps most importantly, learned how to do a jazz square. We promised the boys that we'd practice and be ready for them when they came back in October. Which we've been doing.
So on Tuesday I came to work and MAB had a present for me. She handed me a pretty gift bag, glee in her eyes, and I opened up the bag to find....wait for it....tap shoes. She's seen them at a garage sale and frantically called The Child to find out what shoe size I wore. Happily, they were the right size.
So now we both have tap shoes. And now we're working on a routine, sort of a "typical day at the office" in tap dancing.
Ever have a boss who did stuff like that?
Me either. And I've had some pretty great bosses.
So there it is. I am blessed beyond measure. And I get to wear a party dress to work.
Labels: all dressed up, celebrity types, MAB, The Job
cobbled together by Moi at 6:58 AM
8 Comments:
Be sure to update your skillsets on your resume to include the tap-dancing. And perhaps attach a picture of your party dress.
round of applause for YAB!
congrats on the year of cool job-ness.
let us know when they make you a permanent fixture.
If this were Facebook I would hit the "like" button.
Oh my GOSH, your boss is so wonderful!! :) Lucky you! *smiles*
Hell of a lot more fun than any job I ever had working in an office environment!
And it's nice to meet another one-foot tap dancer. :)
p.s. Syd here...
Being able to acknowledge your blessings at the time when you possess them (rather than when time's passed and the blessings have slipped through your fingers) is a blessing in itself. I'm so pleased the world of work has treated you well. Remember the trepidation you felt not long ago?
As for bosses, mine takes some beating too, because she is, of course, the Divine L.
Okay, I need to turn this into a hat trick and refer to another pillar of femininity as the 'Divine Someone-or-other'.
The Divine Ms Ciccone.
Phew, that feels better. My symmetry is complete.
Tap shoes! The funnest gift ever.
Now you and sister Audrey will be expected to present a snappy routine come Thanksgiving talent show time. Oh yeah.
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