There's no such thing as a free lunch

Well, actually there is. However, it's not without its own cost. ;-) My new employer (and, M's too for that matter - we both got jobs at the same place) offers free food. . . all day long. Free breakfast in the morning, snacks, fresh fruit, coffee, smoothies, lunch, & if you happen to be working late, free dinner. I'm sure you can guess why our employer wants to feed their staff - to keep them working longer! That said, I'm very grateful. I've packed a lunch probably 85% of every work day, so it's such a nice treat to have the variety of options, the cost savings, as well as just saving time by not packing. I also feel super grateful that our employer puts a big emphasis on healthy options. The jury is still out on how much we're saving, but I'll be reporting on that soon.

There is also an onsite gym (I've been taking spinning in the morning - it's amazing), that is free. Love having a gym in such close proximity to my desk. I can actually get in a workout on 2-3 days/week before my first meeting.

That said, my first three weeks have been quite an adjustment. I was with my prior employer for my entire career (16 years, but who is counting? ;-)), and had a huge network I could tap whenever I needed advice, had questions, or just wanted to vent. I'm starting entirely from scratch in a new place with a very different culture. It's . . . unsettling. I also had one vision of what my job & team would be like, based on feedback from M about his team & environment. We work in different job disciplines, & I think it's safe to say that our teams are nothing alike.

I'm still trying to find the balance of settling in to a new place, adjusting to my new working hours, and managing the kids/family/household stuff.

Luckily, soccer ended on Saturday, & I'm very grateful to have the time back. It was a huge learning experience for me to coach, and quite a bit more work than I initially expected. Somehow, since we've moved to California, the boys have started to look more alike! I think it's the shaggy hair & tan. ;-) And yes, these are pictures of pictures, so please excuse the quality.

In other news, I got my first paycheck last Friday, so I'm busily tallying up our spending for 2013, predicting our final budget totals for the year, setting the budget for 2014 and just generally getting our lives back in order.

And, we've rented out our house in Washington!!!! So very excited. We're going to continue to pay for the yard service, & then pay a fee to the property management firm, but we will roughly break even each month. So excited to have that settled. Our renters move in over the weekend.

I apologize for my absence as I try to find time to get everything done!

What is one thing you are grateful for today? For me, the gorgeous fall that we are enjoying, and the relief of knowing our house is rented.