Post jet lag, changes & other miscellany

 I'm slowly recovering from jet lag. It gets harder every year! Yesterday afternoon was the worst it's been, so I rescheduled a later APAC meeting, and did mindless tasks around the house. I'd already worked more than a full day, and will hopefully have more energy for a later meeting on Wednesday. Fingers crossed.

I made the chicken rice skillet, using rotisserie chicken & chicken broth, so more things out of the freezer. I left a plate for Sam, who had to work last night. Everyone liked it, although apparently the salsa I bought at Trader Joe's was "not spicy enough". Fair, I also thought it was a little bland. Lesson for next time. ;-) 

I didn't work out yesterday, but did get in good workouts on Saturday & Sunday, & have a plan for today, so I'm continuing to get back into a routine.

Work plans:

One of my goals for April was to align on next steps for work. When I left my previous job after a layoff, I wasn't sure if I was "done" with a big career/corporate role. I'm coming up on one year in this role, and I think I can definitively say that I'm done with big career jobs. I've been working in corporate America for coming up on 30 years (next year marks 30), and I just don't have the energy I used to have. Factor in the politics, the early mornings, and the travel, and I consider myself in the home stretch.

What does this mean for work? My current goal (barring some sort of major shift in responsibilities/leadership/work/etc) is to give notice in July & offer a few months to help train a new hire, transition projects, etc. I'd like to be done by end of September. What will actually happen when I give notice is up to the company, of course, although given I have zero plans to go to a competitor, I'm reasonably sure they will keep me on for a bit to make the transition smooth. 

Finances:

Why July? I have to pay back my sign on bonus if I quit any time before July, so that's off the table. I also received a pro rated (based on hire date) annual bonus in early July, so both of those financial milestones will be achieved. We will then shift to M's health care plan.

I have a few other financial milestones I can stay for (a small secondary sign on bonus, a stock vest in December, etc), but so far, those don't feel like enough incentive. I'm on the cusp of needing more medical intervention with lupus, and I'd like to avoid that for as long as possible. 

What comes next?:

I'd love to have the flexibility to travel a lot, and be available to my family more. I am also reasonably confident that I will do paid work again, but just not a "career" job in my current industry. I'm in no rush to do so, and don't need the money, although it will pad the travel fund nicely to have something like that lined up when I'm ready.

I have a huge bucket list of places to go and things I'd like to do, so stay tuned for those updates. 

Focusing on my family & my health will be my top two priorities. We've worked really hard to get to this point, so looking forward to taking the time to regroup a bit & reset. We feel really lucky this is an option. M would like to work for another three years or so, barring any other changes at his work. He doesn't "love" it, but likes the company & the challenge of the work.

More to come, as I firm up plans!