update on my job

Thanks for your sweet comments and advice after my last post. The suggestion to "wait it out" seemed popular. The problem with that -- after 30 days of working there I can no longer work anywhere else in Austin. Which gives me a little bit of pressure to decide quickly. BUT.... this past weekend went WAY better. Not perfect, but way way better than my first couple of days. I am feeling much better and feel like it is all working out. I got a few walk-ins this weekend. AND was able to lower my prices a little. So thanks for your concern and prayers. It's helping :)

my new job

I worked two days last week. One day was awful, and the other was bearable. (Hopefully my new boss isn't out there reading my blog.) I won't go into full details- I just wonder if I am the right fit for this salon. It is REALLY nice. They did a great job on making the salon look and feel nice. Everyone works together to keep it looking nice and clean and uniform- and I really like that. But I think my biggest hurdle is that I have to charge what she tells me to charge, and she told me to charge too much. I think she was trying to be nice to me... by putting me at a higher 'level.' But really- I would rather be a at a lower level and have a clientele that is more like me (people like me don't pay what I am charging). I worked all day last Friday and Saturday and had one walk in... a bang trim. Which was terribly overpriced. I had two other appointments of people I knew, but they might be the only two people who are willing to pay my outrageous prices. So -- if there are not a lot of walk-ins and I have to rely on my own people, I have no idae where I am going to find any more people to do their hair. And it sucks to sit around waiting (although I realize that it is part of the job... it's just how it is when you start somewhere new).
I'm not working THAT much. But boy is it interfering with my life! I'm pretty sure it's just because it's December, but it's still turning out to be really hard to swallow to miss things that are very important to me. I am room mom for Quinn's class at school. And I have to miss her Christmas party. Which makes her really sad, and also makes me feel bad because I AM IN CHARGE OF THE PARTY. So I am having to figure out how to throw a party that I'm not going to be helping at. And console a little girl who really wants me there. I am missing another half marathon. I thought it was heartbreaking the first time this happened a couple months ago. And it turns out to be just as heartbreaking the second time around. The crazy/sad thing about this race is that I wouldn't only need to miss an hour of work... and my boss still said no. It's apparently pretty important to have me sitting around her salon for that hour instead fulfilling important goals in my life.
I know that some of my other concerns about the people I work with might get easier in time. A lot of the other stylists and coordinators are really nice and semi-accepting of new people. I enjoy meeting new people and have looked forward to this aspect of going back to work. It just isn't turning out to be the way I thought it would be.

In a way I feel like this job was a huge blessing! It happened to me fairly easily. Almost easily enough that I feel like it is 'meant to be.' BUT-- that doesn't mean that I necessarily want to start all over in my job hunting. I do feel like I looked at quite a few other salons, and even had other interviews. The thought of doing all that again sounds AWFUL!! And some of these concerns are selfish and I should just get over it :)

Wow-- if this isn't the biggest downer of a post I don't know what is. What do you think? Should I look for a new job? Should I stick it out and see if I can get over some of these things that seem to be bothering me?

working girl

Big changes happening in the Keller house. I am going back to work! I haven't worked since we moved, but I've been itching to get back to it. I applied for a job, had an interview, (then a second interview), then offered a job! I feel like it all fell into place so quickly and easily. Even my Texas cosmetology license came in the mail on the same day I was offered a position.

Dave and I have both gone back and forth on the decision. We have had some mixed emotions about it... Wondering if the timing was right, the kids were old enough, the scheduling would be too hard to juggle. But... it's falling into place. I will only work 2 days one week, then 2.5 the next. And-- the kids will be with Dave when I'm at work. I found a really awesome salon in downtown Round Rock that I am really excited about. It is an Aveda salon-- which I did before in California, so I'm looking forward to Aveda again. It has such a culture that goes with it-- education, client experience, salon atmosphere, etc. For instance- I HAVE TO WEAR ALL BLACK AGAIN!!! Yikes. I feel like my usual goal when getting dressed is to combine as many colors as possible without looking like a clown. And when I do end up looking like a clown, I'm good with it. So that will be a change. And I'm sure my kids will have to get used to me being gone more than I am now. But.. I think it will be good for all of us. A chance for me to get away and be something other than a mom for a few hours a week. (And a chance for the kids to spend more time with Dave.) So if you read this and live in Texas-- I will finally agree to do your hair :)

(Here's a blurry picture of me during my hands on interview. It was probably kind of cheating because I did Alanna's hair. But I got the job anyway, so I guess its wasn't cheating.)