A Great First Week Under My Belt

No matter how hard I've tried during the past few days, I have yet to find an even slightly adequate way to express how great it is to be back in the workplace. The job that I accepted (and started this week) has been absolutely amazing, and is without question proof that there was a reason the job hunt took as long as it did.

From the minute I walked through the door this past Monday, the entire staff -- from upper management on down -- made me feel incredibly welcome, and it's very apparent that their input and suggestions on anything that takes place are welcomed and encouraged. Everyone really enjoys the job they do and the industry they represent, and are glad to be a part of everything -- so much so that the turnover rate there is extremely low; I've met some folks there the past few days who have been there over 15 years, which really says a lot to me about their opinion of the association and love of their jobs. I've come on board at a time where the group is really looking to expand their relationships with both the media (within the industry and in the mainstream sector) and with press staff on Capitol Hill, and I've been given the opportunity to really help mold how this plan takes shape and is implemented.

After 10 years in Congress, this is definitely a big step outside of my familiarity zone, but it presents a great challenge -- and I'm one that really loves challenges like this. It's been a great few weeks; A. has settled into her new position quite nicely and has made a great impression on her coworkers and boss. More importantly, she has also found an environment where everyone is glad to be there and comes in each day excited to work -- and not dragging through the door with a great sense of dread.

The breathing has finally started again in our house.....

Old Boss Has New Job

Just got word that my former boss got a nice promotion today, and is being brought out of "retirement" after only about six months.
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White House Budget Director Resigns; Jim Nussle Is Successor

AP - White House budget director Rob Portman is resigning and will be replaced by former Iowa Rep. Jim Nussle, Bush administration officials said Tuesday.

Nussle ran for governor of Iowa last year and was defeated. He has been serving in Iowa as an adviser in former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

The changes were to be announced Tuesday by President Bush.

Portman, who was a six-term congressman from Cincinnati, left his career on Capitol Hill to join the Bush administration two years ago as trade representative and was named budget director a little more than a year ago to replace Josh Bolten when he became White House chief of staff.

The End of an Era

It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, but today marked the end of a decade of working in the U.S. House of Representatives. In many ways, this hadn't come as a surprise -- I had been looking for a new job for several months, one that would boost my salary while not requiring me to work 12- and 13-hour days that were so prevalent at regular intervals throughout the year. With a three-year-old daughter and a wife pregnant with a second child, a job with those hours just wouldn't have been fair to anyone.

However, what was unexpected was the fact that, immediately after election day, I found myself as one of the hundreds of "collateral casualties" resulting from the switch in power from Republicans to Democrats. Many members of my family who are Democrats called to gently rub in the massive GOP losses on November 7, only to find out that I got voted out of office along with many of the members of the House. I certainly don't hold that against them though; in fact, my youngest sister voted for the first time this year, and I can only be proud of the fact that she educated herself about the candidates and issues in her area and went out to cast her ballot.

It's certainly been a great ten years. I've had the honor of working with some phenomenal staff members during that time, but more than that, I've been employed by three of the best Members imaginable: Sonny Callahan (Alabama), who first took me on as an intern in 1996 and then (in his own inimitable way) jokingly told folks that he hired me as his field representative one year later because I just wouldn't go away; Jo Bonner (also of Alabama), who gave me a great opportunity to be his press secretary in the heart of the action on Capitol Hill (and to try to fill the big shoes he left behind when he was Sonny's press secretary); and Jim Nussle (Iowa), who brought me on board to give me the chance to work for one of best committees in Congress. I learned more than I would have ever thought possible from each of these men, and I will certainly carry many of these lessons into the next phase of my life.

My last few days on the Hill were really bittersweet, a time when I could roam around some of the offices and visit with old friends to say goodbye. I also took the time to wander through the Capitol one last time and soak in the history and wonder of that magnificent building. I've been around it and in it for so many times that I really took for granted the fact that I'm one of the privileged few who could walk over there whenever I wanted and just look around. At the end, when I realized when my time on staff was at an end, I just had to go through one more time. How often do each of us go through life -- with places, with family and friends, with jobs, with just about anything -- taking so much for granted, and not realizing what we have in front of us until it's too late. It is a powerful lesson indeed -- NEVER take your time here for granted.

The next phase represents the great unknown in my life, however. I'm so much of a Type A personality that I always like to have everything planned out in advance and know pretty much how things are going to work. In this, I don't; I've had some very successful interviews and have progressed well into the hiring process at several firms, but there's still no solid answer on where I'll be hanging my hat in the new year. I keep reminding myself that God will put me where I need to be when I need to be there -- and I'm sure he's getting quite a chuckle that I'm insisting on continuing to try putting Him on MY timetable, rather than surrenduring myself to his schedule.

I can certainly use the next week after Christmas (a nice period of down-time before my next round of interviews) to reflect on the changes in my life, and to think about many of my friends and coworkers find themselves in a similar position. God has plans for each of them, too; I just hope they are aware of that and carry that knowledge with them from one day to the next.