Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

A few weeks ago I promised my blogging faithful a major announcement on April 5th. Well, I decided to throw you a bone a day early. On May 22, 2008 I will begin my second "retirement." Yes, I will be resigning my position as manager of Treats Unleashed in order to begin a new chapter in the Book of Blog Daddy.

"Sales at the store have never been better. What the hell are you thinking?" That is a valid question. In March, our store enjoyed its second highest sales month in its nine year history (including December holiday sales totals). In the two years that I have been manager, monthly sales have nearly doubled. Remarkable, to be sure, but I can hardly take all the credit. I am blessed to have the best sales staff in the store's history. One person in particular has blossomed into a star employee. Kim Gay, my assistant manager has been with the company for three and a half years. She is familiar with all facets of the business and has been an indispensable part of my success as manager. She is also graduating from Mizzou in May, and will therefore be available to work full time as the new manager of Treats Unleashed. She will pick up right where I leave off and the store will continue to grow under her leadership.

"So you trained your replacement. What other reasons do you have for quitting?" I'm glad you asked. First and foremost- family. I want to be readily available to be there for my mom, who continues to battle cancer. In fact, she is having surgery next week to remove the larger, more stubborn tumor in her brain. We are confident that it will improve her quality of life, although it is a little scary when one talks about "brain surgery". Regardless, I won't be constrained by obligations to work this summer if she needs me. Also, Alex and I will get to spend his entire summer vacation together. We have already filled up the calendar with fun activities for both of us to enjoy. On Mondays, we will go to Albert-Oakland Park in Columbia for a round of disc golf followed by a dip in the swimming pool. Each Tuesday we will head to the Columbia Public Library and then to a city park with a playground- visiting different parks each week. Wednesdays are reserved for fishin' trips. Thursdays are for visits to the driving range or golf course followed by a trip to the Ashland City Park. Fridays are a wild card day that could include fishing, camp outs, family movie nights, float trips, etc. Weekends will be reserved for family bike rides, little league games, deck parties, and fishin' trips. We are also planning three major road trips this summer. On Memorial Day weekend, we will all drive out to see Blake and Meredith in Baltimore. In June, we will go to Chicago for Bethany's triathlon. On Labor Day, we will trek to Omaha for the Keller Family Reunion. (We hope gas prices go down between now and summer but we won't hold our breath.) Of course I will document these many adventures right here on this blog, so be sure to check back every day this summer for updates.

Hitting the wall. I have worked at Treats Unleashed/Doggie Empawrium for over five years now. Yes, I took a year or so off to stay at home with Alex before he started school, but I did cover for the girls at work when they needed some extra help on occasion- so I never really left. Five years is a long time for a free spirit to be tied to one occupation. I'm ready to move on. I feel like I have taken the store to the next level and now is a good time to hand over the reins to Kim. She was born for this line of work. She has three Chihuahuas whom she spoils rotten. She relates well to the store's clientele. She is young, energetic, and eager to prove herself. The store will be in good hands with her at the helm. "What will you do next?" you may ask. I'm not sure, but I am thinking about being a substitute teacher in the Southern Boone school district. It would give me a flexible schedule, unlimited time off for family, and a complete change of pace from what I have done in the past. We'll see.

Fate. On February 22, our family went to town for some Chinese food. On the way home I remarked to Bethany that there were exactly three months till my last day of work. An interesting factoid but nothing more. After eating our dinner, we broke open the fortune cookies. Mine read, "Remember three months from this date. Good things are in store for you." (Take a minute to let that sink in.) By some amazing cosmic phenomenon, when I observed earlier that evening that the date was exactly three months until my last day of work, I was actually holding that unopened fortune cookie in my hand. Coincidence? You be the judge. I call it fate. And because the fortune emphasized good things, I decided that on May 22, I would not only begin my "retirement" but I would also buy a lottery ticket using the numbers on the back of the fortune. I don't see how I can lose.

So there you have it. The cat is out of the bag. Blog Daddy the poet/philosopher will be back where he belongs very soon- unemployed. Stay tuned.