"Generation X" & Fifteen!

I mentioned yesterday that The Hubs’ and my 10-year anniversary is coming up next week. But today was a bigger anniversary, of sorts. At least in number. Today is my 15-year anniversary at my “day” job.

FIFTEEN YEARS!

Who woulda thunk it?  You know, my generation was labeled “Generation X”. Here are some interesting tidbits about Gen-Xers:

• We were born between 1961 and 1981. Yep… that’s me… 1970. Smack dab in the middle. I guess that makes me the “middle child” of Generation X. We middle children are so troublesome! 
• The lowest birthrate year of this generation was 1970. Hmmmm…. I’m even more special now.
• We are considered a “reactive” or “nomad” generation. I wish.

And according to Wikipedia (yes, I know how (un)reliable this source is… but these parts are what I’ve heard about my generation repeatedly):

• Coming of age after the Vietnam War had ended, their political experiences and cultural perspective were shaped by the end of the cold war, the fall of the Berlin wall, and a series of US economic calamities such as the 1973 oil crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the early 1980's recession, and the savings and loan crisis - instilling a sense of economic uncertainty and a reduced expectation of long term fidelity between employers and employees.

So, what that means is, we were supposed to be the “job hopping” generation. And I truly thought I would. When I got this job, I had just moved to this state.  I had been out of work for four months.  I thought, “well, it will pay the bills until I can get something in my field of study” (from college). And then things just kept evolving. Two years turned into five. Five into ten. And now here I sit at fifteen years at the same company.  I don't know how it happened.  I never thought I'd stay at any job so long!  My first job out of college lasted two years.  This job was my 2nd job out of college...

The job itself has changed over the years. This is probably what helped me to stay. In my fifteen years here I have held at least five different titles (and worn at least twice as many hats). I’ve had six different supervisors, one of whom I’ve now had the pleasure of working for twice (she hired me and 14 years later became my supervisor again). I’ve sat in seven different offices but only three different desks (I’ve taken the same desk set-up with me for at least the past 12 years). I’ve moved with the office from across town to the building it is in right now and within the building I have moved between 5 different suites of office space. I had never flown in an airplane before working here, and have now flown (or otherwise traveled to) to our various offices in Tennessee, New Jersey/Delaware, Indiana, Alabama, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, California and Oregon.

There have been whole years here when I have been miserable. And many more years where I have been perfectly happy. I’m glad to be very happy where I’m at now. I truly enjoy my job role now… and the person with and for whom I work. She scrapbooks with me as well!

The company also has milestone celebrations and gifts. When I hit my 10-year anniversary, I was given the opportunity to purchase my scrapbooking modular storage system, courtesy of the company. You’ve seen it here. I was (and still am) thrilled!

This year, for my 15-year anniversary… well, wow. Words cannot express. But I'll sure give it a try...

My supervisor (and friend) came to get me around 10am saying she "needed me".  She walked me down the hall to the conference room where most of the entire office was standing...no, hiding... to surprise me!  Wow... it was awesome to see all of those faces there to celebrate with me.  Next, in another room, there were caterers set up to make to-order omlettes, along with bagels, cream cheese, yogurt and fruit.  Oh yum!  After I got my omlette, another surprise arrived... The Hubs!  He had taken the day off to come and celebrate this special day with me at my office!  I wish I could show you photos but I didn't have a camera and the camera that was there... well, I haven't gotten the photos from her yet! 

We all got custom-made omlettes and chatted for a while.  Then I had a ton of well-wishing cards to open.  One friend who recently (in January) moved to a different office in a different state (Wisconsin), sent me this ring:

I love it.  She has one similar and I had remarked upon it and she remembered.  So she had one made for me.  Pardon my chubby hand and terribly neglected nails, I'm sorely in need of a manicure.  Since they don't last, I never take care of my nails.  But I digress... I love this ring!

Another friend sent me some money for us to have a 'long distance lunch date'.  We used to eat lunch together occasionally, but she, too, up and moved to a different office in our company... only she went to Colorado.  So, we'll have to synchronize a lunch date sometime soon...

But then... then came the gift from the company for fifteen years of service.  I am so excited I can hardly write, so I’ll let photos tell you what I received:

That would be a Nikon D5000 SLR camera, with an 18/55 mm lens, plus a second zoom 70/300 mm lens!  Plus I got a carrying case, some cleaning supplies and a tripod (not pictured).  How totally awesome is this?!  Can you imagine the possibilities?  I can only begin to imagine...

I really am without enough words to express how I feel. So I’ll sign off, for now, simply with, perhaps I am not as Gen-X as my lable were to imply and also say.... well.... WOW!

Disclaimer - Nikon has no clue who I am... they have no idea my company purchased this camera for my scrapfoolery... I just wanted to show you how very excited I am to have one of these beauitful pieces of equipment.  Yum!