My 10 Year Workiversary

Here we are.  Back then, 10 years was something that you had in the back of your mind and a day I always thought would take a long time to arrive. Time is a funny thing because something that is far away isn’t really that far away in the scheme of things. We all perceive time differently even though each day is the same amount of time for everyone. The question is - do you use your time you have wisely?

I am thankful for the people that helped me get my foot in the door 10 years ago.  I remember going in for my interview in late July.  It was a hot and sweaty day. I parked in the guest lot in front of the building and made my way in. I was so anxious I could not determine if I was sweaty from the heat outside or nervous for my interview.  Probably both, if I am being honest.

That interview went well and I heard back several weeks later that they created a job for me working with human resources, records and the records center. That first day, 10 years ago today, I did my best to learn as much as I could and ask questions.  I knew it would be a marathon being brand new in the state government.  I impressed my team and others around me so much that they kept extending my time I had there. Unfortunately, it did have to end. They wanted me to succeed within the agency that they even spent some time helping me look for another job.

That landed me in the mailroom after another nervous interview. I dove in and learned as quickly as I could. There was a lot of memorization, sorting and learning a routine. Once I got that down, the job was easy, but navigating personalities took a little bit longer to figure out. I was able to learn the building and meet different people throughout the various program areas.

Within the year, I applied to a non-permanent job in retro so I could gain knowledge on two of our widely used computer programs. I figured that the reason why I was not being picked for jobs was because I had no experience using those programs. That year was probably the most taxing one I had because the unit was so different from the previous ones I’ve been in thus far.  I met some great people there that I still talk to even to this day.

I left my agency to another agency for a month before coming back to the agency I was familiar with. I started in another business area within the office of the medical director. I had no experience with any of that sort of work, but I am a person that learns quickly and uses what I learn to make my job as easy as I can make it. I am thankful they brought me back to the agency where I felt like I belonged. I was there in office for eight months before we were forced to work from home due to Covid, and that is where I stayed for almost seven years. We adapted to our new normal and working from home was odd at first but after almost five years I couldn’t imagine going back into the office and being around people again.

Then what seemed like out of nowhere - last fall I was offered an opportunity to do a developmental job assignment with another business area I was unfamiliar with. I did not hesitate, I said yes without even hearing what they had to say about it. It was worked out with both program areas, and I was doing two jobs at the same time for five months. I never thought I would have a chance to do a DJA.

That DJA brought me back into the building and let me tell ya, from a person who used to go to work at HQ to see how life was before 2020 – it was so busy with people all over the place, it was noisy, the cafeteria had a line, there was always something going on in the many training rooms, the rotunda was buzzing with activities, you didn’t dare leave at lunch time (unless you had your monthly lunch meetings with friends) because you would lose your parking spot and have to hike when you got back and most of all you were able to network with people. It’s much harder to network with people when you are at home.

Post 2020 – I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone every time I came in. It was so empty, entire floors were moved around, the bank of elevators were updated, there were a lot of new faces I didn’t know because a lot of them got jobs after 2020, I felt like I was one of the old people when I learned how young these people were, the parking lot was virtually empty, the cafeteria will never be the same, the cubicles and working areas are so quiet but it was nice to meet new people and network with them, even the technology was different.  However, I still enjoyed working from home.

A position opened up and I applied for it. I believe I needed a change and I could not pass it up. After another nervous, sweaty interview (this was my first virtual interview) and several stress-riddled weeks later, I found out I got the job. I was excited to start my new work journey. Job transitioning is never easy especially on the unit losing the teammate. I enjoyed the time we all spent together.

The first four and a half years seemed to go by slow because I was going to work every day at HQ and in that span, I held five different jobs in five different capacities and moved around a lot in the building. I had to learn a new job almost every year up until 2018 (if you broke it down with the actual time, I was in each job). It was difficult to be the “new kid” every time I changed jobs and had to be trained on how to do the job just to turn around and have to learn a new job a year later. It was wearing on me and stressful.  While that was happening, I just didn’t understand why I was always being passed up for that full-time permanent job. Was I not worth taking the risk? I applied for at least 70-80 jobs during that time frame.

The next four and a half years went by faster than the first four and a half. I enjoyed the extra hour to sleep in, I could wear sweatpants all day, I had two fuzzy coworkers who kept me entertained, no commute, I could make an actual lunch during my lunch hour, no one interrupted me and I was able to get my work done efficiently. The best part is that was able to get more personal stuff done with those extra hours I saved not getting ready or commuting. I learned a couple new skills like learning how to cook better, and I had more time to exercise. I loved being able to do chores during my breaks or lunchtime, that also saved me time during the day.

I do believe that I was in the right place, with the right people, learning what I needed to know at that point during my career.  I was supposed to learn those certain things, meet those particular people and learn those specific lessons for reasons beyond me, however, if you are not being challenged there is no personal growth.

Was every day perfect? No. 

Were some days harder than others? Yes.

Were there days I didn’t want to get out of bed and go to work? Yes, but I did anyway.

Did I want to do better than the day before? Yes.

Will I ask you questions? Absolutely. 

Will some of them be dumb? Maybe.

Did I learn something new every day? Yes, and I will always continue to do so.

A huge thank you to those I have met throughout the years without you, your advice, stories, support and expertise, I would not be where I am today.  I appreciate the time and effort you put into me.  That does include - the ups, the downs, the teamwork and collaborations, the miscommunications, the successes, the failures, the learning moments to do better, to be better, the education and training opportunities, celebrating the victories, giving and accepting feedback and most of all being human and giving me that chance.

Here’s to the next 10!

I received my 10-year certificate about a month after my anniversary date during a quarterly program virtual meeting. I also received a pin and a $50 gift card to Amazon.

Next Adventure: Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Labor Day Weekend in Long Beach with Trish

Saturday, August 30th

About a month ago, at the WSGA Campout, I spoke with a lady named Sherry (LifeIsGuud). She and her husband live in Pacific County and was going to host an event at the end of August. Without thinking, I agreed to host an event during that same weekend, just for the next day, so I could suffice hosting an event near the ocean as the WSGA chapter rep. I didn't realize it was Labor Day weekend. That meant not many people will probably attend and hotels would be expensive. Ughhh. Oh well.

I asked Mom if she wanted to go with me that weekend, but she was already doing a quilting thing with her people. I asked Megan if she wanted to go and she was going to until Robert screwed up the kid's schedule and she ended up having her kids that weekend (which was a good thing she got her kids), so I asked Trish if she was available to hang out for a weekend and she said she was and would go with me.

I got onto the internet and tried finding an affordable hotel room for one night. I managed to get lucky and found one right in the middle of where we needed to be in Long Beach. I hated that it was about $250+ a night but it was a holiday weekend. Trish told me she was going to pay half of it, and I thanked her for offering. I let her know when we would be leaving and would appreciate her meeting me at our house so we could leave to head down. I also told her to bring stuff for any occasion...it is the coast in Washington after all, it could be hot, cold or perfect. She said she was looking forward to it.

This was my first time on a trip with just Trish, so this could be an interesting weekend. She got to our house around 9ish. We moved her stuff into the Escape, we used the restroom, made sure we had everything, told Ben bye and hit the road around 9:45. I decided to take Hwy 4 out of Longview/Kelso because I haven't been down that way in a while. We spent the next few hours talking about random things throughout the drive. They were some great conversations and I enjoyed them.

We arrived in town roughly around 12:30. I asked her if she was hungry and she said she could eat. We scanned the streets for a place that looked good and came across North Jetty Brewing. The parking lot was virtually empty so maybe we got there at a good time? We went inside and was immediately taken to a table and served a menu. I ordered Another F**king Raspberry Hef because I love fruit beer and Trish ordered a Boneshaker IPA. For food, I got the Cubano and she got the Ham and Cheese Panini. They came with a bag of chips. The food and beer sure hit the spot.

We got back into the Escape and found a free public parking lot so we could spend some time walking around. We spent about an hour or so walking up one street and down the other. Our first stop was at the virtual cache, The World's Largest Frying Pan (GC7B6C5). I've been here several times throughout the years but this time someone finally put a virtual cache here. Trish and I posed in front of it to suffice the logging requirements. 

We went into a few shops just to pass some time before we could check into the hotel and make it to the event by 5 p.m. We even went into Marsh's Free Museum to see the weird stuff and Jake, the alligator man. I bought a few postcards and a magnet. From there, we saw we were within a short walking distance to grab a traditional cache, SS Admiral Benson - Graveyard of the Pacific (GC632BP) and another virtual cache, Long Beach, WA: A Beach Town (GC9P7FP). We had enough time to grab them and then make our way back to the Escape to drive and check into the hotel.

We made our way to the Best Western and checked in. We took our stuff up to our room and picked the beds we were going to sleep in. I got a room with two queen beds, so everyone was comfortable. We grabbed what we needed and headed back out to the Escape to drive to the event. It was short couple blocks down Bolstad Beach Access Road, but it was totally worth driving. We parked in the lot because we knew better about driving in the sand. We did NOT want to be those people. We grabbed our chairs and looked for the group of geocachers next to a fire. We went and grabbed Discovery Trail - Captain Clark Statue (GCAD2BV) before the event and then admired what was left of the professional sandcastles.

We saw where the National Beach and Toasted Marshmallow Day! (GCATMGC) was. I recognized Sherry and a couple of the other people from past events. We spent the next two hours sharing stories, watching at least eight different people/cars get rescued from being stuck in the sand and enjoying smores by the fire. We had about 10 people show up to the event, and we stayed until about sunset. We helped Sherry pick up her stuff.

Trish and I went back to the hotel, ate some food we packed, relaxed, got cleaned up, she slaughtered me at Phase 10 dice, we watched some college football and then went to bed. I slept like poop even with the A/C on and ear plugs.

Sunday, August 31st

I did a lot of tossing and turning throughout the night. I got up a couple times to adjust the A/C so it would drown out the snoring. I also tried to adjust my ear plugs so I could get some sleep. I eventually did but it wasn't good sleep. My body definitely knew I wasn't in my own bed when I woke up around 8:30 feeling a little sore. We laid in bed for another 20 minutes or so before getting ready and going down to the buffet for some hotel breakfast.

They actually had a decent spread and Trish, and I found plenty of food to get us through most of the day. We packed up our room, checked out and headed to the Escape. I asked her what she wanted to do before the event I was hosting, and she said she was up for whatever. I looked at the geocaching app and saw a couple of geocaches on the Discovery Trail we could get. We can grab caches and get in a walk. We parked at the Sid Snyder Beach Access lot, grabbed the stuff we needed and walked south.

We made our way to the first cache, Catching Waves (GCAVB2V), while ducking and dodging electric bikes, families with dogs and a little girl just learning how to ride her bike with training wheels. The location of the first cache was obvious, it was somewhere near the dolphin sculpture, and it was a 4.5 difficulty. I explained to Trish that it could be any of the following examples and listed off a few. This one was sneaky according to the past logs. We were on the right track but had to ask the cache owner for a hint. Trish found it and we celebrated!

The second cache, Discovery Trail - Pine Grove (GCAD36A), was easier to find. I popped that right out of its hiding spot. Trish snapped a picture. We continued walking south down the boardwalk for another quarter of a mile or so. We crossed over the grassy area onto the beach and walked the beach back to the parking area. We saw a vulture eating dead seagulls.

As it approached event time, we got back into the Escape and drove to the Bolstad Beach Access entrance, parked, loaded up the wagon and pulled it to a spot on the beach. We got all set up and waited to see who came to my second WSGA event. A few people came, signed the bucket, hung out and chatted. A couple of us worked together to make a sandcastle. I always thought it would be fun to host a sandcastle geocaching event because I've never been to one, and I've never heard of anyone hosting one before. We had a great time!

I thanked everyone for coming, packed up, wagoned everything back to the Escape and Trish and I headed home via Hwy 4 through Longview again. We left the beach around 2:30. We stopped at Papa Pete's just outside of Longview for some pizza and a much-needed pitstop. 

After food, we hopped onto I-5 north and didn't stop until we got home. We arrived around 7. Trish thanked me for a fun weekend, and she got home safely around 8.

Next Adventure: My 10 Year Workiversary

International Geocaching Day & The 2025 Tumwater Artesian Brewfest

A couple months ago, Del brought up going to the Tumwater Artesian Brewfest and asked if anyone was interested in going. We all spoke up and agreed that we had a great time last year that we should do it again this year! I even reached out to Megan to see if she wanted to go. She said she didn't have her kids that weekend and was interested in going with us. She doesn't drink but she said she would have fun just hanging out and doing something with friends.

That morning there was a geocaching event, 2025 International Geocaching Day Gathering (GCBAJQR) and yes, I even got a text message from Bev asking if I was going to the event. I told her yes, I was getting up and putting on clothes and that I would see her and Bob there in a little bit. I grabbed a super quick breakfast and told Ben that I would see him later. I made it to the event a few minutes before it started and was able to find a parking spot since quite a few people showed up.

I hung out with everyone for about an hour. We talked about past geocaching trips, future trips, the geocaches we all have found recently...a couple people asked about the Europe trip I went on with Ben back in February. It was fun to see everyone. 

I was talked into going to Kettle View Park with Bob, Bev, Gabe and Wayne to go get a new cache that published that morning by Riley and Karen. I told them I would meet them at the park so we could find The Woods Have It...(GCBAJCR). We started walking over to the patch of woods and found a couple ways in. I got to the cache first and found what we were looking for. I got my name on it and put it back where I found it. I thought the group of people were right behind me, but they took a little bit more time to saunter through the woods down the dirt path. I was going to let them figure out where the cache was and would give them a hint if they need it. They found it within a couple minutes. They decided to go get a few more, but I didn't have time to go with them since I had prior engagements.

I hurried home because Megan was meeting up with Ben and I to carpool to the event in Tumwater. We were going to meet Nicole and Del there. We got to the brewery grounds, paid our parking fee and found a place to park. We grabbed what we would need and made our way to the giant line where we found Nicole and Del. For being a giant line, we did get through it quickly - scanned our phones, got our bracelets, tokens and souvenir glass which looked different than the past years. Megan was our designated driver, so her bracelet and swag was a little different than ours. 

We went inside and walked to the three tents. The weather, on the other hand, did not look favorable off to the west. We could get our butts wet. I looked at the map and the available breweries and drinks to try. I saw some of the same ones I enjoyed from past years and some interesting creative ones to try this year. As I was heading to my first taste, I heard my name being called from the crowd of people. Who is calling my name? I scan the crowd to see where it was coming from and saw Fitzy's sister, Kelsey and her friend enjoying the festivities. We talked about an array of things but mostly the NHL and the Kraken games. She nabbed some season tickets, and she's been enjoying the games. She was excited for the upcoming season. I told her it was nice running into her and to enjoy the rest of her day. She told me the same.

Then it started sprinkling so I found the closest tent and crammed my way into it. I really did not want to get soaked and soggy. It rained for about 10 minutes and then the nice weather resumed the rest of the time we were there. I got my first sample and then walked around the grounds looking at what kind of vendors there were with Megan. There were ton of food choices, sponsor booths, merchandise, live music, games, blow ups, a photo booth and various porta potties.

Somehow, I ended up with more tokens than what was handed to me. I can't remember where I got them from. These are the places I had a tester from:

• 3 Dog Cider Brewstillery - Olympia Blueberry
• Axis Meads - Lavender Moon
• Portland Cider Co - Huckleberry Lemonade
• Finn River Farm & Cidery - Lavender Black Currant
• Mt Olympus Brewing - Midsummer's Dream Peach/Cream
• Axis Meads - Burbon Barrel Jam Session
• Narrows Brewing - Orange Chicken IPA
• Talking Ceder Distillery - Freezer Jam
• Triceratops Brewing - Raspberry Golden Ale
• Talking Cedar Brewing - Raspberry Blonde Juicy IPA
• Mighty Pine Brewing - Loggerrythm Helles Lager

At this point in time, this is where I regretted not eating enough food before we came to Brewfest and I paid for it. It came on all of a sudden. I got super dizzy to where it made me nauseous and I basically just left our group and headed to one of the porta potties. With the state of things, I absolutely did not care if the porta potties were clean or not. I sat there with my head against the door hoping the world would stop spinning. I have no idea how long I was in there. It didn't feel like it was that long but according to Ben, he said I was gone a long time. He texted me and asked if I was okay. I told him I was fine just so people would stop bothering me. 

I had a wave where I thought I felt fine, so I got up and finished up. Then all of a sudden, I puked all over the inside of the porta potty. I felt super bad. It brought me back to the last experience I had similar to this when I was a college student in Pullman and made a mess in someone's bathroom from drinking too much and not eating enough throughout the day. I spent a little bit of time wiping up as much as possible. I am not sure how good of a job I did. I felt a little better after that but still kind of wonky.

I met back up with everyone, and they asked me if I was okay. I told them, "I am now!" We spent a little bit more time wandering around before deciding we were done. Ben went with Del back to the house while I went with Megan and Nicole to Fred Meyer to get nacho making stuff. I stayed in Megan's car with my eyes closed because the dizziness struck me again. I wasn't sure how long they were gone but Megan was super impressed with how efficient drunk Nicole was in the store while gathering up the ingredients.

They returned and we got onto Littlerock Road where it meets up with Trosper. I felt ill and while at the stop light, I opened the door and puked right in the middle of the street, trying not to get any in Megan's car. I felt great afterwards. We got back to the house and Nicole immediately started making nachos. I got made fun of because I was the one who puked. I reminded them that next year I definitely need to eat more throughout the day before I go. Everyone agreed. 

We devoured the nachos and spent the rest of the evening playing Rock Band until it was time to go home and go to bed. We thanked Nicole and Del for the invite, the nachos and the entertainment and hopped into Megan's car and she took us home. We got home just after 11 p.m. Megan let us know when she got home. I got in a shower and went to bed. Puking makes you tired.

Next Adventure: Labor Day Weekend in Long Beach with Trish