The Like a Boss Job

Okay, I’m sorry that all I seem to be able to write about is my new job and my recent promotion to office manager, but come on, I’m at the office more than I’m at home and when I’ve been at home I’ve either been eating or sleeping. Matt and Bravo have not been happy.

Last Tuesday Matt was my hero. After an 11 hour work day I came home to dinner and a foot massage, then I fell asleep on the couch. It was Heaven. I finally realized what it was like for Matt all these years to come home to me making dinner and then pampering him in one way or another. Spoiled. Though, many times I felt my efforts were rather unappreciated. I hope that this experience is making him realize what things have been like for me for so long. Probably not, but whatever.

On Wednesday he was already fed up with my long hours and inability to stay awake after dinner and tactfully shared his thoughts with me. Since I had a bit of a free morning on Thursday after training with my old boss at her new office I decided to drop by Matt’s work to surprise him with a latte from his favorite coffee stand. Then I went home and was a domestic diva; dishes, shower, laundry, bed making, dog walking, until I had to head to the office at 12:30.

I had to have my first serious talk with an employee that day. I vented a couple weeks ago about one of the older ladies in the office and when I became manager her issues were one of the first things that Matt suggested I do something about. But I decided to let it alone thinking maybe I was still too sensitive to the situation. Last week one of the tax pros and one of the other receptionists came to me with loads of issues caused by this woman. I knew that she would quit at the slightest bit of confrontation, but it was time. Her inability to do her job messed up my day one too many times. When I spoke with her I finally realized why bosses hate hearing excuses. I didn’t care why these things were getting messed up, I just wanted them fixed.

I had a wonderful weekend with Matt. I finally got caught up on sleep, much, much needed sleep. We had dinner with friends right after work on Friday, went shopping on Saturday and had Matt’s folks over for dinner, and Sunday we watched the Super Bowl with our neighbors. Today, when I got to work I scanned through the messages left for me over the weekend and found a note from the troublesome receptionist notifying me she was quitting. So glad to see that 70 year old women can still lack class or pride. It really rubbed me the wrong way that she quit with a note, but I can’t say that I didn’t see it coming.

On top of everything my 25th birthday is this weekend and I have no idea what I’ll be doing to celebrate.  It’s looking like a lonely night with Bravo and a bottle of wine right now.  And that is what it’s like to be the boss.

The TOTALLY AWESOME Job

I’ve always seen a bit of potential in myself, but there have been very few people over the years that have seen it too. My parents always knew that I could accomplish great things (even though that is what parents do), a few high school friends shared their expectations of me recently, and of course, Matt. But there is something about this job that is bringing out something amazing in me. I have been happy that I’m just finally in a position where I wasn’t being taken advantage of, the fact that my friends and my husband’s co-workers suddenly have faith in me to take care of their taxes is really blowing my mind….and then there’s what happened Wednesday.

I was on the phone with our district manager discussing some issues I’d been trying to fix for one of my clients and she totally changed the subject on me.

“How are your hours?” she asks.

I thought she was asking if I’d be willing to take on some extra hours at a busier office, so I responded accordingly. Turns out she was asking if I’d be willing to put in more hours because she has me in mind for an Office Leader position that might be opening up soon. I was completely overwhelmed. She told me she would discuss things more with me the next day when she came out to our office and she had to go because she had a meeting with her boss.

I was extremely excited and of course, I’d left my cell phone at home so I couldn’t share the amazing news with a single soul. So I did all I could; I continued on with my day and took care of the people who had appointments with me. I was wrapping up my last appointment for the day when I looked up and noticed that our district manager was there in the office. It didn’t think too much of it because she does drop by occasionally, but it was a little odd since she had told me she was coming out the next day. When I left my client for a moment to get something in the back I was snagged on the way and she introduced me to her boss (who happens to oversee all the offices in Montana, North Idaho, Washington, and Oregon!!!!!). I smiled big and answered all his questions as completely and quickly as possible, while the district manager sat down and chatted with my client (eeek!). After a few moments of gushing about how much I love my job he let me get back to business. I said it was nice to meet him and his response was “Oh, we’ll be here a bit longer. I want to talk to you some more.”

Huh?

All too aware of their presence now, I wrapped everything up with my client and walked her to the door. I tried to ignore the fact that our district manager and the big boss were sitting in the waiting room grinning at me. And they must’ve jumped up and followed me back to my desk because just as I sat down to wrap up my paperwork they were pulling out the two chairs next to me. I could feel myself get uber hot and I thought ‘thank God, I remembered deodorant today.’ The big boss told me that he’d asked the district manager to make a special trip out so he could meet me (!!!!?!!!!) Then he went on to give me an impromptu interview for the management position she had mentioned just a few hours earlier. I did my best, but I know I was entirely overwhelmed by the situation and I really had no idea what to say. I just tried to be as honest as possible.

Suddenly an hour had flown by and I was saying goodbye to them and laughing as they walked to the door. Once they were gone I gathered my things, cleared off my desk, said goodbye to the office and drove home as fast as I legally could to tell Matt the entire story.

I haven’t gotten all the details about the new position yet, though I do know that I would be in charge of my own office (seriously?). Honestly, even if I’m not offered the job I am totally floored that one of the district managers has taken notice of me enough and sees this much potential in me. I was enjoying my job before when I just had decent people to work with and great support because that alone I have never experienced before. But this? It’s almost too much to handle! So now we just have to find out if I, Kelsey, will be Manager of an entire tax office!!!!!!!

****UPDATE**** Since writing this post I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Amazingly enough they put me in charge of the office I’ve been working at!  So I don’t have to worry about new people in a new office or having to chance my routine completely.  Awesome.  Not to mention that I’ll be getting TWICE what I’ve been making!  It is alot more hours (up to 60 a week), but I think I’m willing to put in the time and work my butt off for this.  Especially since it will just be until April 15th.  Wish me luck!

The Brett Favre Job

We all know that Matt’s family is a bunch of football fanatics. They’re Texans, so when it comes to football they are all certifiably insane. And when you can’t make crazy people join the rest of the world you tend to have to join them. So this football season I was taking notes. I was asking (stupid) questions(ie “What’s a route?”) and little by little I was starting to understand the game that makes them seem like obsessed weirdos.

The relationship between Brett Favre and I started when I was in the 7^th grade. It was 1997, the year he took the Green Bay Packers to the Super bowl. At the time I knew far less about the game than I do now and when my friends were talking about their “teams” at the start of the season I decided to make the Packer’s mine. It was an entirely random choice, but I watched every one of their games right up to their Super bowl victory. That year I probably should have been picking race horses at the track for my dad. Never the less for one glorious, record making season I loved Brett Favre. Then, this year at nearly 40 he signs with the Vikings and suddenly I’m hooked again. I watched Brett Favre work his magic over and over and I was finally interested.

I wasn’t following the Vikings by any means this season, but I was elated when Matt told me they had made it to the playoffs. So Sunday we sat down together to watch them play the Saints. I didn’t realize it when it was happening, but suddenly Matt and I were actually bonding through something that he enjoyed. I held my breath as the ball flew through the air on every pass, I was yelling at Peterson through our TV every time he fumbled, I was livid at the horrible call giving the Saints a touchdown when they were clearly outside the end zone, and when the Vikings lost in overtime I was truly disappointed. It hadn’t occurred to me that being so emotionally invested in a game could be so much fun…but just when you’re doing it with someone you care about. I didn’t realize the turning point until Matt told me he had been talking about it to the guys at work. I didn’t think he’d noticed, but he was really impressed and that made me feel really good.

The Patience Job

I have a bit of a short fuse when it comes to dealing with inept people in positions I have held in the past. My most common annoyance is when we go out. I started in the work force as a busser and hostess and later moved up to waitress so I know what it takes to clean a table, seat people, and take care of customers. When I receive service that is less than what I would have given someone it really rubs me the wrong way. Of course, I can also be a bit more forgiving than other diners. I’m more understanding when restaurants are busy or understaffed and I take special note when someone goes the extra mile.

Now that I’m finally out of the receptionist’s chair I’m finding myself being rather critical of those assigned to the front desk in my office. Two of the women are over the age of 70 and rarely touch a computer. I am finding my patience tried nearly every day. I’m accepting this challenge though and looking at it as a way to expand my horizons in the workplace. Instead of whining to my office leader or any of my other superiors, I decided to tackle the situation myself by assisting the receptionists with some on the job training. I’m discovering a lot about myself in the process. I’m realizing that I’m more of a control freak than I realized it’s taking a lot for me to not just grab the mouse out of their hand and do it for them. But this is a really good thing for me to learn for the future. I need to be able to do my own job and let others do theirs.

Even though I’m getting loads of kudos for doing the training and going above and beyond to help the office I’m still irritated with the slow pace the older ladies are learning at and the fact that they are scheduled so sporadically that by the time they return to work they’ve forgotten everything again. But then, it’s not just the computer program that they are messing up on, it’s the lack of information they are getting from clients on the phone, it’s the fact that they seem incapable of handling a ringing phone, and a line of clients at the same time. I just have to keep reminding myself to breathe.

The Late Job

Today was my first day off in a while. Okay, not really. It’s the first day I’ve had off this month that I’ve actually been able to take some time for myself; so I finally get a chance to blog.

Work has been crazy, but I’m loving it! It might take me a couple of years, but there is a real chance that I could make enough money during tax season to cover the rest of the year. In the little bit of extra time I have had I’ve been researching ways to turn this into a career, or a year round job. I’ve looked into degrees and searched jobs with the IRS, but it’s a bit overwhelming to think about right now. At the moment I’m enjoying the flood of clients we’re getting during our first peak weeks.

So before I sat down on the couch this afternoon to watch my DVR’d episode of Heroes and blog I was making phone calls to the banks we have our two credit cards with. One of them decided to e-mail our statement to the wrong address and I wasn’t too alarmed about it until I realized it had been over 30 days since we’d opened the account. Come to find out they charged us a late fee and interest on the late fee. The other stopped sending us statements entirely after I requested paper statements. They also charged us a late fee and interest. Thankfully I didn’t have to yell at anyone on the phone to get the fees removed, but it still put me in a really bad mood. I also had to call our water company because our December bill somehow got lost in the mail. What the heck happened in December that these places couldn’t keep their records straight? I’m really starting to think that the credit card companies did it on purpose to try to get those late fees out of people.

The Goodbye Sugar Job

New Year’s Eve always gets me reminiscent. I take stock of my life; I think about where I was later year and wonder about the people I was with then. I think of the person I was, the person I am now, and the person I want to become. This year I thought “Gheez, I need to be just all around healthier.” Thus my resolution for 2010 was born. I’m not starting a fad diet, joining a gym, or reading any self-help books, I’m just making a promise to myself to stop doing the things that make me feel unhealthy. This week I started by cutting out anything I consider junk food. Since Monday I’ve successfully eliminated soda, potato chips, sugar, and the thing every woman loves most: chocolate. The first day was especially hard because not only did our district manager bring in delicious smelling donuts, but the office leader packed the fridge full of sodas and set out a basket of bite sized chocolate bars. Grrr. But I wouldn’t be beaten.

Next week I’m hoping to implement the Less-Sitting-on-the-Couch portion of my health plan. I plan to take Bravo for at least one long walk every day (no matter the weather) and I’m going to try working in 30 minutes of yoga and sit-ups every day. I really prefer exercising in the mornings, but as it is I’m already getting up two hours before I’m supposed to be at work and I’m not sure I could handle a 6am wakeup call AND no chocolate. It will help that Matt is spending at least an hour every night studying for his Tech-Sgt Test. I should force myself to get out the yoga mat then. It’s just so horribly tempting to keep catching myself up on episodes of Heroes. Come on NBC move them to Tuesday. There is nothing worth watching on Tuesdays.

I wish the rest will just fall in line, but I know that the mental part of being healthy will be my most challenging. I want to be a positive person, especially when it comes to those I care about the most. I want to make sure that they all know just how much I care about them and I’m hoping that by sending out positive vibes I will learn how to accept them as well. I know it sounds like something from a self-help book, but it’s just what I’m trying out. So let’s hear it for 2010!

The First Return Job

I’m a bad bad blogger.  I’m saying and thinking that to myself so much lately.  I’m sure that anyone who once read my blog has long declared mutiny…except my mom (hi mom).  One of my resolutions for 2010 is to be a better blogger, I really hope that means I will blog more regularly.  The end of December was a whirlwind of family functions and special occasions.  I hardly felt like I had time to sit down, let alone write some intriguing material for my abandoned internet journal.  The first week of January hasn’t been much better.

Matt whisked me away to Silver Mountain in Kellogg, Idaho for our 6th wedding anniversary.  I felt really bad that the weather didn’t comply with his thoughtfulness.  The whole event was a surprise and he reserved us a room at the lodge in hopes of joining me in a weekend of my favorite winter activity; snowboarding.  Sadly, it rained the whole weekend, turning the snow on the hill to slush and keeping me off my board.  We made the best of it though by putting the included water park passes to use.

I started my first tax season this past Monday.  The office I’m assigned to is really slow.  It makes sense for right now because hardly anyone has received their W-2’s, but it is also a small, remote office that (according to our prior tax-pros) doesn’t really get slammed during peak either.  Which is all fine by me.  I’m happy to ease in to all this.  So far I’m really enjoying it.  I was in tax class with Ruth, the office leader and Wendy, the other newbie who is on evenings.  The two priors are nice and very helpful.  I keep finding myself wishing that this were a year round job instead of just seasonal.  It’s so rare to find a job that is challenging, enjoyable and in an office with people you actually like.  I guess it’s too good to be year round.

Since we had so few clients this week I applied myself toward my military taxpro certification.  I can proudly say that I passed on the very first try!  I was worried that I wouldn’t because I found so many mistakes in the online class.  But now I am the only military certified tax-pro in the office, which could be dangerous and could be cool.

The second bit of excitement came today when I did my very first tax return.  It was a super-simple one; a single person with just one W-2.  The person was even a prior client so it took me about 10 minutes to fill in the current info and go over everything.  I must’ve made them wonder what the heck they were paying $39 for.  After all was said and done and the client left there was a bit of confusion between myself and the other tax-pro in the office as there was some extra paperwork and an extra copy of the client’s return.  But it all went smoothly and the person left happy, so I’m considering this a success.  I even get an extra star because not only was it my first fully completed return it was the first for the office this season too!

So, for those of you who may actually still be clicking my Twitter links or who wound up here through Google Reader when you thought you’d deleted me please expect more posts from me and maybe hold me a bit accountable if I go missing again.  As you may be able to tell I’ll probably be talking about taxes a lot considering it’s my new job, but hopefully I’ll either make taxes interesting or find something more interesting to write about.

I’m trying to work up the courage to discuss my new healthier aspirations and what it’s like to have been married for 6 years but my head is filled with so much IRS jargon that I’ll probably start talking about medical write offs and Married filing Joint, so give me some time to sort out the good stuff.