We're Still Alive!!

I got an e-mail from my Mom the other day saying "you must be really exhausted; you haven't updated you blog in over a week!" She is right. I love posting on the blog, so when I go so long without a post, you know that something is going on.

The reason for the lack of updates is that I have been working full-time at RBC. Since I finished my training in Raleigh, I have worked my normal schedule for one week, and the rest of the time I have been helping out by working full-time while we look for one more teller. I am hoping that next week will be my last full-time week!

Now most of you work full-time every week, and you know how tiring it is! But for those who do not, IT'S TIRING!!! Not only does it take alot of time out of every week that could be spent on other chores, but for me (right now) it is also very stressful! I have had so much to learn about banking, laws and regulations, procedures, program requirements, etc. It has been really overwhelming to try and remember everything each day. I find myself having to really concentrate all day every day, and it is mentally exhausting. And right now I feel alot of pressure, because I am so new to this, to get things perfect in each transaction- after all, I'm dealing with people's money!

In addition to the above, I have also been having problems with my eyes. I really need to have them checked! For one thing, I am not used to staring at a computer for forty hours each week. I am squinting alot to focus, and the strain is causing terrible headaches in the afternoons. I have also had a twitch in my left eye for the last few days. It is a little embarassing! Even some of my customers noticed it yesterday and asked if my eye was alright. Thankfully my eye appointment is coming up soon. And Dustin's mom gave me a great tip- if you put cool cloths on your eyes and lie down for a while, your eyes really do stop twitching and start relaxing! Yay!!!

Dustin has been really busy with work and projects too. He has been doing alot of yard work on his days off, and he has been getting into bike-riding again, for exercise and for transportation to and from work! Hopefully that will save us some gas money! We have had things to do almost every night, it seems, which does not leave much time for resting. I don't think I have felt this tired since college. We finally did get to have a date night last Friday, which was wonderful!!

Anyway, this is not meant to be a sob story, just an explaination of what's been going on with us! I am actually updating right now from my computer at work while we are having a slow moment. The last thing I want to do when I get home is stare at another computer!

Hopefully we'll have some more interesting posts coming up in the future!

What a Week!!

This week has been crazy! Monday was my first day at my new job (see a previous post to learn more), and I love it. I realize that this week has not been typical of how most weeks will be, but I already love Kernersville's RBC Centura.

On Monday I arrived and found out that one teller was out sick, another was almost brand new, and the poor supervisor was the only fully capable person behind the counter. I spent most of the day observing, amazed at how well everyone adjusted to this stressful situation. She rest of the week has been very similar to Monday. The sick teller came back, but the almost brand new teller caught the flu. Sharon and Susan, the Branch Manager and Teller Supervisor, are so sweet and humble, and they are focused on meeting the needs of their customers and their employees. They handles these busy days with such professionalism and compassion.

I have also been surprised at how great most of the customers have been to me. I have been unable to help them since I have not been fully trained, but they have still introduced themselves to me and have welcomed me to the branch. Many of them are in and out of our branch several days a week, so they have relationships with the branch employees. I love that!

Yesterday I started my computer-based training, and it is very interesting and informative. I cannot wait until I am a proficient teller so I can assist the great team of which I am a part, and so I can give the best service to my customers!

This week I have worked full-time, and next week I will be training full-time in Raleigh.

Jennie Got a Job!!

I am really excited that I will be joining the Kernersville team at:

After I decided against tutoring, I started looking for local banks who may be hiring. I found RBC Centura! They have a Kernersville branch that was looking for a part-time teller. I took my resume over right away, and they scheduled an interview for the following Tuesday.

The interview was WONDERFUL! The whole branch works like a family. I could tell that all of the employees were good friends, and that all of them worked together really well. I am really happy that it is such a small branch. The two women that interviewed me (the branch manager and the teller officer) were so sweet and professional. When they asked me why I was interested in becoming a teller, I told them the truth:

1. I want to have a job that provides flexibility so that I can focus on being a wife. This is my top priority. I was not sure what kind of reaction I would get to that. I kinda expected to get the typical "feminist response" that would question my reason for "lowering my possibilities." I did not get that at all! They told me that they were impressed, and they thought that was wonderful! I was thrilled.

2. I love people. I love getting to know them and remembering things about them. This was something that I really loved about Starbucks. I would remember customers' names and their drink orders, and try to remember things about them so I could start conversations with them. The RBC people loved that.

3. I like meeting people's needs, and making sure they get excellent service. This was one thing that I loved about being a supervisor at Target's Guest Service department. I loved to make sure that people were satisfied, and that their problems were resolved when they left the store. The RBC people also loved that!

They asked me alot of other questions, and God gave me the confidence and the words that I needed. I had one question for them. I needed to know if it would be okay for me to take time off to go on mission trips with my husband. They said that it would not be a problem, and that I should always know that at that branch "family comes first." They said that they are all married with children, and that if I ever had to make a decision regarding work and family, family should come first. I was blown away by their dedication to family! That is not something that most would expect from women who have climbed the corporate ladder. I felt really good about how the interview progressed, and when I left they told me that they would get back to me.

I got a call an hour later, and they wanted me to take the next step and fill out a background check. They said that they would be in touch to make an offer.

Yesterday (Thursday) I got the offer! They even gave me the salary that I requested! I am very excited. I will start on Monday, and I will be observing the branch and doing computer training for a week. The following week I will have to go to Raleigh for teller training. I am excited about staying with my parents for the week, but I will not enjoy being away from Dustin. The great thing is that I will be able to talk to him every day, and we will probably meet somewhere halfway in the middle of the week and have dinner. So this separation will not be nearly as difficult as was the time Dustin was in Ecuador. I only spoke to him once over the course of ten days, and he was halfway across the world!

There are alot of benefits to working at a bank. I will have a steady weekly schedule (Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 1 PM), and I will be off on the weekends. I will have excellent insurance, paid holidays off, and paid vacation time. One of the things I am really looking forward to is dressing up for work every day. I love to "dress professionally" and wear high heels. I always thought it would be really neat to dress up and go to work.

So thank you so much to those who prayed that God would provide a perfect job for me. I am really excited!