There’s also the sabbatical experience to plan as well and some things appear only, it seems, in this last week. And don’t forget you’ve gotta pick up that thyroid prescription for little Janice and look for the passport that you haven’t laid eyes on 10 years. (Where is it?)

At work, snarling, jealous co-workers whisper behind your back and have pasty smiles as you dole out your work to them.  “Is this going to be really worth it?” you think.

Molly Thomas of Abacus Planning Group

Guess what? It’s not like that at all.

Take Molly Thomas on the Client Services Team at Abacus Planning Group. Molly has two more days at work before she leaves on a four-week sabbatical and gets totally disconnected from work.  (It’s the rule.) Molly and her sabbatical plans were featured in a  January post.

Molly was kind enough to take us inside the “world of an about-to-be sabbatical-goer.”

What I discovered from my discussion with Molly is that when a company really commits to a career break for its employees, the experience expands to many more people than just the sabbatical-goer - in good ways of collaboration and celebration. Abacus Planning Group, a fee-only investment counsel and financial planning firm in Columbia, South Carolina, offers employees a 4-week paid sabbatical after 5 years.  (Other companies that offer sabbaticals are on the yS Workplaces for Sabbaticals list.) Here are some highlights from my conversation with Molly:

Me: How does this last week feel and how are your co-workers doing?

Molly:  My last couple of days are flying! I guess I expected that, but there are not enough hours in the day.  Co-workers have been wonderful and supportive of my sabbatical.  I have received many well wishes!

Me: Has the preparation and the planning for your sabbatical been different that what you might have expected?

Molly: I am not sure exactly what I expected this last week to be like.  I knew it would be hectic, but was given direction and focus from Abacus’s president , Cheryl Holland.  Cheryl  recommended that I print and distribute my “open activies” report  for each of the financial advisors.  I ran this report to show current open activites, as well as those activities that are upcoming and highlighting all to each advisor.  This one activity,  communicated to each advisor all open and upcoming “to dos” for our clients.  Cheryl also asked me to delegate a couple of items to other employees, who quickly stepped up to the plate!

Me: What’s uppermost on your mind about the sabbatical experience ahead?

Molly:  Uppermost on my mind is to make sure I don’t leave any major “hanging chads” at work.  My husband and I are busy making last minute travel plans.  Almost everything is in place, with the exception of our bike tour of the Gardens and Palace of Versailles.  Lastly and most importantly, I am arranging the day-to-day life of my 16-year-old daughter, while I am out of the country…..probably my biggest challenge!

Thanks Molly and have a fantastic sabbatical.

Starting out – This cruise adventure started in Ft. Lauderdale, making the first stop in Jamaica.  Here, we  had the opportunity to really talk to the locals and get an understanding of their lives.  After touring the island, the driver took us to a nice beach and we got some jerk chicken.   But to my surprise, it tasted like BBQ chicken – not authentic as I imagined…still good though and I ate every bit of it (LOL)!!!

Costa Rica – We got off the boat and secured a taxi to take us on a tour of Port Limon. The highlight of the tour was going on a jungle boat ride.  As we sailed through the swamps, we saw sloth, iguanas, and other creatures along thick foilage of the jungle.  What a treat!!

TIP – This same trip cost about $75 per person on the boat, but we got it for $20! When going on cruises, the excursions offered by cruise lines tend to be way more expensive. Plus, they leave too early in the morning for me. I suggest negotiating with a local taxi or tour driver at the port. Just ensure that you settle a rate before you begin your ride.  

Colombia – We landed at the Santa Marta port and got a taxi to take us to Tayrona National Park. Check out the pictures of this park to see the most beautiful coastline and beaches ever!   Once we got to the park entrance, I started to get a bit uncomfortable. The “guards” at the gate wanted an extreme amount of money to enter the park. Thank goodness our fellow cruiser was fluent in Spanish! 

We then went to Cartegena. I love this place! The culture, beaches, people, and architecture were just amazing. One thing about Colombia – it was HOT!! You definitely need a hat, sunglasses, and water.

Panama – The ship docked in Colon, Panama. We got a taxi to take us through the city and onto Panama City,  but not before seeing the Panama Canal.  Actually seeing a ship go through the locks was interesting. By this time, we were all running out of money.  One good thing, most of all the cities we visited took the US dollar. Panama actually uses our currency.  But, things were just a little bit more expensive.

 Fin – The trip ended with an overnight stay in the Panama City Marriot. The hotel was really nice. It had a huge gym – which I didn’t use of course. But, I did get in the hot tub!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspiration -  Don’t let disappointments, strained relationships and job challenges tell you who God is; let His Word speak for Him. (Joel Osteen).

Peace & Blessings!!

-A

 

 

 

Inspiration - “Maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid changing it.” Elaine St. James

Be Blessed!

-A

It has been just over a month since my sabbatical started…and I have no regrets! You might be wondering how the finances are coming along. Well, it has been interesting not having an actual check being automatically deposited into my account. My main concern lately has been ensuring that I am getting the most for my money. For example, my homeowners insurance was up for renewal and the policy increased. This was unacceptable.  So, I started to rate search and found a better policy for far less money. It pays to shop around.

Other bills are pretty much the same. I did have some unexpected purchases to help my nephew out with his college expenses. Thank God I set aside a little for events such as this from the beginning.  One thing for sure is that I wish I could find a better option for tv. Seems like out of all the channels, there is never anything on worth watching! Bummer. They need to have an “a-la-carte” option. In any case, I am still watching what I buy and monitoring my accounts accordingly. So, planning is still key.

Oh – I forgot to mention that Cabo is back on for October. WOO HOO!!!!

Last week was busy as well. I spent it preparing for my Wall of Honor induction ceremony.   In addition to being inducted, I was also selected to give a speech at the ceremony.  Being pretty shy and quiet, this was a huge step out of my comfort zone.  But, I believed God gave me the right words to share with those present.

As it turned out, everyone loved the speech! I was so excited.  Having my friends and family there made the night so special. Several friends even placed notes of congratulations in the ceremony booklet – making the event even more spectacular and memorable. Thank you all! I love and appreciate each and every one of you.

Here is a picture from the ceremony.

Wall of Honor

 Inspiration – “It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined.”  Henry James

Be blessed beyond measure!

-A

http://yoursabbatical.com/blog/2009/08/27/itll-be-no-small-sabbatical-for-angela-petitt/

Thanks,

-A

A mentor and friend of mine, Darlene, was laid off from her job as an engineer with an MBA several years ago.  She was introduced to a business a few months prior, but didn’t really take it seriously. When she got laid off, things changed. With only a little in savings, this smart classy woman decided to make the business work. It had to work! She stepped out, never looked back, and became a very successful insurance entrepreneur.  This week, Darlene passed away.

After high school, my younger brother Kevin, took a job as a night security guard. But he knew that he loved big trucks as a child and that God had a plan for his life. Kevin did something radical. With no money, he gathered his stereo equipment and sold it all to get tuition money for truck driving school. He graduated the top driver in his class, with many accolades and kudos from the instructors! Furthermore, God used his time on the road as a venue to inspire and encourage many people he met along the way. Kevin also became an ordained minister.  He passed away at the young age of 30.

Rev. Kevin A. Petitt

As I sit here and think about these wonderful inspirational people, I just wanted to spotlight each of them as an example to illustrate that life is precious and can be so short. They were each faced with a decision that propelled them to the next level in their lives.

Being on sabbatical is giving me an opportunity to really focus and gain clarity on things that are really important to me. Not that I didn’t know before, but to really take some time to be free of stress and the daily grind. Some people have a balance without leaving their jobs. I applaud them. For a long while, I would be at work dreaming that I was somewhere else. Finally, I was at a point wherein I was virtually compelled inside to leave. So, I left. This is so out of my comfort zone, but I know this is a defining moment in my life.

Inspiration- “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven…What do people get for all their hard work? God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end…And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God…God’s purpose in this is that people should fear him.” Ecclesiates 3:1-14

Be blessed!

-A

Inspiration – “Stay committed to your decision, but stay flexible in your approach.” Tony Robbins.

Be Blessed,

-A

I thought this week would be kind of quiet after my Italian adventure.  However, that was certainly not the case. I have been so very busy. First, I was so excited and pleased to see my interview featured on http://yoursabbatical.com/blog/. Good stuff!!! Check it out if you haven’t dropped by yet.  Then, I had the pleasure of getting a quick introduction to volunteering at the food pantry. They do everything from giving food to providing job leads.  Prayer is even available if the individual wants it — truly an amazing place! I must say that another highlight of my week was helping my nephew get settled into the college dorms. He is attending school about an hour away. So, we have been busy getting things together. I must tell you that I am not much of a shopper. But, I have never been in Walmart so much in my life!!!  We were there at least 4 times this weekend!

Moving on to more news…I am packing for my trip to Cabo!!! We leave in the morning. I can’t wait. All I want to do is sit by the beach, relax, and see beautiful scenery. I am so ready to go. I will check in later for an update.

Inspiration - “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Be Blessed!

-A

I am back from Italy and have been eagerly wanting to share with you the details about my Italian adventure. 

Here we go… 

Although we were running a few minutes behind schedule to the airport, we pumped up the tunes and jammed to BOOM-BOOM-POW to get us into high gear.  Kerri, Elaine, and yours truly (aka Team BOOM-BOOM-POW) were ready for Italy.  But, was Italy ready for Team BOOM-BOOM-POW??? 

After landing in  Roma, the Italian men were upon me. Italy loves Angie and Angie loves Italy!  Several guys quickly deemed themselves as my “boyfriend”.  We managed to sneak away from them and make it outside the terminal only to be greeted by Elaine’s handsome “young and fresh” friend, Nicola. He was every bit of an Italian that one could imagine. He gave us a tour of the stomping grounds near his job, took us to a cute coffee shop for a snack, and then generously drove us the train station. Thank you Nicola!!

Once again we were en route and on the go. We went from Roma to Positano via the trains — some with no air and it was hotter than Houston!! Finally making it to Positano and settling into our beautiful cliffside hotel, we couldn’t wait to explore the island and get some food. As we walked along the way to the boardwalk to the beach area, there were many boutiques for our shopping pleasure. I managed to keep my spending to only food and essentials. The Euro was still pounding at the USD, making things pretty expensive from our perspective. Okay – I did buy a cute swimsuit coverup that I couldn’t resist.

Positano

Positano turned out to be the highlight of this fabulous trip for me. One night while we were having dinner, a guy totally surprised me with the biggest most beautiful bouquet of flowers ever!!! They even matched my outfit!  Apparently, he saw me the day before and waved to me, but I didn’t think anything of it. He then saw us having dinner on the boardwalk, passed by a few times, and then returned with the flowers…Now that’s ITALY!!! 

Flowers from an admirer

Our love for Positano continued by dancing the night away at Music on the Rocks, lounging on the beach, meeting wonderful people, eating great pasta, and hitching scooter rides. Kerri broke some guys heart and left him standing on the porch and Elaine –well, she just had a grand ole time.

Next, the star treatment continued as we ferried to the beautiful isle of Capri.  We were trying to go up to the top deck of the boat, but the Captain and his team beckoned us to come up to the command center for the remainder of the ride!!! It was great! We had a blast.

Capri

In Capri, we met up with a Billie and Ryan, Elaine’s friends. (As a travel aficionado, she has friends all over the world -LOL!!). Although we had the worst pizza ever in Capri, the day was salvaged by visiting the infamous Blue Grotto and taking the chairlift in Anacapri up to the highest point on the island for spectacular views of the Bay of Naples. AWESOME!!!!

Back to ROMA

Team BOOM-BOOM-POW was now in Naples. We waited a few minutes at the bus station, but realized we needed a cab in order to get to the train station before dark. Kerri and Elaine were a bit apprehensive at the cab that stopped for us because it wasn’t in the best condition.  But, I was getting in the first thing moving…LOL!!!

We made it to the train station and back to Roma. Seems like we went from one questionable situation to another. The hotel was in a remote area of town and we had to walk under freeways and back streets to get there. I dare not mention the things we saw along the way. Here, we added Nicole, a model from Milan to our team. So now, we were BOOM-BOOM-POW plus One!! She was full of energy and being fluent in Italian was our “tour guide” for the must see sites of Rome.

It was sooo unbelieveably HOT in Rome! But we hydrated with water from the ancient Roman aquaduct fountains and cooled off with gelato and limoncello slushies–mmmmm good stuff! 

We actually did a lot in the short time we were in Rome. We were in awe of the Vatican, Coloseum, the Trevi Fountain, and all the ancient ruins. We marvelled at the magnificient works of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel….ahh ROMA!!! The only thing we missed were the catacombs. We got there too late to tour them. Oh well, just have to go back.

Inspiration – The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Be Blessed,

-A

Ciao!

-A