Change.

So, it has been two years since I last posted on my blog. I feel moved this week to make a reappearance...

I know leaving a job and a company you really love working for is hard. But imagine trying to leave a company you have spent most of your (short) professional career convincing others to come and work for. It has been more difficult than I ever imagined. But, it is something I feel prepared for at least…

I have always thought myself to be one who thrives on change. I attribute this now (though reluctantly because that would make my mom right yet again) to constantly being exposed to change as a normal part of life. From the time I was 6 years old until my junior year of high school my life was one big change parade. I moved 2000 miles away from my family and friends in one hot summer week. Quickly , I established new friends and learned to cope with seeing my dad and the rest of my extended family during the summer months. Close to the time I turned 16, we turned right back around and headed east to Michigan once more – 10 years of my life invested in a place I hardly get back to. I went from a high school of nearly 3000 students to a school of less than 700 nearly overnight. A small fish in a big pond to a big fish in a small pond – I know, I know it seems like a piece of cake, doesn’t it? At the time, it was a miserable experience and I never imagined being able to forgive my mom for making me move in the prime of my high school career. I didn’t know any better – I was a kid. As much as I still miss some of my friends from Henderson, I have since thanked my mom for moving us back. I never would have went to Hope, spent a semester in DC, or met my husband – those are the clear obvious reasons. But, it also helped me welcome change and know how to adjust to new things at lightning speed.

Change doesn’t scare me, it excites me. But, it is still really, really hard. Just like moving when I was 16 was hard because of all my friends and relationships I had made, it is hard for me to think about not seeing some of the amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with over the last 6 years. I thrive on meeting new people, building relationships, surrounding myself with friends and just generally being a part of people’s lives.

But I was comfortable and I don’t like comfortable. I love change and newness and flourish by starting over from scratch frequently. It’s time to move on! And, I need to follow my heart and do what I feel called to do. It isn’t easy, but it feels right…

So, thanks, mom for helping me to welcome change and be the change. Because of you I am successful in life and in my work. Your little girl is off to even bigger and better things. Happy Mother’s Day!

To Tweet or Not to Tweet - That is the question?

So, I am at a crossroad in my life, where, I feel like I need to decide if I am going to Tweet, Blog or FB (certainly a dilemma my parent's generation was never faced with). Of course I am being a bit sarcastic here, but you get the point! I can't possible do all of them, and quite frankly don't know how people do, or want to! I have spent most of my young adult life in front of a computer (mostly for work, not for play), and though I like keeping up on what is hip and cool and "viral" I feel my life passing before my eyes - or maybe that is just my reflection in the monitor? Working in an office environment, I wouldn't be able to survive without my beloved PC. As a recruiter, I am constantly on the Internet networking, sourcing, researching, fact-finding and brainstorming new ways to get the best of the best. Creating process flow maps, writing job postings, reviewing resumes, reading cover letters, listening to voice mails, e-mails - it is all done at my computer. Even when I phone interview someone, I type while I talk, so I don't have to write it down later. So tell me, why do I want to come home and sit in front of a computer for another two hours, to tweet and blog? I don't, but I do. I don't want to because there are so many other things that need to be done or I should be doing. I want to because it seems like the only way to keep in touch with people anymore, because we are all too busy blogging or tweeting or joining a cause on Facebook. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for social network sites, Google-ing, and everything in between... but do I really need to be doing all these things? To be determined. The jury is still out on Twitter - I am going to see what it is all about (though I created an account 3 months ago and got on it for the first time yesterday). Blogging is good in moderation (hence, the two posts since October). And as for Facebook - I am learning that I can get by without checking it out everyday. Though, I have reconnected with people that live over 2000 miles away, and that has been amazing.

Only time will tell how I decide to utilize all of these online mediums. But I do know this -nothing beats sitting around a table at a friends house for three plus hours and laughing so hard my abs felt like they did during volleyball tryouts freshwoman year. Nothing is better than seeing one of your best friends smile from ear to ear (in person) as she talks about her upcoming wedding and how much she loves him. There is no online album or video message or text that will ever replace the hugs and laughs and tears shared with dear and special friends.

70 is the new 50!

My Grandma turned 70 today. We celebrated this past weekend, but today was her actual birthday (yes, April Fools Day)! The picture here is of her and I, and the cake I brought for her, from de Boer (no relation) Bakerij in Holland. I can only hope I still have the energy and look as amazing as she does at 70! I love you Grammy, with all my heart! XOXO.

Even our dogs are Bears fans...

It is football season already, which means Eric has initiated the "Bears gear" Sunday rule. This past weekend, that even applied to the dogs as well. Happy tailgating to all! Go Bears!

Life Lessons Learned on the Back of a Harley

I grew up begging my dad to take me for a spin on the back of his old Harley. Warm Michigan summer nights were filled with a loud rumbling engine and me screaming in my dad's ear to "go faster." It was only fitting that I ended up marrying a guy who always dreamed of owning a Harley...

Shortly after Eric and I started dating, he made an offer on a 1994 Heritage Softail, and have been coming up with excuses to go somewhere "for a ride" ever since (minus the months from about November - March of course). It wasn't until this past weekend, however, that we finally took a real bona-fide "bike trip." We stayed over night in Ludinton, and spent most of a Saturday morning wandering around a little town called Pentwater. From there we casually meandered our way south, by way of back roads--some of which took us through large sunflower fields and others only a couple hundred feet from Lake Michigan. The scenery was amazing, the company (Eric's parents were with us on their bike) was awesome, and I didn't think about anything but that very single moment in time.

There is something all together freeing about being on a motorcycle, in the middle of nowhere, with no schedule. And, when you see other people on bikes, you give the biker wave, or as I like to call it the "Harley Hi." It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, what political party you identify with, or what your religion is--if you pass another motorcycle you wave. Not a big old, "hi how are ya" wave though. It is a low, suddle two to three fingered hand nod. So as I sat on the back of our old bike, with nothing else to think about, I pondered what it was about that fine piece of machinery that brought us all together. It intrigued me that we have a hard time saying hi to people we know in our everyday lives, but go out of our way to wave to people we don't know and most likely never will, going 60 miles an hour. Perhaps a life lesson waiting to be learned...

Stay tuned for our first almost cross country trip (hopefully to the East Coast and back)... With all that free time to myself, I am sure I will come up with something else to write about....

50 Years

I spent this past weekend celebrating my Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary at a Fabulous Fifties themed party. It was an amazing event, filled with amazing people. I always knew my grandparents were well-liked, but the 115 people in attendance to witness them renew their vows solidified it for me. They are so loved... 50 plus years together and you would think they are still dating the way they look at each other... They have the kind of love we all hope for...

The picture here to the left is not from Time Magazine, circa 1955. It is my grandparents...

To see pictures from the event, click here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/thedeboers/GrandmaAndGrandpaS50thAnniversaryParty

To see the slide show Eric and I made for the event, view it on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCZvSki3MlM

My Company is the Coolest!

Calling all YouTubers! In order to brand ourselves as a cool company, Perrigo has recently created a video and launched it on YouTube! Please, check it out! Two words--DANCING SCIENTISTS! Yeah, I know you are intrigued! Check out the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/user/PerrigoCompany

HR Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

For those of you who doubt that HR Professionals can have a good time and that yes, we have a sense of humor, I give you proof... We hire, we fire, we develop, we retain... and boy do we know how to karaoke!

Rule #659 in determining if you have a cool manager: She overcomes her first time karaoke jitters and does a rendition of Cyndi Lauper one will never forget... Honestly, how many of us can say, "I sang karaoke with my boss!"


"When the working day is done,
Oh,girls,
They wanna have fu-un,
Oh,girls,
Just wanna have fun...."

We Want Change

I have been out of the blog world for quite some time now... It seems as though I am too busy with "life" to throw a couple thoughts into a text space. Yikes. I have a good life, a good job, a great husband--everything is absolutely perfect--for me. Lately I have been so caught up in work and life outside of work, I have forgotten how completely passionate I am about being a part of a movement. Not just any movement--a movement for change and hope...for all people. It seems when I graduated from college and entered the "real world" I forgot what I was all about--where I came from, who I am. I know what I do and who I am impacts people, but how much? And, shouldn't I be doing more?

I have been inspired. I spent 2 hours waiting in line and in a packed arena to hear Barack Obama speak--looking back on it, I would have waited 24 more. I am inspired to believe we can be better, do better, and help others better, as Americans. I hope for a better world--a better America, and for a government I can believe in. I may have "grown up" but I never stopped being an idealist.

People ask, why I support Barack Obama--I ask, how can you not? He is bringing people together--all races, ages, gender, and religions. Isn't this what America stands for? People ask, what does he say that inspires you so much?

Read On--you decide...

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

-Barack Obama

Where'd all the good people go?

In light of the latest political figure caught with his pants down (ok, almost), I can't help but roll my eyes, shake my head, and well, change the channel. I am not a Republican, but I am an American and Senator Larry Craig's actions don't disgrace the right, they disgrace all of us! So easily we forget that we live in a global community--outside our borders we are Americans, not Republicans or Democrats, and we are all viewed together as one body of people. While the latest scandal most definitely gives the left an even better shot of regaining the White House (yahoo!), I can't help but feel embarrassed that our political system is full of the kinds of people that shouldn't be running this country. This comimg from a girl that has dreamed of running for public office since fourth grade. This coming from a woman, who on most days would refer to herself as an idealist. Well, not today. Today I am frustrated, angry, and disgusted with the way our leaders represent us. I have had enough of the mud slinging antics of Washington that make most Americans turn away from respecting and understanding our political system. I am a mere 26 years old, it is not quite my time to run for public office--and the question is, am I cut out for it? My husband constantly tells me that I am not "dirty" enough to run for office. Does anyone else think that is sad and completely revolting? I do. In fact, it is heart wrenching for me, as this is all I have ever dreamed of doing. I hate to say it, but he is most likely right. I want good people to run for office . People that do what is right, that don't give in to political shenanigans (yes, that's right shenanigans), and stand up for what they believe in. I am a huge Obama supporter, but I just hope with the campaign season already well underway, more than a year away from election day, that he doesn't give in. I hope he remembers where he comes from, what he has been through, and doesn't try to change who he is because some political pollster tells him to. This country needs someone we can trust--a person who can give us our dignity back. If, as a country, we aren't sick of hearing more about what US Senators are doing in airport bathrooms then what laws are being passed, shame on us.

What happened to public servants? When did everyone become politicians?



"Abraham Lincoln did not go to Gettysburg having commissioned a poll to find out what would sell in Gettysburg. There were no people with percentages for him, cautioning him about this group or that group or what they found in exit polls a year earlier. When will we have the courage of Lincoln?" -Robert Coles

My BIG wish for my little sis...

I have been out of college for four years now, but it seems like only days ago that my mom dropped me off (with way too much stuff) and drove away. I can still remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized I would be sharing a small living space and sleeping in the same room with two girls I had never met. I remember worrying about where and who I was going to sit with in the cafeteria, how good I was going to do in my Spanish class, and oversleeping on the day of an exam. Oh, how easy those days were!

As I watch my sister get ready to go off to college (a much deserved accomplishment after almost three years on her program's waiting list), I get so excited for her inside I can hardly sit still! I hope she loves it like I did, and, when she looks back on college a couple years from now, can say it was the best life experience she ever had....it was for me. I want her to find true friends that she will stay in touch with for the rest of her life. I want her to really appreciate learning, knowledge and how fortunate she is to have the chance to be educated. I want her to read every page assigned to her (despite how much her new friends pick on her for it)and realize that she doesn't HAVE to be in school, but that she WANTS to be. I wish for her tough as nails professors that push her to her limits, challenge her beliefs, and help her overcome her fears. I want her to realize just how much potential she has and that all this time she has been perfectly capable of big things--she just needs someone to show her how.

I can see the excitement in her face and hear the anticipation in her voice when she talks about going to school, moving away from home, choosing a vocation, and starting a new life...This, ladies and gentlemen is a little sister who is going to do BIG things!



"My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish." -Rascal Flatts

The Finish

They say that the key to judging a wine's quality is in the "finish" (also know as an aftertaste). Quite simply the finish is the taste that lingers in your mouth after the wine is tasted. Great, quality wines have rich, long, complex finishes. After spending the weekend with seven other women, I realized while this is a very good rule to follow, we all have our own ideal finish.

It was a bachelorette party, for my dear (small) friend Liz from college. She has since become a lawyer and my other friend Kristy, now a teacher and volleyball coach. The other women, I hardly knew (some of Liz's "new" friends), but the wine tour still proved to be a good time for all of us.

While we swirled, smelled, sipped and tasted, I realized something standing next to two friends I hardly see. While we have no doubt changed individually, equally as much, we still have just as much fun as we did (almost) five years ago--when our lives revolved around class, dining hall schedules, and the weekend party of choice. We laughed, we teased, we joked, and we silently observed the newness of each other's lives. It was great to see who my friends have become--with each year a new layer on their life's accomplishments. Each one of us so different, but so full of life.

Liz-She only likes reds. Reds with a full, dry fruitless flavor. The kind of wine you would picture a big-time lawyer drinking...

Kristy-She likes fruity ones, with hints of rich ripe flavors, with an occasional taste for a good semi-dry Chardonnay. A free spirited wine...

Me-Late harvest wines are my favorite--where you can almost taste what was in the air the day the grapes were picked. I like to taste something a little bit different every time I sip it....

"Good friends are like fine wine--they get better with age."

Good Boy.

Our dog is, quite possibly the coolest dog ever. Remember the movie, The Sandlot? That is him--not literally, figuratively. An Old English Mastiff, with sad eyes and and a huge heart (my husband would want me to say with mean eyes and large teeth). He is six months old and just shy of 100 pounds. Being home alone is no longer a concern for me...

I grew up with pets (of all kinds) as a kid, but due to college and non-animal friendly rental agreements, I have been without one for about the last 8 years of my life. I completely forgot how much a dog changes your life. It has been wonderful to watch my husband experience having his first dog ever too. I didn't know him when we were younger, but, having Asher join the family, has given me a little glimpse of what he was like as a child...It brings out the best in us--we exercise more, meet new people more often (Asher attracts a variety of people from all walks of life), and spend more time outside.

Good boy, Asher. Good boy.

So Happy Together...

"Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 New International Version (NIV)


I have been on cloud nine now for about a five months now... I am engaged to the love of my life and I have never been happier. When I heard people talk about wedding and engagements before I always felt like it was so far away for me. And now it is here and I can't get enough! All the wedding hoopla is awesome, and well, to be honest, I bought a dress two weeks into our engagement! But, that isn't why I have a smile permanently situated on my face! That isn't why when I walk every other step feels like I am subconsciously skipping! It is simply because the person I love has promised that we are going to share the rest of our lives together. Yes, I am excited to be-bop down the aisle with a little bit of style and I am excited to see my little brother all dressed up in a tux, but I am more excited for the day, week, month, year after that! I have always wanted to do something meaningful with my life to serve God and others, and knowing that I get to do that with someone else is more than I ever knew I wanted! Does that make sense? I guess I am saying that this promise is more than I ever hoped it would be... I wish I could give a little piece of my happiness to everyone!

Fabric Covered Walls--whose idea was that?

I once had an office whose walls were full of history, of well kept (and not so well kept) political secrets, stories of social, political and economic change--they creaked with centuries of historical content. I looked out the window and could see the Lincoln Memorial. I spent my days one hundred feet from where some of our country's most important "group decisions" are made. I rubbed elbows with Ted Kennedy (c'mon, I know you are jealous)!

Now I sit in a cube--four walls of fabric and plastic. Strange where life takes us, isn't it?

"Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements." -Peter Gibbons, Office Space

Time for a tubby! Yay!

Yeah, so kids make life so much better. As I chased my soon-to-be niece down the hall towards the bathroom (half-naked singing the ABCs no less), I realized they've got it all figured out. I dread getting up in the morning and having to shower...she thinks taking baths (eh hem, also known as a tubby) is the coolest thing ever! I just want to take a nap...she wants to stay up and live every moment she can! I try to ask as few questions as possible (being inquisitive is sometimes exhausting)...her favorite word right now is "WHY?" She is curious about everything... Wow. Sure she is only 2 and doesn't have a very expensive liberal arts education under her belt (for Pete’s sake she can't even speak in complete sentences yet!), but, she seems to be one step ahead of me when it comes to enjoying the small things in life. After two hours of babysitting I am of course exhausted,though at the same time rejuvenated. She breathes life into me after working all week and living the "grown up" life. Thanks, Jenna. Aunt He-rey loves you! :)

Why the world needs Republicans

As I was walking out of work this week, I was reminded briefly (very briefly) why the world needs Republicans. As I quickly walked toward my car at 6:15 pm, the very conservative owner of the company I work for conveniently pulled up next to me in a candy apple red Dick DeVos polo. Before I could get into my car, hit the A/C, and turn my I-POD to "Its 5 o clock somewhere," he went out of his way to distastefully discredit everything I believe in based on his assumptions of ALL Democrats. I think one of the names he called me was "loser"--and I was seriosuly offended. And some may ask what prompted this? Through some magical all knowing Republican mind reading powers (and maybe the picture of me posing with Jennifer Granholm in 2002 on my desk) he has determined I am the liberal enemy and he needs to "help me." And, besides the regular chit chat of the office, that is all he ever chooses to talk to me about--or should I say harass me about.

So with this encounter (one of many in my last three years at my current job) I decided the world does need Republicans. Moslty because our country is founded on the two party system, therefore making their party a important part of what we know as democracy (fostering healthy debate, etc). But for me personally, I need them because it makes me realize why I believe what I believe. I guess is what I am trying to say It makes me realize more and more that I could never vote Republican because I care too much. Having conversations with people of a conservative nature reaffirms who I am and what I want our government to be. Thanks, Mr. H--as annoyed as I may have been driving away from our little parking lot conversation, I now thank you for helping me to see why I lean to the left. Disagreeing is OK--for pete's sake it is healthy! But next time lets talk about our differences--don't try to change me! I (with every ounce of liberal dignity I have) have no intentions of changing you--just listen to what I have to say...that's all I am asking. My point here is, if the world didn't have any Republicans, who would I have to (constructively) argue with? And, how much fun would like be if we were all the same? OK, so it would probably be a lot easier, but then what would I have to blog about, right?

Hillary enters the world of blogging

Well, I did it. In an attempt to keep up with this crazy web-driven world, I am officially a blogger. More to come soon...