Bittersweet...

Bittersweet is the exact way to describe my emotions as of late.  While I am incredibly excited and proud... I am also sad that a period of my working life is coming to an end.

For those of you who may not know [probably most of you], for the past 2.5 months I have been in an application process for a new position within the City of Kennewick.  It has been a lengthy process, full of ups and downs, but has finally come to an end.  The position bulletin attracted more than 300 applicants, which was then whittled down to 50 [ish] who participated in a customer service assessment, from which a handful of applicants were selected to be interviewed, and then a second interview was conducted with top candidates.

After ALL of the steps in the process, I was ultimately offered a position [not the original position I applied for, but that's a LONG story.  The position I was offered is in the same department, same hours, etc... slightly different job description] and found myself dealing with some unexpected emotions.  I was thrilled that the [many many many] people who had been a part of my interview process saw my potential and worked so hard to make a place for me within their team... but I was also sad to finally come to the realization that accepting a new position would mean leaving so much behind.

Working with the little ones and going to preschool every day has been such a wonderful experience and I am certainly going to miss it.  The past three years have given me so much: I have had the honor to work alongside some of the most wonderful, creative and positive people I have ever met, I had the opportunity to write an article for a family magazine, I have had a schedule that allowed me to help coach high school tennis, and I have quite honestly learned more from 3, 4, and 5 year olds than I ever imagined possible.

I am so thankful for this new opportunity, challenges and all, but will always have a special place in my heart for all 'my kids'.  I will have to make the most of my last few weeks as " Teacher Rene' " and soak up all the laughs, hugs and playtime that I can get!