I'm So Excited!
When we made the decision to move to
San Antonio it was because one of our friends (and a man for whom I worked) suggested it. Initially Terry and I thought of selling our home and moving to
Tampa Bay. After some reflection and job searching in Tampa (for Terry) that didn't turn up anything, we made the long trek south.
A few months after moving here, we discovered Warrick's wrestling coach is VP of a company that Terry had adored from afar.
NewTek produces a software program called
Lightwave that Terry bought many years ago and even used at our old church. Pat, the wrestling coach told us the company was looking for a graphic artist, and the rest is history. Terry was hired by NewTek in May 2004. He has loved working there. The 'offices' such as they are, are located in a big warehouse. The central hub of the warehouse has a drum set, several guitars, a pool table, video games, seating for everyone, and even a tent for the kids to play in. Scooters are scattered throughout the building, making it that much easier to access the free chocolate, hotdogs and soda.
However, we all know from experience that no job is perfect, although this was close! NewTek tends to pay below the San Antonio average, and it was time for Terry to start looking around for something that came close to paying the normal pay scale for his qualifications. About 3 months ago he applied with a couple of different contract companies and both of them set up interviews.
Then a friend of ours from church, Robert asked me how Terry was doing. It is quite common for people to not see Terry if they come to the second Sunday service because he teaches in that time slot. I told him Terry was good, but job hunting. "Hmmm. Tell him to call me," Robert said. Robert is an architect, and owns
Luna Architecture, a very successful company about 10 minutes from our house. Two years ago he decided that he wasn't busy enough with the architectural side, playing in the church band and totally gutting and remodeling a home for his family, that he would add another challenge to his life! Enter
media301, a 3D visualisation and graphics company that he founded specifically to market to other companies. Well, they have grown so much that they need a Senior Graphic Designer. Robert and Terry have worked together on a church project, so they know each other reasonably well, and Robert knows the work Terry can produce.
Yesterday afternoon Robert took Terry out for lunch and formally laid a job offer on the table that Terry accepted right away. It was a no-brainer really, they'd been talking for about a month. Terry knew NewTek could not pay more than they are right now, but he needed to increase his earning power. He gets that with his new position.
So, on Tuesday morning, the day after Labour Day, Terry will hop in his little Honda and drive the few miles (no highway driving either!) to his new position!
I am so proud of my hubby! He has had only two jobs his entire adult life - Ford Motor Company, and NewTek, so this is a new adventure for him!
Labels: Lightwave, NewTek
An Adult Night Out
Once a year, Newtek, the company for whom Terry works, puts on a Christmas party and every year is better than the last! This year the party was held at the Alamo Convention Center in a spacious area called "The Grotto', a ground room floor that opens right onto the River Walk. This part of the river is extremely peaceful, and it was wonderful to sit outside and enjoy the splash of waterfalls, and the jazzy sounds of a sax player in the background.
"Come As Your Cool Self" was the eventual 'theme' of the party, although initially it was touted as a formal event so I went and bought a formal outfit for the night. However, there was a real mix of style and theme on the actual night, and plenty of the staff and spouses did actually dress up for the evening.
Earlier on in the day, the company had hosted a children's Christmas party, so the evening was an adults-only event. It is good to get out there and just converse with other adults without having to constantly monitor kids.
I know as the month progresses each one of us will get busy, so I want to take a moment now to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and pray that everyone gets the chance to reflect on why we do the things we do this month!
Labels: Alamo Convention Center, Christmas, NewTek
Smelker Kids At The Party
One of the NewTek employees is also a professional photographer and always takes his camera everywhere with him (we have asked him to take Warrick's senior pictures for us). He took some snaps of the kids as Tim Jenison, the founder of NewTek played Santa and handed gifts to the kids.
Carson decided to get up 'close and personal' with his new trains!
Getting into the Christmas spirit means wearing Santa hats.
Labels: Christmas, NewTek
Christmas Parties
This weekend Newtek, the company Terry works for had their Christmas parties. They decided to do two separate parties this year. The kids had theirs on Saturday afternoon and Santa made sure he dropped off presents for each employee's child. All five of our kids received
exactly what they wanted (amazing how Santa can do that!)
In the evening we dropped the kids off and drove to the Riverwalk to the historic Menger Hotel for a more formal company function. The atmosphere, the company and the food were exceptional. Towards the end of the evening the CEO, Jim Plant stepped forward and thanked the employees for such a great year, and said he had a special treat for them. Now, keep in mind, this is a company of 'geeks' - they are the ones who create the software program that allows animators to animate their characters and the software is used in anything from Spiderman 2 to Babylon 5. These are some serious techno-geeks! Jim pulled out a PSP (Playstation to those who are not game oriented) from behind his back and said they had one for each employee!
Terry was thrilled because this one comes with all the bells and whistles. He was even more thrilled because he has been wanting to get one, and even asked one of Warrick's friends if he would consider selling his (and the one he had doesn't even have all the gadets) but hadn't heard back from the lad. You should have heard the buzz of excitement that the PSP's generated among the roomful of employees, and Jim, the CEO, and Tim, the founder received a very large hand clap from everyone.
This week brings more rehearsals, and more meets, both for swimming and for wrestling. Teagan's pottery lesson continue too. How much longer can I hold the younger boys off from doing activities? Perhaps I can persuade them to do wrestling like their big brother too, and have all the kids activities on the same night! Well, a girl can dream can't she?
Labels: Christmas, NewTek, Terry
Terry - The Artist or the Goof??
As many of you know, Terry is a graphic artist and as such has a great time designing logos, brochures, fixing old photos etc. Last year his company Newtek wanted to have shirts designed for some special function. Terry is wearing the finished product. (And for those who don't know - NO, that is not his habitual expression, although some would believe otherwise!)
Labels: NewTek, Terry
