Kristin Williams Balla

I’ve just completed the best (and most fun) first-week-on-the-job in ‘Kristin History.’ I freely admit that my first day (June 15th) began with just a smidgen of anxiety. I was scheduled to meet with the Managing Director of a Five Winds joint venture company located in Boston. I am their new Controller too.

Upon my arrival at the Paoli office I met with my new boss Curt (Five Winds COO). I have a gut feeling that it will be effortless to form a good working relationship. Curt introduced me to the other consultants in the office. All welcomed me warmly and I felt at home right away.

When the Boston dude arrived for our meeting I was thrilled to find that I clearly understood his questions, as well as the issues and general discussion. From a financial management perspective, Five Winds is nearly identical to my former company (TSD). I feel as though I have something to contribute. What a blessing! God truly is in the details.

Five Winds is a management consulting firm specializing in environmental and social responsibility issues. Their web site states “We appreciate that sustainability – like competitiveness – isn’t a fixed goal; it’s an ongoing endeavor, a journey that can lead to a wealth of new opportunities. Our aim is to help organizations access those opportunities and strive for what we call ‘value without burden’.”

My dad owned a management consulting firm when I was growing up. That universe feels so familiar to me. I am experiencing a sweet sense of come-full-circle irony. I have landed in my father’s business, for what I hope will be the last (but longest!) job in my career.  

I went to lunch with Curt and the three other women in the office. What a sweet, down-to-earth group of people! (I know it is only my first impression, but historically they have been reasonably accurate.) I’m almost certain that there is not even one serial killer among these people. I am looking forward to building a positive working relationship with each person. 

Tuesday morning found me at the Philadelphia airport awaiting my  flight to Ottawa, Ontario. The plane had mechanical issues so we were delayed about an hour. I sat happily reading the book “God Allows U-Turns.”

It was raining when we left Philly, but Ottawa greeted me with cool sunshine – a perfect day! I involuntarily shivered with the old (nearly forgotten) thrill of setting foot on international soil. Okay. That does sound really dorky. But it’s true. And sometimes, TRUE is dorky.

I had such a case of wanderlust as a kid. That is why I traveled to 23 countries before the age of 22 (in my previous post I forgot to include my mission trip to Guatemala). I thought that thirty-one children, Fibromyalgia, medical crises, personal tragedy and twenty-nine years of life’s challenges, had all but erased that part of my personality. Not so! It had simply lain dormant for so long that I came to believe it had been extinguished. Apparently, the fire lives on.

Ottawa has a fairly small, easy-to-maneuver airport. I picked up my rental car (a cute three-door Hyundai) and drove to the Five Winds office on Wellington Street, with nary a false turn. Since everything is in kilometers I had to watch my speedometer to make sure I didn’t get a ticket. Attila would be amused by that, but our bank account would have been annoyed. 

I met Susanne (the current Controller) and felt instant connection and, dare I say it? - recognition. After our phone interview the previous week Susanne had told her colleagues, “Kristin is my clone!” Even though Susanne grew up in another country, English is not her first language, she is more than a decade younger than me, and she is strikingly beautiful, I feel like we are twins who were separated at birth! Weird, I know.

Susanne even prefers winter over summer (as I do), and I think she just might talk faster than me! We will test that one out when she attends our family dinner this coming Wednesday night. She will be flying down to PA to complete this work transition with me.  The files were Fed-exed on Friday.

The next four days sped by. Susanne trained me on how Five Winds does things and I felt relaxed and in total sync the entire time. I marveled at how closely her spreadsheets resembled ones I had created for TSD. As I listened to her handle phone calls, I was amazed at how closely her words matched what might have come out of my own mouth. I became increasingly confident about my ability to hit the ground running when I totally assume the Controller role on July 1st.

Tuesday night Susanne took me home for dinner. Her brand new townhouse is gorgeous and I found myself guiltily lusting after the built-in espresso machine in her sparkling kitchen. We chattered effortlessly, endlessly. She asked me if she had peeled enough potatoes for five. I responded, “I wouldn’t know! My husband does all the cooking. I have a pre-nup.” She gets my odd sense of humor.

When Susanne’s husband of six-months arrived home from work, I instantly recognized a fellow Kristin/Attila coupling. Francis is quiet and reserved, in bold contrast to Susanne’s effervescence and rapid-fire speech. It’s a pretty good combination if I do say so myself!

Susanne’s twelve and thirteen-year-old sons joined us for dinner. I found them to be charming, intelligent and humorous. I saw the same qualities in Francis. I enjoyed my time with all of them tremendously and it was not simply due to the fact that I was served a delicious dinner combined with to-die-for brownie pie and decaf espresso for dessert. I’m not that easy. Okay, maybe I am, but I also really had fun! The sound of the huge pet rabbit scampering over the hardwood floors of the dining room only added to the charm of the evening.

Everything went remarkably smoothly the entire week. I did not get lost finding my hotel in downtown Ottawa. I got enough sleep each night, enough caffeine each morning, and navigated to and from the office each day without mishap.

I ate lunch with my new co-workers, discovering humor, intelligence, passion and more. I talked waaaayyy to much but no one seemed to take offense (thank you for your indulgence, my new Ottawa friends!). On Friday I departed, feeling like part of the team, and grateful. So grateful.

I returned my rental car and got through customs and to the gate with plenty of time to spare. I read completely through two Guideposts magazines. My flight was delayed due to mechanical issues with the plane a g a i n. I was stunned when my flight was ultimately cancelled. I had really wanted to be home by Friday night, but it is what it is.

I am not a fan of whining. I heard too much of it spitting into the air as we were all escorted back to check-in. The next flight to Philly was at 6:52 Saturday morning. I opted to take the 11:30 a.m. flight. If I am going to lose my Saturday, I may as well get to sleep in.

Our luggage was retrieved and we were taken by shuttle bus to a recently built Holiday Inn Express. My room was gorgeous. I called home to update the troops.

Saturday morning I took the shuttle back to the airport for a dejavu round of “take me home!” My flight was delayed about an hour due to fog conditions in Philadelphia. It was fine. I made it home in time to go on a date with my hubby (along with two of our kids and their spouses). Life is good.

Tomorrow I go back to the Paoli office. I am really hoping they have found a place to put me. And a desk would be really awesome!

My passport expired in 1987. That is the year our son Declan was born! My old passport contains tangible proof that I have personally set foot on the soil of Canada, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Antigua, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, England, Wales, Spain, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. Some of these places are not even countries anymore! Most of them were visited BA (Before Attila) and BC (Before Children).

This past Friday I experienced a heavy dose of Philly Delight. I needed to get an expedited passport at the US Passport Office for my new job which starts on Monday, June 15th. On my way to 200 Chestnut Street, City of Brotherly Love and Terrible Drivers, I inadvertently drove over the Ben Franklin bridge into Camden, NJ. It was not exactly what I had in mind, but I am not religiously opposed to detours now and then.

I found my way back to the correct state (woo hoo!). I pulled into a spot in a large parking garage and immediately began conversing with a woman who was getting out of a car near me (in certain countries this could be considered assault with a deadly weapon).

She was heading to the Passport Office as well, and knew her way out of the garage. I hitched a ‘ride’ by her side. She and her husband are missionaries who are returning to Ecuador to plant a church. (I know. You aren’t supposed to talk to strangers. I can’t help myself.)

Chatting happily together, we entered the security line in the Federal building. I had to leave my new friend prematurely when my brutal honesty forced me to admit to the guard that I did indeed have a nail file in my purse. I actually had two of them in there. (Don’t ask why. Things just have a way of mysteriously multiplying in my presence. Remember the lamps in my old TSD office? And have you counted my children lately?)

I left the building and tossed the tiny weapons of mass destruction into the nearest trash can. Note to self: Buy new nail file for purse! I returned to the Federal building with a clean conscience and a safe purse.

My appointment was set for 12:30 p.m. I made it to the window at 3:00 p.m. Heavy sigh. They said it would take at least another hour until the passport was actually made. Where are all the passport-construction elves when you need them?

I had not eaten all day, so I took my receipt and headed across the street to buy a real Philly cheese steak for brunchdin (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I found an open bench under a row of trees and planted myself there for a spell. Sunshine had replaced the early rain and there was a delightful breeze. I felt oddly content.

I tossed the empty bag and aluminum foil into the receptacle that also contained my nail files, and returned to the waiting area of the Passport Office. At 4:45 p.m. I finally left the building, passport in hand. I felt slightly jubilant, with a freaky sense of excitement tickling the back of my neck.

Finding my way into the parking garage was no easy task since I had not paid much attention on my way out of there (jabbering with my missionary friend).  I forgot to press ‘receipt’ at the payment machine and had to push the ‘help’ button. A disembodied voice assured me that they would have a receipt ready for me on my way out. I had fifteen minutes to find my car.

My ‘Find Your Car!’ adventure ate up nearly every one of those precious fifteen minutes. I had to check several levels of the garage, and use my remote trunk opener just to locate my beige beast of burden. What joy washed over me as I heard the familiar “eee eee” responding to my silent call.

I switched my cell phone back on and almost immediatly received a  call from a teenager (in tears) and then a second call from another teenager  wondering where I was, and when exactly would I be home? I hate cell phones.

I needed to call my new boss to let him know that my passport mission was successful. Of course the traffic lights on Walnut Street were timed in my favor and I cruised right through, leaving no time to dial my cell. By now it was closing in on 5:30 p.m.

When I finally reached Curt on my cell I missed my turn onto 676 N and drove in a huge circle to get back to where I needed to be. I am pretty good at multi-tasking, but city traffic and cell phones just don’t mix. Driving in Philadelphia in rush hour made me feel like an idiot and a grown-up all at the same time. I’m not sure I want to be either one!

So… on Monday I begin my new job as the Controller for Five Winds International, an environmental management consulting firm. While the corporate headquarters is located in Paoli, PA (where I will be working under the fairly new COO) the out-going Controller works out of the Ottawa, Ontario office. I am flying there on Tuesday to train with her for the rest of next week. She will fly to the US the following week so that we can complete the transition as efficiently as possible.

It will be awesome to actually be transitioned at all! My work experiences have typically consisted of ‘thrown into the fire and work your way out’ situations.

It is possible that my updated employment status is due in part to my brother Bryn’s advice to buy a “more professional-looking” interview outfit (and eldest daughter Lyryn taking me shopping to pick one out). Apparently my old outfit was outdated and inappropriate for today’s business environment. Decide for yourself. Feel free to comment – you know you want to!

Original Interview Outfit

Updated Interview Outfit

Okay people. You are lucky I leave the house wearing a bra!

So… I am happy to be gainfully employed once more. I am thrilled to adjust my morning routine so that it no longer includes the daily perusal of countless classified ads on a multitude of  job seeker web sites. After months of unemployment my ‘Job Search’ notebook is full and a new journey in my life is about to begin. I reluctantly say “goodbye” to sleeping in, but happily say “hello” to earning a real paycheck again.

During this unscheduled sabbatical I have had the glorious opportunity to put a real dent in my personal to-do list. I have spent quality time rekindling old friendships, strengthening critical family relationships, and making new connections. I have no regrets.

I am excited about meeting new people and acquiring knowledge in a field I know little about. I am hoping that the new information won’t shove the basics out of my brain (things like walking and chewing gum at the same time).

And I am NOT giving up on writing my book. Really. I’m serious. Stop laughing! Okay, now you are starting to annoy me. You know who you are! :-}