I’m grateful that, after jumping around a few jobs here and there, I have a job that I can settle into, something which will in time and with more work, a job that can lead to so many opportunities. Of course, I will be sad to leave Comet behind; I’ve had some good times with the people I’ve worked with, and I’ve learnt a lot and had some good opportunities, and ironically enough, I’ve just been involved in the “Recommend a Colleague” scheme to bring a friend who recently lost his job to the General Enquiries team. C’est la vie!

Breaking all previous agreements with those wonderful men and women who helped us to move last time on the condition that we wouldn’t move again any time soon, we’ve crossed the city into a house on Bransholme, within shouting distance of Kingswood.

I wonder why they call it “shouting distance”… really, it all depends on the shouter and the shoutee. Does the shouter have a particularly loud voice? Does the shoutee have super hearing? There are too many variables to define what “shouting distance” actually is.

Anyway, the logic behind this year’s moving story is that we want a place to settle and bring up a family. The house is a three bedroom property in a very quiet part of Bransholme, and it’s great. The moving process went quite well, albeit it took seemingly forever, with many a late night car journey between the house and flat.

After we looked at one house on Longhill that was sort of promising but not really comfortable, Chantelle went with her parents to look at this house in Bransholme. I got a call at work, and she was falling over herself trying to tell me how great the house was, and how her parents loved it. I was told that it was very old person-esque, but that there was furniture there, it was double glazed and had central heating, it’s in a lovely area and so on. We decided to go for it, in spite of the fact that I was yet to see this property, but I completely trusted Chantelle and knew that she wouldn’t choose a place that would be anything less than a place she would want to bring up a family.

Turns out the tenant’s uncle lived in the house before moving back to Pakistan to take up his medical practice again – he’s 74 and UK authorities wouldn’t let him work past the retiring age!! – and everything that was left in the house had been there when he took residence, after the previous couple had moved into a residential home. So, all the furniture, curtains, carpets etc were all left behind. It’s all very old people-esque, but it means that we didn’t have to worry about moving the sofa or table and chairs, and we can always replace the stuff later on when we can afford it.

So far so good.

After nearly three years at Comet, I’m now moving on…to another department at Comet. Moving away from the Specialist Web Team where I’ve pretty much exhausted all career options, I’m heading to “proper” Comet to work on the Business Services Management Information team which looks after all sorts of reporting and analytical stuff, looking at trends in sales and refunds, and also reporting to Comet’s insurance clients on what they’ve spent their money on, and so on. In some way it’s a kind of “growing up” work wise, dealing with time and cost sensitive information, and working to strict business guidelines. Whilst it’s not realising any long term ambitions, it’s providing an opportunity to try something completely different, and there are more opportunities for development around the Business Services department.

As was mentioned in my review with my team leader yesterday, I’ve had “itchy feet” for a while. Apart from the Police, which is more of a long term goal, in the short term my ambitions are pretty basic really. I want a job I’m comfortable in, where I can develop myself and be really good at it, without having the responsibility of being a team leader or manager. Some people are good at managing, but it’s not for me, especially when it involves working longer hours or taking work home for a job I’m not totally enthusiastic about.

On reflection over the last six months – it was our half year wedding anniversary last weekend!! – I’m grateful for how mine and Chantelle’s relationship has grown and strengthened, and I look back through events and moments before and after our engagement and wedding, and I can see how we’ve become more understanding of each other. I might be seen as the Patriarch of our family and the one who should lead by example and guide with love and wisdom, but my goodness she’s the one that shows me what I example to set! In fact, it’s been with her help – that is, gentle nudging and showing “an increase of love toward him whom [Chantelle] hast reproved“  – that I’ve experienced slow but sure moments of growing up-ness, and I appreciate her for completing me in such a way.

Chantelle has also had her cooking and baking fire relit, which always warrants reams and reams of approval from me. Over the last few weeks I’ve enjoyed Chicken Parmigiana, a fantastic Curry, Quesadillas, Barbeque Chicken, a Greek Salad, and more. I have a week off in April, and I’m determined to try my hand at cooking and creating my own wonderful culinary disasters masterpieces. I had to take tuition from Chantelle in peeling an onion, and I still couldn’t manage it.

So far so good.

For me, this is a bit of a landmark. It’s mine and Chantelle’s first Christmas and New Year as Mr and Mrs, it’s my first Christmas and New Year away from home, and as I look back on what has been a pretty good year for me, I now look forward with a hint of excitement to see what 2010 is going to bring.

2009 was a pretty good year – obviously the highlight for me was getting married! The week before the wedding could have been a thousand times better and a million times less stressful, but I guess we can look back on it now and laugh. Well, maybe not laugh. More like cry. But still. The wedding day was great! Apart from the chicken kievs. It’s not so much that they weren’t all that nice. They just weren’t all that cooked.

That aside, it was a wonderful day. The ceremony was great, I nearly burst into tears when Chantelle appeared in the chapel, the candy buffet was loved by everyone, the photos were taken by two uber photographers in the form of Dom and a very pregnant Jo, Chantelle looked amazing, and everyone said how much they enjoyed it.

Earlier in the year, another highlight was moving into a house with Chantelle, and being away from home for the first time. Well, being away wasn’t the highlight as such (sorry Mum!!!), but being with Chantelle each and every day from moving in was certainly a great experience – look at my old Vox blog for a detailed journal of my first adventure away from home. By the way, if anyone has any tips on how to create some sort of archive on WordPress for other blog sites so everything’s stored here, that would be good!

So right now I’m thinking about goals, aspirations and such for 2010 – New Year’s Resolutions, if you will. Unfortunately, I suck at keeping resolutions, so if I look at them as goals and achievements, then maybe this year I can win.

The first obvious thing for me is careers - now I’ve hit 25, I’m married and looking to the future and stuff, I’m now seriously considering what I want to put into and get out of my working life. Last year I was sort of toying with the idea of joining the Police, and over the last few months I’m seriously considering it. I’ve always wanted to do something useful involving helping people and making use of personal qualities.

I’ve been working for Comet since 2007, a job which was initially supposed to be a stop gap until I decided what I wanted to do with myself. Granted, I’ve progressed through the ranks and done pretty well for myself, getting through a few “levels” and looking after a few small teams as I’ve gone along, but this year I want to make myself more useful.

I also want to find more ways of being a better husband – I’m not saying I’m rubbish or anything!! But I want to make more of an impact in our married and individual lives by offering more of me. I’ve started by reading Men Are From Mars… which I would heartily recommend everyone read!! Without straying too much from the manly rugged figure that I do my utmost to cut……oh screw it, “gaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy” right?? It’s a great book and offers some pretty insightful views on men and women and the relationships between them.

My next “big thing” is to try and be more healthy – let’s just say Christmas was certainly a joyous time for eating! Chantelle mentioned Wii Fit a few days ago, and after reading about it and watching videos on YouTube, it looks good and now I want one too.

So, this year’s “goals” are…

• Start a career
• Do what I can to be a better husband
• Get healthier and more active

I guess I should really add “keep this blog more up to date” – once again I started with good intentions, and once again regular blogging has fallen flat on its face!

Until next year………….Shaun