October Client Spotlight: Amy Lorentzen

What is a day or week like in the life of Amy Lorentzen? 

So my life isn’t as busy as what it was pre-COVID but it’s starting to feel more normal.  I’m not married yet so I don’t have a family of my own to take care of, hopefully one day.  But I do have a visually impaired cat that requires a little extra care.  He’s also not the best officemate so sometimes I have to pause a work call to get him out of trouble, haha.  I spend a lot of time working but I try to draw boundaries especially on the weekends.  I make time for a spin class about three times a week, attend church & a small group Bible study in person, FaceTime with a friend to catch up & discuss a Biblical counseling book we’re reading together, get some other lite reading in (mostly mystery novels), meet up with friends at a dine-in restaurant or grab food to-go at least once a weekend, and dream about the location of my next real vacation.

 

What are the things that you invest in yourself to better your week? 

I attend church in person every Sunday.  My church started in person services back up in early May.  We’re required to wear masks and have ushers to ensure socially distanced seating.  But it’s so worth it in order to participate in worship – it really helps reset my focus and it’s nice being with community. 

 

Tell us about your work life and how you got started?

 As soon as I start talking about what I do for work, people’s eyes typically start to glaze over and they zone out so I’ll try to spin this to sound as interesting as possible.  I like problem solving, numbers, order, rules and most importantly being helpful & making an impact.  I manage a team at an oil company that is responsible for expatriate tax services.  Did I lose you at tax?? There are a lot of rules regarding the tax implications of US employees working overseas and employees coming to work in the US.  My team helps the company remain compliant and ensures related internal policies are applied correctly.  The work can be very taxing, but every day has its new sets of challenges to tackle and lots of projects. 

 

I never imagined that I would be a tax accountant – a teacher, marine biologist and veterinarian had been on the list.  But accounting is in my blood.  Both of my grandfathers had accounting jobs at various points.  My mom’s dad spent his entire career in accounting & finance at the same company that I now work for, so it’s fun to follow in his footsteps.  I discovered accounting my senior year of high school and then went on to Texas A&M University’s Professional Program in Accounting.  I hope to one day be an expatriate myself and benefit from all the rules I’ve learned, but I might have to wait for retirement for that.

 

Did I mention I’m also the wedding coordinator for my church?  That’s another story for another day…. 

 

Our readers love an authentic story, can you share a work/life balance moment that you find to be funny or vulnerable?

 

I’m not really made to work long hours for an extended period of time.  At some point I typically do something completely out of character and then it’s clear I need time off.  I had one of those moments a couple weeks ago.  I picked up dinner on a Sunday evening (a girl needs chips & queso every once and awhile), went home and sat down to watch a TV show & eat.  After I was done I started looking for my phone.  I thought I had intentionally left it in my purse so dinner would be quiet.  Dumped my purse out, couldn’t find it.  Went down & checked my car, couldn’t find it.  Went back inside to look in my bedroom & bathroom, couldn’t find it.  I searched for at least 15 minutes.  A good friend lives in the condo across the hall from me so I went over & asked for her help.  She started calling as we searched the same places I had already searched.  My Fitbit would go off whenever she called while we were inside so at least we knew it couldn’t have been left at the restaurant or in my car.  After another 10 minutes or so, I was searching the couch for at least the second time and had a moment of clarity.  I went into my kitchen and opened up the UV sanitizer I had bought a couple weeks back and there was my phone, with a lot of missed calls.  My friend and I got a good laugh, the practically in tears kind of laugh, out of that one.  Thankfully I was taking off that week so I got some much-needed rest.  And the sanitizer will be one of the first spots I look if I can’t find my phone in the future.

 

What has been your most proud milestone/award that you can share with our community?

 

I bought my condo about nine years ago.  It wasn’t perfect, but it felt like home.  I started making a list of everything I would change to get it just right.  And then I started saving so I could pay for the renovation in cash.  About two and a half years ago I moved out and put all of my stuff in storage so the renovation work could get started.  It took just under four months.  When I moved back in, it was exactly what I wanted.  And I was grateful that it was paid for, with no additional loans hanging over me. 

 

How has Nourish and our meals or service impacted you?

 

I love cooking, but it’s not easy to do for one person.  I really don’t like eating the same meal four or more times in the same week.  I’ve tried cooking and freezing but never really found a rhythm.  My job hasn’t been 40 hours/week for a long time and eating out had become my norm for every meal.  I found Nourish about a month before COVID hit and it helped me eat better in spite of the long hours.  Then Nourish became my lifeline during the stay-at-home order.  While my friends were dealing with in-person grocery store issues, my food was delivered right to my door.  I was so thankful.  On top of that the food is delicious and healthy – I’ve even lost a little bit of weight instead of putting on the COVID-19 pounds.  