Bring It On

The last part of 2013 was such a non-stop whirlwind, I started to wonder if it would ever end. I wanted to leave the rough spots of 2013 behind me and jump head first into making 2014 the best year yet. But when I had time to stop and think about it — while vacuuming water out of our basement — it occurred to me that we did a lot last year. Most of it was great, some of it was tough, but it was all time well-spent.

We started 2013 on top of Camelback Mountain in Arizona.

I bought Mickey Mouse sunglasses at Epcot.

Roadtripped to Charleston with a bunch of girlfriends.

Hosted a bridal shower.

Got peer pressured into running the Cherry Blossom 10-miler.

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary with an afternoon at the batting cages where Hugh proposed.

I cried through our best friends’ wedding.

We spent my grandpa’s birthday with him in the hospital.

Packed Memorial Day weekend full of outdoor adventures with friends and both of our families.

We carried on an annual beach tradition with friends.

We reunited with family in Virginia.

And in Oklahoma.

And vacationed in Isle of Palms, SC.

I spent an incredible girls weekend in Nashville.

We got to attend Lucy’s baptism.

We bought a little house.

We celebrated the life of one of my most cherished family members.

Dressed up our home with Hugh’s very first live Christmas tree.

And rang in the new year in New Jersey with old friends.

Yes, 2013 taught me a little about loss and change and wet basements, but it also taught me that I can run and that Hugh and I make a pretty good home improvement team. It also reminded me that we are surrounded by incredible friends and family who helped us through home-buying, moving and maintenance and who are generous with hugs when you need them.

And as for 2014, well it’s already off to a big start. I began [yet another] new job on January 2nd, and Hugh is becoming a master landscaper as I type this. I don’t like to make resolutions, but I do like to make goals and set milestones to look forward to.

In 2014 we will:

• Dry out the basement, once and for all, then tackle our two-page project list
• Run the Cherry Blossom 10-miler together
• Celebrate two anniversaries and a big birthday in Key West with great friends
• Not let work run our lives, but strive to be great at our jobs
• Watch my brother graduate from our alma mater
• Spend time vacationing with both sides of Hugh’s family
• Never lose sight of how fortunate we are

Bring it on, 2014. Bring it on.

Onward

Today is my last day working for the company that gave me my first full-time job after college. While it may be exciting and invigorating, it is certainly not easy to decide to leave somewhere that you’ve grown comfortable with and accustomed to.

I started working here when I was a week away from turning 22, in November of 2008. I’d graduated in May, jobs were sparse (especially for a liberal arts grad), I lived it up in Blacksburg as long as I could, moved home, taught at a leadership program for two months, and applied to countless jobs every day.

When I started I was young, living at home with my parents, and navigating a long-distance relationship. I commuted two hours each way every day — I’d drive to the train station, take the VRE to Union Station, take the metro to Dupont, and walk from there. I had no friends in the office — on my lunch breaks, I’d take my sandwich outside and call Hugh because my mornings were too early and his nights were too late to touch base any other time.

Some of my best friendships have grown out of working here, as have some of the best lunch and happy hour adventures. This organization let me move from my job in publications to uncharted territory in fundraising where I have learned more than I’d ever thought a job could teach me. In 2008, I had not ever once used a V-LOOKUP in Excel, and now I can’t get enough of them.

It’s easy to get comfortable somewhere in almost five years. The place, its people, operations, dress code, generous PTO, and nearby happy hours become a cocoon of familiarity that’s difficult to want to leave of your own volition. Starting somewhere new, with more responsibilities, new people and unfamiliar practices is daunting. But when it’s time for a new challenge, an opportunity to continue learning more, you just move onward.

I’ll miss my friends and the coziness of my desk when I start my new adventure on Monday. But until then, I’ll be the unemployed gal sunbathing at the pool.

When You Think Tim McGraw

My stress level the past few weeks has been slightly through the roof. I love my new job working in development for the non-profit I’ve been at for nearly three years, but it’s truly the first time since I started here in 2008 that I’ve felt like a fish out of water. Or a mediocre swimmer treading water. Or something about water.

It’s not that it’s that hard or I’m that slow, it’s just a lot to pick up at one time. New people, procedures, software, databases, a whole new focus that has very little to do with my publications background. It’s refreshing and challenging and frustrating all at the same time. In a good way.

So as this week drags on and I try to keep my head above water and get a million and one things done I can’t help but miss Saturday Lauren who sat on the lawn at Nissan Pavilion (it will always be Nissan to me) content and carefree.

We were so excited — we got there early and got to see The Band Perry and Luke Bryan before the main act. Luke Bryan was awesome. He covered Taylor Swift and best of all Enter Sandman in the middle of a song. I jumped and screamed and got goosebumps and yearned for Lane Stadium.

And then.

And then there was the man himself. Tim McGraw.

Now I’ve never been an especially huge fan of Tim McGraw, but after staring at him and singing with him last Saturday night I was so, so happy.

It had been a long day and I was pretty tired (see above) but so happy. Thanks Mom for the tickets and Jessie for being my date.

Oh and thank you Barrs for coming straight from a day of car shopping!

Now I just want to go back to that lawn with those people and loud music.

 

The Oatmeal's 10 Types of Crappy Interviewees

I haven’t interviewed for a job in three years, so when I read The Oatmeal’s comic about crappy interviewees, I started to wonder which one I was three years ago. I did get to a point of unemployment that pushed me close to the edge of desperate, after all. But the good news is, I don’t think I was any of the following:

 

(This comic is from The Oatmeal and you should visit the full comic here.)