Stream of Consciousness

Do you remember learning about stream of consciousness in middle school English class? I do, and for some reason it's stuck with me - that kind of of brainstorming and writing and generating ideas. And for some random reason, I was so aware of every thought going through my head on my walk to work this morning, so I thought I would express that in a weird middle school English class type essay. I had so much going through my mind it was hard to stay focused on anything. This will all kind of make sense shortly...

Tuesday, 8:20 a.m.-8:41 a.m.

Should I stop and get a coffee? No, I have coffee in my hand. Should I stop and get a muffin? Na, I've got oatmeal at the office. Uh, it's warm today. Ow, that coffee's hot. I wonder what she'll say at the meeting. What if I don't get the promotion? Oh that's a cute top! I should have worn a scarf. But I'm glad I wore these shoes. Shoot I forgot a fork. I think there are forks at the office. I wonder if I'll have time for a long lunch. How disappointed will I be if I don't get the promotion? I wonder if my dad will be bummed. I have a really busy morning. What will I start with? I have to return Raina's emails. I need to call back those chapter leaders, especially Craig. Should I give that woman who sits outside 7-11 coins today? What if they decided not to give me the promotion? It'll be okay. I'll still love my job. Ooh, coffee's still too hot. I think I'll make a tea. It's hot in here. I'll make an iced tea instead.

Long-ish story short, I've been interviewing for a really big promotion over the last week and they officially made the offer to me this morning. It's a HUGE move as far as job description, salary, team, etc. and I couldn't be more thrilled. It feels phenomenal to see my hard work paying off. Especially after months of feeling so discouraged and demoralized. As my husband would say, I am absolutely on cloud 7 right now (because cloud 7 is so much better than 9). Thanks to everyone, as always, for continued support and love. Cheers to Tuesdays and big moves!

Lately

Happy Monday, everyone. Today was one of those Mondays that just dragged on and on and on. So I'm doing a lazy Monday post with a few photos from over the last few weeks. Bubbles and best friends, sunshine walks, Lake Merritt at night, a sunbathing pup and catching up with an old friend. 

3 Smiles

A wonderful brunch with family and friends before my first dress fitting

 A sweet sign found in a Denver restaurant

 The sweetest girl scout selling cookies in our office

Registering Fun

A few weekends ago, Felix and I had one big 'wedding' task we needed to get done. I know to most couples, the thought of shopping for endless kitchen appliances and household items might sound fabulous, but we're just not one of those couples. We were actually kind of dreading the thought of spending an entire evening in a Pottery Barn or Bed, Bath and Beyond. So, we did what any normal couple would do; a mini 'happy hour' at home before heading down the street to a nearby Crate & Barrel. We highly recommend taking this route to anyone needing to register. It made the experience very memorable and we left with a list full of quality pots and pans and some random, unexpected items, too. Hah, just trying to keep things exciting around here. Happy Thursday evening all!

3 Smiles

Not much beats landing to a view of the Rocky Mountains

A Happy Valentines Day from my office building

 One of the many cute faces I get to see this weekend in Denver

I hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend. We are so happy to be in Denver.

Beachtastic

Over the last few weekends, Felix and I have taken day trips to some of the beaches closest to the city. On Saturday, we biked to Ocean Beach and Baker Beach and stopped at a great cafe on the way home. Being back in California, I really feel like I'm home. 'Home' is such a loose term for us, as our families are spread out all over the world, but there's something about taking walks through the park and biking to the beach that brings me back to really specific times in my childhood. The strong smell of eucalyptus takes me back to visiting my Grandpa in Irvine. Walking around the lake and sitting on his back porch. And visits to the beach bring me back to riding in the burley behind my dad's bike. Spending long days at the beach near our house in Santa Barbara. It's amazing how vivid some of my memories are and how easily triggered they are by living in California again. Here are just a few pictures from the beautiful weekend (I sure hope I'm not the only one who has memories of burleys. Those things are fantastic).

Longest day in the history of my days

That title. I mean it. Today was insane. So incredibly insane. If I had energy to really go into detail about why it was so crazy, I would. But I don't. I will say that the day involved 4 meetings, a private phone call with our Founder (yikes!), drafting invitations, producing invite lists, running multiple queries, scheduling meetings, updating lists, starting Q1 budget reports, and responding to what felt like millions of emails. And that was just the first half of my day. 

I know I'm still in a period of transition and learning how to deal with a full work load, but today felt like it would never end. I was so busy, that I didn't even really have time to get stressed. And now I'm so happy to be home, with a fat glass of wine. And what is even crazier about all of this, is that I am eager to get to the office tomorrow to tackle some more in my to-do folder. I have some fun posts planned for the next few weeks, so I promise to stop whining about work soon (confession: it feels really good to be whining about a job again). Here are a few pictures from a nighttime walk Felix and I took last night. Happy, happy Tuesday.

Lots of Smiles (Office Edition)

Thursday Farmers Markets in the building next door

 Necessary candy break after a long morning of meetings

A pretty sign and welcoming lobby 

 Our view from the 16th floor

 Great perks to being in partnership with big tea companies 

 A busy desk and a freshly painted green wall

Cheers to the weekend!

An Overdue Thank You

It has been a crazy, long week. I am still learning so much at work and trying to find a balance and comfortable routine. I started training other staff members in our other regional offices (London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Melbourne) on stuff I learned just last week. It’s been a meeting/conference call-heavy week, which always makes the days feel longer because I feel like I get less done. But I’m still really enjoying it. Our company is going through a massive overhaul and restructuring right now so it’s a really cool time to be working here. My job description is shifting, but in the process, I am working on projects that lie with several different teams (i.e. Corporations, Individuals/Families, Foundations, Youth Engagement) in addition to the work with my team, Global Business Development. It’s been a whirlwind 3 weeks and now that I am fully immersed into my job, I feel like I finally have time to take a real deep breath…

And I wanted to say that I am so grateful for all of my family and friends who supported me during my ‘fun-employment.’ Thank you for always being so positive, reassuring and uplifting. It is so refreshing to have such an incredible support system who believes in me, even when I have major doubts in myself. So thank you to ALL OF YOU. It means the world to me.

Happy Thursday!

3 Smiles

Tasty homemade pasta near our apartment

Blue sky and sunshine during lunch

 Much needed late afternoon coffee break

Enjoy the weekend!