HELLO: New Neighbor Orientation

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."
- Epicurus (341 B.C. - 270 B.C.) Greek Philosopher

I’m still not sure what tone I want to convey within this entry, but I can’t continue without first stating how unbelievably blessed I feel to be who I am, and to have what I have.

It was only a few years ago when I dreamt of being a big-shot business woman - and now I am writing about the amazing experience of having successfully completed my very first extended stay business trip.

My six colleagues and I didn’t really know what to expect out of our multi-hour drive into a remote (but growing!) town amongst the fields of central Cali. We knew we were doing something right when we each got our own keys to a deluxe suite in the booming Stockdale district of Bakersfield - complete with living room, dining area, kitchen, and separate bedroom equipped with an inviting king sized bed and two TV’s. If that wasn’t enough already, the newspaper at my front door every morning just threw me over the moon!

I tell you, my body didn't know how to react to all of that space reserved just for me. Best of all, my room number was 214... like Valentine's day. *SMILE*

Never mind the long orientations and meetings, what I appreciated most about this trip was the networking opportunities I was able to take advantage of while I was there. I met a handful of amazing people who share a similar drive to succeed in our given industry, and I can’t even begin to tell you how I fell in love with most of the people I met. I was so sad to go!

I always knew that I was working for a great company (fortune 500 and their pick for one of the best co's to work for!), but now I’m reassured that over time, I will fall in love with all that the enterprise has to offer.

Here are my favorite pictures from the four day event…