Here are the highlights (though the wedding deserves its own big post, later)!
End of November - Some old coworkers/friends from UCR and I reunited over an overpriced Italian dinner. Gabi (center) came all the way from London to visit, and we re-hashed old memories and talked about our new lives. Gabi and her British boyfriend have promised to introduce me to all of their single British guy friends when I visit next year - by then I'm sure I'll be ready to let someone sweep me off my feet!
End of November - Over the past year, I've shared with you my joys and my trials when it came to my job. I shared with you my desires to move on, branch out into new forums, and possibly a new company. After a lot of interviews and prayer, I now share with you my deepest gratitude for State Farm, and all of the opportunities that the company has afforded me, as I close the year with a permanent goodbye. The photo above was 1 of 5 farewell lunches I had with my favorite coworkers. My emotions during the last week on the job were indescribable. Resigning from the company was one of the hardest and most thought-out decisions I've ever had to make; but also the smartest and best decision I could've made for my career (and my sanity). It felt as though I was breaking up with a long-time boyfriend: it felt awkward, I felt unsure, but the decision was right. I was sad to go, but so ready to move forward.
Early December - I started my new job just in time for all of their holiday festivities! Our company Christmas party was a black and white masquerade ball at The Biltmore Hotel. People were pickled by 5:30pm (drinks were free), the food was okay, old people were getting jiggy on the dance floor, and the guitarist in the band was smokin' hot! Yay, proof that I work with corporate big-wigs now!
Jackie (above) is one of the ladies in my department (and also the lady training me for my new gig). Unfortch, I wasn't able to take any pictures of our department Christmas lunch at The Crustacean, where they make killer 1.5 lb crab dishes! I had to sip my wine slowly, as every time it hit a certain point in my glass, the waiter would refill it as though it were water. Man, these people live to wine and dine! The entire first week on the job, it was one expensive restaurant after another - and I didn't have to pay once!
December - My good friend Lamar had a Christmas dinner at his home, where my team kicked his team's ass at Catch Phrase - 4 times! Just like how the Lakers kick Denver's ass every time they play too. Mwahaha!
Late December - This was my 2nd to last pre-Christmas dinner celebration. I (again) reunited with my good friends from State Farm... See Eva, I told you there would be no such thing as a goodbye between us.
So... that sort of lets me catch up on my story telling. I have so many blanks to fill in - with tales of crazy people on the subway, the ex-love of my middle-school life who rides the same train to work, and the bills I drop while shopping on my lunch break (Express and Macy's are downstairs, crap). Stay tuned!
