Movin' on up

Hello friends! Sometimes the little things in life can make the biggest difference in one's mood, outlook, general attitude, etc.  What kinds of 'little things'? In my case, a simple location change at work.

Also, surprise flowers delivered to the office by my wonderful boyfriend... aw shucks!

When I first started working, there were no free offices or cubicles soI was shuffled from office to office, depending on who was working from home on a particular day.  It was stressful-- in large part due to the fact that I've never been good at remembering what day of the week it is. So after  a few days, I settled into what I affectionately call my hallway office. Behold:


Fending off paparazzi has become a big problem at the office lately...

As you can see, it is very spacious but seems to be missing a few... what's the word I'm looking for here? Oh yes: walls.

This tended to get a bit distracting when people would stand in the hallway and have conversations (with or without me), use the communal printers 2 feet from my head, stop to sit and chat, or be a VP with the ability to sneak up behind you completely unheard.

Nope, not on Facebook at work. Who me? What? Huh? I'm innocent I swear!

Fear not my friends, for I have moved up in the working world at long last-- both figuratively and literally. I have an office!!! A few images (before and after) from moving day, labeled for your convenience:


BEFORE: Moving day

AFTER: NEW DIGS!!!!!

Pretty excited about it, in case you couldn't tell!

Moving day had its share of awkward interactions, including the one in which the aforementioned ninja VP yanked the better desk from my new office-mate (who had claimed it with a post-it) and gave it to me instead. Whoops. My b.

But really, considering my two previous workspaces included a TV tray (at my year-long internship) and a hallway desk for 6 months... I think I've earned the people-watching desk & peninsula, don't you think? :)

Hope your week is filled with positive changes... and minimal awkward interactions!

Shot Through the Heart and You're to Blame

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

How will you be celebrating this year? Allow me to offer you a glimpse into my fabulous evening plans:

Kidding, kidding!
It'll be Lactose-free ice cream, of course.
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Just to clarify, Chris and I celebrated Hallmark's favorite holiday a little early this year (it was also our 3-year anniversary... I know, I know. All together now: "awwww/barf"). 

In addition to having a great time together, I also learned a few things over the weekend.

• Spontaneity does not necessarily equal chaos...  which goes against pretty much everything I believe in. Calendars are made to be color-coded, right?  However, Chris and I had to change our weekend plans at the last minute (camping in 19-degree weather is a little extreme even for us) and we still had a fun-filled and relaxed weekend. Huh. Who'da thunk?

Who me?
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• Having fun doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, even if it is a holiday. You don't have to belong to AARP to use coupons, watch movies via free Netflix trial accounts instead of movie theaters, or sign up for a Silver Diner rewards card to save $ on your next visit. Nothing says "I love you" like fiscal responsibility.

One day I will torture my children by wearing one of these in public.
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• Playing LaserTag as a non-chaperone/childless adult may result in a few judgemental looks from strangers. And yes, we did play LaserTag on our Valentine's date. Best decision ever? Heck yeah.

It's not my fault we didn't have video games growing up. I am merely a victim of my sheltered upbringing

• My boyfriend is awesome for many reasons, including:
• being a gentleman to the whole family... aka cooking brunch for us. As a guest.
• not being embarassed by his gf's lack of shoot 'em up skills (and only killing me a few times. All's fair in love & LaserTag)
• always being there to balance out my worrywart self and teaching me to chill out
• being patient while I try to make a decision about a movie/restaurant/outfit/anything 
• laughing at and/or making silly jokes
• offering to play Scrabble with Webster because he knows how much I love it
• making conversations interesting, no matter where we go or who we meet... how else would we know where our waitress is from, or that Antigua is in Guatemala?
• being slightly neurotic about backing into parking spaces because it's "easier"

Backing in shaved at least .0003 seconds off our departure time. Whew!

[Ok, I already knew he's terrific. But these points were reiterated this weekend and I felt they were worth mentioning]

• Finally, I learned that the "perfect" Valentine's Day does not mean you necessarily have to reenact the latest Katherine Heigl rom-com or Kay Jeweler's ad...

Don't ever let go, Jack...

         

              .... as long as you get to share it with people you care about.

I hope today is filled with the people you care about, whether they are near or far-- friends, family members, pets, significant others, or Ben and Jerry. Sending you all hugs! xoxo

p.s. One other thing I learned: the "Six-foot, Seven-foot, Eight-foot, hut!" line from Lil Wayne's song 6'7' is originally from the song Day O (The Banana Boat Song).  Please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know this?!