Month of May, 2005

Graduation Party on Saturday

Remember, my graduation party is on Saturday and you're invited! I'd love to see you there.

Details here.

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Karen's Book

Karen made me book for graduation. It's full of pictures of me and my sisters. Looking at it brings back so many wonderful memories. I have an incredible family who loves me very much. I love them an incredible amount too. Having Karen take the time to make this really touched my heart. I just sat here and cried after first reading it. It's not a sad cry but a happy one. I'm so happy to have the family that I do.

Karen also got me an incredible sushi bracelet from ilikebeads.com. It's beautiful and has sushi charms. Too perfect for me!

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Good Week

There's so much on my mind, I don't even know where to start. I'm still in Arizona, but I'll be going home later today. Had meetings this week for my new role and I couldn't be happier. Things came together even better than I had hoped, and I am very excited about the future.

I'm feeling a little bit stressed about the move. OK, that's a lie. I'm feeling a lot stressed about the move, but I'm trying to push it down to just a little bit. So far I seem to be managing OK. I know that everything will work out just fine, but it's the unknown part in the middle that worries me. Can you tell I'm not comfortable when I'm not in control? And with this move, there are so many things that are out of my control. For example, I just learned that the moving coordinators don't have my name on "the list." That's bad. I did what I needed to do (sign the papers), but someone apparently didn't take care of their part. Frustrating because it's been weeks and it's totally out of my control. Well, not totally out of my control, just indirectly out of my control.

I've had some really great conversations this week. For example, I learned all about the Eastland Disaster, because a coworker created a historical society about it. In 1915 over 800 people died when the Eastland cruise ship rolled over in the Chicago River. My coworker's grandfather was on the ship so he was determined to make sure people remembered the tragic event. At the time, it was one of the biggest maritime disasters in the United States.

I also caught up with Kevin, which was great since we haven't talked in a very long time. Some of our conversation made me miss New York City. It's been ages since I've been there and I was feeling nostalgic for it. Kevin and I had a lot of great times in that city together. Kevin also told me that Brad Hoover, a friend of ours from Lubbock, died in a motorcycle accident. It took me awhile to remember Brad, but now the memories are coming back. Brad and I hung out a lot the summer after my junior year in college. The last time I saw him was at a party in Lubbock almost two years ago.

I'm looking forward to having a long weekend with Monday being a holiday. Kristen will be back in town (after spending two weeks straight in San Antonio for work). Her boyfriend, Chris, will also be in town. And Autumn is coming to town! I'm very excited to have everyone around. Monday we're all going to Mom and Dad's to have a barbecue. Should be a fun weekend with everyone around.

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Arizona

Getting on a plane this morning for Arizona. I've got meetings and lots of work stuff to do. But I will also start looking for a place to live. It'll be the first time I've been back since I accepted the new job. Exciting stuff. Now I just have to finish packing - my flight leaves in less than 3 hours!

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Old Friends

Talked to two old friends today - Heath and Iain. Ironically, they are both from the same time period of my life. Freshman/sophomore year in college. Both in Arlington, which felt like a whole other world from Lubbock, where I went to school. Heath and Iain knew each other, too. I think they met sometime in between the summers that I knew them.

I'm a bit shocked at the connection Iain and I still have after all this time. What a wonderful gift. To feel connected despite knowing little about the details of each others current lives. There's something about true friendship that time can't hurt. It's wonderful.

Both Heath and Iain have had tragedy in their lives. Iain's mother passed away on April 21st. Heath and his fiance split up. These events seem so monumental. They are monumental.

It feels like there is a reason I talked to both Heath and Iain today. There must be something for me to learn through their loss. Which is not to say I'm belittling either of their experiences. I'm simply being introspective about why I should connect with two very old friends on the same day. It feels cosmic.

Additionally cosmic, I was at a party tonight in Dallas for a grad school friend and ran into a woman from high school. There's definitely something taking me back in time today. I just don't know why yet.

DFW Blogs

Attended the DFWBlogs cocktail hour last night. It was a great chance to see friends that I hadn't gotten together with in awhile. There was lots of talk about me moving, which is a little sad because I'm going to miss this group. I've been blessed with an incredible group of friends all these years. Leia and I reminisced about the first DFW Blogs event and all the neat people we've met through the years. It's comforting to know I have friends for life no matter where we live.

Graduation Pictures

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I've finally got graduation pictures up. This is me standing in front of the business school. I was so happy. There are lots of happy pictures from Saturday. It was a very special day.
We started by going to lunch as a family at PF Chang's. Mom pointed out that the first time we ate at PF Chang's was in Scottsdale, Arizona, when I was in college. Mom and I had no idea at the time that I would someday be moving there! For graduation I got a bag full of things to prepare me for the desert - hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, a cactus (my first!), and a book on desert landscaping. Can't wait to read that book!
After lunch it was time for the ceremony. I got to wear a hood! Kristen couldn't make it because a friend's wedding shower conflicted. Karen couldn't make it because she is in Germany. But I know they really wanted to be there. Mom and Dad watched me walk. It was a nice ceremony and for the most part uneventful. I shed a few tears while I reflected on what a huge accomplishment this is for me.
After the ceremony, we went to the Dean's reception, which was very nice. It was a good time to talk with friends, professors and their families. After a long day, I relaxed at home before heading to Mike and Heidi's house to hang out. Enjoyed a perfectly lovely evening on the porch.
Still can't believe I have a piece of paper with my name and the words "Master of Business Administration."

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Commencement

Well, it's over. I'm the proud owner of a diploma which says my name and Master of Business Administration. Today was the graduation ceremony and a very special time for me. I took this picture during the ceremony. There are lots of other pictures to come. Right now I'm off to hang out with my school friends. Wow, I'm an MBA!

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Caves Lounge Anniversary Party

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Last night Ky, Zach, and I went to Caves for their 2nd anniversary party. It was awesome to celebrate this awesome accomplishment with Leska and Tommy. I'm so proud of them!
Plus, I made a new friend - Luke. He got a picture of me too.

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ilikebeads

Bought a beautiful necklace from ilikebeads.com and recieved it in the mail yesterday. It always feels like Christmas when I get stuff in the mail...even when I buy it myself.
Last night I had dinner with Ky at a Vietnamese restaurant. The food was so good. I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch. After dinner, we took the dogs for a walk and hung out. I should have been packing/picking up/cleaning/putting away clutter because I still have a lot to do before the house is ready to go on the market, but I'm still enjoying the fact I'm not in school and I really don't have any obligations. It totally feels like vacation even though I'm going to work every day. (Except tomorrow because I'm taking a real vacation day. My graduation ceremony is Saturday so I'm going to start celebrating early.)

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Flowers

My family sent me flowers at work today! My graduation ceremony is on Saturday so they've begun the celebration early. Aren't they sweet?

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Awesome Night

Tonight was an awesome night. After work I had dinner with my parents at their house. It was good, healthy food. I love eating with them, because the conversation is always great and my mom is a fantastic cook. Then Dad and I borrowed a truck from his friend, Doug. We chatted with Doug and his wife for awhile, which was really enjoyable as well. When we were in the truck, Dad realized that Doug has 9 garage door openers. Don't see that everyday. (He's a builder so surely those are for the houses he's working on.)

We borrowed Doug's truck because we were bringing some furniture from my parents' house to my house. You see, we're getting ready to sell LucciHouse. I know it's a very sad thing, but I'm not thinking about the sadness just yet. I will once it's all said and done. Right now I'm just focusing on all the work that needs to be done. LucciHouse is an awesome house and we just need to show it off. That means doing all the good things I've learned from Design to Sell. We're reducing clutter, rearranging to best showing off the space, and removing personalized style so it will appeal to a wider audience. In order to do all this, we needed some items and lucky for us, we could get them from Mom and Dad. So one trip with the truck and we've got a fully furnished front room that's far better than when we started. When everything is all done, I'll post pictures.

After getting the front room arranged, Mom suggested we head to Sonic for a late night treat. It's a gorgeous summer night here so we rolled down the windows and cruised. OK, so we didn't actually cruise. We just drove to Sonic and hung out drinking milkshakes and limeades. Conversation was great and we all laughed a lot. During a pause in conversation my Dad said that he doesn't know what they're going to do without us around. It made me sad. We are all so close and we love being together. With everyone moving away, it's going to change things. But I don't believe any of us will grow apart. Karen and Jason are the example - they moved to Germany but we still talk all the time. Mom and Dad have gone to visit at least 3 times in the past year. I'm sure the distance will change things, but nothing will change the closeness that we feel.

I am so lucky that my family is so wonderful. I couldn't ask for anything better. I know that my personal success is a direct reflection on how I was raised. My parents have loved me unconditionally all my life and that's enabled me to do so much. I'm so thankful that as an adult, I've been able to grow into a friendship with my parents. We can enjoy each other to such a great extent because my parents have given me the space I need to be my own person. I know this couldn't have been easy, because I see so many of my friends parents fail to do this. Again, I am so lucky. I love my family so much and tonight just magnified how much I'm going to miss having them so close.

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Overheard

Just overheard a coworker on the phone. "She's a pretty fantasic kid. Sharp. A lot like I am." Don't be modest.

Oh yeah, I meant to share this last week. Check out Mustachio. That picture is priceless.

Food

After Sergio got off work Wednesday night, he came over and brought food. Let me tell you something...food is the way to my heart. I didn't realize it until I started dating someone who works at a sushi restaurant, but I think I've found my "love language." I can see myself dating more chefs in the future. Good thing there are lots of awesome restaurants in Scottsdale, because that means there are some good chefs there too! (And I think maybe a culinary school or two.)

I've also been finding that I enjoy eating at home. Having the lifestyle of a full-time employee and a student at the same time, means I haven't eaten at home much in the past 2 1/2 years. It's really nice to have a quiet dinner at home and have someone to discuss the day with. I'm looking forward to continuing this type of eating and hope to start doing some of the cooking myself. It's been so long since I've cooked a real meal (i.e. one that requires more than simply heating up). I think I'm going to have to break out the cook books and do some practicing to get back into the swing of things. Maybe I'll rely on Sergio to coach me, too.

Moving

I am moving.
To Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sometime in the next three months.

I have been waiting to announce this for weeks but due to the circumstances at work, I've had to keep it to myself. Then on Wednesday when I was finally able to share the news, I froze up. I didn't know what to write or how to share. Funny how that works.

With school coming to an end, I've been looking for my next career opportunity. To my delight, I've found it with my current company. As many of you know, I work in software support. For the past two years, I've been managing a team who does technical support. I've had the opportunity to work with an amazingly talented and fun group of people. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and have truly learned a lot about managing a group of people! One of my favorite parts of the job is working directly with the customer and managing through rough situations (because in software support, we get plenty of those!). When my company announced a new position which would essentially be an account manager for customers on support, I jumped at the chance to interview. With time and lots of conversations, everything came together and I was offered the job in April.

I was also offered the choice to relocate to headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, or stay in Dallas. This was a harder decision to make, as you can imagine. For the job it made more sense to be in Arizona, but there's more to life than a job. My friends and family are here. My home is here. But when it came down to it, I decided it's time to leave. I never thought my stay here would be permanent nor that it would last as long as five years. (The past five years just zipped by!) I'm ready to put some roots down and I just didn't feel that Dallas is the place for me to do it. Plus, I absolutely love the desert. Maybe it has something to do with being born in New Mexico, but ever since I went to college in Lubbock, I've wanted to go back. The Scottsdale/Phoenix area has the most beautiful, pristine desert geography. In my mind, it's paradise. So I've made the decision to move.

Now that everything has been set into motion, things are going to move very, very quickly. We've announced the change at work and have a transition plan in place. Over the month of May, I will be moving out of my current role and helping others move into it. June I will be seriously ramping up into my new role with an "official" start date of July 1st. Somewhere in there, I will be finding myself a new home in Arizona, packing all of my belongings, and moving them to the desert. Or at least, that's the plan. Right now as I look around my house, it seems impossible that I'll actually be able to pack and move all this stuff (even with the help of movers).

Naturally, I feel a lot of mixed emotions right now. First and foremost, I'm excited. I believe this is the right thing for me to be doing with my life and I can't wait for the new adventures! Then I'm feeling overwhelmed. There are so many things to do before this can all happen. I feel a little lost since I don't really know what life is going to be like in the future. I'm also nervous. I don't feel sad yet but I know those feelings are coming soon. Overall, I feel content and satisfied that this is the right direction for me.

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Abandoned Spaces

Alison linked to an amazing website full of photos from abandoned buildings. I got sucked into looking at pictures for hours. They're all so beautiful and mysterious. The site was especially mysterious because it is in Japanese. I found that looking at the site untranslated helped me focus on the photos. When I translated the site, I found myself reading the text first and looking at the photos second. I definitely recommend focusing on the photos. They're beautiful.

If you want to translate the site, I'd recommend Babelfish.

The photographer, Koutarou Shibakoen, is apparently a 20 year old Japanese man. I'd love to talk with him about his photography, but I'm even more interested in hearing about his experiences in these abandoned places. I want to know how he gets access to those places. Who he goes with. What is feels like. What he likes and doesn't like about the places he's been. How it affects his view of populated locations.

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Ky on a Slackline

View the whole set from Sunday.

Sunday afternoon I met Ky at the park where he had setup a slackline. It's pretty amazing to watch him balance and walk up and down the line. Multiple people came over to watch since it's so neat. He has amazing balance and control over his body. I suppose that's what happens when you go rock climbing everyday for almost 4 years.

It was a fantastic afternoon where we just hung out and enjoyed the weather. Ended the evening at Caves Lounge where we ran into Tommy and Leska. Perfect day to do nothing and see friends. The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if Autumn could have been with us.

Graduation Party

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Saturday night my graduating class had a party. We celebrated getting through the past two and a half years together. It wasa ton of fun and everyone was very happy. There was more than a slight hint of sentimentality since everyone wondered if this was one of the last times we'd see each other again. I have so much respect for all of these people and consider myself so lucky to have studied with them. I can't wait to see where everyone is in ten years from now!

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Quote of the Day

"Take a deep breath and realize how completely insane it is that you're alive."

- Zach Braff

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Priorities

Journalism Josh just cancelled dinner with me in order to go home to his new Power Mac G5. He wrote, "It wouldn't be fair for me to go out with you, since I'd just be thinking about geeky goodness all night long." You know, if I was a normal girl, I'd be really mad right now. But I'm not. I totally understand and would be doing the exact same thing if I were in Josh's shoes.

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Done

It's Sunday, May 1st. I am officially done with grad school and it feels fantastic. It was incredible to wake up this morning, lay in bed, and know that I didn't have anything to do. For the past two and a half years, I've always had something to do. I've always had some piece of homework hanging over my head. Even when I knew I had done my homework, I always felt like there was more I could have done. But no more. I woke up today and didn't have a thing to do. Nothing.

To celebrate, I spent at least two hours laying in bed this morning. Eventually I got up and ate breakfast - eggs and a bagel - yum! Then, on principle, I went back to bed. I reveled in having nothing to do. Now I'm up and can think of things I could be doing (like the dishes), but I'm not going to do them. I'm celebrating the completion of my degree by doing nothing at all. I think I deserve a day off, don't you?

So, I did end up crying briefly yesterday. I was driving to school on my way to my very last class. I started thinking about what a major accomplishment getting an MBA is for me. Me, an art major in undergrad, was able to go to one of the top 30 MBA programs in the nation and actually complete it. I thought about how far I've come and how much I've changed in the past 2.5 years. I thought about all the people in my life who have supported me through this time. I was overwhelmed with joy and the tears rolled down.

Life is so very, very good.

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