Moving East
Just 20 minutes east but oh what a difference that makes on I-95.
Back to our favorite town…
Still renting but now a two-bedroom house instead of a one-bedroom apartment.
Picking up keys tomorrow, moving day scheduled for the 11th!
Someone is leaving for his bachelor party on my birthday.
We have have dinner plans the night before, Wednesday.
But I was pleasantly surprised when Ben came home early with dinner to-go from Centro (our favorite) and flowers to celebrate my “birthday week.”
After a last minute date change, my bridal shower went off without a hitch. Or, if there was one, I had no idea. Actually, there was hitch…my hangover from the bachelorette party, but I rallied in a way I didn’t even know I was capable of!
My sister/maid of honor and bridesmaids, with a HUGE amount of help from my Granny and Mom, pulled off an amazing party despite Nemo hitting Connecticut pretty badly.
I’ve been known to be a little picky and like things done a certain way so I know they were all on edge about whether or not I’d like everything. From the food and decorations to the generous gifts and my mom’s surprise speech (that had everyone tearing up), it was perfect.
I’ve been surrounded by some amazing women in my life and it was so wonderful to spend an afternoon with most them. I’ve truly never felt more celebrated in my life.
21 Signs You're From Connecticut
I’m not really from anywhere, since we moved so much growing up but I’ve spent most of my life in Connecticut.
1 year in Fairfield.
6ish years in West Hartford.
4 years back in Fairfield for college.
And the last 2 in Stamford.
So that kind of counts, right?
Remember when Six Flags was Riverside?
Things I’m Excited About Going Back to Work
- Having a routine again
- Interacting with people regularly
- Getting dressed for work (We’ll see how long this lasts, thanks to Catholic school I sometimes wish everyone could wear uniforms everyday, just sometimes)
- Working in my favorite town everyday
- New industry, new projects
- Oh and a paycheck that will actually cover my living expenses
Good News!
On Monday when I posted about the joys of unemployment, I had a feeling things were going to turn around. On Tuesday, they did.
Remember the one opportunity I was hopeful about? Well, it worked out!
I received a job offer and being the nervous Nelly that I am, I didn’t want post anything until I had my offer letter. So I posted a vague Instagram instead, obviously.
I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a job since landing my first job after college. It’s a somewhat new industry for me, but it should be a fun and interesting challenge.
The best part?! It’s in Connecticut! No more commuting in and out of Manhattan everyday.
Now, I just need to buy a car. No big deal.
FUNemployment?
Today officially marks three months of unemployment.
When I was laid off in October, I was extremely confident that I’d be back to work very soon. I had an interview the afternoon I was laid off and another one a few days later, for goodness sake!
Those opportunities and a few others didn’t work out. Which is ok. I don’t know that they would have been the right fit.
The job search is going well but every day I’m becoming more and more anxious about being unemployed. The longer you’re unemployed the worse it looks but to be fair Hurricane Sandy set me back a good week and the holidays are a tough time to be job searching.
Ben and I have had to make changes to our wedding and honeymoon plans. We’re using credit to pay for more of it than planned. We won’t be taking a honeymoon after our wedding. I won’t be getting a new dress for every wedding related event. Those are very little things in the grand scheme of life, but I can still be bummed about changing the plans we were so excited about a year ago.
I’ve noticed job postings, inquiries, interviews, etc. picking up since the new year and I’m very hopeful about one opportunity. Still, I’m very anxious to get back to work.
All of that said, this experience hasn’t been all bad. It’s given be the chance to spend more time with my family and work on some projects of my own that I haven’t had the time for in years.
Just crossing my fingers to be back to the grind very soon!
So I was laid off…
On Wednesday, I was laid off from my job at Conde Nast. If you follow New York media or magazine publishing news, you probably heard of the layoffs that happened company wide at Conde. I was one of 60 people who lost their job.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve been laid off. Two years ago my position at Hearst was eliminated and I was let go. When I called my dad to tell him he said to me, “the first time is the hardest.” My response was “this is going to happen AGAIN!?!”
And my dad was right. He has worked in media/marketing most of his career and has been through his fair share of layoffs. It’s the nature of the business, I guess.
Two years ago, I sobbed in the HR woman’s office. I’m talking snot coming out of my nose, ugly cry. I called Ben from the HR conference room, I was crying so hard that he had no idea it was me calling. Two years ago, I was angry and hurt. It felt so personal. I sat on the couch that night and wallowed in my misery. With a large glass of wine, of course. I never wanted to see (most of) the people I worked with again. It was very hard.
Last week, when I got the call, I knew what faced me when I walked into our publisher’s office. I knew I wasn’t the only one and this day would be horrible for everyone involved. Though my heart was racing, I kept my cool, took my paperwork and went back to my desk to begin wrapping up my projects. I didn’t want to leave the people who didn’t get laid off with a mess to pick up.
I came into the office on Thursday to pack my belongings and ship them home. I had lunch with some coworkers, personally said goodbye to everyone, and send the “goodbye email” with my contact information. Though it was a crappy situation, it felt good to say goodbye the way I did.
The funny thing is that not only do I feel closure from my time at Conde Nast, I finally feel some closure from my time at Hearst. I’ve grown a lot in two years and last week I handled myself the way I wish I had two years ago. I got the goodbye I never had at Hearst.
I’m not sure what I’ll do next, where I’ll end up. But you can probably count on more blogging as I figure it out!
On Family
Between wedding activities (engagement party, wedding dress shopping), holidays (mother’s day, father’s day), vacations, and random trips, I’ve spent more time with my family this summer than most summers in the recent past.
There used be a time when hanging with the family meant I was missing out on hanging out with my friends. Over the last few years something has shifted. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and getting married but more and more I find myself planning my schedule around when I’ll be able to see my family.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love my friends and love hanging out with them but we’ve started to spread out, move to different places, and make more friends wherever we’ve ended up. Friends are the family you choose and I’ve picked some great ones. And as far as my family, I’m thankful that I was given a great one to begin with.
Happy Father’s Day to my wonderful Dad! We’ve had an amazing time since this photo was taken in 1985 and I’m looking forward to many more fun times! Speaking of, it’s time for me to drive to New Jersey to see him!
