The Naked Cowboy

My high-heeled boots keep coming up missing from my closet, and the culprit is always the same:

 

Derek is not thrilled.

I, on the other hand, can't stop laughing.  

Bones, and trees, and science, oh my!

I had a week off in my job transition, most of which I spent sitting in Panera doing online Adobe tutorials in an attempt to quickly re-learn the design software for my new job. Not fun. 

And then there were 12 loads of laundry and a list of house projects to finish. Not fun. 

Add to that the fact that our house looked like a tornado had struck during the past 2 weeks with fading flowers and catering trays and rogue sleeping bags, diapers and socks from all the family that had recently passed through. Add to that 6 boxes of stuff from Mead, and there was a lot to do to re-set. Also not fun. 

By Thursday, I declared a FAMILY FUN DAY...it was killing me to be off work for a whole week and not be with my family. We pulled Ella out of school (gasp!) to spend a day at the Cincinnati Childrens Museum. My argument was that we could enjoy some priceless family time, teaching Ella more science that day than she's probably learned in all of first grade. 

So off we went. 

 

We started with an early lunch at Subway, complete with Carson's favorite gesture these days...a full-table, chocolate-milk  "cheers."

   

Union Terminal in Cincinnati is nothing short of breathtaking. We marveled at the art deco architecture and the way the light and sound bounce around in that space.  

We took a zillion photos that day, but the next two really sum up who Carson and Ella are turning out to be: Carson is physical, joyous, and tackles his surroundings fearlessly. He sees a structure or an organized pile and he barrels straight into it or uses his limbs to disassemble the order that once was there. Sometimes he puts it back and sometimes he just laughs and runs to find something else to destroy. 

Yes, he does that to our house, our furniture, and my brain just as well. Then he shows you the rainbow or the reason and it all makes sense. There is a method behind most of his madness.

Ella, on the other hand, is all about organization...kindness...and being in charge. We entered the "grocery store" and Carson knocked the plastic product from 3 shelves with one giant sweep of his arm. I heard it before I saw it; the sounds of a bouncing basket of plastic baguettes filled the room, followed by his maniacal laughter.

Ella glanced up from her self-appointed "job" at the cash register, where she had begun patiently ringing up the groceries of every 3-year-old there.  

We took them to the indoor tree house and they climbed every limb, every ladder, every board until they reached the top. A rainy Thursday with my family has never been better. 

Leaving Mead

Ella, I told you one afternoon that I had just resigned from my position at Mead. I explained to you that I had been there for a long time, (even before you were born!) and that it was time for me to do something new.

I carefully detailed how a great new job had come along for me, and that it was a blessing perfectly matched to me and my values; I would be truly giving back, by Art Directing for a charity that would help those in need.

You stared sweetly back at me in silence, your bright blue eyes sizing me up to see if you should challenge or comfort me. After 30 seconds or so, you came out with the big question:

"But what about all those pretty notebooks you bring home for me?"

I explained that we could still go to Target and get you any notebook you liked, even the kind with Hello Kitty. The answer was just what you needed; you clapped, giggled and ran off to play.

I, on the other hand, had a terrible time saying goodbye to these people who had become my second family. Right in the midst of our own family's loss, this additional loss seemed insurmountable; although the decision to leave was mine, these were people that I truly loved.
It was only through their kind gestures, heartfelt cards and gifts, and goodbye parties that I realized how those feelings were reciprocal.



A girls night at the Wine Loft with my closest gals :)


My desk, right before I packed it up on the last day


One of many pics taken at my going away party, which started at 4pm and wrapped up around midnight...filled with dozens of great friends, hugs and hilarious stories; even the ones at my expense were great. You can laugh loudest and last at your own folly when you've got nothing to lose.

Someone asked me what I'll miss the most. At the time, I thought it would be the retail strategy, the trend travel or the product design. Now that I'm writing this a few weeks later, I can tell you it's the little things:


the quote board, or the conversational nuances that required no further explanation. I'll miss our passionate debates over the new emerald green vs. tangerine on a Target endcap. Or the hilarity of Tara's face when she returned from vacation to find her cube wallpapered in planner fill.


I'll miss our quick-witted Creative Director who walked the office in his sock feet. I'll miss the fact that I could simply make eye contact with my lead marketer and we'd both know exactly what to do next. I will miss the idea that 11 of us, in the midst of creating million-dollar product lines, found an afternoon to turn our office into a snow-capped holiday village.



I'm sure in time, these feelings will come again at the new job. Fingers crossed.

I keep chanting to myself: change is good. Change is good.
Cheers to a new adventure!