Wow, this week has been straight up crazy-town... so sorry I have neglected my precious 8 followers! I'm gonna cut to the chase and update you on my Monday Musings, Tuesday Tunes, and Friday Fun all in one day! So here goes!
I had the opportunity to attend the Pioneer Woman's book-signing event last Monday w/ my performance manager. Seriously, I think I have the coolest manager - she is like Martha Stewart part 2. Her cookies and cupcakes are always to die for. I love that I have found someone else in my accounting world who loves cooking, baking, and crafting as much as I do. Check out the yarn wreath she made...incredible! Way to step out of the box GT and make some killer flowers! Can't wait to make another wreath soon!
Please tell me you have heard of the fabulous Ree Drummond
I have loved her blog for such a long time. She is so genuine in her writing approach and inspires me to keep blogging and let my voice be heard. Her food is amazing and her story is even more impressive. I'm reading her newest book 'Black Heels to Tractor Wheels' and it's such a good read. Check her out and I guarantee you will fall in love with her photography, recipes, and overall spirit!
Holy moly it is finally Friday. What a day. More like, what a week. I am so wiped out... but have a pretty decent wekend ahead of me, so let's get started with my five Friday fun things!
1) I celebrated another year on this earth... in Langhorne, PA. Not the most exciting adventure, but oh well. My co-workers and I did venture to a pretty fabulous restaurant Wednesday night in Philly {executive chef is Iron Chef - Jose Garces}. We indulged in the smoked pecans {soaked in maple and bacon}, fondue {w/ vidalia onions}, suckling pig, wild boar rack {w/ maple grits}, sugar pumpkin croquettes, and beignets {w/ makers mark chocolate sauce}. Amazing.
2) This week was absolutely crazy town at work. A lot to do and always feeling like there are not enough hours in the day! {I can't even count how many Red Bulls I downed this week}. Yesterday we had a 6 am flight home... meaning I was up at 3:30am central and put in a full day of work upon arrival. Needless to say, I just want to sleep in this weekend!
3) I have a jam-packed weekend of birthday bashes. The mister and I are celebrating my bday tonight at Jasper's. I've never been, so I'm pretty excited. On Saturday, I have lunch plans w/ my rents - always a good time. {The mister has to work thanks to blasted busy season.} Saturday night is girls night out w/ the bffs! We are going to Gnosh, like I mentioned recently. Super excited for another fun painting night and just hanging out. We have family lunch w/ the mister's side of the fam on Sunday. Not sure where we are dining yet...but I'm always up for something good!
4) Between the mix of all the birthday activities, hoping I can finally catch up on laundry and housework. Ugh! {doesn't really fit into my 'fun' things Friday... but oh well!}
5) I got the best birthday voicemail in the world from my favorite friend in New Zealand. It's been almost 6 years since I was there and I still feel like part of my heart has never returned {the mister and I are still scoping out possibilities to move to NZ someday}. Because of the 17 hour time-difference, we have scheduled our chat for this weekend. I can't wait to catch up!
I'll leave you kids with some clear pictures of why I love NZ so much... Happy weekend!
{Uncle Leon... words cannot describe him. Love him and his family so much! Can't wait to catch up soon!}
And of course, If I am going to mention NZ, I have to shout out to my girl Brooke. I seriously listen to her almost every day. And never grow tired of hearing her crooning. This is her first song I ever discovered... and my heart has been full ever since. Enjoy!
I am beyond thankful for the friendships I have developed during the first few years of my career. I was a bit intimidated when I first started my job 3 and half years ago fresh out of college. I moved to the big city with a big girl job at a big 4 firm... talk about BIG changes. I took the job not really knowing what to expect and unsure if I made the right decision.
My work is not very glamorous. I'm not saving lives every day with my well-documented bank reconciliations, flow charts, or spreadsheets. But, I am constantly making and developing relationships. I love people and I love this part of my job. I interact with my project team and different clients every day. {Don't get me wrong, sometimes this part of the job is not so fun}. It's the people I work with who get me through the really tough days. It's the friends at work who can relate to me the best on my day-in / day-out frustrations and successes. It's the people I work with who make my day by getting me a kitty cat cookie cake for my birthday and embracing my love for cats!
It's the people I travel with and get to know really well because there is nothing else to do in some of these fine locations {take for example: secaucus (nj), erlanger (ky), amarillo (tx), sandy (ut), etc}. It's the people who take the time to get to know me beyond my working knowledge... and still choose to include me at happy hours. Ha! It's the friends who plan the much-needed happy hours, parties, and other shindigs not because we all need to vent about work occassionally, but because we really are friends and enjoy each other's company. It's the friends who get real with you and let you know what's really on their hearts and minds.
I am so richly blessed to have found these friends. I know many people who leave this job for various reasons, but still remain friends... and they all seem to say the biggest thing they miss about the firm is the people. To all my work friends out there reading this... thanks for being a blessing in my life. I couldn't do this job without great friends!
