Hola!
One more thing is done of my looooong list of things that must be done in preparation for Spain. I did my homework and researched the hostels that are listed in my travel books. What I discovered is that one of them in particular is almost perfect for my needs! I promptly booked myself a room there and for a really good deal, got a single room for 2 nights. I figure that I'm going to be up at all hours due to jet lag, so may as well not disturb others. Besides, the price I am paying is actually less than or equal to what Meg and I paid in one of the hostels last summer, and we had to share the room with 4 other women! So, I'm pretty excited! This place has free wi-fi in the lobby and A/C. It's in a quiet neighborhood, about 15 min from the sights of Seville (still not entirely sure what those are besides the obligatory cathedral). I'm sure my room will be about the size of a stride rite shoe box, but I'm fine with that. It's only 2 nights. Then, I'll move into an apartment with people in my class.
Those first few days in Seville promise to be nerve-wracking, but hopefully exciting too. I've learned about myself that I do enjoy time on my own to explore and wonder through new places. I'm going to need a map ASAP because anyone who knows me knows that I have limited directional sense. Oh ok, fine. I have no directional sense. At least in Seattle, if I know which body of water I'm near and where exactly it is, I know which direction I'm going.
That's the update for now! I'm down to 12.5 days of work left at ExOfficio! Crazy, but true. Time is a flyin'. I just hope there will be time to do everything I want to before it's time to leave. I'm sure packing will be a total time suck. It always is when it comes to moving or packing for a trip. And I've got to do both. At least I'm loaning most of my living room furniture to Jess, so there's less furniture to move out. If anyone wants a nightstand or small bookshelf, let me know!
Besitos y abrazos,
Ashlita
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's really happening!
Saludos!
Well, the cat's outta the bag. I told my boss about my plans on Monday. So now he knows that I'm quitting soon. My last day will be July 12th. That's only 16 days left! I realized that would allow me time to get all my stuff done and still go fishing and backpacking in my beloved northwest before it's time to go. I'm overwhelmed thinking of all that's going on before I leave, but relieved that my plans are now out in the open. Several co-workers are asking me about my plans and are actually really excited for me.
I've got a lot to look forward to in the upcoming weeks and a lot to get done. I'm trying to decide which furniture to part with (my parents' house doesn't have space to store it all), and think it's looking like I'll be parting with more than originally planned. I have a really nice bookshelf that I had no intention of selling, but I want a fresh start upon my return and may as well get rid of stuff like that. Maybe I can sell it? I've got to head to Goodwill soon because I've got piles of stuff in my bedroom just waiting to get donated. Operation: Get Rid of Excess is coming along nicely! Seems to me that it won't be so hard to get rid of stuff if I do it a little at a time.
That about sums it up. I'm so ready for a day off where I don't have to do anything or be anywhere, where I can just be home and get things accomplished there (or not). Weekends have gotten too busy lately and that stresses me out. My sick days are taunting me. Would it be so horrible if I took a mental health day? At this point, I really need it. That about covers it for now!
Hasta pronto!
Well, the cat's outta the bag. I told my boss about my plans on Monday. So now he knows that I'm quitting soon. My last day will be July 12th. That's only 16 days left! I realized that would allow me time to get all my stuff done and still go fishing and backpacking in my beloved northwest before it's time to go. I'm overwhelmed thinking of all that's going on before I leave, but relieved that my plans are now out in the open. Several co-workers are asking me about my plans and are actually really excited for me.
I've got a lot to look forward to in the upcoming weeks and a lot to get done. I'm trying to decide which furniture to part with (my parents' house doesn't have space to store it all), and think it's looking like I'll be parting with more than originally planned. I have a really nice bookshelf that I had no intention of selling, but I want a fresh start upon my return and may as well get rid of stuff like that. Maybe I can sell it? I've got to head to Goodwill soon because I've got piles of stuff in my bedroom just waiting to get donated. Operation: Get Rid of Excess is coming along nicely! Seems to me that it won't be so hard to get rid of stuff if I do it a little at a time.
That about sums it up. I'm so ready for a day off where I don't have to do anything or be anywhere, where I can just be home and get things accomplished there (or not). Weekends have gotten too busy lately and that stresses me out. My sick days are taunting me. Would it be so horrible if I took a mental health day? At this point, I really need it. That about covers it for now!
Hasta pronto!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"Flight Schedule Change"...not an email you want to receive
Buenas!
So, the above is what I found in my email inbox first thing this morning. I won't be a drama queen about it because it's really not that big of a deal. However, being informed that your flight from Madrid to Seville is now leaving 3 hours later than planned kinda sucks. Taking a train would probably be faster, but I'm already scheduled on the flight so I'm going to stick with it. So now instead of arriving in Seville at 9:50AM, I'm not arriving until 12:50PM. I'm sure it'll be fine but it's going to take some planning to pull this off without going insane from lack of sleep. Maybe I'll take a teensy dose of one of my sleeping pills so I can sleep on my long trans-Atlantic flight. We'll see. That coupled with it being middle of the night PST when I arrive in Madrid may be a recipe for disaster. I'm also going to try to book a spot in a hostel in advance so I'm not left to traipse around Seville in a sleep deprived trance.
Anyway, the journey is part of the fun! I'm down to 25 days of work left in this gig! It's insane thinking of it that way but there you go! I'm getting to the point where I really have to tell my boss. Ugh. Given that he's the first manager I've worked for who is really good at what he does (no micro-managing, or deceit from him), it actually feels a little weird to be quitting. I mean yes I'm not terribly fond of customer service, but I work with cool people. Our office is not perfect, but I have friends here and enjoy having people make me laugh after I deal with a crappy customer. So I'll miss the people here, but not the tough job itself. I think my last day will be July 14th. I'm not positive though because I'm going fishing the weekend of July 15-17th and I may need a few more days to get everything done before I leave. Gotta look at my calendar and make a decision.
Nothing else to report here. Things are going well. I'm looking forward to some more warm weather and fun in the sun!
Besitos y abrazos,
Ashley
So, the above is what I found in my email inbox first thing this morning. I won't be a drama queen about it because it's really not that big of a deal. However, being informed that your flight from Madrid to Seville is now leaving 3 hours later than planned kinda sucks. Taking a train would probably be faster, but I'm already scheduled on the flight so I'm going to stick with it. So now instead of arriving in Seville at 9:50AM, I'm not arriving until 12:50PM. I'm sure it'll be fine but it's going to take some planning to pull this off without going insane from lack of sleep. Maybe I'll take a teensy dose of one of my sleeping pills so I can sleep on my long trans-Atlantic flight. We'll see. That coupled with it being middle of the night PST when I arrive in Madrid may be a recipe for disaster. I'm also going to try to book a spot in a hostel in advance so I'm not left to traipse around Seville in a sleep deprived trance.
Anyway, the journey is part of the fun! I'm down to 25 days of work left in this gig! It's insane thinking of it that way but there you go! I'm getting to the point where I really have to tell my boss. Ugh. Given that he's the first manager I've worked for who is really good at what he does (no micro-managing, or deceit from him), it actually feels a little weird to be quitting. I mean yes I'm not terribly fond of customer service, but I work with cool people. Our office is not perfect, but I have friends here and enjoy having people make me laugh after I deal with a crappy customer. So I'll miss the people here, but not the tough job itself. I think my last day will be July 14th. I'm not positive though because I'm going fishing the weekend of July 15-17th and I may need a few more days to get everything done before I leave. Gotta look at my calendar and make a decision.
Nothing else to report here. Things are going well. I'm looking forward to some more warm weather and fun in the sun!
Besitos y abrazos,
Ashley
Monday, June 6, 2011
A successful auction = re-living my childhood
Saludos!
So last night we had the auction to benefit Rick Teal, a family friend of ours who was injured playing softball last summer. He tragically became a quadriplegic when a player on the opposing team barreled into him and broke his neck. You can check out an article about him here. Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley wrote it so we could get the word out about the auction. The goal was to raise enough $$$ to buy Rick a van so he can get around without it costing a fortune every time. To use a transportation service is very costly, but people with the kind of disabilities he has need a specially equipped van to get out and about. I don't know how much money was brought in but last I checked, it was at least enough to buy a used van, which would be totally fine (doesn't really matter if it's brand new or not).
The Teal family lived across the street from us for 25 years when we lived in Bothell. My parents moved out of that house last summer, just weeks before Rick's accident. In fact, he loaned my dad his truck and helped move some furniture for us. Being neighbors for all those years, my parents became good friends with Rick and Robin, as well as the other parents in the cul-de-sac. When it became evident that this injury and new lifestyle was burdensome financially, my parents and another couple who we've known since I was a kid decided to put on a fundraiser. It was decided that a silent auction would be the best.
Most of those families who were neighbors of ours when I was growing up are still living in the Bothell neighborhood and most were at the auction last night. I had not seen them in years and it was like a neighborhood reunion to suddenly be in the same room together! The bartender (the auction was in a private room at Redhook Brewery) was a guy I went through high school with, but when I went up to buy a beer, I could not recall his name. I had to ask my mom! Am I really that old? The answer is yes, apparently. Two of the boys I grew up with have recently married, one girl had a baby, and everyone else looked "about 10 years older," to quote my brother. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the "kids" I grew up with. And of course their parents all said hello as well.
Of course when you don't see people for a long time, the first thing they ask you is, "what are you up to these days?". That is a hard question as I admit I feel some shame about not doing anything super exciting...I never thought I'd be doing customer service over the phone after going to college and it's been very humbling indeed. I think I saw customer service providers in a much different light before working for ExO than I do now. I was honest though and told them about my job but then got to talk about Spain. I feel like I explained my plan to go to Spain about 100 times, though I'm sure that's an exaggeration. Everyone was really encouraging though and seemed excited for me.
It's interesting how when you're growing up in such a tight knit community as our little cul-de-sac was, you realize only later just how lucky you were to have kind neighbors who always had your back. While none of us kids have really stayed in touch, my parents still hang out with several of the couples whose kids I grew up with. In chatting with the "kids" last night, it became evident that we all still have good memories of growing up in the 'burbs. It also became evident that we're all getting old!
Abrazotes,
Ashley
So last night we had the auction to benefit Rick Teal, a family friend of ours who was injured playing softball last summer. He tragically became a quadriplegic when a player on the opposing team barreled into him and broke his neck. You can check out an article about him here. Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley wrote it so we could get the word out about the auction. The goal was to raise enough $$$ to buy Rick a van so he can get around without it costing a fortune every time. To use a transportation service is very costly, but people with the kind of disabilities he has need a specially equipped van to get out and about. I don't know how much money was brought in but last I checked, it was at least enough to buy a used van, which would be totally fine (doesn't really matter if it's brand new or not).
The Teal family lived across the street from us for 25 years when we lived in Bothell. My parents moved out of that house last summer, just weeks before Rick's accident. In fact, he loaned my dad his truck and helped move some furniture for us. Being neighbors for all those years, my parents became good friends with Rick and Robin, as well as the other parents in the cul-de-sac. When it became evident that this injury and new lifestyle was burdensome financially, my parents and another couple who we've known since I was a kid decided to put on a fundraiser. It was decided that a silent auction would be the best.
Most of those families who were neighbors of ours when I was growing up are still living in the Bothell neighborhood and most were at the auction last night. I had not seen them in years and it was like a neighborhood reunion to suddenly be in the same room together! The bartender (the auction was in a private room at Redhook Brewery) was a guy I went through high school with, but when I went up to buy a beer, I could not recall his name. I had to ask my mom! Am I really that old? The answer is yes, apparently. Two of the boys I grew up with have recently married, one girl had a baby, and everyone else looked "about 10 years older," to quote my brother. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the "kids" I grew up with. And of course their parents all said hello as well.
Of course when you don't see people for a long time, the first thing they ask you is, "what are you up to these days?". That is a hard question as I admit I feel some shame about not doing anything super exciting...I never thought I'd be doing customer service over the phone after going to college and it's been very humbling indeed. I think I saw customer service providers in a much different light before working for ExO than I do now. I was honest though and told them about my job but then got to talk about Spain. I feel like I explained my plan to go to Spain about 100 times, though I'm sure that's an exaggeration. Everyone was really encouraging though and seemed excited for me.
It's interesting how when you're growing up in such a tight knit community as our little cul-de-sac was, you realize only later just how lucky you were to have kind neighbors who always had your back. While none of us kids have really stayed in touch, my parents still hang out with several of the couples whose kids I grew up with. In chatting with the "kids" last night, it became evident that we all still have good memories of growing up in the 'burbs. It also became evident that we're all getting old!
Abrazotes,
Ashley
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