Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for my mom and my sister, Marilou. I'm thankful for my dad and my uncle for bringing my dad here or actually for getting my dad into the Navy so that I'm able to be here in this awesome, but sometimes flawed country. I love this country to be honest with ya. I mean, we really are fortunate to live here... screwed up at times but at least we do have some freedoms, like being able to say whatever I want to say on here.

I'm also VERY THANKFUL for the awesome friends, whom I consider my family, too! Without them I'm nothing, so I'm thankful to be something :o)

It's been a while since I've written in here so here's a little update since the last time. Welps, after my tirade on my blog "Mad... dissappointed... hurt" I've put in my two weeks notice last, last monday. I'm sure it came as a shock to everyone at work, but it's something that I felt I NEEDED to do for me. It was just the thing that happened with the 10th birthday thing just pushed me over the edge and realized that, yeah! i am worth something more than I guess they think I am. so, i'm in this transition period where i'm writing EVERYTHING that is crammed in my head from these last almost 2 years as a lead/manager. there's so much! at any rate, it was nice to have some peeps give me different options and basically try to talk me out of leaving. but i stood my ground and said no.

funny thing about realizing my self-worth. i just never knew that i would be at a point in my life where, not only did it come to question, but to where i actually did something about it. i quit. straight up. and the thing is i didn't quit for quitting sake, i quit to take back a part of me. a really good friend told me that, while i was staying at work til 8pm AGAIN, that i was married to my job. believe me, i'd love to be married right now, but definitely not to my job! and that's what it was feeling like. i missed being able to do things when i didn't have that much responsibility. when i didn't have to be the one to solve everyone's problems. it is nice to be needed, but there's also another thing about being recognized for the sacrifices i've made... when that stops coming, then i felt that i was reduced to a person just working for a paycheck. that's fine and dandy if i had bigger plans for my career and just thought of these sacrifices as a stepping stone, but i've already paid my dues. i've worked every holiday in college and weekends and nights. i've worked at a job when i'd have to wake up at 4am to open a store. i've lost a relationship because i was busy trying to build a career. that was my bad, but that was my stupid choice, but deep down i made.

the point is, i'm grateful for all the experience and knowledge i've learned at gap.com. without that, i don't think that i'd be as confident in finding another job, which i am. so i wasn't worried about just leaving something without a backup plan - which i don't. but i can't wait when i get up to sac on thursday knowing that another chapter of my life has closed and i'm ready to open up another page in my life... beginning with being with the people who mean the world to me. that's what i'm thankful for!