Two Words: Full Time (or is that one hyphenated word?)

Turns out that having a full time job takes up, well, the majority of your time. How about that.


You may have been wondering why I haven't posted in about three weeks. More than likely, you didn't even notice. Nonetheless, I'm back to give you a brief explanation:
   My job is full time!
   REJOICE!


When I was offered the position, I was told it would begin part-time and once I was producing quality work they would be happy to move to full-time. In my mind that meant a few months. Instead, it was like a few days. I had a handful of 4-hr shifts in the office and then "The Summit" happened.

Of course, I knew this Summit was planned as I was being interviewed but I didn't assume that I would be involved. It's an event they put on twice a year, one in April (nyc) and one in October (sf). You can imagine my surprise when I got an email after just a few days of working there saying, "Please be at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco by 1pm tomorrow."

Uhhhhhhh.... what was that, now?


So I spent three days at the Ritz, all dressed up and fancy, and even got to stay one night (FO FREE) in a suite bigger than our apartment. I couldn't help but think: "Two weeks ago, I was unemployed and a total anxious mess. This morning I woke up in the Ritz- Carlton."       Neat.

Gratitude has been the main word in the Goude vocabulary (or the Lexi-Goude, if you will) in the past few weeks. Gratitude over being in such a beautiful place, gratitude over being in such a loving and fun marriage, gratitude over receiving a paycheck. A real, professional, grown up, sizable, earned paycheck. Hallelujah, people. God Provides.

I know it kinda looks like the Capitol Building, but this is the outside of the Ritz in San Francisco. 

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California Love

I'm out of Wedding Season shape.

There was a (extremely long period of) time in my life where going to other people's weddings was my life. I mostly* enjoyed it. What's not to love about weddings? Free food, beautiful venues, happy couples, reunions with friends, and sweet dance moves.

Last night, I went to only my second wedding of the year.  I honestly can not remember the last time I went to only two weddings in a year. Five is average, but I've survived double digit wedding seasons on multiple occasions. I'm a pro. And yet, no matter how part of your routine it is, you always feel like death the following morning. I didn't have a sip of alcohol at last night's fantastic festivities and I still had to open my eyelids with a crow-bar this morning.

What a beautiful wedding! I can confidently say that it's ranked in my top three, excluding my own of course, and any family weddings because that's just not fair.  It was so quintessentially "California wedding": set in an absolutely exquisite mountainside private residence with an outdoor ceremony and reception on the patio. Perfect weather, perfect sunset, and excellent food (key to a great wedding). But always most important, our dear friends looked so in love and so joyful. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

I should come up with a rubric for my wedding rankings.

*when I wasn't bitter and whining over the fact that I wasn't dating anyone. That never helps, I assure you

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