Lemonade

A year ago today I went through one of life's game changers when I was laid off from job I had for only four months. I remember that day so vividly, especially the many tears I shed that evening. I drove home through tears on that Friday, my mind racing with disbelief, fear, and anxiety. I remember parking in the garage and seeing my husband on his way to the gym and shrieking "I lost my job! What are we going to do??" An hour later, still with tears falling, I furiously scanned job listings online and quickly updated my resume and LinkedIn. I went through a very long three months of being unemployed.

I wrote a post last year called "When Life Gives You Lemons," where I divulged my layoff and opted to forge on and reassess my life and my future.

Oh how much has changed in a year! I've been at my job now for 9 months -- and I received my first promotion this week. I can't even call it a job -- it's my career. It's my perfect fit. So many people told me last year that something better was yet to come, and they were sooo on the money. When I compare the me today to the me a year ago I am absolutely shocked at the stark difference. Life gave me lemons last December 3, but  the lemonade couldn't be sweeter.

First Week

I successfully finished out my first week at my new job! As most people are aware, being the newbie is generally awkward and nerve-wracking -- you never know where to go, how to act, what to say, how to assimilate without seeming insecure nor vain. But amazingly enough, I didn't experience too much of that new girl anxiety. I think that is largely in part to having so many welcoming people around me. Everyone, especially my department, has gone above and beyond in making sure I had an easy 'onboarding' process. Yesterday my department even had a welcome breakfast for me and gave me the card and flowers pictured. My office is huge, but until I can move around some of my furniture -- I'm kind of anal retentive about the feng shui of my surroundings -- I haven't started decorating yet; the only personal artifact in there now is a coffee mug. :) 

 And I'm so amped about the job itself. Everything I'll be doing is completely in my niche, and I have tons of ideas and am already seeing so many procedures I can improve, all of which is being well-received by my boss and department. Even though I miss my SAHW days a bit, I feel incredibly blessed to have landed here at this time in my life. 

No OOTDs were taken this week, which is unfortunate, because I was impressed with a few of my creations. Sadly for my bank account, I must push on with the shopping to build up a fabulous corporate casual /business wardrobe. Therefore, shopping commences today!  

OOTD + TJ Maxx Finds

Today marks my last day of my four-month laycation. I could probably write paragraphs and paragraphs about what a crazy, weird time it's been. So much has happened -- both good and bad. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I'm going to miss a lot of things about my SAHW time, but I'm anxious to put on my working girl hat and move forward with the next chapter of my life.

It's been a decently busy (for me) week. Outfit on the left was worn to my clients' tasting appointment. Outfit on the right worn to lunch with my new boss.

Left - Dress: TJ Maxx, Cardi: F21, Leggings: NY & Co., Boots: 2010 Target

Right: Dress: Target (Merona Artist), Cardi: F21, Leggings: JC Penney, Boots: 2010 Target

After yesterday's appointment I made an impromptu trip to TJ Maxx. Of course these spontaneous trips are the ones in which I find tons of stuff to take home! I cannot wait for warmer weather to wear this embellished gray maxi and black tiered dress. Chances are the black tiered dress will debut soon on A&A though. :) 

Color more true to life on right

Hope you all have lovely weekends! The mister and I are getting away for a little overnight stay to the Finger Lakes. A final hurrah before my 9 to 5 life starts on Monday. 

Decisions, Decisions

I'm really into typography prints. It's probably because I'm a font nerd, but I'd have typography prints all over my house if I didn't run the risk of it looking like a giant book at some point. I'm currently thinking about buying these two prints below.

Fortunately I'll soon have a new space to decorate. 

My office. 

And no, I'm not talking home office here. I'm talking a legit office. Working. At a job. Because today I will sign my official offer letter to enter back into my corporate career at the end of the month.  :) 

Expect the OOTDs to pick back up again ... but with quality. More on that later (fingers crossed!). 

Goals for the New Year

I wish I had done a goals post last year. But from what I remember ... I thought 2010 would be a year of financial growth so that we could think about house hunting in 2011. Suddenly our first house became more of a reality than a wish, and we were homeowners just months later. Guess I was an overachiever in that regard.

For 2011 I wish for the following:

* a new job that I love (obvs)
* lose the 15 wife pounds I gained since June '09
* financial planning for long-term goals
* do a mini reno on our bathroom
* get a four-legged member of the family
* learn how to do some landscaping in the spring
* finally buy my DSLR that I've been lusting over for years
* perfect a meal planning regimen and incorporate freeze ahead meals
* do a few more out-of-town trips
* focus on my pre-baby checklist

I've tried to keep them relatively attainable. Plus, blogging about them holds to me a greater level of accountability. Excited to review them a year from now and see if I reached them!

What are your 2011 goals?

When Life Gives You Lemons

Because I have referred to my career stuff on my blog, I suppose it's only fair I blog about some recent events. It may also explain the lack of any OOTDs lately.  The clothes I'm currently wearing make me out to be someone you may spy on the "People of Walmart" blog.  It's not pretty, folks.

A week ago today I was laid off from my job. The company divested one of its technical departments, and I was a casualty. Not going to lie - it was a pretty big shock, especially because I had just started there this summer. But I'm opting to believe it happened for a reason, and I'm refusing to wallow in any sort of depression over it. I've taken this week to kind of regroup, revamp my resume, and apply to a few interesting positions. 

My laycation has also enabled me to stare at my gorgeous Christmas tree: 

... finish up some shopping with my best friend (out on maternity leave) and her adorable six-week old: 

...bask in the delightful aroma of this awesome pine-scented candle from Bed, Bath & Beyond: 

... and finish up my holiday cards: 

I am, however, asking Santa for a j-o-b this season. The Pollyana act has to end sometime.

OOTDs: Back in Business [Casual]

I started my new job on Monday. While emotionally I'm still trying to adjust to the life change and the overthrow of my "normal," I'm still taking those iPhone pics and bloggin' em. Gotta keep *some* normalcy, right?

I'm still trying to build up a work-appropriate wardrobe. You see, my last job was so casual that jeans were considered dressing up. I wore anything (mostly dresses, obvs), but I didn't really care if something was too short or too low or too grungy. Now I have to keep myself covered up and pay heed to the company's dress codes. Eeep.

Monday's OOTD: my ubiqutous white Merona dress, striped draped cardigan from TJ Maxx, belted with a belt from Old Navy, and old KMart flats:

Tuesday's OOTD:  Old Navy flared khakis, Sears cami (these camis are awesome, btw!), and a Target cardi in Mint. 

Wednesday's OOTD: (Disclaimer: picture not from today, as you could tell from the different bedroom. Remove flops and insert bronze flats again)