10 YEARSSSSSSS????!!!!

Today marks my 10 year anniversary...


....at my job!!!


Yes, 10 years!!! That's longer than most marriages these days! :)


At first I felt some trepidation even acknowledging that...after all 10 years is a looooooong time! For the millenium generation, that is totally unheard of...as my Generation Y co-worker said to me today "That is craaaaaazy!"...BUT I decided to acknowledge it because it is a blessing (considering the state of the economy today) and for me it represents stability, growth and many great memories.


Of course it hasn't all been a walk in the park...
I have quit (only for a day - they did ask me to return - hey, they know a good thing when they see it! :) Seriously though, I would NOT advise anyone to go that route. It happened to work for me at that time because I added value to the company and I felt I should stand up for what I believed in...I also had a temporary loss of sanity because I went home thinking "wtf did I just do??" lol)
I have seen people come and go - and at one point it was such a revolving door that I could almost bet on who would stay, who'd quit or who would...let's just say expire lol (Booming voice in the background "You have been eliminated!" DUN DUN DUN <= dramatic music inserted here! lol )
I have experienced back-stabbing, lost 'friends', seen people trade real friendships for a dollar and I have witnessed the power of Power.


But in life, just as the tide ebbs, it flows...
I have gained a wealth of knowledge. What was just a job to me in the beginning, was a lifestyle for some of the seniors here and I grew to share that passion. I moved around in so many different departments until I found my niche and really enjoyed what I did.
I became so passionate about it that it became extremely stressful at one point, and now it is calm once more, and as life sure is cyclical, it is back to being just a job. I still work diligently but I have learned that my job no longer defines me. Life comes first!


Let's not forget the lifelong friendships with which I have truly been blessed. Two of my best friends no longer work here but have moved on to other fascinating aspects of their lives. And if it wasn't for this job, I would not have met these two amazing women (pictured below).

(In the center of two phenomenal women,
Johanna to the left, to the left :) and Ana on the right)

I have been through all the weddings, holidays (do you have your Halloween costume yet?), babies, changes in management, divorces and yes, sadly, even funerals.


But it has all been a great learning experience for me and in hindsight I have actually enjoyed these past 10 years, because it simply means I have lived.