Five For Friday (24)

One.

As I’ve mentioned before, the office environment at my new job was a lot to get used to. I mean, I only have two real experiences with job environments: a preschool and my previous office job. That company was small (11 people total) and we were a close-knit group. And the environment was pretty energetic. We all collaborated on many projects together, which meant lots of meetings, conference calls, and impromptu brainstorming sessions whenever we got a chance. The first time I stepped foot in my new office, it was dead silent. I felt as if I was setting off a bomb just by telling the receptionist I was there for an interview. Seeing how quiet it was, I told myself I could never work in an environment like that.

And my first month, it was hard to get used to this environment. (Plus, I was stuck in a corner by myself which didn’t help matters.) I felt as if I couldn’t even eat an apple without disrupting the quiet. But I noticed this week how much I really enjoy it. I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s absolutely necessary for a writing environment. We’re not collaborating on projects – we’re writing. And writing requires silence. (At least it does for me. A lot of people wear headphones and listen to music, which also works.) I really feel like I’m settling in more, finding my place, and I’m not as terrified as I was in the beginning. It helps that I was moved to another cubicle where I’m surrounded by people now (I’m in a part of the office where I’m surrounded by boys. Seven boys and little ole me. I, um, don’t hate it…), and actually have conversations throughout the day. And I think the more time passes, the more I’ll be able to open up and feel more of a part of the team.

It’s funny, too, because I was telling my mom a work story on Friday during lunch and she said how happy I seem now. Whenever I talked about work at my other job, it was always filled with complaints. And I’m not saying things are butterflies and roses here because I can see how mundane the writing can get, but I will take every mundane writing assignment over dealing with the horribleness I dealt with at my last job. So yes. I’m really, really happy.

Two.

This week, I have had dreams about a much-adored blogger dying, shattering my iPhone screen again, and seeing my dad and having a wonderful afternoon with him. I’ve been through the gauntlet this week! Sadness, despair, and happiness. The dream about the blogger is one I haven’t been able to get out of my head, and every time I see a post or tweet from her, I get super happy that all is well. And the dream about my dad? Well, just add that to the many dreams I have where things are wonderful and we’re getting to know one another again and I wake up in the happiest of moods. It’s always sobering to wake up and realize that is not my reality. And now I just miss him more than ever.

Three.

For my girls’ cruise (in three weeks!), my friend gave us the news that we were upgraded to two balcony rooms right next to each other. I’ve never been in a balcony room on a cruise! I am so excited, but now I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave the room to do anything. Except eat, since there’s no room service on this cruise. I’m slowly getting more and more excited about this cruise. I’ve been “yay” but not “YAY!” because it’s only two days and we don’t make any stops, but still, it’s a cruise, with four girls I totally adore, and will make for a great, great weekend.

Plus, we are reading Baby-Sitter’s On Board as our book for November. And that’s just the best thing ever.

Four.

I bought Lorde’s CD a few weeks ago and my obsession with her is ridiculous. The CD itself is amazing and I’m in love with just about every track. And basically, I just want to be Lorde when I grow up.

Five.

Some links to my favorite posts this week:

You Think The Stakes Are High Now? Please | The Middle Finger Project

“Are we really passing up life because IT’S A LITTLE MORE FUCKING HARD THAN LYING AROUND ALL DAY? Every single moment IS the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Ash Ambridge is my Internet crush and I loved this post. It was short, simple, and to the point. And that punch in the face I needed.

10 Habits to Help You Be More Present (Part I, Part II) | Jess Lively

“Distraction is a moving target. So our job, as presence-seeking beings, is not to find a “silver bullet” that dissolves our distractions forever, but to realize that we will need to remain aware of what interrupts our presence on a regular basis and make changes accordingly.”

Jess Lively’s blog might be my favorite find of this year. I loved this series she recently did because she offered many great ideas and tips for finding ways to find peace and presence in the busyness of everyday life. She stresses that it’s something we always have to be mindful of and I love her point that distraction is a moving target because it’s so true.

Ten Truths for the Teenage Girl | Living Proof Ministries Blog 

“If I’ve learned one thing, I’ve learned that if I can’t always believe what I think about myself, and I can’t always believe what people are saying about me or what the internet says about me,  I can believe what the Lord says about me. I can rest in the truth of His word and the promises He gives.”

Lindsee is my soul sister. She’s a girl I would tackle hug if I ever met her and not feel embarrassed because I know she would hug me just as tightly back – even if we’d never met one another before. This post, about a list of things she wanted to tell a 13-year-old girl as she steps into her teenage years, was beautiful. I think it’s applicable for all ages – truths I need to remember myself, at 25. Especially the sentence above. I need to remember that the only opinion that matters is Jesus, and He holds a very high and esteemed opinion of me. 🙂

Happy weekend! I don’t have too many plans. I want to work on my NaNoWriMo plot (it all kicks off one week from today – eek!) and hopefully, get it as finished as I possibly can. And my friend is having a birthday party to celebrate her 30th so I’ll be stopping by to hang out for a few hours. Should be an easy, low-key weekend! My favorite!