It’s not GOODBYE
It is actually my last week working in the Charlotte office. A week I tried to put off as long as I could. If you have ever moved to a new city you know what I am dealing with right now. Some days are awesome, as I am so excited about all the new adventures. While at any moment, I could totally choke and break down into tears. At these moments, I am worrying about things I can not control (but I am always nervous about being the new person when you are in new situations).
You would think I would be pretty good at this by now. But I think with age, it just gets harder. You know all the great things that you have had, all the good people you know, and you just want the stability of all that to stay the same. Tonight I had dinner with 3 great friends I made through work, and on my way home I just burst into tears. It was hard to think about going to yet another new office new week and seeing 107 unfamiliar faces staring back at me. Change is hard……so I will just face each day one step at a time!
To give you a brief history, I didn’t have alot of change as a child. I lived in the same town starting at the age of 5 and I grew up with the same friends until I graduated from high school at the age of 18. I grew up in a small community in which allowed me to do and be the best I could be. I tried and played almost every sport…..I joined as many organizations as possible….I studied AND liked it…..I was friends with everyone! Each day was fun as it was great to know someone everywhere you went and to know you had friends and family right there with you.
Then during the spring of my senior year, I was thinking about what I would be doing that summer. Where would I work….etc. Well the easy thing would have been to stay there with my family and to enjoy the summer with all my friends before starting college. However I chose another route. I was referred from my family to a great summer nanny position. The position was with an amazing family that had 2 daughters — aged 7 and 9. I had started babysitting at a young age AND I love children so this sounded like the perfect summer. I met the family and we instantly clicked. So 5 days after graduation, I moved from my family and friends and went 4 hours away to live with this new family. It was a fantastic summer and I could not have been paired up with a better family (as I still cherish the good times with this family). However even then I had a few rough days where all I could do was miss all my family and friends that were several hours away. The summer flew by and then it was time for college. With the summer going so well….I later spent 2 more summers with the same family!
Later on during my last few years of college, I had the opportunity to do a semester internship. I again wanted a challenge so I researched architecture firms (without all the wonderful research websites as we have today) and I sent several resumes to Chicago. I was determined to go there and I went there for a few days in which I had set up several interviews. Upon returning to college, I soon received a great offer to join a fantastic firm in Chicago for 9 months. It was the start of something great. And from then on I knew I loved living in a BIG city.
Those months seemed to fly by and I soon had to return back to school to finish my last year of architecture school. After graduating I went back to Chicago, as I had fallen in love with what I still think is the “best city in America”. With the art, architecture, shopping, lake…..I never had a dull moment. While I lived there I managed to make several great friendships and had the chance to work alongside of some incredibly talented designers + architects. Although after 7 years there, I found my love in a guy that lived over 700 miles away, which led me to Charlotte, NC.
Somehow, he was able to pull me away from a city that I loved. I was so excited to be with him but I was soooooooooo sad to leave Chicago. It took me many months (or should I say 2 years) to get over all the changes…new city, new job, new friends, new house (as I had no family or friends there). But year after year, I managed to meet more people and love the work I was doing. It wasn’t until the recent opportunity of yet again …. moving to another city, in which I began to think deeply about everything I was so grateful for. I literally moved to Charlotte knowing 1 person, and in 4-1/2 years, I am leaving knowing I met alot of great people and formed some incredibly good friendships. During those years, I also had the opportunity to work with some amazing clients, while designing some incredible interior spaces along with my talented teammates.
So that leaves me as I have just 2 days left working in the GENSLER Charlotte office. As tomorrow is my “Going Away” party. Everyone at work knows I could cry at the drop of a pin (thanks mom). Her + I seem to cry at every event (good or bad). So for the last 6 weeks I have been telling myself “Pull it Together”…..I can + I will do this! The great part is I get to stay with the GENLSER family and I have successfully worked out a transfer to our Dallas office (which is almost 80 people larger than the office I am at). So it really should be EXCITING.
I am definitely not in it alone. This time I am going with my husband and we know a total of 2 people in Dallas (one fabulous college friend I met in architecture school + now we will be coworkers in the same office, while the other was an awesome coworker from my days in Chicago who my husband gets the opportunity to work with now)! Luckily in the design world, our community is small so I am certain our paths will cross again soon rather we are near or far (just as my example describes above). So as I keep saying…this is not GOODBYE as I will see you all soon!
Much love to all my friends in Charlotte as I depart you for Dallas. I will always remember all the GREAT times I had during my short stay in this city. But I know how incredibly lucky I feel to have all those wonderful memories I will take with me!