Happy New Year! A day late, but let’s not be picky….
I’ve been largely offline for the past week, spending time with the family and building some sleep reserves for the coming month. The next three weeks are going to be incredibly busy professionally, what with the Inauguration, the launch of a new website, and putting together the next issue of my organization’s magazine. Thankfully, I have a new twice-a-week intern and two full-time-for-three-weeks interns starting on Monday.
On Wednesday the boss took the staff to lunch–and to my total surprise announced that I was “employee of the year” and would be receiving a nice bonus! The “employee of the year” part struck me as kind of funny, as we have all of five full-time employees (soon to be adding another). I kept thinking of those plaques at McDonalds or Costo with a badly lit headshot of the employee slotted in. Nonetheless the sentiment is very much appreciated–and what makes it sweeter still is that our organization had some really lean and shaky years. (Last year we were furloughed for two weeks, no one has ever gotten a bonus since I’ve been there.) The irony of course is that things couldn’t be looking better for us while all around organizations and individuals are struggling. There are exciting prospects ahead. I feel incredibly grateful to be able to say that I really and truly enjoy my job.
For New Years Eve we met up with Husband Dear’s Uncle and new wife, who were passing through the DC area from Equitorial Guinea en route to the Philippines. Friends of theirs hosted a party and the girls politely made small talk with the old folks. (“See mom, I can be a people person,” remarks C.) After dinner I drove them back to Maryland, and then ferried them to parties at their respective friends houses. My how how quickly things change! It’s hard to envision it will ever happen and then <poof> they have their own social lives. How did that happen? They’re almost grown. A preview of the years ahead for Husband Dear and me.
