C'est dur, la vie

Hi everyone!

Yes, I'm back to my French blog titles... because this blog needs a little "oomph."

How is everyone? I hope you all had a fabulous week, weekend, easter... I sure did.

It all started last week when my sweetie and his family arrived last Friday night, we spent Saturday at the Long Beach Aquarium, and the afternoon and evening in LA at the Getty Center (awesome place) and Pink's Hot Dogs. How long did we wait in line for a 12in Japapeno dog with chili, guac, onions and chopped tomatoes? One hour and 20 minutes. The funny part is that as we were almost there, we realized that they don't take credit cards or checks - and had to find an ATM pronto. Good times...

Sunday consisted of an Easter egg hunt in my apartment which lasted about 5 minutes (I still can't believe I somehow was able to sleep 5 people in that 600 sq ft box), making my famous delicious crepes, chauffeuring to two churches, decorating Easter eggs with food dye (never done that before), going to the beach, making spaghetti and meat sauce for lunch, and for the first time, for dinner I made stuffed pepper with the leftover meat sauce and rice. Sooooo good!

My sweetie's been here all week with me, and it's been awesome. So many things this week.

First of all, it's no secret that it's tough times... and we had a shocker Friday last week. They had to let go one of our managers that sits behind me. It's a shock, not just because it's tough times, but because if we had to let one person go... we all knew it all had to be me. Why? Seniority. Although I've been with the company 6.5 years now, the other two managers have been there 12 (the one who got laid off) and 14. If I had gone, they would have combined the duties of the two manager positions left.

Although I am very grateful that I kept my job, I felt horrible for my colleague. She is one of the sweetest people you've ever met. She has an incredibly amazing resume however, has a good head on her shoulders and has been to work everyday after the news to look for jobs and make sure that all of her duties are being taken care of. I wish her the best, but know that she will find something great, because she's got a great attitude toward life and a great work ethic.

Now, I'm a big believer of "everything happens for a reason," and this was a big wake-up call for me as well. I've now been doing Hotel Revenue Management for the past 4.5 months, and I have to say that although it's challenging, I absolutely love it - and do believe that it's the career path for me. The fact that I didn't get laid off - I take it that I was meant to do this. At least for now. In fact, I am so excited to learn more everyday and feel so much more comfortable with my duties than when I first started (that should be a given).

But with that said, my heart goes out to those who have been laid off... but I also know that you'll make the right decision. I just don't want you to settle though. I know it's a tough economy, but please take a little time to find something that you'll still enjoy, if your budget permits. It's tough times. But we adapt. We move on. We learn and grow strong.

Did I just create a haiku?

Well, it's been a busy week though, because not only was it the busiest week, but with my colleague gone, the other managers took her duties with an already hectic week - and my other colleague was gone all week on vacation, so I did the job of two people. It was stressful, a little overwhelming at times, but overall, I was able to do it. I believe well, too. I'm relieved she's coming back tomorrow though.

Now, this weekend: Saturday my sweetie and I had lunch at "Creme de la Crepe," one of my favorite French places. They actually had "Menthe a l'eau" and "sirop de grenadine!" You know that it's been 10 years since I had that? Sweetie tried the Menthe a l'eau but didn't like it, so I sipped it... and enjoyed every minute of it. I love that place. If I ever want a little bit of French food, flair, and/or memories, I know where to go :)
We then went to Manhattan Beach, the beach was p-a-c-k-e-d!!! It was a beautiful 73 degrees, we picked up cool rocks that I'll use as decoration. We also indulged in Thin Mint ice cream for me and sundae for him. It's funny though, you see California TV shows with good looking hot people everywhere that are super rich and all, and you'll think "it's just tv." Well, Cali's... kinda like that when you really expericence it! And all these good looking people in swimsuits makes me want to work out again. Oh, I can't wait for bikini weather!! I know cancer's not sexy, but I can't wait to lay out on that beach on weekends, or even after work, and get a nice golden tan. Volleyball starts at 3PM today by the way, let's see if I can talk Sweetie into going and start on my tan.

This week I'm grateful that I was able to do my work and my colleague's successfully, and come home to a man who is extremely happy to see me and cleaned the apartment AND... oh my gosh, I forgot! I bought a brand new PC. By that I mean, I bought $700 worth of PC parts and sweetie built me a sweet $1400 system. It was about time... it works awesome. I can now play Counter-Strike Source! LoL. Boom, headshot!

Have a fantastic week.