Hi Everyone!
Happy Wednesday! It's the day before Thanksgiving and to be honest, the last thing I want to do tomorrow is spend it online. Rather, I'd prefer to spend it with friends and family surrounding my delicious food and equally delicious drinks (yes, PBR is included).
That being said, I always like to reflect on the past year during this time: the good, the bad, the crazy, the weird, and everything in between.
If I look back a year ago, so many things were different. I JUST started as a contractor at Pinterest, I was confused about what direction I wanted my career to go, and I was going through a total shift in my thinking when it comes to what's important in life. (read: your worth is not valued by your career or job title)
In terms of my personal life, I was just getting out of a relationship and hadn't even met Ittai. I hadn't traveled internationally in years and was trying to find hobbies that I truly enjoyed.
Fast forward to now, I love my job and even more so, the people that I work with. And while I still feel that your job doesn't represent your being, I get immense joy in being creative and working with like-minded individuals who continuously push me (and each other) to be better in every way.
I traveled all over the place this year – from the left side of the country (like Denver and Seattle) to the East Coast (New York) and even more East to Israel. That trip especially gave me new perspective and clarity into other parts of the world. I'd have to say Israel definitely awakened my travel bug and Ittai and I already have a few trips scheduled for next year (France being one of them!)
And while some friends moved out of San Francisco, others remained and continued to grow. I moved out of my apartment of 5-ish years with the comfort of low-ish rent and two close friends/roommates to a new apartment with my boyfriend Ittai. In terms of friendships, I've had countless dinner and wine nights with Andi, early morning coffee dates with Shikha, beers with Ali and Rob, early morning sunset views with Courtney, Mike and Casey, and visiting my favorite Canadian lurdy, Courtney.
And of course, one of the biggest changes in my life this year is meeting Ittai! Not going to get super sappy here, but we've been together for (almost) a year and I can't imagine my life without him. He's my biggest supporter, best friend, and of course, partner. Our relationship accelerated pretty quickly and after 5 or so months, moved in together – a first for me! It was a leap of faith and I've definitely learned A LOT, but knowing that I have Ittai by my side makes life ten times sweeter.
So, to all my friends, family, and everyone in between – thank you for making such a profound and deep impact on my life. I can't wait to kick even more ass with y'all, share a ton of laughs, support one another, etc.
Cheers and have an amazing Thanksgiving!