I just finished my first solo week at work. No Sarah. She and her husband are, I'm guessing, well into their drive north, to their new home and new lives in Portland, Oregon. They will start a new chapter in their lives. I've only known her for 2 months, but even I knew - it was time.
So now, I'm all alone in my job at MTD. And I felt a bit like a deer in the headlights, this week. I know, I know - Sarah and I worked together for two whole months, I should've learned it all in that time, right? The whole job, no questions or fears, right?
Wrong.
From the first day I met her, I had an inkling about what would happen - we'd have so much fun giggling, gossiping and getting to know each other, that the "learning the job" thing would, umm, sort of fall by the wayside. Turns out, I was right.
Oh, sure - I learned the basics, and as everyone in a new job should, I'll put my own stamp on the job. But these next few weeks are going to a bit of "hurry and catch up," to learn all the details.
And honestly, I don't think I'd want it any other way, would you?
Sarah's last day at MTD was, I hope, memorable for her. I planned it to be, so I hope it worked. I sent out an email invite to the staff, before 8am that day: "Join me in the kitchen, for Sarah's Going Away Breakfast! Just the first stop of the day on the Sarah Farewell Tour (just like Cher!)."
So, bagels, fruit and coffee for Stop 1; Lunch at Mulligan's for Stop 2. A driver brought in a cake (!) for her, so "dessert" became Stop 3. (I have a photo of Stop 2...on my work computer. Will add it later.)
Stop 4 was Happy Hour at The Sand Bar. See? Here's proof - Martha, Sarah and me:
I invited everyone to Stop 5 on the Farewell Tour - Jazzercise on the following Monday. Oddly - no takers, except me. Well, I had a great time, anyway! Might just make this Jazzercise thing a real part of my life. No promises, of course - only if I can find some really cute jazzer-togs.
And yes, thanks for asking, there was a Stop 6 on the Farewell Tour - Sarah and I met to share a bottle of wine, on Stearns Wharf. Why the Wharf? Because it has one of the most stunning views of Santa Barbara - the ocean, the beach, the mountain, the Riviera. Sarah was - and is - keen to move on with her life, excited about what her new Oregon life will bring. But one last look at Santa Barbara, her second home, from such a gorgeous vantage point...who could blame her?
I'll miss her, but as it turns out, I did learn a lot from her:
*Keep that smile on your face;
*Wear heels whenever possible;
*Greet everyone you meet as if they already like you and treat them nicely;
and last but not least:
*Bitchiness be damned, rock that ponytail!
Miss you, Mrs. Herbold. Wish you well...but really miss you.
Farewell Tour Stop #7, from K8 in Paradise.
