jeffrey + upstairsloft

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Hands down, I have the most awesomest wife ever. Don’t get me wrong, this year has been great. We got married. I will have seen Jun 4 times this year. Friendships, well, some sorta dipped, but others grew stronger. I’ve had a blast this year, bachelor party, birthday parties, good times with my family and growing closer to my kid brother, but this year was a tough year. Work has been whirlwind crazy this year and it affected me physically and mentally. I’m stick skinny and I’ve lashed out and had more than a few handfuls of temper tantrums. Nightcaps are obligatory. Yep. This year is crazy. But tons of things learned.

Throughout all of this, who’s supported me like she’s always have? She’s been patient and has stuck through it before and after getting hitched. I can’t help but be cheesy and tell the cyberworld how much my heart fills up with that weird warm feeling when I look over at her at random times and she’s just doing her thing. She’s the greatest thing alive and she’s definitely doing a great job keeping me sane and balanced. I’m sure my parents are proud to have a daughter like her, somebody to pass the torch onto. Ha. Just had to tell it to the world that I love Kate and she’s the dopest thing ever!!!! EVER!

As with any company trucking through the economic slum, my agency has its fair share of turbulence. In January, Black Friday, I saw 5 of my co-workers, from a the Creative department of 15 people, shrink down to 10. Since then, I’ve seen great mentors and colleagues up and leave to new adventures in their lives. A few have even traveled to Southeast Asia and miraculously found themselves coming back to the team to help put out fires in the Studio. It’s been a crazy year and I’ve been part of an extraordinarily talented team of designers, writers and managers.

But through all the turbulence, through all the bullshit, the politics and from all the lessons learned, new experiences survived and through the vast accomplishments, I find myself at the pinnacle only to decide on which direction I am headed towards next. This past Thursday, I put in my two weeks.

The rocky ride took me down and I knew I had to get out while I can still keep a smile on my face. I always kept a positive vibe, despite how crazy things got in the Studio or in the company. And never would I want to burn bridges with people I’ve become close to, both professionally and personally. It’s time to move on.

The weird thing about this all is I planned on leaving the company a month ago. I planned on sticking through the rest of the year, working as hard as I normally do, fully dedicating myself to the company and my accounts. The past few weeks have been hell and it sucked me dry. A person can only take so much. I couldn’t last another full month and the handful of change before the holiday break. It’s tearing my soul apart. Cheesy, but true.

Here I am with the decision to carry on with the rest of the year, or to depart some time early next month. I worked 19 straight days with a majority of them feeling like I ran a marathon at a full sprint. And that was only to top off the fast pace I’ve kept up in the past two years. I’m tired, out of breath but I am well seasoned and trained to take on the next challenge. I just need a moment to catch my breath to continue another race.

Who knows what’s next. Freelance and contract work is looking real good right now. I can take on personal projects and work on projects with the bigger picture in mind. My company has prepared me well for that. I hit the ground running real hard and it’s natural that it is my time to fly the coop.

These glasses are hot, and with Christmas 2 months around a corner, and a brand new spanking wife, this hit the top of my list, next to my 15″ MacBook Pro my mama’s gonna get me. Muahha. Right mom?! Yep. Wooden wayfarer like glasses to match my wooden ear plugs. Wooden vanity, you are my friend, and you are eczema-friendly.

Me and Kate are like… our brains… our connection is on another level. If I feel pain, 2,000 miles away, she feels the pain. If I fart, and she miles away… she can taste it in her mouth. We’re real connected. For better or for worse. But sometimes… sometimes… she just doesn’t understand me.

Jeffrey
i just done TOOKED IT

Kate
tooked?

Jeffrey
yup. You know…TOOKED. LIKE IT GOT GOT. I GOT IT. I TOOKED IT. ITS GOT TOOKED. TOOKED!

Kate
omg… i cannot understand you

I wish I had a pet lion.