My official last day.

It's crazy for me to think that today is my last day of my current job. This was my first job outside of serving, my first job right out of college, my first real professional experience. It feels like just yesterday I went shopping for my first suit with my mom before my interview, and now it's all coming to a close. I don't think it's really hit me yet, and I don't think it will until I wake up Monday morning with nothing to do and no where to go.

Except not really, because contrary to popular belief, I will indeed have a full time job while studying for the GRE. After all, I still have bills to pay and a dog to feed!

Although I'm excited about this next chapter, it's always sad to say goodbye to an old way of life. There's a lot this position taught me about the professional world, and about myself, and there are a lot of things (and people) I'm going to miss. To start...

• Weekends off. I know I griped quite a bit about my love/hate relationship with weekends here, but let's get real: they're pretty great. You never have to worry about "asking off" for a friend's birthday dinner, wedding, etc. and every Sunday is a Sunday Funday. Plus, I always have a guaranteed two days off to spend with my boyfriend if we're both too busy during the work week. I will definitely miss that.
• Extravagant events and dinners. The publication I work for hosts quite a few events per year, most of which are held at awesome venues with open bar (AYYO!). I'll definitely miss the parties, private events, and free meals. And, you know, the high profile people I get to meet. That's pretty cool, too.
• My coworkers. I've worked side by side with my best friend from college for two years now (internship included). We've done quite literally everything together since I started here officially in October 2013. We spend copious amounts of money going out to lunch almost every day, we hop into Francesca's in the mall across the street during said lunches, we deliver Meals on Wheels, we text each other from bed about how it's 8:30 a.m. and we still have yet to start getting ready for work. We laugh together, complain together, sometimes even cry together (okay, that's pretty much just me). I think not seeing her every day will be the biggest adjustment. I've also gotten close with our new director, and of course a few of my other coworkers and managers, so this will probably be the hardest thing for me.

Having said all that, there is a lot I'm looking forward to having a job with more flexibility, less stress, and overall less responsibility:

• Impromptu beach trips. Okay, this won't happen all the time, obviously. But if it's a Tuesday and I'm off work and I've completed my studying for the day, then why not?
• Time to dedicate to GRE prep. In all honesty, this is the main reason I needed to quit my job long before starting up school again in August. The program I want to eventually start is extremely difficult to get into, so I want to really dedicate myself to studying for this test before I take it for the first time in July. 
• Less stress. As much as I'll miss my job, I will not miss the stress that came with it. I know that work is work and it will always be stressful in one way or another, but I'm excited to have a job where I can walk out the door at the end of the night knowing that whatever happened at work today will not affect my work tomorrow. Does that make sense? We'll go with it.
• Time to myself. While I'll still be working 30-40 hours a week, I'm looking forward to establishing a routine with myself. Whether it's actually making hot tea first thing in the morning, a two mile walk down Bayshore with my dog, or catching up on a TV show, it'll be nice to have a flexible routine.

Needless to say, today is a weird day. And the new couple of weeks might be weird as I start to adjust. But as sad as I am to leave this part of my life behind, I'm thrilled to take myself in a new direction. How's that for a happy Friday?