The People I've Met

So I've been meaning to update you all for so long now... but I've had an aversion to the email lately... meaning I just seem to not be using it like I used to. I mean I check it constantly... its the response part that seems to be killing me- maybe b/c I still, although its been 91 days since I first started my job, am struggling to balance my time between keeping up w/people, Kevin, meeting new people... This full time thing is going to take quite awhile to fully enjoy... five years of college is hard to hard to walk away from w/ a blank slate. I loved the freedom and independence of studio my last year of college... the random slots of free time to meet up w/somebody or hang out online...

LA is the lonely city. So many people, so alone. You know how you can stand in a crowd and still feel alone... well thats LA. You can see it in their eyes, in the way they act... how do I break thru their walls... how do I invite them to share their lives w/each other? How do you do that when the people you meet can live anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half away and still be in the same city? ahhhhhhh. Since I recently took a strengthfinders test, I found out that one of my top strengths is relator... which basically means I need close friendships... I value honesty, and am willing to take risks to really get to know somebody. So it makes sense why I would struggle here... my relator aspect is in slow motion and I burn w/impatience and eagerness nearly every day.

But... what I really wanted to tell you about is that He is moving over here... bringing people into our lives slowly... and I wanted to tell you about a few. First of all, Jiwon... the women that works right next to me, is from Korea. She came over here to get her masters and work for awhile. She is engaged to be married next summer, so we have fun talking about that and the difference btwn our weddings. She is so kind and hardworking... in fact she is so diligent and focused it makes me feel so lazy. I really enjoy working next to her... and hope to get to hang out w/her some more outside of work but its been really hard to find a good time for us both (so far).
Then there is Erin... another girl at work. I don't get to see her as much b/c her desk is in another part of the office... but she is near my age- just graduating in May from USC. She loves to play poker so we try to have poker nights at our apt to have her over. Its been good to hear her story... I don't think she really knows how unique she is and what beauty she can share.

Then there is Cheyne... another interiors person that works for HOK (a HUGE firm that is also in KC). We were sorta setup through some architect. But... we've been trying to hang out w/ her and her husband as much as we can. Her husband is a student at a school down here... so we can easily relate w/working and student husbands. Her firm is working her hard... even on weekends too... so I hope she doesn't get too worn out!

And the last one, and a new addition, is Ashley. I just met her Saturday. We were actually set up by one of my bosses, Susan, who saw that we both played soccer and so she gave us each others email addresses and we took it from there. Ashley went to Boston College but came back to LA to live here after graduation. She has a lot of friends from high school around and she plays soccer constantly to keep her busy. She was really fun to meet w/ and I'm hoping to get to hang out w/ her some more... although it will be harder b/c our paths will cross less than we'd like.

Okay just kidding... there is one more... Pierre. He works w/me... actually sits right next to me. He's French, but he graduated from college in Flordia and then came here. He is my age and is a fun guy (meaning he is one of the few at my work that actually likes to talk and laugh). Its fun... sometimes interesting b/c I've haven't had any guy friends for awhile and I feel like he must know Kevin. The other night he came over to play poker w/us and it was fun- guess what? I won! haha. I suck but nobody can tell when I'm bluffing or not.. this is the second time in a row!

Thats it... I really wanted to tell you about these people b/c they are the ones that are on my mind the most, the ones that I really hope to become friends with, the people that I pray for whenever I can. I was also wondering if you would pray for them too... if it weighs your heart at all (if not thats totally okay).

And I am off to go see a movie!