The Foreword: UDubb(s) Plural

I, have a blog. After weeks of toying with the idea of spilling my guts virtually, I've finally gotten around to taking the 3 minutes out of my busy day to sign up. I dislike Twitter (for no particular reason) and frown upon those that use Facebook as a diary, but, as hypocritical as it may seem, here I go. My first foray at blogging.

In 48 hours I will no longer be an employee of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, leaving me officially unemployed. The thought is rather overwhelming, as I've spent the last 3.5 years commuting to and from 51 Sleeper Street. That's roughly an hour each day, five days a week, 52 weeks a year and, much to my surprise (year two was a rather trying time) I'm actually really going to miss this place. United Way (or "UDubb" as it's affectionately referred to by some) has been the epicenter of my social existence in Boston. Strenuous campaign seasons, debaucherous happy hours, ridiculous rabblerousing in our respective cubicle rows... Overall, it's been the ideal workplace for a single 20 something seeking both supportive coworkers and friends. I've been fortunate to make quite a few here. And, I'll miss them more than I care to elaborate upon (I’m scratching sentimentality here).

Ironically enough, my impending unemployment is the result of a decision to begin graduate school at the University of Washington, otherwise ALSO known as, UDubb (coincidence? Um, yes, probably). Conveniently located on the opposite coast of this fine country, I will tragically be transplanting myself in Seattle this September. This leaves me t-minus 3 weeks to get my “ducks in a row” (if you will), including: saying my goodbyes, packing up my belongings and soaking up East Coast culture in all of it’s glory. Of course, I also still need to sign my promissory notes (bring on the loans, baby), purchase my plane ticket, and figure out what exactly I’m going to do once I arrive in said city, but those are simply logistics, minor details…

The courses I’ve registered for sound amazing (time to tap back into intellectualism), the campus is absolutely beautiful, and Seattle is an amazing city that, for me, has always held a certain allure. In layman’s terms, this is an exciting time. To be more verbose, I’ve spent countless hours over the past 4 years trying to figure out what my next steps will be. Fortuitously, I fell into fundraising here and have enjoyed my time but in no way was it, or will it ever be, my passion. Though I’ve definitely made it my home, Boston has never truly felt like the place I belong permanently. I’m leaving behind 3.5 years of learning and professional growth, 182 weeks of hilariously unique and fabulous friends, and 1,274 days of memories as a resident of Greater Boston. I’m looking forward to graduate school at the University of Washington, a whole new host of acquaintances and hopefully friends, and anticipated ups and downs and who knows what else, in Seattle. And, really, that’s the best part.

So that, in short, sums up the purpose of this blog. This will hopefully document the aforementioned impending change.

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