Goodbye REI

On my last day at REI Raleigh

Well today was my last day at REI (for now anyway). It has been a great experience getting to work in two REI stores both in Raleigh, NC and Greenville, SC. I so enjoyed getting to know people at both stores and experiencing the different atmospheres each had. I’ve enjoyed helping my customers get prepared for trips, making friends with amazing coworkers, and of course getting sweet deals on gear. While all of this was awesome perks of an awesome job, the REI environment is what really makes the job so rewarding. It’s hard to explain to someone who has never been in an REI what the REI environment is like, but if you have even been in the store I think it is easy to pick up on. We enjoy our jobs, we enjoy coming into work, and we enjoy helping customers find what they need. Sure, it has its downfalls like dressing room bombs, and stocking clothing, and trying to sell pesky memberships, but overall people enjoy their jobs and that shows when you step into an REI. Part of this has to do with REI’s dedication to making their employees happy (there IS a reason they have been on fortunes top 100 companies to work for since the list was established). One thing I will take away from REI is a renewed dedication to service of mother earth. Prior to working at REI I had done a good amount of volunteering, but none of it had been in nature or for nature. REI was able to foster in me a desire to get out there and take care of the places that I love to explore. Another thing to take away from REI is their values and how aplicable they are to my life. REI’s core values are : Quality, Service, Respect, Integrity, and Balance. The core value that sticks out to me the most is balance, because REI became my balance from grad school and internships when I first began there and having balance will be an important part of keeping my sanity as a public servent with NCCC.  I hope to one day find my balance working back at REI part time as a way to relieve stress from a full time job. It truly has been an wonderful experience in retail, which I hear doesn’t really happen except at REI.

Appease me please.

Dalen recently wrote a blog post to appease me after I went deep scrolling on his blog and got depressed… http://wdalenrice.blogspot.com/2012/09/soon-she-leaves.html To respond…

Dalen, I think you are referring to the quote… “If you love something let it go, if it comes back to you it’s yours.”

Unfortunately when asked on ‘girls ask guys’.com  whether this quote was true this was the response…

Luckily for you, I am not a dove and only wear one on my finger.

The day of the twos.

Two weeks and two days before I leave for Denver! Currently I am in the process of packing and my room looks a little something like this…

It’s really hard for me to live in this kind of chaos, half packed, half not, not knowing quite where things are. Not knowing what is going to happen to me in two weeks is terrifying and exhilarating. I will get on a plane in two weeks and I don’t know at what time, with what airline or officially from what airport. In some ways my life is a bit chaotic currently, a bit uncertain, and really not as organized as I would like. NCCC will be a good exercise in patience, understanding, giving up control, and adapting to a new environment. I have never lived outside of the state of North Carolina (unless you count my summer in South Carolina, big life change… let me tell you! You don’t have to wear a helmet on a motorcycle down here, and you can buy fireworks, but no booze on Sundays). I will miss my sweet tea, southern hospitality, and the blue ridge mountains, but I am looking forward to experiencing the culture and goodies of other places in this United States of ours.

See you soon Denver, can’t wait to get to know you!