New Beginnings

It’s been a hell of a year. Ash had just started at NIH, we moved to Rockville, we did a ton of traveling including to three of our friends’ weddings and a couple trips abroad, Ashley got accepted into grad school, I got promoted, we got MARRIED with our own amazing wedding, and now, to top it all off, we’ve moved to Nice, France for her MBA! It’s been a crazy, BUSY ride.

Working at Deloitte was a great experience. I had an amazing team of smart, dedicated, and truly wonderful people. I learned a whole lot about consulting and working with clients using everything I know or could think of with data to solve problems. I probably learned more than I’d care to admit, mostly through osmosis, about process improvements, communication, change management, and–dare I say it–project management (I mostly learned to stay away from that!). That’s what happens when you are around smart people all day. And I guess now I know more than ever about workforce strategy and management. I did try to stick to the data analytics side of things before people started to get ideas that I know anything more (which would invariably involve creating a PowerPoint or white paper or something).

Also Deloitte folk also know how to party

In the down time, Ashley and I took some fun trips. For her dirty thirty we spirited away (I think we may have even flown Spirit) to Jamaica and had a romantic getaway. Ash hurt her foot so we did a bit less of the hiking than we wanted, but we still made a 30 foot plunge into a lake. Koki enjoyed camping with us, some Peace Corps buds, Danny and Jamexis with a surprise visit from Jacob, and a few of their friends. We attended a few lovely weddings: Diego and Lia’s in Delaware, Kara and Vic’s in Maine, and Drew and Lindsay’s in California. Obviously that meant just as many bachelor and bachelorette parties! My personal favorite being Mexico with Diego and company. He has a hell of a crew and partying in Mexico… well, we need to go back cause there was simply not enough time (or tacos). Odd considering I slept a cumulative 5 hours over the weekend.

Between mezcal and being serenaded, you could say I fell in love with Mexico City.

Amidst all of that, Ashley and I planned our own wedding! Or I should say, Ashley planned our own wedding and I helped sometimes doing things she told me to do! While I was no good and didn’t enjoy the planning and preparing part–with the exception of a couple great trips staying with Tony and Robin in Wilmington and ironing out details–the wedding itself was freaking amazing! Hell, the whole weekend was a blast and the day of was out of this world awesome. We were visited by the best of friends, danced our hearts out, and Ashley and I got to share our love with everyone. I obviously teared up, but even Ashley had to fight back a few! I cannot give enough thanks to everyone who was part of it.

Look at us! We’re so damn cute!

With all that loveliness and fantastic people and everything seeming to be just right… We’ve grabbed the dog, uprooted everything, and moved abroad. Ashley got herself into a respectable International MBA program that just so happens to be situated in Nice, a cute little beach town in southern France. I, being the devoted husband that I am, just have to go with her. I mean there really is no other option, right?

Since I’m off on another adventure, you lucky folk get to look forward to another blog. This time around I will even have solid internet access, so no excuses. There will be pictures and stories of shenanigans; everything to your hearts’ desires. Keep in touch! Despite my occasional jaunts abroad, I love you all and miss you when I’m gone.

But I mean, it’s been five years since Africa anyway. So this was practically overdue.