Saturday Takeover by Raquel

I have to agree with Susan. This could be a trap mainly because it will be hard for me.

For starters, talking about myself is not my jam. It took me three interviews in five months to get a promotion. My managers knew I could do the job, and I excelled in my current role. Yet, they still made me interview while I struggled to speak about my accomplishments.

Secondly, I am not a writer like my co-workers. They say I’ll become one, but I’m not convinced.

I like to journal. Does that count? Granted, those thoughts are for my eyes and my eyes only.

Over time, as I get to know you all, hopefully, I’ll feel comfortable enough to share some more.

Where it all began, take One

Well, it all started one Thanksgiving afternoon. My mom had just finished eating when she had to be rushed to the hospital. It was time.

Oh, wait. You didn’t ask about that beginning. Oops!

Take two

Growing up, I always thought I would have a career in business because I was always finding ways to make money.

In middle school, I started reselling bags of Jolly Rancher. I was making pretty good money for a teenager.

For some reason, I thought my parents would be upset if they found out. To my surprise, they were impressed. They supported me and bought even more candy for me to sell.

I started college as a business major, then quickly changed. I graduated with two degrees—one in Psychology and another in Human Resources.

While going to college, I was employed at Apple for over 12 years. I worked in every department but loved being a technician the most.

Yes, it took me that long to get two degrees.

I decided that wherever I ended up, I wanted to incorporate tech and my two degrees.

Where's it going, two reasons

You are probably wondering, “Why are you at Hey Rebekah?”. First, a wise person once told me:

Pursue opportunities, not your dreams.

Pursuing opportunities doesn’t mean that you let go of your dreams. You are just funneling them differently. My dream is to do something I love. I love helping people, learning new things, and challenging myself.

What more can I ask for?

Second, Rebekah’s my MIL

I know how the saying goes. Never mix work with…

Lucky for me, I love my in-laws. It's not the first time we’ve worked together. So, I’m aware of her strengths and weaknesses.

We have a relationship where we can give each other constructive feedback and continue to grow.

What bothers me, it's not the face

Many things bother me, but we won’t get into all of them.

As I am writing this, one that’s currently happening is my neighbor’s dogs barking.

I love dogs. I have a French bulldog of my own. She’s the best.

If you are going to have dogs, you should be able to train them not to bark all the time. The weather’s nice, but I can’t have the windows or back door open because all I will hear is their barking.

Speaking of nice weather, I’m 5’3” and love spring dresses, but I can never find one that fits. The majority of dresses are made for tall women. I don’t want to pay $50 for a dress and another $30 or more to have it altered.

Please make dresses that fit the average woman.

Chasing waterfalls

I love nature. My husband and I lived in the Pacific Northwest for three years, and we would go on hikes once a week.

It was beautiful. Smelling the fresh air and seeing all the plants, trees, and waterfalls.

We have since moved to Southern California. I settled in fairly quickly. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. The parks aren’t the same, but it's still nice to go on hikes. There’s something about the outdoors that helps a person's mental state.

We moved closer to family, which is another joy of mine. As of last January, we officially have a one-year-old. We didn’t want him growing up far from them. It’s still weird knowing I can make plans with my family. After three years of being away, we missed them, but don’t tell them.

Self-care

I am big on self-care. I enjoy hiking, journaling, exercising and walks on the beach.

I subscribe to TheraBox—they have a mix of products they send, and one is always a self-care activity. It’s been beneficial. I have even given some to my husband to use.

We live in an era where it's all about work, work, work. We need to remember to stop and take care of ourselves. #slowtoflow

Items on my bucket list:

1. Take a historic East Coast tour
2. Go to Mexico City to celebrate Día de los Muertos
3. Go to a Super Bowl—hopefully, one my team is in and wins!
4. Go to all the national parks on the West Coast—we have gone to three out of thirteen.

Three Random Questions asked by my husband. Movie Edition.

1. How have you watched Avengers Infinity War so many times? For context, I have watched Infinity war over 1,000 times from start to finish. Not an exaggeration. I needed something to hold me over until End Game came out. Rewatching movies is like art to me. I rewatch to see what I missed—what’s going on in the background, what did they say that I missed, etc.
2. Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? I honestly don’t care what it is. I watch it all year round. It’s one of my favorite movies.
3. True or false: You now love Hallmark Christmas movies. For context, I had never heard of the Hallmark channel before I met my husband. I always thought Hallmark was just a retail store. After six years, the answer is finally confirmed. Those movies are fun to watch, even though every single one is the same.