Dear Maureen

Most of you know that Maureen has been working with me for the past year.

I have been making just enough money through the blog to pay her for fifteen hours of work each week.

And while we have been having massive financial difficulties for the past three years, I did this in the hopes of building up my business(es) to where I was making enough money to pay for her and then some.

In fact, I was hopeful that together we would get so much done that I’d be able to pay her full time.

But I just couldn’t make it happen.

And so last Thursday, Maureen came to my house to work for the last time.

And Not Your Average Weekend was our last hurrah.

I couldn’t bring myself to say a proper thank you last Thursday. Or over the weekend.

Just thinking about it now makes me cry. Hard.

And to be honest, I’m still in serious denial that tomorrow morning at 9:00, she’s not going to walk into my mudroom, drop her purse on the freezer, take off her shoes and grab her fuzzy pink slippers from one of the kids’ cubbies, and come up to the office.

And I do much better in writing than I do in person.

So…

Here is as proper a goodbye as I can muster:

Dear Maureen,

I don’t really know where to start.

So I guess I will start with thank you.

It’s pretty lame, I know.

But thank you.

I am so grateful for you.

Sure, I’m grateful for all the work you have done. But it’s so much more than that.

Over the weekend, someone asked us how long we had been friends.

I can’t remember who it was, but you looked at her and said, “About a year.”

About a year.

I couldn’t believe it.

That’s it?

Cause I honestly can’t remember not being friends with you. It feels like we’ve known each other forever.

I love you. I really do. Like a sister.

And I’m really sorry I wasn’t able to say this to you in person. But it was just too hard for me.

Just thinking about it hurt. It hurts now.

As I type this I am a convulsing mess.

See?  I took a picture for you.

If you look real close, you can see something dripping off my nose.

I think it’s a tear. But there’s a chance it’s snot.

Cause that’s how hard I’m crying.

When I couldn’t bring myself to say something to you on Thursday, I had plans to make a special toast to you on Saturday night at the Interlaken.

And then the tears came just thinking about it, and I couldn’t make myself do it.

I know it’s not like we will never see each other again.

I mean, we live like three miles from each other.

But I know how these things go.

Things get busy and you develop new routines and you have the best of intentions, and then, things just gradually drift apart.

Before you know it, it’s been months since you’ve seen each other.

And I really don’t want that to happen.

Reeeeeaaallllllly don’t want that to happen.

I haven’t told the kids yet.

Yesterday Number 6 and I pulled into the driveway after dropping off Number 7 at preschool and he said to me, “Mommy? Wheyah is Moween’s  caw?”

Ugh.

I could only tell him that you weren’t coming yesterday.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say you weren’t coming anymore.

It was the same thing when I pulled in the driveway with Number 7 after I picked her up.

“I’m gonna go say hi to Moween!”she said. And she ran inside.

Ugh.

Again.

I’m really going to miss having you up here in the office with me.

Badly.

I mean yeah, I don’t know how the fuck I’m going to get shit done now.

How I’m going to remember, well, anything without you here to remind me and keep me on track and organized.

But what I’m going to miss even more is our therapy sessions. I’m going to miss your burping (sort of) and the look on your face when one of the kids does something annoying. Or funny. Or both.

I’m going to miss listening to the same twelve songs on B107.3 with you and I’m even going to miss your terrible singing voice.

I’m really, really, really going to miss having another grown up here. But not just any grown up.

You.

Because most of all, I’m going to miss the laughing.

Oh, I’m really going to miss the laughing.

And I’m sorry, Maureen.

I’m sorry that I failed you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get things to the next level as quickly as I had hoped.

But it’s still a dream of mine.

To have Not Your Average Weekend become so successful that I can hire someone full time to be in charge of it.

Them, I mean. Because there will be multiple weekends.

Every year.

It’s going to happen.

I know it.

And when it does, I will be knocking on your door, doing my best to woo you back.

Until then, all I can say, again, is thank you.

Thank for for being one of the few what-you-see-is-what-you-get people still out there.

Thanks for being the real deal.

Thanks for taking care of me this past year, and thank you for loving my kids.

I have loved every minute of working with you.

Because working with you wasn’t work.

It was fun.

As you would say, I love ya, Girl.

One day I hope to call you my coworker again.

But for now, I’m really grateful to be able to call you my friend.

 

If you could use some help getting fit, my next e-course starts on March 9th.

Let me help you get yourself in shape now! Summer will be here before you know it!

Click below for details!

Thank you for making me Number 1!

PLEASE KEEP VOTING!!!!

Click on the banner below and you have registered your vote for me!