Where in the World...Part Two

Monday, January 14, 2008

The second part of the craziness is the big changes in both Ed and my professional careers. Ed has accepted a position with Oliver Peoples as the VP of Finance. Oliver Peoples has got a great brand worn by many famous Hollywood celebs. He will expand his responsibilities to include Finance, Accounting, Operations and HR. Oliver Peoples was purchased in 2006 by Oakley. They are in the process of relocating the office to Sunset Plaza-smack dab in the middle of Hollywood. He begins his new job on February 2nd.

And I have accepted the position of Global Training Manager for Oakley. I'm heading up the centralization of all brand and product education for Oakley worldwide. I started as a trainer for the Customer Service department and expanded to Retail. We formalized the training process and slowly made our work known. I'm thrilled for this new opportunity to bring my passion for education to a grander level. I officially started my new role January 7th. So now everything is out in the open and official. I purposely stayed away from posting because there was too much to reveal.

We are both so excited to be a part of two very exciting companies that have supported us through our various growth. I will be sad to drive into work alone when February comes. That has been the highlight in our relationship for the past seven years. For seven years, Ed and I have carpooled to work. Not too many couples have this opportunity. We shared a lot of laughs and frustrations in the car. It was easy for us to relate as we knew the environment (and people) that were part of our laughs or frustrations. I will truly miss those moments. Boo hoo hoo.

But...on to more great news. We purchased a house this weekend in Hollywood Hills. The home is currently owned by an actor. I really wanted something different and very Hollywood. While it isn't a 1920s style home, but a Mediterranean style (similar to ours) it offers a truly unique layout. It is an upside down plan built into the hill. It starts on the top and goes down three floors. It is deceivingly huge. You wouldn't know it walking through the house, but it goes on and on. We actually have a fully furnished gym (of course, to which we are paying for). When we arrived to the house I was surprised to find the owner home. At first he shied away into another room and resurfaced minutes later. We spent two hours in his home. He was nice and opened up to us.


Are you anxious to know who it is? The home is currently owned by Jesse Metcalfe. He plays the gardener on Desperate Housewives and starred in John Tucker Must Die. He is even cuter in person. Gorgeous eyes and a cute boyish smile. We have views of other Hollywood homes and are very, very close to the Hollywood sign. We're told that two homes below ours from our view belong to Heather Graham and Johnny Knoxville. How surreal is all this?

It will be fun to glam it up and live closer to Merah and Jack. We'll actually be closer to all my family. I will rough it by taking the train daily. I don't mind the 90 minute commute knowing that I can catch up on work or a nice snooze rather than sitting in ugly traffic. So hopefully by the end of the year Ed and I will be looking good from all the hard work in our new gym. I think that is my favorite part. LOL. I want those rock hard abs.