How to know you are loved at work

So I had my last day at the office. It was every bit as bittersweet as I had imagined: all the excitement of starting a new chapter in my life mixed with the heartache of leaving some of the greatest people I've ever met.

Naturally, we celebrated our departure with candy. Our boss, Dex, was not invited to partake and instead was given this tiny crime scene, complete with "crying crackers" which can only be flavoured using the salt from the tears you shed while eating them (or in this case, desk-sized peanut butter).

Gina chose to pick up soul food at Holy Smoke and have a delightful picnic at the cemetery; the joke, of course, being that the end of our work signified the death of our careers. While we weren't able to symbolically bury our resumes (as suggested), we were able to watch three juvenile hawks learn to fly and attack gophers. Much to Gina's delight, it also rained for most of the afternoon. 

Far less original than Gina, my Last Supper was pizza. Dex ordered from La Pulcinella and went above and beyond with hand-made marshmallows, salted caramel pieces and macarons from Yann Haute Patisserie (as if it wasn't hard enough for us to leave already). Everything was incredible, and if you thought it would be difficult to chow down on these goodies after the smorgasbord of candy, you'd be wrong. 

As it that wasn't enough, one of the new interns brought in a cake, and yet another brought us presents! Apparently we're not very difficult to shop for: Gina got a mini-Godzilla action figure and a graphic novel about a cat who doubles as a mad scientist, and I got a seed kit and leaf bookmarks! Not to mention the most wonderful Janice Beaton set of fine European cheeses with tiny Parisian crackers and dried cranberries, which I can enjoy while wearing my new "I <3 Cheese" shirt.

I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful year with more wonderful people. While I'm still technically employed at the Office until the Farmers' Market, this still felt very... final.While my mouth was full of candy, my eyes were filled with tears. Here's to starting over!