Changes in the New Year

Happy New Year to All!

On New Year's Eve I watched the ball drop in Times Square from an entirely new perspective. No, I wasn’t courageous enough to brave the crowds and the cold and actually go to Times Square, but I counted down the seconds to 2010 in a New York apartment, surrounded by new friends. Through a cloudy winter sky, I saw hints of fireworks going off over Central Park and I realized that this was my city, that I was happy here, and that here was now home.

I remembered that at this time last year, I was spending a quiet New Year’s Eve at my parents’ home in Wisconsin, filled with excitement and anxiety about my upcoming move to New York. I had packed up the last six years of my life in SF before the holidays, and after the New Year I would hit the road again, striking out for the Big Apple.

It was exactly one year ago today that I arrived in New York. I didn’t know what to expect. I hoped that I would make friends. I hoped that I would expand my business. I hoped that I wouldn’t be considered a social pariah for wearing my beloved hiking boots and Patagonia parka on 5^th Avenue.

Well, 2 out of 3. Turns out that when armed with a small medicine cabinet’s worth of blister prevention materials, I’m quite capable of walking long distances in heels. Who knew?

Looking back on the past year, I am astonished at how my life has changed. I have loved living in Manhattan, exploring the city, increasing my contacts and building new friendships, so many of which are with people I have met in publishing, people who I did not yet know this time last year.

I am especially grateful to my colleagues at Kimberley Cameron & Associates for having encouraged and supported me. Kimberley, April and Amy are three of the loveliest, most talented women I know. When I proposed opening a satellite office a few thousand miles away, they listened, considered, and told me we’d find a way to make it work. Their openness and their faith in me enabled me to take this chance, for which I will always be thankful.

The ringing in of the New Year seems a natural time to usher in change. And once again I find myself anticipating a new chapter. As of January, 4^th, I will be joining the Jean V. Naggar Agency. As I continue to put down roots in NYC, I look forward to being a part of such a well-respected New York agency. However, it is with sadness that I part with Kimberley Cameron & Associates. It has been a wonderful six years with the company, and I look forward to watching it continue to grow and flourish.

I wish everyone good health, success, and creativity in 2010. And of course, happy writing!

Elizabeth