Work family.

I love the people I work with at the MTC like they are family. When they hurt, I hurt. When they're happy, I'm happy. When they're stressed, I'm stressed. When they leave to move on to other things, I sometimes cry.

I am the "boss" of about 85 people. I really hate the word boss though, it feels so distant and authoritative. I hired pretty much everyone that works for me and I am so lucky to have the team that I have. Typically a coordinator has 30-45 teachers on their team but for the last year and a half, my team has been double that due to some crazy circumstances. It can be stressful managing a group of people that large but something that helps a great deal is that I honestly feel like each of these people are my friends. I love it when they drop by my desk just to chat or to ask for advice in school or dating or life. I love it when they text me pictures of segways because they know I think segways are hysterical. I love it when they bring over their fiance-to-be to my house so I can give them my approval before they actually get engaged. I love it when they leave me notes on my chair telling me they appreciate me. I love it when I hear them pray for me at the end of our meetings. I genuinely love them very much.

The people that worked for me chipped in and bought me my favorite painting for Christmas. When I saw it, I cried. A lot. It hangs in my office where I can see it every day. It meant so much to me.

I really love my job and the people that come along with it.