Happy Friday! I am so happy to welcome my longtime BFF, Cyndi Johnson Parent, to my blog. We met as 15 year olds at Redwood High School in Visalia and four decades later, she’s still someone I trust with all my secrets and dreams. Cyndi is brilliant, insightful, a true problem solver, and Tule’s team leader. She knows how to bring everyone together and keeps us on the same page–not easy when we’re scattered over different time zones, and continents. Cyndi was always the math girl, and I was the English girl and so it makes perfect sense that she is with Tule today, in charge of all the very important financial things, including keeping us in the black. So delighted you get to meet someone who has kept me sane and shown me what true friendship is. And without further ado, here is Cyndi. 🙂
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Hello everyone! My name is Cyndi Parent and here at Tule, I am the CFO or Chief Financial Officer. I have been apart of the team since August of 2018. My day-to-day usually consists of royalty management, sub-rights management, sales reporting, obtaining and managing promotions for individual titles and series, and coordinating these with authors.
I’m so glad to be here chatting with you today and I can’t wait to jump in!
Questions:
1. What is your favorite part of working with Tule?
The community! Our team is fierce and driven and inspiring. Our authors are talented and eager. It is never boring being the one numbers girl surrounded by creatives.
2. What are some of the challenges/difficulties in working with Tule?
Working remotely and with varied hours from most of the team makes my desire for spoken word and discussion over written something I have learned to lean into.
3. What do you specifically like to read, if you have time to pleasure read?
News, personal interest and true crime. I have a very short attention span unless numbers are involved.
4. What is an accomplishment you’re particularly proud of? (could be work related or not!)
Being a mom to 3 strong and driven women. I think they are perfect in every way and only take a tiny bit of credit for that – haha! We encourage each other to be lifelong learners, to try new things, to cherish people and moments and to “have courage and be kind” — thanks, Cinderella! I think they might’ve learned those things from me – so for that I am proud!
5. You are busy, and Tule isn’t your whole life. How do you juggle it all?
I try to stick with a structured routine for work and recognize and plan for the “busy periods”. I plan ahead for time with family and friends outside of work and out of the house — I am not a fan of “staying in”. My calendar is full and I panic when it’s not. I am often accused of “running around” and trying to cram too many things into a weekend or vacation — it’s true, however I never look back and think I did too much, rather wish I could’ve experienced more!
Giveaway
I want to know about one of your high school friends. Did you have a best friend in high school? Are you still in touch today? Tell me about your friend and what made you such good friends and you could win a special hometown-best friend giveaway. Winner announced Monday.
Still in touch with friend from school. She’s caring
I had a best friend name Ellen . We kept in touch. Sadly she was a diabetic went blind and passed away several years ago
Her name is Stephanie. I had minimal contact we then we reconnected almost 2 years ago. I will be seeing her in a few weeks. We shared biology class together. She did the dissection and I did the paper that we needed to write. Worked out great!
Not in high school but a few years later I met Bertie and we were BFFs forever until the day she passed away. We kept our friendship through divorces, moving, etc. and at the last years through phoning. I have never clicked with someone like this before.
I have recently been in touch with my high school best friend. We haven’t made plans to see each other yet, but hopefully it will be soon.
I am still best friends with my HS bestie. We live on opposite coasts, so we don’t get to see each other in person very often. We used to reconnect every year in Indy, where we grew up, but with my handicaps, I haven’t been able to travel that far. We used to take cruises together too. We are opposite in many ways, but it works, and we know how to give each other space.
Lovely meeting you Cyndi 🙂
I have a couple of friends from high school and we were very close, we don’t see each other these days but stay in contact through Facebook and messages, they were the best friends because I knew I had shoulders to lean on when needed and friends to laugh with have enjoy life with 🙂
Have Fun
Helen
There was a group of us that hung out together at school. We would spend our brakes together. Some of us were in the same class. I have reconnected with one on Facebook. I have no idea where the others are that aren’t deceased.
I am still BF’s with my HS BF. We met in 7th grade on a ski trip, and it has been 63 years now. We haven’t lived in the same town since summers in college, but that hasn’t made a difference. She will always be my BF.
Congratulations Gail! You won this giveaway. Please send Jane an email to [email protected] letting her know you won her “Cyndi Parent Blog Post Giveaway” and let her know where to mail your prize.
Still best friends for 60 years now. She is a “sister” to me.
My junior and senior year in high school, I was barely there. I only took 1-2 classes a day and then worked two jobs (I was busy saving to buy a house.) It wasn’t the greatest for my social life at school and I only stayed in touch with a handful of people. My best friend Sarah was so free spirited and funny. It was always a good time being around her. Unfortunately she ended up passing away about 10 years ago.
I just reconnected last year with my other best friend from high school, Julie. We had lost contact and it had been 19 years! We picked up like we never missed a beat. She’s so easy to talk to and so kind and just an amazing human being. I feel like I can talk to her about anything. I’m so thankful she found me and reached out after all those years!
I’m facebook friends with people I was friends with in high school, but they’re not my ride-or-die friends.
One of my friends from high school is actually an ex-boyfriend. He is one of my husband’s best friends and we live about 5 miles apart. We see him a couple times a month.
We have a group of 5, 3 of us since grade school. We live in different states now but we try and do a girl’s trip every few years. We have a group text to frequently check in! Plus facebook helps.
Didn’t have a best friend in high school.
I met a new girl when I was in the. 7th grade, she was with us 7-8 grade. After that she moved to New Jersey. So many people asked about her and I kept trying to find her. Finally 10 years ago I was able to find an obituary of her older brother. It listed his sisters and their married names. I was able to communicate with a younger sister and finally I was in touch with my friend Shirley. I live in Kentucky and she lived in Florida, so a friend and I flew down and met up with her. 10 years later we are best of friends and have such a soul living friendship. I can not imagine a life without her. Our husbands enjoy the visits and it is just the easiest friendship.
I had a very special friend from High School and college. Glenn was gay, and back in the late 70s that was no acceptable. I just loved him for who he was. He had a heart attack and passed away 12 years ago. I still want to pick up the phone and chat.
I did have a few best friends in HS
I’m a twin so in our close knit circle, there are 6 of us
We stay in contact & are actually meeting for lunch in a few weeks!! They are in the Bay Area & my twin & I are in Sac, lunch will be in Vacaville
We try & meet at least once every couple of months
It’s so fun❣️ Nothing better than a best friend from HS
We do a lot of laughing Take lots of photos too
PS We all reconnected after one of our parents passed & we were at the funeral ✝️ It’s been awhile, would love to be your winner, JP