After over three years as a performer and performance captain at Sesame Place San Diego, last Monday, June 30th, was my final day. I was originally hired as a seasonal puppeteer, but my job quickly became so much more than that; I got to dance in parades every day, read stories with Big Bird, DJ dance parties, do the Elmo slide (a lot), count down to Halloween, run on the field at Petco Park, teach Abby Cadabby about Christmas carols, cheer on 5k runners, drive parade floats, throw pizza parties with Elmo, emcee park celebrations, help teach shows and parades, take countless pictures, give countless hugs, but most importantly, make people laugh and smile! Thank you to all of the amazingly talented performers I got to share the stage and street with, every tech team member that made sure each show looked and sounded it's best, our costume department for making sure our Sesame friends always looked their best, everyone in leadership who believed in me and gave me opportunities to grow, and everyone who came to visit the park and see my Sesame friends in action! I'll miss all of the amazing friends I made at the park, but I'm especially going to miss Jamie the Storyteller, Big Bird, Telly Monster, Tango, and of course, Cookie Monster! Thank you for giving me a space where I could be silly, try new things and feel like I belonged. I know whenever I come back to visit, it'll be another sunny day!