GASP

In my most recent post, I wrote "wait to HERE back from...". I am HERE to edit said post with "wait to HEAR back from...". And you should know I was mortified to read that mistake. I do apologize for my lack of editing and those of you who, like me, judge people for poor grammar, judge away....

:)

The Waiting Game

Being a new graduate, I could go pro if there was such a team for the Waiting Game. Hey, maybe that'll be my newest job prospect...

I interviewed with the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement on Friday. I feel it went well. Everyone was so nice. Unfortunately my 22 years of age is still working against me, so I'm hoping they are overlooking my "youth" and see the hard-working, motivated employee I will be for them. I'll be in touch with my potential boss at the end of this week, so I'll share what I hear then.

I also did a really interesting article for Orlando Style. Well, the interview part, I haven't started the article part. Two 30-somethings in Downtown Orlando are throwing a huge party to raise money for a patient in one of the hospitals. More specifically, a spinal cord injury patient. They are putting the money toward a new vehicle to make their new life transition a little easier. These women were incredible to talk to and I wish them all the best in their efforts. I may even try to get tickets! I'll post links with information when more is available online, then you can see the work these ladies are putting into it.

In other news, my roommates are here! Grandma and Grandpa arrived safely on Saturday evening. It was nice coming home from work to someone being at the house. And there's actually food in the house! Many of you know I love cooking and food in general, but living by myself with the schedule I keep has left the fridge a little emptier than normal. Grandpa has been busy working on projects around the house that I couldn't take care of and Grandma is getting the house decorated for the season. I spent my day off yesterday laying in the pool reading Twilight thanks to Aunt Joyce. I also made us a version of chicken pot pie that turned out pretty good. As Grandpa said, "it's very different, but good." I have new palates to cook for, palates that differ from my brave sister. Hopefully I'll come up with some things we all like!

This week I'm working on my article, working at the Pub, house/dog sitting for my manager, all while waiting to here back about the job. At least I have some things to keep my brain occupied.

I know what I know

People keep asking me how long I'll stay in Florida. 3 months? 6 months? What happens if you find a full-time, "real" job? How long will you stay then? What is you don't find your dream job?

Here's the answer: I don't know.

This specific journey started for me one year ago. My sights were set on Chicago; that's where I'd wanted to live since I could remember. Chicago prospects came and went. My newly-graduated self thought perhaps the job market would be different somewhere else, hence the move to Florida. Plus, my living expenses are paid for the time being. Now I'm here. STILL figuring out what it is I'm going to do. And no, I don't know how long I'll live here. But here are some things I've figured out so far:

-I have little to no desire to stay in Davenport for an extended period of time. When I'm able to afford it, I'm moving on.
-The South is not so bad. It's wicked hot, but so is Indiana in the summer. And if you're near water, you survive.
-I'm within an hour and a half from the ocean. And I like it that way.
-Orlando shopping is amazing. Having an outlet mall within 20 minutes of where I currently live is spectacular.
-My job at the Pub is fun. The majority of the customers are super nice and the British seem to find me entertaining.
-I do not want to continue serving for an extended period of time. It's nice for now because I'm making easy money to pay my credit card bill. After that, my sights will be set higher than they are already.
-I know I'll miss autumn at home, but I plan to visit during that season. I know I won't miss snow in January, but again, Christmas will be nice in Indiana.

While I don't know what's going on as far as my career goes, these are some of the life things I do know. There are no exciting job updates today. Just the thoughts of a recent college grad who's figuring out her place in the world.

Real Life: in it and waiting for it

This blog may appear to belong to someone who has no clue what she's doing. And that's true. I'm playing it by ear all day every day, but it makes my life a little more interesting.

I'm making money at the Pub. Hooray! I opened a bank account last week, which makes my Florida stay a little more permanent, though I'm not investing too much in this state yet. Time will tell if this is where I'm meant to be. In the meantime, I'm taking steps to become what I call a "real adult". This means having a schedule that doesn't entail sleeping all day and working all night. This means exercising and meeting marathon goals that I can't train for right now because as you probably know, it's about 100 degrees in the middle of the day, which is when I have time to run. (I'm not running, needless to say) This means having health benefits, having a new car and being able to afford the insurance, having an apartment, and paying my own bills. I'm grateful for all the help I have now, but my independence kicks in sometimes and I start hoping for my "real life" to start.

In fact, "real life" called last week. I talked to someone from Junior Achievement about a job and I'm so excited. It'd be a great start for me and I would meet so many people in the community. I would be working really hard, as any non-profit employee does. It would be such a great experience that it'd be totally worth it. Here's hoping I find out more in the next week or so...

While on this quest for my "real life" I took a break and hosted Ladies Labor Day Weekend. A friend from Chicago flew down and a friend from Tampa drove up. I seem to know a lot of guys here, which is fine, but sometimes you just need your girlfriends. Thanks to these ladies, the weekend was exactly what I needed. We shopped, attended happy hours, shopped some more, ate, drank, all of the above. The weather sucked Saturday and Sunday, so our pool time was limited to nighttime hours. We woke up early on Monday to have breakfast at the Polynesian, which has amazing stuffed french toast. We walked out of the Polynesian, still groggy from going to bed only a few hours before, and the sun was shining. There were clouds out, but the sun was there. We shouted with joy in the parking lot and sped home to throw on our bathing suits. We spent the whole day in the pool, it was GLORIOUS. We listened to music, read magazines, napped, and got the neighbors out to be social for dinner. The guys grilled burgers and we supplied beer and dessert. We ended up having a lot of fun, even though we were all delirious from our whirlwind weekend. Altogether, we had a blast this weekend and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Oh, and when did September get here? Oh well, I guess that means my trip home in October is that much closer :)