TGIF!

Happy Friday!

I'm writing today from the comforts of the Panera Bread about 2 minutes from my apartment, hazelnut coffee as my companion for the morning. The new blog I posted earlier this week has me really motivated for life and what's to come. I'm realizing that writing is really important to me and while I have to do my 9-5 job (which is rarely ever 9-5, but you get what I mean), I want to make the time to what I LOVE to do. That means I got up when the alarm went off this morning instead of hitting snooze. I left my house at 7:30am to come hang out in a yummy coffee/bagel atmosphere so I can write down my thoughts for the masses to read. And I gotta tell ya: it's all worth it.

I think it's worth it to have the peace of mind that I'm doing something for ME. I like to workout a few times a week, and I think of that as ME time, too. But writing is one of those things that takes me somewhere else; away from my real life. Even if it's just for a little while, it's so worth it and refreshing. And I feel like I really accomplished something, so even if I still struggle to recruit volunteers or get people to listen to me about how I want to change the world, I know that personally, I've accomplished a great deal. I took the time out of my day to relax and refocus my energy into something other than work. It was such a great feeling to wake up today and not immediately think about work, which is what usually happens. I get up and as I shower and get ready, my JA to-do list gets longer and longer. Most days it's motivating to get up and get out the door, other days it's a drag. Either way, it's my job and I love it. But being able to get up and think about nothing but what I want to write about: now that's a nice change of pace, especially on a weekday. I told a friend that I'd have to start saving my writing for the weekends. Then I realized that's what I save EVERYTHING for: all my fun, relaxing things have to wait until Saturday or Sunday. So asked myself, why? Do I have to wait until the weekend to do what I WANT to do?

The answer is no. If it's something I want to do, I should be able to do it. If I can make it work into my schedule, then there is no reason whatsoever to not take time out of my day to chill and do something I love to do. Granted, this won't be an everyday occurrence, but this morning I've proved to myself that I'm capable of having it all, even if it's just once a week.

Another Blog

Three young women inviting cyberspace to read about us learning about life. It should be entertaining, maybe enlightening, and not the least bit boring.

http://justalittlethingcalledlife.blogspot.com

I'll be keeping this blog, but also contributing to the other one with two of my best friends. We all go through crazy phases, so check out how we are dealing with ours.

Enjoy! :)

Changing the World

Right now I wish I were in my Purdue bubble. You know, the place you're in when you're at college for 4 years. You think you're immersed in the real world, but you're not. Now I am and I gotta tell ya: it's not all it's cracked up to be.

I really do love my life. My job is great, I love my family and friends, and every day I feel blessed for what I have. But given everything on the news about the economy and how stressed out everyone is, it drains you. I'm seeing friends losing jobs or moving jobs. I'm hearing about more and more company cutbacks. Remember: I work for a non-profit. Cutbacks aren't good to hear. I'm not particularly worried, but there really isn't anything that can totally reassure me that things will be fine. I'm trying to be financially smart, which is hard when you're just starting out. I'm reading everything I can about saving, investing (at some point), and what it means to really live within your means. I think I'm trying to avoid the hardships so many people are experiencing right now. And every day that I hear more bad news about money, banks, and the economy, I remind myself that THIS is why I do my job.

For those who are not totally familiar, the point of Junior Achievement is to give kids the tools to NOT screw up like so many of us have over the last few years. Granted, that's not exactly the mission statement, but it pretty much sums it up. We're teaching kids the importance of being financially literate, why business ethics are vital, and we're inspiring them to be entrepreneurs later in life. Hopefully I'm helping to mold the next generation into intelligent, ethical, and responsible citizens who will desperately try to do the right thing, even when it seems like everyone else is doing the exact opposite. Hopefully I'm helping to diminish confusion and uncertainty in the minds of kids who don't understand why their parents are stressing about foreclosure. This is why I do my job: so kids today will be responsible in their own jobs and lives later.

Pictures!

Today's blog: Pictures! Car and apartment, ENJOY. (Don't be alarmed if pictures are weirdly spaced or don't match exactly with the text. According to my recent personality profile, I don't do well with the small details.)







This is my new baby: Snow White. She's a 2008 Hyundai Tucson and it's safe to say we're in love.



Now, apartment:












This is when you look from the front door.
























This is the dining set from my cousin's family. There's a fourth chair, it lives in my bedroom.



















These are both sides of my kitchen.
































Both views of the living room.

View of the bedroom from the living room:

Bedroom with view of bathroom:

This is the view of the bathroom from the foyer.

I love my new place. Thank you to Mom because I'd still be living with unpacked boxes. :)

Memo to all: I have no internet or cable at home right now. 1) I typically don't miss it when I don't have it. 2) I have weddings to travel for/be in over the next few months, so money that would be spent on home entertainment will be going toward plane tickets. I read a lot. Anyway, if I don't respond via email very quickly, or have no idea what's going on on television, it is because my most convenient source of internet is at work when I'm helping volunteers inspire kids to become good citizens.

Long time no blog.

So, nearly two months since my last post. Sorry.

My last post mentioned a training conference that went very well. I had a blast and was so happy I went. It reenergized me for my job and gave me new confidence.

Fast forward to Christmas 2008. I spent a lovely 4 days with my family. My sister got a Wii for Christmas, so we made like our 10-year-old selves and stayed in pjs all day to play video games. My 22-year-old self loved it. My sister and I needed some bonding time, so being home with her was great. We watched movies with Mom and Dad. And of course provided more noise than that house has seen in months.

New Year's Eve/New Year's Day 2008/9: Great food, great wine, great friends. In fact, a little too much great wine. We played Circle of Death/King's/whatever you called it in college. This resulted in a silly hostess (me). But we had a lot of fun!

January 2, 2009: I signed for my first grown-up apartment! Yep, I'll be staying put until at least March 2010. I found the place via a friend of mine. It's a young community with pools, a nice clubhouse, etc. Perfect for a young single lady.

January 17-20, 2009: Mom comes for the move. Thank. God. I don't know what I would've done without her. We had a lot of fun and I'm so grateful she came. There would still be unpacked boxes had she not been there while I was at work. And picture this: Meredith and Darlene manuevering a giant U-Haul. Yep, it's ok to smile and laugh to yourself. We sure did!

And I just got a call from Daddy, who is in town for a conference. I'll update more about work and stuff this week!

Hope everyone is well! :)

Once Upon a December

I'm alive and well!

It's been a crazy few weeks, hence the lack of updates. Work is going well. I'm getting more and more comfortable in my position and with JA. I'm preparing and running trainings by myself. Recruiting volunteers is finding a sort-of routine. The recruitment process will change with every year, but for now, I'm finding my niche with it and coming up with some out-of-the-box ideas to get people involved. This week I'm attending a training workshop in Atlanta. I had to purchase a coat because it's about 20-degrees colder there than FL, and I didn't have a nicer work coat. Oh, and when I say it's going to be colder, I mean it will be in the 40s and 50s. Sorry, Midwesterners, but it was 70-degrees all week last week. Considering how much I'm not in my office for my job, it's nice that I don't have to worry about icy temperatures and snow while I'm running around Osceola County.

I spent Thanksgiving here with my cousin and her family and friends. The friend who hosted Turkey Day is a Disney performer, same with just about everyone else who was there. It was a RIOT! It has been awhile since I've hung out with theatre folks, so it was a refreshing, entertaining evening. Complete with wine and frozen mojitos, of course! They made me feel so welcome. This was my first Thanksgiving away from my immediate family, but my new friends made me feel right at home.

I also have some exciting news! I bought a car! It's a 2008 Hyundai Tucsan. Her name is Snow White because it's a white car. I love it. I feel safe driving it and it has plenty of room to haul any and all JA materials when I'm out on the road. It's a comfortable ride and the gas mileage is good, especially since it's in the SUV family. We're getting along great and I think this will be a lasting relationship. :)

I'm excited to go home for Christmas. As many of you know, I was traveling abroad last Christmas, so it will be nice to be with my family this year. I'm doing Christmas shopping primarily online because my new favorite thing is carrying on my luggage at the airport. Hauling gifts would make that a bit difficult. I'm getting in on Christmas Eve morning (it is SO much cheaper to fly on Christmas Eve, I highly recommend it), so I'll spend some time wrapping presents before the family festivities begin. I'm hoping there's some snow when I'm home. I don't miss the snow now, but it would nice to have a white Christmas.

And even though my schedule has been a bit busy, I have watched Elf this season. Twice.

Harses, Harses, Harses, Harses

November is here! In terms of my sister and I, this means it's officially the Christmas season. I can watch Elf as many times as I deem necessary and the Christmas carols can be heard from my computer and car radio.

I have had time to watch one Christmas movie so far: Love Actually. If you haven't ever watched it, make it a priority on your NetFlix. British humor combined with love and Christmas = fun for everyone (though sometimes inappropriate for kids). It's one of my favorites and I was thrilled to watch it while it was 70-degrees outside.

This was my first 5-day work week. Thursday night I went to yoga class. When I came home, I was feeling motivated for Friday and all the things I needed to get done. Friday morning's alarm goes off at 6:30am and I immediately think, Oh. My. God. I want to lay here allllllll day and do nothing. The morning was a little frustrating, but there was a lot going on at the office, so that made for a fun day. At the end of the day, I went to Disney to train a volunteer for one of the JA programs. As we were wrapping up, he says to me "If you don't have any appointments the rest of today, why don't you take a stroll around the park?" I was nearly stunned. I typically don't care much to go to Disney regularly, unless it's Epcot where you can visit different countries and eat and drink all day. I was at the Magic Kingdom, which happens to be the busiest of all the parks all the time, on Friday. His office is right above one of the restaurants in the park, so my park access was pretty convenient. And after a long day, I took him up on his offer to stroll around the M.K.. It was actually fun! Families were everywhere, many looking tired, but still excited to be around the castle and the fireworks during one of the shows. I called home to Indiana and chatted with the fam for awhile. It was the perfect end to the day; just what I needed. Then I came home, had dinner, and we watched Sleepless in Seattle, another holiday-esque favorite (hence the title of this post).

Saturday was a fun day. I went to yoga class in the morning and ran errands. Then the grandparents and I went to the Tampa Auto Show. This is the best way to car-shop, and it was a fun day. I found a couple things I really liked and plan to test-drive, so it was a productive visit. Then we went to The Pub for dinner and beer. It was wonderful to see everyone and I ended up going back later to hang out and drink some more. It's kind of like Cheers for me: sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. We had fun talking about politics and the strange Polk County regulars. I had put myself on lock-down after not getting paid for the month of October, so I was starting to get restless. Last night was a needed night out and I feel like I can still afford to eat next week.

And after 3 weeks of working full-time, I now understand how there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do. I also understand how my friends who work in non-profit feel busier than all get out. I work hard all day every day and sometimes have time to take a real break for lunch. But I love it. I absolutely love the work I do every day for the kids. So it makes the hard work worth it, even on those long defeated-feeling days.