Day 12

Things are settling down a bit after the 1,000-mile-drive. I have a new bed, my things are unpacked, and my bedroom is looking more organized. I'll be setting up my computer and other office-y items this week in a space that will hopefully inspire many more writings, both paid and unpaid. In the meantime, I'm currently set up at the kitchen table with a vanilla chai.

So I moved home. Now what?

My day starts at 6:30am when I crawl out of bed and go to the neighbor's house to make sure their daughter makes the bus to go to school. It's an hour in the morning making sure the child is fed and it gives me time to read. Not a bad deal.

Last week, I started my new job. I'm working as a Guest Coordinator at Evan Todd Aveda Salon near campus. The first week was super busy and all over the place, but by Friday, I felt like I was really grasping my job duties and the workings of one of the best salons in the Midwest (no joke). The people are super nice and everyone has been patient with me as I learn the ropes. I'm also learning patience with this job in that I need to pace myself. There's no way I'll learn everything all at once; it's a process that takes time. At least I'm having fun at work learning about Aveda products (which are amazing, when you buy Aveda, you're helping the world. Seriously.). It's also inspiring me to make some drastic hair changes, so we'll see how that goes!

As far as living at home, it's not too bad. Not much has changed. It's weird not having my sister living here anymore. I kind of understand how it was for her when I went away to college. But, she lives close enough that it's nice to be able to go hang out with her for a bit after I get done with work.

It's also great to be close to some good friends. This weekend was a fellow Purdue alumna's bachelorette party. Had I still been in Florida, there's no way I could have made it. It was a fun girls' night out, complete with little black dresses and rounds of shots for all. I'll admit it: I feel like I need another day to recover, which makes me feel old. I guess it was going to happen eventually.

So this blog was started as a way to keep my family and friends updated on my life in Florida. I'm thinking this will be going in a new direction (with my recent relocation, that was probably a given). There will still be the day-to-day life updates, but look forward to reading about work events and my journey through the beauty industry. This will be an interesting year; probably pretty comparable to the last year I've had.

Not-So-Personal Belongings

When I moved to Florida last July, I packed up two suitcases and jumped on a plane. The rest of my things slowly made their way down via my wonderful grandparents who make the drive from Indiana fairly regularly. Now I'm getting ready to pack up my car to drive home in a few days. And I've come to the conclusion that moving as a grown-up sucks.

I don't even have that much stuff. I don't need a moving truck (at least at this point, I don't think I do). My furniture is going to a good home here. I'm donating some things. I've packed my books, DVDs, some kitchen things, and my bathroom things. So that should leave clothes and shoes, right?

Apparently I have more things than I thought. And less boxes than I thought.

Moving makes you realize the beauty of living as simply as possible. I was all ready to just throw out the things that don't really matter, that I can just buy new when I get my own place again. Moving in with Mom and Dad means I don't need much. There are things I'm hanging on to because I have some sort of attachment to them. And I'm trying to tell myself that so much of this stuff is just that: stuff.

But what if it's stuff my Mom bought me because my parents are wonderful and helped me get on my feet here? What if it's stuff that my family gave me because at some point I actually liked it? What if it's stuff that I just don't know how to deal with?

*Deep Breath*

Some day there will be another apartment that will need new things. The things I have for this apartment were for this apartment. Who knows if I'd even want it later? It's too expensive to move it and I don't want to store it; I'd rather it be used. Even though it's just stuff, why is it so difficult to decide what to do with it?

I guess the question is this: will I miss my stuff as much as I miss my friends and family right now?

Answer: I highly doubt it.

Music Therapy

I consider myself a music junkie in the sense that I love music. I may not be knowledgeable of under-the-radar bands, but I do have an appreciation for all kinds of music. If you ever want to talk music or introduce me to some new tunes, I'm game.

With that said, after joining 20-something Bloggers, I stumbled on some FREE tunes thanks to Urban Outfitters. All you had to do was visit the site and say, yes, please pour your sweet sounds into my iTunes. We're talking 25 songs of delicious, new, and funky noise to dance around the living room to.

Music therapy is one of my favorite things (a close second to shoe therapy, which I can check off my list for today). During the stressful time of packing up my life, arranging for my furniture to be taken away, and closing up shop with my job at JA, music was just what this girl needed. And now I'd like to share my happiness with the world in the form of YouTube videos so you, too, can appreciate these bands and what they have to say (or sing). Enjoy!





And this last one wasn't included in the freebies, but it's a recent love of mine:



Can't wait to make some cds for the 18-hour car ride home!

Clicking my ruby slippers

I'm quitting my job.

That's no typo. The job I was so excited to have 10 months ago is the same job I'm officially leaving on the 14th. (Enter WTF?!?! moment here)

Last year, I arrived with the intention of figuring it out. I wanted to work at Disney. That didn't work. I worked at a bar and did some writing. Then JA offered me a great position to work hard to help kids. The writing has continued through all of my ventures. I've contributed to fashion and women's health publications and have loved every minute of it. But the thought of having to put it on the back-burner when my schedule is hectic during the school year wasn't sitting well with me. My work load lessened a bit this summer, allowing me to really take time to reflect on my life here. In the spring, I was getting the feeling that Florida wasn't the place for me and that I wanted to get out, but at the time I was prepared to just wait it out. Then this summer, I had an AHA! moment.

I want to work in the fashion industry. I want to write about it. It fascinates me on a daily basis. I love talking to designers. I love watching trends. I love sharing my observations with the masses. My favorite part of the past two years has been my writing. So, after some soul-searching, I've come to a conclusion. I'm not happy here, so I need to make a change. I'm also broke, and will be broke for quite some time if I stay here. So what's my next move?

I'm moving home. Yeah, I never thought I'd say that, either. I'll be working for an Aveda salon utilizing my customer service skills, marketing creativity, and genuine interest in health and beauty. I'll be continuing my web column, which will concentrate on trends in Indianapolis. I'll be pursuing other writing endeavors in Indianapolis and Chicago. And most importantly, I'll be closer to the friends and family I've missed during my time being over 1,000 miles away.

As my grandmother said, I gave it the old college-try. I came down here to figure things out, and I have. This will be a big change, but a needed change. And while I know I'm leaving behind a wonderful community of people, I know that my path is headed in the best direction for me.

I'm nervous. I'm a little sad. And I can't wait to go home.

When New York Calls

Last week I started calling New York fashion magazine editors to ask about pitching stories. You don't want to send the wrong pitch to the wrong person, and there may be a particular format they want. I called three places, leaving messages with two and talking to one. 1 out of 3 ain't bad, so I was happy.

As I'm in a left-turn lane, my phone rings. Thanks to Sprint, my phone tells me it's New York calling. I answer. An editor from a major fashion magazine is on the other end, ready with names to give me. I see a Post-It in my car as I scramble for a pen and try to be delightful and professional as I'm driving through an intersection. I write down (very poorly, the damn pen would hardly work) names of editors who would accept my story pitches. I proceed to ask what their email addresses might be, giving the example of what the publishing company is. This would have worked, had I said the correct publishing company name. The editor corrects me and I respond as if I just offended the freaking Queen of England with many I'm Sorrys and "I knew that, I've just been in touch with more than one company." Editor laughs and assures me it's no problem. Editor gives me the correct email addresses and wishes me luck. I thank editor profusely for returning my call and hang up.

After making a few more notes to myself (all while driving, mind you) and accidentally honking my car horn at people, I put the phone down. Then I realize, wow. I called New York, and New York actually called me back.

Happy Anniversary

As of July 18, I have now lived in Florida for one year. Here is what I've learned about Florida and myself since jumping on a plane just 12 months ago.

~My favorite beach is Clearwater.
~If you live here, you are on everyone else's spring break or family vacation the entire months of March, April, and December.
~Disney is not my thing. It's just not.
~People here are...different. I've dated, I've gone out downtown, and I work here. And people are crazy wherever you go.
~Wearing a tie isn't necessary.
~Linen suits are supposedly ok.
~In the community I work in, there are people working so hard every day to make it better. That's pretty cool.
~It seems to me that being a workaholic is weird.
~I am capable of jumping on a plane and making it work.
~I miss my family, which is something I never thought I'd say.
~I miss having close friends within driving distance.
~I know my way around here, but that doesn't mean I like driving here. Tourists are nuts.
~I also know that we need the tourists because that's a huge part of Florida's income. I could still do without them.
~I'm accepting the fact that Florida is not the place for me.

This has been an enlightening year and a good experience for me thus far. As my priorities are changing, so are my wants and needs. As a 20-something, how long does it take to realize what makes you happy and actually act on it?

Wake-Up Call.

I've made some not-great decisions in my lifetime. It's to be expected as a human. Camo-jeans, frat parties, waiting until the last minute to study for a test, or choosing to purchase Ray Ban sunglasses instead of saving money for groceries: all of these are a sampling of the silly things I've done as a young adult (except the jeans, those were 6th grade). And I'm here to admit today that I've driven after having a drink or two. We're talking alcoholic beverages. And yes, there have been a couple instances whenI had no business getting behind the wheel, but did it anyway. These were only a couple instances, but still inexcusable. Before you start judging, my guess is that you or someone you know has done the exact same thing. I'm not telling you this so that you can tell me how dumb I've been because I know. In fact, I knew immediately afterward how stupid it was. I'm telling you this because I now am fully aware of the potential consequences for these actions.

With that being said, I'm here to tell you that drinking and driving will no longer be even close to an option for this girl. Not even 1 drink (which supposedly increases your chances of a car accident by up to 50%).

A 16-year-old girl was killed in Santa Fe last weekend, along with three of her friends, due to a drunk driver crashing into them. Four out of the five people in her car were killed instantly, including her, and the driver of their car is barely alive. The driver of the other vehicle walked away. He also has a DWI on his record already.

The girl I'm referring to is the daughter of a great family I grew up with in Illinois. I held her when she was born (July 4th, today is her birthday). All of us kids played when our moms wanted to get together. We visited them when they moved to New Mexico. We saw her mom last year when she came for a visit.

The news of this tragedy immediately brought shock. I couldn't speak. And when I did speak, it was pretty much me cursing like a sailor. Then the tears came. I couldn't be in my apartment alone and everyone I talked to that night and the next day could barely understand this story because I was talking through tears.

Typically I don't like to share this much emotion via the Internet, but I think this deserves attention. Even though I've made some really unfortunate decisions, I'm ok. I haven't hurt anyone else. This guy's decision took 4 lives in a matter of minutes. Am I lucky that it's never happened to me? Maybe. Or there's a guardian angel giving me X amount of chances to be stupid. Either way, this was my wake up call this week. It's been an emotional roller coaster and I thank my friends for dealing with my instability.

Expressing emotion through writing is an avenue I thought I'd take to try to deal with this. So, I figured sharing her story with you would help me overcome my sadness and grief while maybe providing you readers some insight into what happens when you make stupid decisions.

Can I do anything about the decisions I've made? No. Can I change how I act in the future? I plan to.



And click here for the article.

We were lucky to have known you and will never forget you. Thoughts and prayers to you and your family.