Get Your Boat In The Water

Coming up on 6 months post college graduation and its been quite the journey already....

 All those late night study sessions, those overwhelming mountains of homework, the stress of upcoming exams, the rushing between classes, the finding an empty computer in the lab, the trying to figure out if there was even a light at the end of the tunnel is all a distant history now. *THANK GOODNESS*

Similarly to how I filled every minute of my daily schedule in high school and then college, I seemed to have managed to succeed doing again. However, you better believe I have become an 8 hour of sleep kind of gal. Moving back to where I grew up, being able to spend time with my family including my adorable nephew. I have realized that family, by far, is the most important thing to me.

Since graduation, I have made every effort to treat myself well, to give my body what it needs, and to embrace a healthy lifestyle while pushing myself physically- I've never felt better!!!

Today, I place my flag in the ground, I am telling you RIGHT NOW, I am going big places, I am doing BIG things.

Either you are with me or you aren't. But I am warning you, you want your boat in the water!

What am I doing you ask?? Stay tuned... 

XO Maddie

A Decision To Try

Alright, I have sort of been putting this post off for well, a long while now. I wasn't sure what exactly to write or where exactly to start but day after day in the working world I see it time and time again. The unhealthy eating, the pool amount of coffee consumed, the frozen meal lunches, the going out to eat, etc.

Here is the deal. I believe I was blessed with the life I have been given including a well functioning body to live that life in. However, that being said, it is completely my responsibility to take care of it. I was placed on this Earth for a specific reason and though I do not know what that exactly is yet, I don't want anything to keep me from doing that. Meaning, I need to properly nourish my body and do the best I can to take care of what I have been given.

Lets start right now by saying, I have never been overweight BUT in college, my bad eating habits started to catch up to me. I would workout but I was a daily McDonalds diet coke drinker, potato chip lover, and dorm diner. Meaning, my pants were getting a weeeeee bit tight. BUT bigger then that, I wasn't sleeping, I was exhausted all day, the circles under my eyes were as dark as night. I even was asked on numerous occasions, even by a police officer, if someone had punched me in the face and I had black eyes.

This leads me to where a whole new journey started. January 2012, my sister and brother-in-law came over for football Sunday (a regular family feasting event in this house) but this time they came with their own snacks in hand: celery, carrots, etc. I straight up told them they were out of their minds. Who does that healthy diet crap anyways???? Well every time I came home, I somehow ended up with some lovely Spark packets in my bag upon my return. After a while, I was so entirely drained, my energy was at rock bottom and figured I may as well give it a try. Well, needless to say I started drinking it daily. My daily diet coke runs became far less and even few and far in between. That my friends was success #1.

Success #2 is a bit different then most peoples health journeys. College was extremely hard for me, and exams were even worse. With 50% failure rates and test averages being in the 40% range, who in their right mind wouldn't be nervous walking into those exams??? I am talking sweaty hands, turning stomach, and tears rolling down my face when I realized I couldn't fully answer a single question on the test. Well my sister started throwing around the idea of trying one of her other lovely health products: clear mood or oasis. Being desperate, I agreed. I will just tell you I went from a D and C test average to Bs and even As!!!!!!!

Stay tuned for the rest of my story/success later this week.........

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try"

 

Plan to Succeed

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

-Benjamin Franklin

You see, growing up, we ALWAYS packed our backpacks and lunches the night before. We almost ALWAYS had our clothes picked out as well. Some of these habits followed me through high school and college but it was never very organized. I tried countless ways to be organized in college and other then my school work, everything else almost always ended up a big flop.

Starting a real career job has been a crazy adventure! There are a lot of things that I don't miss from college, like having homework to do until weeeeee hours of the morning. But, I also discovered that I hate having to take time out of my evenings to get ready for the next day, it makes that precious free time too short. I have opted for using Sunday to get organized for the week. Right now, it takes me most of the day Sunday to clean, do laundry, get organized and everything (probably because I am in no rush to do it). While I had many things I could blog about, I have had a number of people ask me how I organize myself, so here ya go!!

But first, I would like to show off a new pinterest success:

A mason jar holder to free up some bathroom counter space!!! What a cute and fun way to have easy access to the things I use everyday while not leaving it all over the counters!

Anyways.... How do I organize??????

1.Planning out my outfits in advance *Already featured on a blog*

For me, only having to iron once for the entire week is the best thing ever. So Sundays after I do all my laundry, fold it, and put it away, I plan out my work outfits for the week AND iron them. This includes: shirts, slacks/skirts, under garments, shoes, as well as workout clothes and pajamas for that night. For many this may be overkill but for me, it just works.

2. Workbag essentials.

 Most days, (if you work in a field similar to most) you will need the same things every day, so pack your bag so its ready for the week! My necessities are: Spark, a blender bottle, water bottle, lunch, planner, notebook to track meals/food, notebook (you never know when you need to take notes!), chapstick, a pen, a flash-drive, wallet, my glasses, my work computer, and an emergency snack! All packed nicely in a Vera Bradley bag (thanks Doud family- this makes a GREAT graduation gift FYI).

3. The gym bag!!!

For me, I like to workout after work so its important to have my bag ready to go with me in the morning otherwise it is far to easy to say "I'll come home after work to change" because we all know, I don't go back out then. SO what is in my gym bag you ask??? Workout shoes, shorts, spandex shorts for under my shorts (I like Nike Combat Pro!), a sports bra (Target is my fav), a workout tank, socks, knee brace, a towel, I-pod, arm band for I-pod, Spark and catalyst (pre-workout), notecards for each day with my workout written down, a pen to jot down the weight used or modifications to my original plan, weight lifting gloves (classy girls do NOT have calluses on their hands!) and then an extra pair of shoes to wear on my way home (you shouldn't wear your workout/running shoes for anything BUT that)!!

4. Vitamins/Supplements

If you are like ALMOST everyone else, you fail at remembering to take your vitamins everyday. Guilty as charged. I almost ALWAYS forget. But, if you separate them out and include them on your daily plan (more on that later) then you are much more likely to remember taking them. I divide them out in a bag for each day! *I will blog more specifically about what products I use another time*

5. Tracking System

Reality is, you need a long term organization system to meet goals, regardless what those goals may be. Mine so happen to revolve around fitness and healthy eating. SO if you read through this blog so far, you may have noticed I mentioned that I write my workouts down on a notecard and that I mentioned a daily plan. You read correct, I have a notecard for each day that I write down my workout. That notecard goes with me and I jot down the amount of weight I used or any modifications I made during my workout. Then it gets filed into my workout binder. My workout binder has dividers where I put notes for different workouts for arms, legs, back, etc. Then in the back, I have a plain white sheet of paper for every week and I tape the notecards to that sheet when I am done with my workout. Then I have logged what my plan was, what actually happened, and helps track progress!!

The daily plan refers to exactly that, I plan out for the week what I intend on eating when. Like my workouts, it doesn't always follow so I have a notebook that I carry with me where I write down what exactly I ate, when I ate it and if I don't feel well. The binder contains recipes and healthy eating guidelines! Similarly to the back of the workout binder, I put my weekly plans in the back of my healthy eating binder.

6. Finances

You need to watch your money. You should be watching your income (how much is being taken out in taxes etc). You should be watching how much you spend on bills, clothes, food, entertainment etc. I personally use an excel spreadsheet to track all of this information. But you need to workout a system for you. I have seen premade notebooks for this exact thing!

Bottom line is, you must plan to succeed. Or maybe you don't. But for me, my week goes much much much smoother when I have things planned out and ready for Monday-Friday when I go to bed on Sunday. It allows me time to workout, hang out with my family, and get snuggle time in with my favorite nephew during the week!!

Have a SPARKLING week!! 

As always, if you have questions, need advice, or tips, email me at: thebloomingace@gmail.com

“If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else.”

-Yogi Berra

Real Talk: Make the Most of Your Energy

1 day short of completing surviving 6 weeks in the business world. We have already chatted about the various things I have faced: the gallons of coffee consumed, the everyday "lunch goers", the stubborn pastries that always seem to lurk in the kitchen, and more coffee- its EVERYWHERE.

There is a common phrase used at work nearly ALL the time: "Make the most of your energy".

Okay cool. Go get your coffee, your donut, and settle in for a quick lesson. (After all, this may be your last cup of nasty bitter coffee and your last 500 calorie pastry.)

Make the most of your energy huh? What does that even mean? What energy? Do you wake up everyday dragging, hitting snooze 10 times, skipping breakfast, drinking enough coffee in a day to fill a pool??? Is that you??? Yeah, that's what I thought. Listen close, that was me. Well, that still somewhat is me. BUT here is the thing, I have been doing A LOT of reading on healthy eating, balanced eating, how to increase your energy, how to balance everything, and more. Well it all comes down to one thing........ fuel. Do you fill your car with koolaid? Do you give your baby pop? (if you answered yes to that, we need to make an intervention). No, I didn't think so. So let me ask you a question, why are you fueling yourself with things that your body doesn't want or doesn't need???? Lets face it, technology has come SO far but so has the modification of food. Isn't it sad that you have to decide between regular or organic fruit?? Fruit is fruit, well it should be anyways.

No, I am not a doctor, No I didn't study nutrition. I am just like you, I have the ability to use the internet and the local library to research about healthy eating. Nearly a year ago, I made a BIG change and dropped 10lbs and an overall 10 inches, wowzers! Since then, I lightened the floor load a total of 18lbs and a lot of inches.... More important than the weight was the way I felt. I said it before and I will say it again, what college kid do you know that gets up to workout at 5:30/6 am?? Yeah, not very many (if any). I am not perfect, I ate too many twizzlers on my roadtrip this summer (Cori and I like to refer to our lack of ab definition as "them twizzler abs" from our roadtrip). I went from eating almost no processed food to being a muncher. My body noticed... a lot. I am back to working out and on the road to eating what my body NEEDS. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of things that aren't persay "fuel" but the key is moderation. I don't need chips everyday, simple as that.

You have to be the one to make the decision. You have to want it. It probably won't be easy. You probably will stumble and fall, but you can get back up. I can't want it more then you, YOU have to want it for yourself. Once you make that decision, IT'S GO TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready to make some changes?? Email me at thebloomingace@gmail.com and lets chat.

“We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.”
-C. JoyBell C


I have been asked to share how I plan out my weekly meals/eating along with workouts, I am currently working on how exactly I want to roll out all of that so stay tuned for blog posts coming soon!!!

What is success?

"I worked 80 hours this week!" 

"I worked 60!"

 "I traveled ALL week"

Chances are, if you work in the business world, you have heard at least one of these statements, if not all of them. Lets take a minute and ponder something....

What does success mean to you?

Does success mean spending 80 hours at work? Does it mean going in early and staying late? Does it mean working your Saturday and Sunday away? If so, well I guess you can stop reading now. If the things that came to mind include spending time outside of work on yourself, family, friends, your spouse, your kids etc then maybe you should read on.... 

As if summer wasn't crazy enough in everyone's life, this summer was ESPECIALLY crazy in my life. Between graduating college, going on a roadtrip with friends, a trip with my parents, a volunteer mission trip, moving, starting a REAL career job, and welcoming my nephew into the world, it has been quite the whirlwind! However, this weekend I took some time and spent most of my Saturday at the zoo!! We had a LOT of fun watching all the animals, laughing at all the exhibits, and taking 350 pictures (okay maybe that was just me). Having a day outside in the sun, walking around, and doing something I enjoy was such a good way to enjoy my time away from the working world.

But really, my point is work life balance. My parents always taught us that if you work hard, you can play hard. Both of my parents have always worked extremely hard but have always made a point to spend time with us growing up. We ALWAYS had family dinners around the table. We ALWAYS spent the weekends together: at home, camping, boating, hunting, etc. Owning their own business, they obviously put in more then 40 hours a week but they always make sure to balance family life with work.

Don't get me wrong. You, especially as a new employee, need to put your time in. You must work hard, be early, and even stay a little late. But you have to keep yourself healthy too. Working 80 hours a week is going to run your body into the ground and FAST! But hey, if that is your thang, don't let me stop you.

In college, I wasn't always the best at balancing school work with a social life but senior year, I finally found what worked for me. I have always been pretty active. Working out always seemed appealing but I was guilty of the "I don't have time for that" the first 3 years of college. But senior year of college, something changed for me. I guess maybe the fact my fast metabolism started to slow down and I gained a few pounds may have been a bit of a turning point but more then that, I was tired of feeling tired. I started getting myself out of bed at 5:40am and to the gym by 6:00am. For a college kid, that is nearly unheard of. But it made a HUGE difference in my day. I was on a schedule, I went to bed consistently, I ate healthier, and I felt SO much better. I have a lot of thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for sparking that change for me.

Adjusting to a full time working schedule without homework at night and a whole different set of challenges have been things I needed to hurdle (you can read my past blogs for some of those). I can confidently say going into week 6 of the working world, I seem to have a handle on my new schedule. I am planning out my meals, my workouts, and my clothes for the week on Sunday afternoons. I get up and make myself a real breakfast, I track my food throughout the day, and I workout after work. Some days it doesn't work out as I plan but for the most part, it seems to be the key. Okay so maybe you aren't as organized as I am BUT I can assure you that a little planning goes a LONG way in having a better week.

You have to find something that works for you. I have noticed that a lot of people watch TV to unwind at night. My Mom likes to sew at night, my coworkers watch TV, some people are internet surfers. I am a gym goer. I like to work of some stress from the day. I like to push myself. I like to be up and moving from sitting at a desk all day. But like I said, you have to do what works for you!!!!! But maybe consider something that betters yourself....

Questions for me?? Email me at thebloomingace@gmail.com

Have a SPARKLING week!!!

“Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you mean you DON'T drink coffee?!

This week marks the 1 month (5th week) of working in the professional world for me. Let me tell you, I have learned more lessons then I can even tell you. There are some things that people just don't tell you about!! If you read my update last week, you know that I experienced my first "being late" traumatic event. It seems as though my Mondays are, well, cursed. I'm not talking about the "everyone hates Monday" kick, I really do mean that my Mondays always come with an extra surprise. This time I wasn't late, I was 7 days early for a meeting at another office. Talk about awkward. You learn to take these things in stride. But today I would like to share some other things with you....

One of the BIGGEST things I have noticed since I started working is that EVERYONE and their brother has a coffee mug on their desk. I have only seen one person with a water bottle. How do these people even survive????? Did you know 60% of your body is water?! Are these people made of 60% coffee?? I get asked single day if I want coffee and I always reply "no thank you". I don't even like coffee. Apparently this is NOT normal in the business world. Someone even told me to force myself to drink it until I like it. Um.... No thanks. #1 I save a lot of money by not going to starbucks, not having to buy a coffee pot, not having to buy coffee! #2 Unless you drink straight black coffee, it simply isn't healthy for your body. Need the caffeine? There are a ton of other ways to up your energy (I will blog about that another day). But, seriously, all day and these people don't drink a single glass of water. Here I am, downing over 60oz of water at work. If you drink a lot of water, you know how often you have to use the restroom. Yeah, annoying. But alas, everyday I stare at them in amazement that they can sit there and drink coffee for 9 hours.

That brings me to the next point, as if filling themselves with coffee isn't bad enough, the food is a whole different ball game. I don't know about anyone else but I have always been active. In college, I was a 6am gym goer and walked A LOT between classes and throughout the day. Having to sit at a desk all day is definitely a change for me. Having to build a new schedule with the gym AFTER work is really hard but I am getting use to it. I am really trying to eat a well balanced diet to try to get my energy levels on track (without coffee that is). But every single day, I have to turn down some kind of food at work. People in the business world like to eat out for lunch.... all the time. I packed my lunch from kindergarten all the way through senior year of high school. In college I rarely ate out. I felt rude the first few weeks turning down lunch invitations but in order to benefit my health and well being, I have limited my eating out. Hey, a "no thanks I brought my lunch" really isn't frowned upon most days. But worse then the eating out is the cupcakes, cake, cookies, white bread sandwiches, etc all brought in to the office. Let me tell you turning down that cupcake isn't easy. But if I ate everything everyone offered to me, my pants surely wouldn't fit anymore. You learn to balance being polite and watching out for your personal well being.... well I have.

You have to do what works for YOU!

Run Like The Wind.....

My parents are by far my biggest cheerleaders. Throughout my life, I can't think of a single time they haven't supported me in something (other then maybe playing hot lava in the house). There is one phrase that has stuck with me for a long time. "Run like the wind bulls-eye". Now, I am not entirely sure the phrase actually contained the bulls-eye part when Dad use to say it to me or not but nonetheless, it has stuck with me. You see, approximately 11 years ago, I set out on this adventure called middle school where I decided I wanted to run track. I specifically remember Mom and Dad ALWAYS, yes ALWAYS coming to my track meets. In 6th grade, a track meet is a big deal you know. Mom was always there supporting me, bringing me cold water, Gatorade, and snacks while cheering me on. Dad also would cheer me on but before every single event or race, he would always tell me to "run like the wind". I may or may not have added the "bulls-eye" part myself. To this day, I am not sure if they know but during every single race I ran from 6th grade through senior year cross country, I repeated this saying in my head over and over again. I wasn't the fastest, I didn't really do all that well running distance but I kept at it.

You may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with anything? Well, life isn't going to be easy. You aren't going to be the best at everything. You are going to have obstacles to overcome. For me, college was a big obstacle. I called home time and time again in tears wondering if it was actually possible for me to do it. Mom and Dad would talk me down from the ledge, more times then not, they would drive an hour and a half to have dinner with me and calm my nerves. The phrase often repeated through my college career wasn't "run like the wind bulls-eye" but rather "if it were easy, everyone would do it". Like I said, my parents are my BIGGEST cheerleaders.

Starting a career has really been no different then starting a new sport, starting high school, starting college, etc. It is a new experience, it comes with new challenges, new hurdles to jump, but it also comes with new rewards. The key is to have support, I realize that not everyone has cheerleader parents like I am blessed with, but that doesn't mean you don't have people supporting you. Find them. The second biggest thing is to have determination. There are going to be times you will want to crawl under your desk and hide (like maybe when you realize you have toilet paper stuck to your pants), there are going to be times you are frustrated, but I can assure you that if you stick with it, you will be glad you did.

In everything you do, you MUST be proactive. If there is one thing that my parents taught my sister and I growing up was that if you want something, you have to go after it. No, I am not just talking about material things. If you want to be happy, then do it. If you want to change the way you eat, then get moving. If you want to be a marathon runner, then start jogging around the block. There has to be a defining moment where YOU make a decision for yourself (or your family). No one said it would be easy, but I am telling you it will be worth it. If you are looking for a sign, THIS IS IT!!!!

Chin Up Princess, Your Tiara is Falling

Lets face it, not everyday is going to be a good day. Sometimes, every once in a while, sometimes more often then we like, you just have a bummer day. Showing up on a Monday morning for a very important meeting (first one at that) late because of horrible traffic? Yeah, not my shining moment.

Not everyday will be a good day, sometimes.....
-Your shirt won't stay tucked in
-You will be late for a very important meeting
-You will have blisters on your feet
-You'll have food poisoning
-You'll trip in front of important people
-You will have a fear of recording your voicemail in front of everyone
-You will forget to put on deodorant
-You will open your lunch to find mushy grapes
-You will hate your outfit
-You will sneeze on your shirt
-You will wake up late and not have time to shower
-You'll drink too much water
-You won't drink enough water
-You'll eat lunch in your car
-You will get startled by someone walking up behind you
-You will forget a sweater for your office that happens to be the Polar Arctic
-You will wish you had a toothbrush
-You wonder how to tell business people that you hate coffee
-You will wonder if you blew it already

(Hey just speaking from experience here!)

But guess what? The end of the day comes and tomorrow you will get up and do it all over again. Being late one time isn't going to get you fired, just don't make a habit of it. Easier said then done huh? Yeah. If you are anything like me, you are VERY EXTREMELY hard on yourself. Being late by 5 minutes feels like the the worst thing that could happen. But sometimes you have to "pull yourself up by your boot straps". Smile, take a deep breath, apologize, text your Mom on your break, and keep on keepin' on. It WILL be okay, I pinky promise!

"Chin up Princess, your tiara is falling!"

**If you are wondering what the top picture has to do with anything, it is from when I joined in doing the high ropes course as a high school youth leader this past fall per the request of some of my favorite high school girls. What they don't know is that I am terribly afraid of heights, but I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I barely kept myself together, but I did. Sometimes things happen and we have to chin up and JUST DO IT!**

21 In Pleated Pants? No.

I have done more shopping in the past few weeks then I have done in probably the past 4 years combined. I literally spent my college days in sweats, Nike shorts, t-shirts, and hoodies. I became a PRO (and I do mean PRO) at the roll out of bed and out the door in 3 minutes game.

All of a sudden "business casual" is a daunting and scary thing. Not only is it a daunting subject in general but when you are a 21 year old entering the business world for the first time it is TERRIFYING. I can't even begin to add up how many hours I have spent looking through magazines, pinterest, or just googling "business casual". I have spent nearly as much time wandering through the mall and other various stores. One more pair of pleated pants and I might cry. Where oh WHERE does a 21 year old find decent business pants. What do I mean by that? Sorry but the standard "junior" style dress pants don't cut it in the real world. (Sorry if I offended you). Dress pants should NOT flare. Dress pants SHOULD have belt loops. Dress pants should NOT get tight at the ankles. Dress pants SHOULD have somewhat of a wider leg. Dress pants SHOULD have nice creases down the front. Dress pants should NOT, I repeat, should NOT be tight around your waist (no muffin tops ladies)... buy a size up!!!!

That brings me to my next point..... I have been EVERYWHERE on a hunt for decent dress clothes. I come home flustered, grouchy, and with a bad attitude almost every single time. As if finding clothes wasn't hard enough, the way employees treat you is absolutely unnerving. They say it shouldn't matter your age or how you dress for how you are treated but let me tell you, your age and the way you are dressed has EVERYTHING to do with it. Don't believe me, let me share a few experiences with you:

1. Last weekend, I went to a local mall. I was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a plaid button down shirt with my hair thrown up in a pony tail. EVERY store I went in, the employees looked at me and would either A. look away or B. walk away. Not a single person ALL day asked if I needed help. For once, I really was on a mission for dress jeans but no one would even give me a chance to ask. Flustered, I left empty handed. I have zero intention of returning to that particular mall.

2. A different mall I went to several weeks ago: I was dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt. (It was a weekend!!) At a certain store I went into, I got the eyeroll, the rude "do you need anything", and the glare from across the store. As I searched the store for decent clothes, I returned in search for someone to check on a smaller size for me. Without even looking or offering to do anything a quick "um you can look at this style instead" was blurted out and that was the end. I will not be returning.

3. Two weeks ago, I went to a different mall straight from work meaning I was still in dress clothes. Let me tell you, the moment I walk into a store the willingness to help me is MUCH higher. Every store I went to, someone asked me if I needed help.

4. A certain store that I use to really like and was suggested to me by MANY friends lost my business last week as well. This time my Mom was with me. The employees asking if we needed help was directed at my Mom and not myself. When I replied I was looking for dress pants, her immediate response was "what about matching shirts". I kindly replied that I mostly was on the hunt for pants. She took my items and put them in a dressing room for me while we continued to shop around. When I went to my dressing room, I found a boatload of other clothes that she had pulled for me to try that she thought would be good for work. Nice? Maybe for others but for someone who hates shopping anyways, I was annoyed and flustered as I had to dig through the clothes to find the ones I had picked out for myself. Every single item they picked out for me was NOT work acceptable. Annoyed with the situation, we left the store empty handed.

However, I have also noticed that the ladies 30 and older, are ALWAYS asked first if the need help. Most of the time, an employee will go out of their way to help an older customer. Do I wanted to be treated as royalty? No. I am perfectly okay searching the store for things I would like but I am not okay with the rude comments, remarks, glares, or stares. I am 21 years old, working in the business world; I am not a punk high schooler playing dress up in your store.

Word to the wise: either get use to being treated that way, speak up for yourself, or dress nice to go shopping (who wants to do that)!!

Happy Shopping!!

Pinterest Projects Gone Right!

If you are anything like most of us, there is never enough closet space. If you are anything like me, you HATE having to iron your clothes for work every night. If you are anything like me, you spent (or are spending) your college  days in shorts, t-shirts, sweats, and hoodies. Having to look nice everyday? Yeah that is a struggle.

I am one to have everything ready for the entire week on Sunday, however, with a full closet, ironing ahead of time wasn't very efficient. Then I had an idea................

I took a shelf that I already had, removed the bottom shelves, added a shower rod, got a few baskets, and ended up with a way to lay all my clothes out for the week!!

I am slowly starting to acquire more necklaces and until today, they have been in a pile on my shelf. After some inspiration from Pinterest and browsing at Hobby Lobby, I ended up with some cute handles. Still needing something to attach them to, I headed to a local thrift store! I found this beauty for a whole $3 (previously green), I spray painted it black and added my handles.

After two weeks of being in the "real world", my biggest advice is to try to have things ready in advance. This includes outfits for work, gym clothes, jewelry, lunches, etc. The LAST thing you want to do after work is have to iron pants and shirts and/or pack your lunch!!!

Have a SPARKLING week!

Boots and Pearls: A Classy Impression.

You learn A LOT of important lessons in life. You learn A LOT of important lessons in your first few weeks of work. You learn A LOT of important lessons on business trips. 

What did I learn this week????

1. Always consider the giant puddles that may exist in your parking lot.............. always bring extra shoes. Toms may or may not be a good choice for a day following a giant rainstorm.
2. Leave a rain jacket/umbrella in your car, you WILL at some point or another get caught in the rain at lunch. A word to the wise, rain doesn't mix well with dress clothes.
3. Eat salads, chips, celery, and all other crunchy food items AWAY from your cubicle. Why? If you don't, you will be slowly chewing to try to not let your office mates hear you. Your stomach will probably start growling then and you will cause even more distraction then before! Just speaking from experience.

This week we went on a business trip, let me lend some friendly advice on traveling.....

4. Plan out your outfits from top to bottom including jewelry before packing.
5. ALWAYS pack several sweaters (even if it is summer). It may WILL be like the Polar Arctic in hotel conference rooms.
6. When they say bring comfortable shoes, they literally mean comfortable shoes.
7. Going off of 6, invest in several decent pairs of shoes, you won't regret it.
8. If you can dress casual, remember you are still at a work function, dress 2 steps up from your normal lounge-around-at-home-can't-even-go-to-Walmart attire.
9. Pearls can dress up ANY outfit.
10. For goodness sake, tuck in your shirts!!!!!!!!!!! (unless you are a girl and the shirt isn't a tucking in shirt)
11. Develop your signature thing. Not the party-boy, not the drunk, not the hung-over.... Go for a boots and pearls kind of signature thing. It should be classy, work acceptable, and have a positive spin. It should be YOU, don't become someone else.
12. Get adequate sleep, you don't want to be sleeping in your morning sessions.
13. ALWAYS, I do mean ALWAYS have a first aid kit with you. Those shoes you thought were comfortable from tip number 6 may still create 4 bleeding blisters on your poor feet. Ever had to shove your blistered toes in boots for the next 2 days? Yeah, I have. Band-aids would have been my best friends.
14. Invest in a small wrist-let or clutch, you don't need to bring your Mary-Poppins-purse to training sessions.

This week we learned a few things on proper etiquette...

15. When meeting someone always stand up, shake their hand, smile, and use your first AND last name. Include some conversational pieces in your introduction (what office you work from, where you graduated from, etc).
16. DON'T chew gum, it is unprofessional. Invest in some mints instead.
17. Don't wear too tight of clothing. Girls, this means you. Just because its "in style" or "cute", it doesn't mean it is business appropriate. You really shouldn't be able to see your undergarment lines through your outfit.
18. Ladies, use a piece to tie your outfit together. Something that changes it from a plain, dull, everyone can wear it outfit to a complete look. (jewelery, sweaters, jackets, shoes etc)
19. Stick to CLASSY jewelery. You don't need to be there with big-ole-clanky-look-at-me pieces.


Some tips on social events.....

20. Let loose a little bit, its okay to have fun!
21. Make friends!!! Build your connection links across the country!
22. Sing some karaoke, it shows you can have some fun.
23. It's okay to decline those drinks for a diet coke instead.
24. Be careful eating wings or ribs if you are wearing a white dress shirt.

One last piece of advice....
25. Be a CLASSY version of yourself. Have a good time, smile, and laugh. Enjoy yourself. Just remember that those impressions will last forever. Make it classy.

Up-chucking of the Oats

5:50 am: BEEP BEEP BEEP
5:55 am: BEEP BEEP BEEP
6:00 am: BEEP BEEP BEEP

It is Monday morning, a dreaded morning by most Americans, the start of a new work week. Today however marked a special day in my history: the first Monday morning of my working career. You see, as a recent college graduate (not even 2 months ago), I am very blessed to have an alarm going off at 6:00 am, I am proudly employed with a REAL career job that actually has to do with my major (a rare thing for most grads)!

Nervous, yeah, that may be an understatement of my feelings. However, it was no different then the first day of high school, moving day for college, first day of college classes, first day of an internship, and so on. If only I would have known the events that would unravel before 7:00am that morning, I would have probably pulled the covers over my head and remained there.

I expressed my feeling overheated and nauseous state to my mom as I tried to choke down a healthy oatmeal breakfast. We brushed it off as nerves and out the door I went in my freshly ironed dress clothes and brand new packed bag. As soon as I closed the car door, I knew something was wrong. Sparing you the details, I up-chucked that oatmeal four (yes FOUR) times from outside my car to back inside the house. Don't worry, I managed to spare my nicely ironed clean work clothes. Sounds like a comedy right?? Not my best moment.

With my teeth brushed and face washed, I headed BACK out for a second time. This time, I successfully made it to work. The standard first day practices occurred: this is your office, here is the bathroom, do you drink coffee, and such. As if my up-chuck incident in the morning wasn't enough, as I got up to introduce myself to someone, my foot was caught in my bag handle and well, you can guess what unraveled.

I am happy to report my first week at work went MUCH smoother then the first morning did and I am loving everything so far! However, I have stumbled across a BIG hurdle: How does a young college graduate dress as a young professional???? They really should give you a handbook on this sort of thing. Business Casual.... what does that even mean anymore? Pinterest, google, and picking at my sisters brain has been my saving grace in this department. I can't possibly be the only one facing this problem! 

Why am I blogging? Well, I seem to have a lot of interesting encounters in my daily life so #1 maybe I can bring some laughs into your day and #2 if you are a young professional maybe I can help you with the dressing as a young professional department.

Caution: I am not an English major (I am an Engineer), I have never written a blog, I normally hate writing, and I am not a "fashionista". 

I hope you will join me in this journey and follow along! 

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference" -Robert Frost