Thanksgiving Festivities

Leading up to Thanksgiving, the work week went incredibly fast because I only had to work two and a half days because of the holiday. On Tuesday, I also had a job interview for a public relations firm in Wisconsin. It went well and hopefully I will be hearing back soon about my Skype interview next week.  After work, I went to the Porch. We have been talking about how to let go and let God in the Exhale series. It has been insightful and extremely helpful these past weeks.  When the service ended, I stayed after and chatted with Marcus, one of my friends from Prestoncrest, before heading home to finish packing. My friend, Allison, invited me to her house for Thanksgiving so I had to prepare to go to Mississippi for the weekend. Work on Wednesday went so quickly since we only had a half day. However, I was a little disappointed because I found out that the interns are the only people that don’t get paid over the holiday. It was still a quick day and before I knew it I was heading home.  I had a little time to relax and put everything together before heading to Mississippi with Allison! The car ride was incredibly pretty long but it went smoothly. I even got the chance to drive for a little while. When we arrived, everyone was really nice and we spent the night talking. The house was really beautiful and I was looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

 The next day, we got up and just lounged around in pajamas. For a while, we even went outside and sat by the fire to relax. The area is so beautiful so it was nice to just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. At 1:00pm things got serious and the cooking began. Allison’s mom did most of the work but we all chipped in here and there. The food looked so good. Allison’s mom really outdid herself. It took a while but we finally sat down and had an incredible Thanksgiving meal. Allison’s family is super sweet and they spent the evening talking about the crazy things they used to do as children. Town gossip was another hot topic. It was a little strange but I learned quite a bit about people in town. After an incredible meal, we went to the nursing home to see two of Allison’s grandparents. It was sad to see them in decline since I never got a chance to meet them in their prime. We did have a lively discussion though because her aunt and uncle from Tennessee where also at the nursing home. 

  
After getting back from the nursing home, we cleaned up dinner and made a fire. It took a while but there were times that it was quite warm and toasty. When the fire died down, we went inside and watched the Packer game. I watched the game on and off while I packed up some food to back back and chatted with everyone.  The Packer game was crazy. It was stressing me out so I was happy that we started playing dominoes. I had never played before and it was actually a ton of fun. Time flew by and before I knew it we were heading to bed again! Somehow I hit the jackpot and got the nice bed so I fell asleep fairly quick.

On Friday we slept in and then woke up to pancakes! Allison wasn’t feeling well so we had a slow start in the morning. I did get to ride a four-wheeler and it was a blast. There wasn’t much room but we did make a nice little loop. I was happy I got a chance to try it out.

After some four-wheeler action, we started getting ready to go into Jackson. It took a while but we finally headed out. Before going to Jackson though, we stopped at Allison’s other grandparents house. We talked for a while but were soon on our way. Jackson is the capital of Mississippi so there were some cool places to go and things to do. We mostly drove around looking at places but we did get out to look at City Hall, the governor’s mansion and a restaurant, Brent’s Drugs, that was a filming location for the movie, The Help. The restaurant was adorable and we stayed to get shakes. The Bates knew so much of the history and it was a fun evening of exploring. After our quick trip into Jackson we headed back home and watched the movie Like Mike. The movie was a neat find because I hadn’t seen that movie since I was little. It was quite a wonderful day and I was so happy to be in Mississippi.         On Saturday, Allison and I left early in the morning. It was a little sad to leave because Allison decided to leave her dog Bert with her parents so she could focus on finals and he would have a chance to run around outside. We were quickly on the way home but before leaving the state we took a quick break at the lookout over the Mississippi River. After that began the trek through Louisiana. It was beautiful in Mississippi which made it even more sad that I never did find a magnet to keep as a memorabilia item of the adventure. It was a great regardless. The trip home was a little rough because it was raining but the rain let up just long enough for us to stop at the Duck Dynasty warehouse.  I fell asleep for a while but I woke up just in time to see us stuck in traffic. Despite the delay, I finally made it home.

  
That evening, I unpacked my bag and had some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers.  I got home at a decent time so I also had time to finish my portfolio and watch a movie. The holiday weekend ended pretty quietly. The only excitement was going to the Waffle House with Marcus since I had never been before. After eating some tasty waffles,  we went to church morning class and the later service.  Shortly after church I headed home. It took a while because one of the buses never showed up but I still had plenty of time to catch up on some odds and ends that afternoon. I was so incredibly blessed this Thanksgiving and I was grateful to the Bates Family for hosting me and showing me all the greats in their area of Mississippi!

Getting Things Done

It was a long stressful week at work. Things have gotten a little awkward but I’m just making the best of everything and enjoying the time I have left. I have learned so much already and I am incredibly blessed to have experienced this opportunity.

Friday was splendid because I was able to talk with one of the designers and learn a little more about their work, Hopefully I will soon also be able to create something on my own. The day was also wonderful because I posted my second blog post on the Golin tumblr. I love blogging so it was an honor to create content and share it with the team. The director of the whole office, Ginger, even commented that she enjoyed my post. My lunch on Friday was crazy because I edited my resume and applied for a job. I barely even had time to eat but it was worth it because later that evening I heard back about setting up an interview. After spending three months applying for jobs before coming to Golin, I appreciate it when I even hear back from a job. In the digital age, I’ve noticed that while it is easier to find and apply for jobs, that doesn’t mean most of them will even respond. Regardless of how it turns out, I am blessed to have heard back.

I have been in a funk lately so I didn’t go bowling with my friends but that gave me the time to update my LinkedIn again and to start working on my online portfolio. I ended up almost finishing my portfolio and I had the chance to relax which was just what I needed. In the morning, I decided not to go on my run because I wasn’t feeling well and I hadn’t properly trained. I felt really discouraged but it gave me a chance to finish my portfolio. I wanted to end on a good note though so I headed to a explore a new part of Dallas! Every month in Deep Ellum there is an outdoor market so I made my way down to Deep Ellum. I had never been before so I was happy. While it was neat to see a new part of town I was a little disappointed with the size of the market. I was glad I went though because the area was full of artwork and quirky sculptures.     On Sunday, I headed to church as normal. Everyone went to class and/or service before all coming together for an amazing Friendsgiving! There were so many people there and a ton of food. It was lovely to chat with everyone and hear their holiday plans. I talked with a group about the best things to do in Dallas and I’m excited to do a lot of touristy things before going back to Wisconsin. I really love my friends from church and I will be sad when I have to go back home. I also talked to my friend Allison, so if nothing comes up, I will be going to Mississippi for Thanksgiving!    It was a long week and weekend but I got quite a lot accomplished and I found time to have fun too. Moving to Texas has been a gift and I am proud of what I have accomplished.

Time to Relax

The glorious time of the week arrived and it was finally the weekend. Unfortunately, I found myself with nothing much to do.  I had planned to go to the Lego Convention in Irving but I decided not to so I could volunteer through the church and help out the members who couldn’t maintain their yards.  My plans to volunteer also got cancelled so the only thing I had to do was run 7 miles. I was super lazy in the morning and I was in bed until noon. In the afternoon, I was a little more productive but as I was relaxing after lunch, the power went out. That was really frustrating but I took a nap and when I was about to head out for my run the power came back on! I was extremely happy because my phone was at half power and it was essential it was at full battery life for my run. After a slight delay, I headed out to run the farthest I’ve ever run in my life! The workout actually went faster than I thought and I ran the first 3.5 miles nonstop. I was so proud of myself and when I finished I felt unstoppable.   Since my plans were cancelled I had a chance to catch up on the work I needed to do. I edited my resume, started building my portfolio and updated my LinkedIn. I also did some shopping and baking to finish out my night. The day wasn’t all that exciting but it was just what I needed after a crazy busy week at work.

On Sunday, I headed to church early like always so I don’t get there late. This time I was looking forward to arriving early because instead of sitting alone for 45 minutes there was a mini breakfast before class.  The class was enjoyable but I didn’t end up going to church. My friend, Josh, was in Dallas for the weekend for work and he had some free time so I went to brunch with him. He was only available for a while and with the duration of the service and the added commute time to downtown I would have never made it.  Josh is such a nice guy and so sweet for taking time out of his trip to visit me that I didn’t mind missing the service especially since they are online and I go to church on Tuesdays as well. One of Josh’s colleagues was also there so it was even better to meet one of his friends. We ended up going to the Bishop Arts District which was ideal because I had never been to that part of Dallas and I didn’t have to go alone.  We had a really wonderful Mexican lunch followed by exploring the shops in the area. The district reminded me of the shops on Door County, Wisconsin with unique gifts and clothes. It was such a fabulous time and I was so happy to see Josh. It felt brilliant to see a familiar face. And we had some time to chat before they headed to the airport and I headed home. 

 When I got home, I called George and talked with him for a while before working on a project for work. I was a little disappointed because it wasn’t that long but at least he talked to me for a while. I started working on my work project because I was worried I wouldn’t have a lot of time to work on it during the week at work. I brought it home so I could get started and get a better understanding on how much time it would take.  I was happy that I began and I felt a lot better about finishing on deadline.

It was a superb weekend and I was so happy to have some time to relax, see a good friend and get caught up on my work.

It’s My Birthday!

Just to be clear, this is not a play by play recap of my birthday but instead the highlights of the week.  Honestly, most of the best things that happened to me were because of my birthday.

On Monday, I received my first birthday gift! George sent me a gift via the Royal Mail and in the afternoon it came into the office. I wasn’t able to open it but customs ruined the surprise by writing on the outside of the box what my gift was. I still had to wait until Wednesday but it wasn’t as the same. Also, the US postal service really did a number on the box so I did see a flash of the handbag when it almost fell out of the hole in the packaging. Work went well but my ride home was a nightmare. The bus was fine but the trains were delayed so that a 5 minute wait and 3 minute train ride turned into a 20 minute wait and 10 minute ride to go one stop. I didn’t have many plans for the evening though so it all worked out fine.

Nothing super monumental happened on Tuesday but that night I did stay up so that I could open my gifts.  Granted it was really only one gift and three cards but it was still so much more than I expected.  The cards were all thoughtful and made me miss my family.  The handbag that I received was beautiful.  I am usually not a fan of that shade of yellow but it was really tasteful and honestly more like a work of art.  After talking to George, I found out that he had it sent all the way from Ghana so that made it so much more special that he went to all the trouble of getting it sent from home. Once I have something other than work to attend, I will definitely be showing off my new purse!

Wednesday came and went in a flash but the day was definitively a blessing.  Everyone at was super sweet and wished me well and one of the office managers, Nancy, even bought me a cookie!  My colleague, Kaycee, who sits across from me, also had her birthday as well so it was nice to share my day with someone I really admire and aspire to be.  She also was giving out some jewelry she didn’t want anymore so I also go some spontaneous gifts! I was feeling the love from so many people.  The work day went quickly and I left a little earlier than normal so I could catch the bus. I made it back in record time and hustled to get ready to run. The run was a success and I made good time before I hurried back to get ready for the night. Once I was ready, I FaceTimed my family for a little while and got to see the cake I would have eaten if I was at home.  I think one of my favorite parts was seeing Maya trying to get the cake.  I don’t really enjoy the dog because she is a tyrant but she does look super cute.  My friend hadn’t arrived yet so I called my aunt quick to say thank you for the birthday card.  It was nice to chat with her and I got to hear about my baby cousin Wilson.  Aunt Cheryl is a proud grandma and it seems like Wilson is turning into a really intelligent boy.

My friend, Marcus, from church was the only one that was able to celebrate with me because he didn’t have to work the next day so he didn’t mind going out later for dinner.  We watched the movie Inside Out before heading to Applebee’s for half-off apps. The movie was a little boring but a great kids movie with an interesting concept.  Once the movie ended, we headed to Applebee’s for my most anticipated part of the evening.  I love Applebee’s but unfortunately the experience was not all that wonderful.  The drink menu wasn’t the same as Wisconsin.  The cost of one drink in Texas was the same as two in Wisconsin.  It also took twenty minutes before they took our order.  Normally I don’t mind but we got there at 10:40 p.m. and there was hardly anyone there.  It was pretty frustrating especially when the waitress was just standing around and talking. By the time our food got there we weren’t even really hungry so I ended up taking home most of it.  It was just a weird experience and I was sad my birthday ended not as I imagined.  I mostly felt bad because I was complaining a little more than I realized and became a birthday diva.  Overall, the day was superb and I am blessed to have the people in my life and to have done the things I have. 

The rest of the week went quickly and nothing too exciting happened.  I was having some issues with my breathing which was not ideal.  I won’t get into all the details but I wasn’t able to run on Thursday and that was extremely disappointing.  On Friday, I almost didn’t make it to work because I forgot to set my alarm. Luckily, I woke up at 7:00am which was only 10 minutes behind my normal time.  I was definately happy that I didn’t get up any later than that since I need to leave the house at 7:20am to make it on time to work.  I was busy again at work but I was really enjoying the projects.  Surprisingly, the day went quickly and I was able to go home and relax for the weekend.

I had a wonderful week and my birthday ended up being spectacular. I felt so blessed to hear from so many people.  I have had a crazy year but 22 was amazing.  I can not wait to see what 23 has in store for me!

B1 Retreat

I’ll be honest and say that nothing to monumental happened at work. I got to continue to work on some cool projects and learn from some great people. Golin is so incredible that cool things happening is sort of normal. That is a good problem to have though.

The weekend was what I was looking forward to the most. On Friday after work, I headed to the church and we headed to Texoma Youth Camp for the B1 Fall Retreat: Face to Face. I got to the meeting place early but that was ok because I was able to help pack the food for the weekend. I was a little nervous for the retreat because we never got too much information about what was going on but I knew it would all work out.

After about an hour of travel we arrived at Texoma Youth Camp. It was a little bit of a struggle to find the entrance in the dark but it was really nice. There were a lot of people and a ton of games. I played spoons, go fish, heads up and I made a s’more. It was a great night with friends. I was a little sad that I ended up with a top bunk but I slept pretty well so I can’t complain.     

In the morning, I woke up bright and early for morning prayer and breakfast. The volunteers did a wonderful job and the food was great. Since it was bright out, I was able to see the camp and the area. It is really beautiful and I could see Oklahoma! After breakfast we did and ice breaker before diving right in to the topics. My favorite part was my morning small group. We were all randomly placed into groups to do a deeper discussion of the main topics. I absolutely loved my group and I wished I could have talked with them all day. It was so refreshing to be able to talk to people about God and things that are actually important. We laughed, we cried and we were genuine. I was so happy to be there and we hadn’t even had lunch yet.

After lunch, we all played a game before we all went our own ways for free time. Once free time started, I got ready to run. I had to run 6 miles on Saturday so I got ready to head out. The area was pretty secluded but the road was empty so I headed out. There ended up being a couple others from B1 running but I was a lot slower then them. It was still nice because I caught up with one girl and we ran in so that was cool. I also ran by the water which was beautiful and a nice place to slow down and catch my breath. I finished in ok time and I got a nice blister on my foot but other than that it was such a huge accomplishment! 

 After showering and relaxing for a bit the retreat was back in full swing when the Sunday pastor, Gordon, arrived and spoke to us. It was really inspiring and I was even more happy to be a part of such a wonderful church retreat. After work we sang for over an hour. While this normally would have had me jumping for joy we were in the dark and I didn’t know any of the songs so that was frustrating. I was able to hum along though and I did get to listen to some fabulous singing.

After talking to a bunch of people and hanging out by the fire I went to bed a little early. This time I was able to get an extra blanket and I slept a lot better. On Sunday we got to sleep in a little bit and had a short service before heading home. I was sad to be leaving although it would be nice to have my bed again.  

I slept the whole ride home so I didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone but I still had a wonderful weekend overall. God was been really incredible to me this weekend and I am truly blessed to have such a great group people around me.

Feelings

Since I rarely talk about my feelings more than just being happy and excited, I thought I would shed a little light in how I have been feeling lately. I honestly hate talking about my feelings but so much has been happening and I have been doing so many different things that I can’t help but want to share.

Well I’ve already started to regret this post but I’m going to go for it. For the last week, I have been super emotional and it has been a wonderful crazy roller coaster of feelings. Well here goes:

Disappointed 

I hate to start on a not so great note but that is where I must. The start of the week was disappointing. For the first time since I started running, I fell. I honestly knew it was bound to happen because Texas apparently doesn’t believe in sidewalk safety and refuses to keep the sidewalks safe to walk let alone run on. Now my fall wasn’t too bad. I caught myself without hurting my hands but I did scape my knee. I did manage to finishing running the last .4 mile to finish my workout but the workout was just, you guess it, disappointing.

I wish I could say that was all that was disappointing but unfortunately the disappointment continued into Tuesday. Tuesday was all around a great day but my favorite part of the day way cancelled because I didn’t have a ride.  On Tuesday nights, I usually go to The Porch for church group. My friend who usually takes me was too busy to take me so I was unable to attend. I was able to listen later because they post them online. The only sad part was that the music is not included. 

Honored

One of the busiest most interesting women I work with, Andrea Kirby, made time to talk to me about her career and to give me some advice. I was so honored because she is insanely busy! One time I talked her and she was running between three meetings. She could have easily put me at the bottom of her to-do list but after asking her to chat on Monday, on Tuesday mid-day she made time to go on a Starbucks run with me. Honored may not be even the right way to describe how I felt  but I am blessed to have met some incredible people.

Appreciated

On Wednesday, I met with Kimberly for my midterm review. She put together a really nice document full of comments from the people I work with. I have been really blessed to work with some incredible people and I was so happy to hear that I am making a difference. I have been so thankful for the opportunities so it felt nice to know my teams appreciate what I do for them.  Golin has some volunteer opportunities and I signed up to help cook and serve lunch at the Ronald McDonald House Charity. It was nice to get out of the office and wonderful to be able to volunteer again. I love to volunteer so I was thankful everything worked out and I could join. Everyone at Ronald McDonald was happy we were there and I just felt appreciated. These families have been through a lot and I was happy to help make one part of their day easier. I was also reminded how blessed I am to have my health. It was such a wonderful experience.  

Determined

Despite hearing mostly positives, I still had some areas to work on and improve. I was a little upset by a couple of the comments but I know the area to improve and I can keep them in mind. I want to make a good impression and I was even more motivated to do better after that meeting.

Even after the fall, I was determined to keep running and keep up my exercise habits. I worked late on Wednesday so I wasn’t able to run but I did walk for a while just too keep my body moving. Thursday was really a metal game getting myself in the mood to run. I was still nervous about my knee and falling again.

Loved

It’s no secret that I have a great group of family and friends that are there supporting me. This week I really felt the love. I think I have called my mom way too much but I loved talking to her because I knew she’d make me feel better (and agree with me) no matter what.

My birthday is rapidly approaching and while I am disappointed I will not get to see Elizabeth I still felt the love all the way from Wisconsin. Elizabeth went through a lot of trouble to get me the CD I wanted for my birthday and finally I was able to download it onto my ITunes and have the songs on my phone. It was a process but I am truely blessed to have a twin who truely makes me a better person and will go out of her way to make me happy.  

I also have been truly feeling loved by my boyfriend. I literally hate talking about my relationships with anyone because those relationships are personal and they are mine, but I have really felt the love. George and I can only FaceTime and text but he still made me feel like the most important person in the world. Don’t get me wrong, he bugs the crap out of me and says things that annoy me 40% of the time. The part that made me know it’s worth it, is the love I have felt from him 24/7 and 60% of the time he’s perfect. No one is always perfect and no one will be exactly who you want them to be but he was pretty darn close. I felt the love this week and I know it will continue for the upcoming weeks.

Blessed

In general, I have been feeling incredible about everything that has been happening to me. Lately though, I have been feeling super blessed because of my support system here in Dallas.

On Wednesday, I met with Marcus after work and we walked and talked for about an hour. We were technically supposed to be working out but it was definitely more of a leisure walk. I was still really happy though because came along way to spend time with me and it was super last minute plans. Also who volunteered to take me home, which was super nice because he lives in the opposite direction.

On Friday, I had a long day at work so I was excited to meet with my friend Marcus again and go to see the movie Goosebumps. I was a little nervous about the movie but it turned out to be really great! I love movies and it was so nice to go again. Plus the movie was in 3D which was cool because I hadn’t seen a 3D movie probably since the last Harry Potter. The 3D aspect was very tasteful and didn’t seem overdone.  I also enjoyed spending the evening with Marcus and again he was so sweet to drive me home. This time it was pouring though so I was extremely grateful. 

I didn’t have any plans for Halloween so one of my friends from church invited to the B1 Halloween party. I was so excited and happy to spend the evening with them. I have been so blessed with a wonderful group of friends and I know I chose the right place to be. I also had the chance to get to know some new people which was great. 

I have had way more feelings than just these ones listed but these were the strongest and the ones I felt most often. I hate sharing my feelings but I’m also trying hard to open up and sharing is a good way to do that.