Thanksgiving "break"

On Monday I'm going home for the first time since moving. For the first time since the spring actually. I've been looking forward to it of course but no more than usual which is not what I expected. I actually sort of forgot about the holiday and my travel plans; it sort of snuck up on me.

It sort of feels like being back in college, back in freshmen year or maybe second year. You're having so much fun and enjoying everything and all the new, different people you're meeting. But also it's around this time you're sort of getting over that particular semester. I guess in school it's also because finals are coming up and you’re ready to either end strong or just cut your losses with a class. (Note: your last year and arguably your third year  -- yup, we speak UVA lingo on this blog -- this is not the case since you pivot and start to just soak it all up since you know undergrad will end at some point)

I think this is where I am right now. 

I am ready for a change of scenery. For a break of my routine. Don't take this the wrong way (esp ATL friends who might read this!) but I am ready to start to MISS Atlanta.

I want to leave for a while, and not just one of the two weekend getaways I've taken, which have been both for wedding related trips. I am ready to get away, to see my family and my friends from high school, and then a few days in get completely over being in my parents' house and crave the day I return to Atlanta.

Sometimes you need to be away from something -- a place or a person or whatever -- to miss it and really appreciate it. At least I hope this is how it all works!

follow me on bloglovin

I am told I need to link my blog to bloglovin. Well here it goes…

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Additionally I have to say that I am quite pleased with myself that I was able to decipher the [really straightforward] instructions of how to embed that HTML to my blog (shout out to bloglovin). For someone who works at a technology company I can be really antiquated myself sometimes...

a movie review of “This is 40”

Okay so this actually is not a movie review of “This is 40.” This is if you’re really jones-ing for one. I liked it a bit more than Rotten Tomatoes but hey.

I did watch “This is 40”  the other day and along with generally enjoying it and the whirlwind of emotions that the movie evoked in me (knee-slapper AND tear jerker, though I am pretty sensitive) what it made me think about most is that you never know what someone has going on in his or her life.

This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately and it’s completely true. I think we all know it but it’s easy to forget. Though it’s something we’re quick to remember when something or someone really gets to us or gets us down. 

It’s like those things you don’t want or don’t need until you do. Like insurance. Or like the people you don’t think you will miss then once they’re out of your life BAM, you do. Like your parents when you go away to college. Other people too. 

A friend of mine posted this picture on Instagram a while back and was nice enough to send it to me and let me post it (gracias MA!!) It seemed like a fitting thing to share in this post. I think there’s a Winston Churchill quote that’s pretty similar.  

Beautiful post-if from the stacks of UVA

You don’t always someone’s situation or story. And even when you do there’s no way to be sure that you know all of it, all the time.

So be kind. Have compassion and empathy and just treat people how you’d like to be treated. 

mi padre’s birthday

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. So that you are a little more invested in this, here’s a picture of him:

Pic of him maybe 30 years ago?

He’s a great guy. A smart guy. I am not super close with him. I wish I was and hopefully that will change one day, I just don’t really know how to change it. I was thinking the other day that if I’ve been so aware of all this other change in my life why shouldn’t I be able to change my relationship with him?

Since I was so successful (well, pretty successful) with posting something here so to hold myself accountable I thought I’d give it a try again. Also since I am trying to be a bit more open as a person I thought this would be a good step in that regard as well.

Maybe over Thanksgiving I will say something. Maybe I will just try to be more tuned into to his energy and statements and things like that. I am not sure what I'll actually do or what the result will be but like I’ve written about before (here) step 1 in change management is acknowledging you want or need a change. So that’s that.

soft pretzels, boxes, and buffalo chicken dip: weekend recap

Well, I am proud to say that I have accomplished a good deal of the things on my to-do list this weekend! And for those lucky recipients of all my snap chats, I didn't skip a beat did I??!

Friday I was able to duck out of work a little early, relaxed, worked out, ate my staple quinoa stuffed peppers, then was quite content with sitting on my couch with a big glass of vino and watching a movie but my friend who I haven't seen in a few weeks called me. Despite my hair being dirty I decided to head out. I threw my hair in a sock bun (I know, the fact that I have been consistently leaving my apartment without clean hair is surprising to me too, but again, it's all about growth and self-improvement!) and I headed over to my friends' house. 

We had a few beers, had a little dance party, then headed over to this GA Tech bar called Orsmby's that has a basement filled with games. I was basically in heaven. The night ended with us binge eating soft pretzels with cheese whiz and French fries. I mean, I guess I would have at least had popcorn if I had stayed in so I decided it was okay.

Saturday I was up bright and early to get my car I had left at my friends house. Since their house is nearby Ikea I decided I would get a head start on my errands. I got the shelving units and this faux sheep skin throw for my living room that I had wanted. That put me around $160 and I had a coupon for $25 off when you spend $250 I thought I might as well spend another $100. Whoops?

Grand total was $248. 76 after discount. I might take some stuff back once I figure out how it'll all live together. Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Rug for my entryway, not sure if it’s a keeper or not

Gold wreath I am OBSESSED with (been looking for one like this for almost 3 years)

Faux fur rug/throw

After Ikea I did some major sweating to rid myself of all my late night treats then joined some friends at a house party for the Georgia football game. UGA lost in probably one of the craziest unplanned trick plays ever. Since I am not a dawg this impacted me most in the fact that I had my phone all prepped to capture the reaction of the house after UGA regained possession of the ball via snap chat but since Auburn ended up scoring a touchdown I was left with nothing. After the game there was a short period of mourning followed by some dance party action, some pizza, some fireball, then we went out in Buckhead.

Today I went to brunch at Two Urban Licks which was delishhhhh but my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach and I left a lot on the table. I did find room for some bubble tea and macaroons after though. Oops?

I did a bit of blogging this afternoon so be on the lookout for some juicy new posts over the next few days. Then this evening I went to Menchie’s for froyo then went to my friend’s apartment to play with the new puppy her parents just got.

Successful weekend if I say so myself. I will leave you with a few pictures from the weekend and a funny comment I made to my friend on gchat earlier about models. Sorry to anyone who is a model, I don’t really mean it (or do I? No, I really don’t).

My friend’s ADORABLE puppy, Riley

The damage from Ikea

Didn’t totally think through how this would all fit in my car, good news is that somehow it all did!

Newly framed pictures

Annnnd the shelves are still in their boxes

And since I think I am so funny, a snippet from a gchat earlier:

me:  I think all models should be confined to an island

or all have TERRIBLE personalities

and not be allowed to use moisturizer so they get all wrinkly

that is what I think

can we make lateral moves in our personal lives as well?

Perhaps the most prevailing, healthiest school of thought regarding personal progress is to not compare yourself to others. Instead, compare yourself to yourself. Seek self-improvement year-over-year or over other periods of time. 

I most definitely agree with this and try to measure my own growth in this way. Though I wonder, is it okay to have lateral growth in your personal life?

Professionally, especially after a few years into the workplace or once a person hits a steady stride in his or her career, lateral moves and growth should be expected and sought out. Personally I’ve already made two very decided lateral moves in my career.

When I moved from Richmond to DC a few years ago I remained at the same company, in the same department, but moved to a different team. I left what was a very sexy role that offered me significant exposure to very senior executives (I’m talking C-level). I know some people, especially in my own peer set, must have thought I was crazy. But it was thought-out. I was intentionally diversifying myself so to broaden my own experience, figure out what I liked and didn’t like, as well as what I was good at and what I wasn’t so good at. After about a year I made another lateral move. Again, I am sure there were skeptics and people who had strong perspectives about my choices. Again, it was all very thought-out. 

Sure, I took a risk in these moves. I could have most certainly realized that the first role was in fact what I should have stuck with. I’m sure my career and life would have been fine -- wonderful in fact -- had I done that, but I personally needed more. 

I believe 100% that while my lateral moves might have seemingly stagnated me for a few years they taught me an incredible amount, made me more well rounded and experienced, and set me up to be catapulted to where I am today.

I would think most professionals, provided they are comfortable taking thought-out risks, would agree with lateral moves at some point in a career. I wonder though, can we make lateral moves in our personal lives?

I have a friend who once told me when he broke up with a longtime girlfriend that for him life and relationships were about growth. He and this girl were no longer growing together, which meant to him, that they were growing apart. While I believe this to an extent in relationships, if you’re not growing [upwards] as a person is it not progress to grow in a different way?

I’m not talking about getting fat here. I’m talking about maybe taking two steps forward but then floundering, making some mistakes, and maybe taking one step, or sometimes two, or sometimes even three steps back. But learning from these stumbles, picking yourself up, and continuing on. We encourage this professionally, but do we -- can we, or should we -- encourage this personally or socially?

I'm all about progress. I consider myself a pretty driven, put together person. Though I'm human and I have my moments when I am a mess. 

Some of my close friends might have an idea what is driving me to consider this. I don’t know the answer and I am not making excuses, but if it’s all about growth why do we have to control the way -- upwards or outwards -- that we grow? If we’re learning we’re learning and to me that’s progress. 

seeking some accountability

I find when I write things down I am much more accountable. Well, in an effort to hold myself accountable to some upcoming goals (pretty basic stuff) and to finally be completely settled into my new apartment, I will leverage my blog.

To set the stage know that I’ve felt like today was Friday all week. This is the worst because, well, today is Thursday. The bad news is that this will make tomorrow a bummer but the good news (I’m a silver linings person) is that this gives me a bit more time to think about the things I’d like to actually get done this weekend. 

I've been having some super fun weekends recently. I know, why stop now? I don’t plan on having a boring or bad weekend, I just really need to get organized in a few specific areas of my life. Don't worry, those on my distro list will still get the daily quota of snaps (gotta to my part to keep their valuation near that $3B mark, right?!) I just need to use my time more, err, wisely.

With that, here are the main things I’d like to do:

• Purchase and put up this bookshelf (Side note: normally I am not a huge Ikea fan but I have a TV stand and a desk that I surprisingly love and plan on getting the bookshelf from the same line; on top of not usually loving Ikea I often don’t like matchy-matchy pieces, just trying something different here; finally I don’t think I’ll paint it but that’s a cute idea for another apartment and this is the link I lifted from Pinterest)
• Put books/DVDs/pictures on bookshelf (have them in boxes in the place where said bookshelf will hopefully soon live)
• Look for frames for 3 photos I'd like to add to my photo wall 
• Start to think about Xmas gifts for family/friends

All pretty do-able stuff. Let's see what I can declare checked off come Sunday night/Monday morning. I am also interested in how I react to public accountability!

Finally for some visual interest, here are some before pictures….

A little to the left of this back corner will be where my new bookshelf lives

Some of my boxes of books (we’ll see what all fits)

Picture wall as of right now (don’t judge the messy papers/boxes to the left of my desk)

*Thanks to CLo for the interior decorating tips!