i am a girly girl. a runner. a daughter. a fashionista. a sister. a disney princess at ♥. a lumberjack alumni. a country girl. a coffee addict. a friend. a chocolate lover. a reader. a jeans, t-shirt, and flip flop girl. a movie goer. a grad student.
hey y'all!!! i swear i am still alive, just writing to from a very different part of the country now...statesboro, ga to be exact!! now let me do some explaining.
after finishing my masters in january i started job searching all over the us. and after quite a few rejection letters i finally got the email i was waiting for, an offer for an interview in georgia! so while in boise i was making plans to return home sunday of memorial day weekend, shop monday for a new suit, and then hop on another plane down south for what i was hoping would be the start of an amazing new adventure. after a whirlwind of interviewing i was back home waiting/crossing every limb i have for the good news phone call. on wednesday, june 5th while on lunch at whole foods i got that fantastic phone call witht the job offer!!! i accepted the job friday morning and started a whole nother whirlwind of my own. there is A LOT more to the craziness of the story but i dont want to bore you with all the details:)
literally the moment after my new boss offered me the job:)
so i turned in my notice the following wednesday, the 12th, making june 21st my last day of work, and then planning to leave monday the 24th for georgia for a start on july 1st!! told ya it was a whirlwind:) i was lucky to have a great boss that opted to let me make that monday, the 17th my actual last day so i could get ready for the big cross-country move. it was amazing to have a few more days at home to get things figured out, uhaul trucks rented, goodbye parties planned, running in there, and time with the family.
my fantastic parents!
a quick change of plans happened and we actually ended up leaving sunday the 23rd to go stay the night in flagstaff on our way! my bff jessica lives in phoenix, she and my mom came up with a plan to stay that sunday night there so i could see her before leaving! theyre the best:) so my mom and i bid farewell to my dad sunday afternoon and piled into the uhaul for a very slow trek up to 7000 feet flagstaff. it was during the 1st day that we realized a 30 hour gps drive time was going to be a little unrealistic haha. we didnt really take into account a uhaul truck pulling a dolly with my car on it!
my dad giving last minute instructions:)
our route!
of course a stop for late for the train!
after a great night of visiting mom and i headed out to the 40 for the next few days of our adventure. we decided on the way to collect state signs to help pass the time! plus ive never driven cross-country and i needed something to remember it all by:) instead of capturing the arizona sign we opted for a famous one instead...
and so began a crazy 3 day long trek across the us, literally from one coast to the other. i still cant believe my mom put up with that long in a truck! it was incredibly bumpy but the landscape getting greener and greener on our drive across was kind of awesome. we were super lucky to not hit any substantially bad weather. it was however windy from the moment we left vegas consistently until we got to oklahoma city! that was kind of awful i wont lie.
we were only in tennessee for about 2.5 seconds there wasnt even a good sign for us to stop at!
finally, finally, finally wednesday afternoon we crossed into georgia!! made our way through atlanta to statesboro pulling in around 1030p. 1st thing we did after checking into our hotel was get my poor car off that damn dolly! plus we were so happy to be in something that didnt feel ever rock/crack/pebble/bump when we went over it to go find dinner that night, which unfortunately meant another night of fast food:/ thursday though we actually got to sleep in and spent the day house hunting! i had a few leads on things it was just a matter of physically seeing them and then making a decision. after seeing a few great ones, and a few not so great things, i decided on a 3 bedroom house with a roommate! she amazingly let me move in the next day-well to the living room at least. she had just started roommate hunting and didnt know they would find someone so quick so they still needed to paint etc. which was ok because we had plans to spend the weekend in savannah with my great aunt and uncle anyway before my mom went home.
my new digs:)
my fantastic mama!
that sunday i had to put her on a plane back to vegas and it was very sad to be honest:( we are super close and she was so amazing to drive all that way with me and help me move in. it was nice that she was on summer vacation! last monday the 1st i began my job. let me tell you, working a full week after being off for 2 was rough lol. and i am no longer living in the living room! i spent just about all last week moving in and getting settled. my new comforter arrived monday, the last big piece to my new room.
oh, i forgot to tell you what im doing! i am working in admissions, running the campus visit program, advising the volunteer tour group, and coordinating different recruiting events on and off campus! it is so seriously right up my alley and has already been a great adventure! i am almost done with week 2 already. i have met some amazing people and everyone here is sooo super nice, welcoming, and just darn excited im here:) i have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a really long time and am so excited its finally here!! its the start of a grand new adventure in life both professionally and professionally:) did i mention i was really, really excited about it all??!! i cant thank everyone enough for their love and support these last few months in helping me get here:) so follow me along this new adventure of working, running, and living in the south. i cant wait to experience and share it all!!
welcome to the south. we have margaritas in mason jars here:)
so its been just over a month since i finished school and for some reason i havent been able to write about it all yet. i have tried a few times, mostly ending with me staring at a blank page. its almost a little unreal to be done. and to say that i have a masters degree. plus i will have no more homework ever again! it was kind of awesome getiing ready for surf city and not having to worry about what was due or finishing up things before i left. the other free days during the week are friggin sweet as well:) the crazy thing is it was right about 2 years ago, almost exactly that i made the decision to go back to school. (read all about it here!) there were definitely some naysayers, actually quite a few that told me there would a lot of things i would have to give up. for example, i probably wouldnt run as much. i most likely wouldnt travel very often. i really wouldnt have much of a life at all with working full time. even with all those scary thoughts i embarked anyway!
the life of a runner and a grad student.
it was hard, i cant even lie. and there were many a days i thought it wasnt ever going to end or that i could just stop. but then as the classes started to tick off and the months started flying by i realized how fast this was really going to go. so i bucked up, figured out a schedule that finally worked, and became determined to finish! i pushed out the people that told me it was too much work or that it was a silly thing to even be doing. i focused and relied on the people that were crazy supportive instead, luckily there were a lot more of those than the other:)
as my last class finally came to a close it all started getting real, really real. and after staying up until 2am on a saturday night to finish my nightmareishly long 30 page paper because i just couldnt look at it anymore, i was done. all i had to do was read over it and turn it in. i had really finished! i told my mom that once the paper was done all i wanted was a cupcake from the cupcakery to celebrate. so as i came bouncing downstairs that sunday-at about 2 in the afternoon-i was finally able to tell her it was time for cupcakes! it was the first of many celebrations:)
that monday i turned in my monster paper-that wasnt actually due till wednesday, yay me-and waited for my final grade. i had about 30 points to play with and still keep my a in the class. and i waited. and waited. and waited some more. and waited. then, on friday morning that week when i was off and we were leaving that afternoon for my grandpas birthday i got my official grade on the paper...and 88%!! which added up meant i got a 95% in the class! which really meant i had completed my masters program with a 4.0!! to continue the celebration i did when any normal runner does, i ran a 1/2 marathon with my favorite running buddy jen:) i know, totally normal! the original plan was to have a graduation party in vegas that weekend but when your grandpa turns 80 and has a party, he pretty much wins haha. so i decided on having the next weekend instead! after some serious searching for the right place i found bjs cocktail lounge. it had a great atmosphere, friendly, and had a pool table so people had some things to do. the people there were great and let me bring in all kinds of decorations. jessica flew out from denver to join in the festivities, and i had family come from all over! there was cake of course-whats a party without cake-that was delicious. we had a blast and had soo many different people came to have a drink or 2!
jessica stayed for a few extra days and in true style we decided to make the most of our time. which in our case meant a trip to some place special...
it only took 1 quick question from jessica for us to end up here!
i LOVE her:)
i had been saying for months that when i graduated i wanted to go buy something from tiffanys for myself as a reward for finishing. well after some looking i realized that may not be the most feasible thing ever and there wasnt anything that super caught my attention. so instead i set out to buy myself a watch! i havent had one since i worked at old navy almost 3 years ago because i was everyones time keeper for everything. soon it just became associated with work and i took it off the moment i was off. but i began thinking how much i really wanted now. so after some hunting i picked out a perfect one from fossil that i love! it was the perfect gift:)
i couldnt get a good picture, so i had to borrow!source
now that ive been done for that month ive been doing some adjusting. its weird to not have worry about homework on wednesday nights. or wonder when was the last time i logged into post something for attendance. when i went out of town the last 2 times i didnt have to even think about homework. i did think i would have so much more time then i actually do. kind of makes me wonder how i even made it all fit for that long! i did start to think about the naysayers the other day and all the things they told me i couldnt do. when i actually thought about it, i realized how many things i really did do, and there were quite a few!
*trained for and completed 6 1/2 marathons-cut back on running my ass
*traveled to england for one of my best friends weddings
*held my full time job successfully
*trained for and completed an olympic triathlon
*became single and even more independent
*finally got to participate in ragnar
*lost 25 pounds
oh and yes, i will participate in a graduation ceremony in the early summer. where and when is still being worked out with my advisor. who knows where this will take me next. i have some big picture ideas im working on now. i was finally able to sit down and write this when it all became very real upon coming home one night to a package on my front doorstep. my diploma was inside:) its really real now!
master of arts in education higher & postsecondary education
total run mileage: 78.35 miles highest weekly run mileage: 22.75 miles # runs: 12 # rest days: 15
# xtraining workouts: 9 <-finally.
favorite run: the kaiser permanate ½ marathon with jen!! it was a last minute add, literally and it was a blast! i cant believe i literally signed up for a ½ marathon a week before it happened. i think that means im a real runner now:)
ps we finished in 1:56:03!!!
most hardcore run: the 10 miler i did the week after. i really could have kept this one shorter, i mean i did do a ½ the weekend before. 8 would have been plenty. thank goodness jen was with me to help me finish and i was sorely reminded to respect the distance!
current reads: girls in white dresses. i found this list of books all girls in their 20s should read. its just ok, im still workin on it.
current shame-inducing guilty pleasure:
current obsession: my new tattoo:) oh i didnt tell you i got one? dont worry, that story is coming!
i love her.
current drink: water and more water. finally back to the good things!
current song: i cant even lie how much i like this song! haha:).
current wish-list:
·im keeping this one on there…get my 2013 race calendar together. after surf city i don’t really have a lot of plans. its kinda freaking me out, i wont lie. time to get it together!
·more clothes that fit! i scored an amazingly great deal at new york and company a few weeks ago for new dress pants. now its time to find the tops to go with those and the extra cash to fund it all;)
current need: new running shoes. no really. my current ones have quite a bit of miles on them, ive been in them since about julyish. that is a big time period! on to the hunt
current triumph: being DONE WITH SCHOOL!!! i finished earlier this month and with a 4.0, thank you very much:)
current bane of my existence: this magical amount of time people told me i would have when i was done with school that seems to be hiding. i mean seriously, what happened to it?
current goal: to find that magical amount of time free time. i know its out there, just gotta work on finding it.
current indulgence: i found some christmas fudge hanging out in the back of the fridge and i cant seem to leave it alone. its just so darn good!
total run mileage: 72.65 miles highest weekly run mileage: 27.96 miles # runs: 13 # rest days: 17
# xtraining workouts: 2 <-oops.
favorite run: ragnar for sure. ok that may be a few runs put together, but man it was cool:)
most hardcore run: the run i did right before ragnar. it wasnt particularily difficult, my head was just all over the place and my body was really not loving that i drug it out of bed that morning.
current reads: back to being a big slacker!
current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: falling asleep with the tv on and sleeping diagonally. i know it sounds silly, but i couldnt do either at my apartment! sleeping right down the middle while friends plays in the background are seriously two of my favorite things:)
current obsession: christmas music! omg its everywhere and im totally in love. ok i wasnt in love until the end of november, but now i listen to it everywhere!
current drink: water and wine, ha! im trying to learn to drink it and i think im doin a pretty darn good job:)
current song: goodbye in her eyes by the zac brown band. current wish-list:clothes that actually fit. i always thought i would be so excited if my clothes were loose or needed a belt. then it actually happened and now i am beyond frustrated that nothing fits. it would be much easier if i had some extra cash running around to start replacing, but that whole adult thing keeps getting in the way, ha!
current need: to stay in the moment. sometimes i get so worried about what the future might possibly bring i forget to love the moment im in and i have been having some really great ones too, no matter what im feeling at the time.
current triumph: getting to my last class!! i am soooo close to done people. january 12th is coming sooo fast, 41 days to be exact:)
current bane of my existence: my final paper. its 30 pages people, really?! 30 pages. its due january 9th so i have lots of time to work on it, but its going to take a lot of work between now and then. theres lots of things going on between now and then too with holidays and family that its going to really put me to the test!
current goal: to combat the holiday weight gain. it sounds a little silly but i learned such great things from joanie i need to not waste them over the holiday season. plus i feel really good about all my progress, lets not let the holidays burst that!
current indulgence: coffee. frilly, girly, sugary coffee to be exact. that’s actually 2 months in a row, oops:)
back in june i began my masters program (if you havent heard, check it out!) and i can't believe it's been that long already! i decided it might be time to clue you all in on how it's going:)
i am now in the 1st week of my 4th class, crazy i know. i think i may have finally figured out a schedule haha. i started with one, then threw it out, then started another and continued till i finally found one that worked. the problem wasn't school, it was fitting the 2 other important thing of training and work into the equation.
sunday:
off
long run blog/homework if absolutely necessary
monday: work 830a-530p blog/clean up from the weekend/do things at home sin city roadrunner group @6p 4-5 miles
tuesday: work 11a-8p read/research if needed for class rest (training) wednesday: work 9a-6p homework 6am spin class
as you can see this doesn't leave a lot of outside time for well a life haha. or rest from everything/life lol. i am also extremely lucky to be doing this before i am married and/or children come into my life. i have noooo idea how moms handle all this, mad respect, seriously. also remember that richard works nights. so i try to get everything done during the week so the days we do get together i don't have to worry about fitting in homework. he is also extremely supportive and makes sure that im getting everything done on time, it's very sweet.
i have now completed the intro class, leadership in education which I actually really liked, and the god awful law and policy in higher education. as soon as i saw the last one on the curriculum i knew it was going to suck to be honest. that coupled with the horrible professor i had made the class a terrible experience all the way around. i for sure celebrated when that class was over, after fighting tooth and nail to get my last 8 points to keep my A and 4.0 gpa.
after this class i will be just about halfway! it's super fast. each class is only 8 weeks total, it runs 7 1/2 weeks then you have the last half of the week off before starting again. which for the last 2 classes and this one as well, have had the final due the day after my big races. it makes for a crazy race week to say the least. i am set however to finish january 2013:)
many people have asked what that means i will do when im done? i want to work at the staff side of a state university somewhere. i have absolutely no desire to teach, i also have mad respect for those that do, seriously. it's just not my gig. i would love to get into student affairs/orientation/tours and events/residence life something along those lines. im not exactly sure where or in exactly what department, but do know that is the path i want to go down. i can't wait to see where this all takes me!
four years ago when i graduated college i pretty much vowed i would never go back for my masters. i was done with the homework, and the tests, and the study groups, and the late nights that often turned into the all nighters. the real issue on top of all of that though, was that i had no idea what i would go back for. i started working in the field of my degree a few months after graduation and realized that was not what i wanted to do forever. it was a great job and company and i learned a ton, but it was not me for the long haul.
my family! class of 2007.
when i made the return to higher education i knew that was where i needed to be there. it was the field i loved and believed in whole heartedly. almost immediately after starting so many people i worked with told me i needed to go back to school. and i fought it hardcore! i just wasnt ready and hated the fact that people were pushing me.
at the beginning of this year i began doing some soul searching. i knew that i had finally found the right field and could see myself in it for the long term, but was i ready for the next step? i had so many thoughts going through my head along the way. do i really want to go online? can i fit all of this in? do i have to give up running? do i wait until i can get on a campus and complete my program there?
i consulted a few friends that were in a program similar and talked a lot to richard about really doing this. then i finally came to the decision on my own that i needed to and was ready to go back to school. i realized i may never have so many things line up at the same time. i am settled in a job, i dont have kids, i have a company willing to help me complete my masters, and i am still young. i could enroll in an online program and complete it in a year and a half.
once i made the decision i was ready to start i wanted to get going right away. i had to submit an intent and get approved all the way back in march. then i had to sit around and wait. and wait. and wait. i second guessed my decision. and thought about pulling out. then i got super frustrated about waiting. then i was so ready i thought i was going to burst. i kept the going back secret to myself for the most part. i told my parents who laughed a lot because they were right. i discussed it a lot with richard who was totally gun ho. i talked with my boss who hopped right on board. a few coworkers who were also going. and a few friends. the reactions were super supportive for the most part. i definitely had some nay-sayers along the way. but the positive reinforcement was so much larger!
so i can now officially say i am a grad student! i began classes on june 30th and havent looked back since (yes i realize thats only a few weeks). my classes are 7 and a half weeks long with the rest of the week off to make them a total of 8 weeks and there are 10 of them. i will officially be done in january 2013 if i stay on track. i will graduate with a master of art in education in higher and postsecondary education. check out the link to the argosy university website to check out all the details. i cant wait to dive more into my program and get into some specialized classes. i think this program is perfect for me and what i want to do in life. i want to make a difference and work with students. not necessarily on the beginning front of a college, but while they are in school and "growing up."
the first days of the first week were a little touch and go. there was soo much work in a few short days. and it took me awhile to get settled and figure out where everything is online. i am starting with intro to higher and postsecondary education, basically the 101 version of my program. its a great start!
and yes, i do get to graduate for those curious. mostly my dad:) i get to pick a ground campus that has my program and graduate there. so lets see where should we go...san francisco? seattle? la? hawaii? dallas? atlanta? the possibilities are endless and i cant wait for this feeling again...
