career day

Okay people. It’s about to be your big chance to DOLE OUT THE ADVICE. To me, of course. So get excited!

I’m currently in the process of trying to Figure Out What To Do With My Life: Career Edition. I figured since I’m almost 30, it’s about time to start thinking about that. Ambitious, I know.

Since my main #1 goal for my entire adult life has been to Be A Mom, preferably of the staying-mostly-at-home variety, it’s easy to see why Finding A Career has never been a huge priority. And it still isn’t. But seeing as Momhood hasn’t exactly worked out for me so far, and I will probably need to continue being employed for the foreseeable future, I may as well think of something awesome to pursue. My pursuits will, however, be of the part-time/do-it-at-home variety. Because when I’m a mom, of course, I will not be wanting to be hauling my butt across town to spend 8-5 somewhere else every day. Also, even though I am NOT a mom at the moment…I still would prefer to not be at work every waking moment. Because it doesn’t leave a lot of time to do all the other things I actually want to be doing. SO! Now we move onto the fun part: Things I Might Like To Make a Living Doing.

These are in absolutely no order whatsoever, and as you would expect, I will provide way more details than is ever necessary about my qualifications/thoughts about each ‘career’.

1. Financial Advisor. A very specific kind of advisor, though. I know absolutely nothing about investing, stocks, 401(k)s, and all that junk. I am more of a budget advisor slash tell-you-like-it-is about why you so BROKE advisor. Those are my personal strengths: being frugal, making budgets, and being bossy. I have really enjoyed helping friends and co-workers learn to live within their means and make better choices about the stuff they spend money on. Basically I memorize everything Dave Ramsey says and then just quote that, but don’t tell that to my future clients who are going to pay me top dollar to set them straight. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Financial Advisor: I’m pretty sure you have to have some sort of degree or certification to do this. Also it might be helpful to know about actual financial things, which I do not. Also, broke people probably don’t have enough money to pay me to help them with this stuff…

2. Flower Bed Designer/Maintainer. This is not to be confused with a landscape architect or lawn maintenance person. And this is a spring/summer/fall-ONLY position—I do not want to spend any unnecessary time outdoors when it is cold. But I would like to help people decide what kind of flowers/shrubs to plant around their houses and then do that and then do simple things like weed/maintain the beds. I like doing this stuff and it appears that most of my neighbors do not, so maybe they would like to pay me to do it for them! Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Flower Bed Designer/Maintainer: You probably need to know a lot more about flowers, and also most of the stuff I plant dies and people probably don’t want to pay me to watch their flowers die, shrug my shoulders, and go buy another $2 plant at Lowe’s.

3. Zumba Instructor: OK, I know I’ve only been taking Zumba for a month, but I am totally in love with it and in my own humble opinion, I think I’ve got what it takes. Except for the cool Zumba workout clothes, but I can buy those. The certification process to be a Zumba teacher is scary-easy, and seeing as how every Zumba class in town is packed full every night of the week, it seems like there’s demand. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Zumba Instructor: I’m not Latin, and I’m not very bubbly/outgoing. I’m mostly just bossy and it bothers me when people keep messing up the simple steps. And I don’t particularly care to have people watching me dance.

4. LSAT Prep Instructor: So I took the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) back in the day, and I did pretty well: well enough to qualify to teach prep courses for Kaplan or Princeton Review. There are TONS of those positions available in Athens, seeing as there’s a law school at UGA and all. You make really good money and set your own hours (see also: Zumba Instructor). Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be an LSAT Prep Instructor: I didn’t do any prep for the test myself, so I have no idea how to tell another person how THEY should prep for it. I don’t know if I would like teaching college students. I think my score has expired, so I would probably have to re-take the test myself before I could even apply for a job…which would be really ironic, I think.

5. Life Coach: OK for REAL: I LOL every time I hear of this “job.” LIFE COACH?? But since it apparently IS a job these days, I think I should be one. I like to tell people what to do and how to do it and I like to be nosy about the details of peoples’ lives. Please note that I do not like to do any of these things unsolicited, otherwise I would be an entirely inappropriate human being. But if you wanted to PAY me to do these things for you? Shooooot… Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Life Coach: I could never take myself seriously when I introduced myself as a “life coach.” I think I would die laughing. Also, it might seem hypocritical for someone who is almost 30 and has no idea what to do with her life to be telling other people what to do with theirs.

6. Author: I don’t really know what I want to write about…I just like the idea of it. I could basically spend my days lounging around coffee shops, park benches, and my sofa, passing it off as “oh, I’m working on my next book.” That sounds pretty sweet. I think I would like to be the female version of either Donald Miller or John Steinbeck. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be an Author: I don’t have anything to write about. Also, I’m pretty sure authors spend about 99% of their time being broke. Maybe I can just do my authoring along with another career.

7. Paralegal: It seems like a nice happy way to satisfy my lawyer dreams…none of the pesky courtroom trials or law school debt, all of the fun researching and writing papers. I’ve heard you can do it on a freelance basis, too. Lots of things sound appealing about being a paralegal. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Paralegal: None, really…except I’m not sure what the demand is for them. Especially the freelance, work-from-home ones. And I’d have to get some sort of schooling or certification, but that shouldn’t be too bad (see: LSAT instructor).

8. Blogger/Crafter: The only difference between this ‘career goal blogger/crafter’ and what I currently do is that I need to start making money. Basically I would like to maintain my current life, minus the going to work for 8 hours every day. And I would like to continue to make greater than or equal to the same amount of money I currently make. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Blogger/Crafter: If it was so easy to make money doing this, I would already be doing it.

9. Advice Columnist: This is some kind of hybrid between Life Coach and Author. People have problems, I have answers. Bonus: You don’t have to put “Life Coach” on your business card. Might be able to take yourself seriously. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be an Advice Columnist: Uhh…the world is full of people telling you what to do for free. Pretty sure no one wants to pay for that.

10. Beach Tester: You know…the person that has the grueling job of testing out all the beaches (resorts/amusement parks/ski lodges/etc.) in the world and then writing articles about the Top 10 ____ for Yahoo or making a show for the Travel Channel? I want to be the one making those tough decisions. Reasons I Might Not Be Able To Be a Beach Tester: Kind of hard to test beaches from home, since there isn’t a beach in my living room. Also, I get airsick. And I might get too tan.

Well, that’s about it for now. If I think of any more great potential careers, I’ll be sure to update you. In the meantime…which one do you think I should pursue? Can you think of any other jobs (real or imaginary) that I might be good for? Do you want to share your life/budget (real or imaginary) problems with me so that I can get good practice for my Life Coaching/Advice Column-Writing/Financial Planning careers?

toes in the sand

Howdy, friends. 

Did you know that the high temperature here (this is GEORGIA, if you need reminding) yesterday was like THIRTY FIVE? That was the HIGH. For a point of reference, over the weekend the highs were in the upper 60s-- much more acceptable temperatures, if you ask me. And then all the sudden it's 20 degrees overnight and barely cracking the freezing point during the day? Thanks, but no thanks.

It got me thinking about one thing:

Nice warm beaches...and my toes in the sand.

And then I started humming this little ditty by the Zac Brown Band: Toes.

And then I watched the video, which goes from entertaining to ridiculous pretty quickly...but I still sorta love the song. Or at least the refrain: I got my toes in the water...ass in the sand...not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand...life is good today. Life is good today.

And then I became extremely aware of how freezing my OWN toes currently were. And I cursed this stupid cold weather. And then I thought about my friend Kristina, who currently resides in West Palm Beach, Florida...where I'm guessing (based on her daily tweets of beach pictures) it is not exactly 35 degrees. And then I decided to go spend Spring Break with her (after she promised to teach me how to use my camera and also pledged to help me find some manatees to stalk).

And then all THAT got me to thinking about one of our past spring breaks: 2006, to be exact. We took a road trip to Florida in search of warmth and beaches and sand, and we found them. And life was good.

 Look!! We had no GPSes and yet we still made it! Miraculous!

Ahh...such a great trip. Look at those toes in the sand (mine are the big ones, haha). 

Screw you, freezing cold Georgia. I'm gonna find me some sand.

is it copping out? or just a tradition?

Happy New Year, blog world! Welcome to 2012, also known as The Year I Will Turn 30 on 12/12/12. Be prepared to be reminded about that a lot. I realize my birthday was just like 3 weeks ago, but I am SO FRIGGIN EXCITED about the 12/12/12 thing that it's basically all I can think about.

At least it's better than whining about infertility, right?

But don't worry, whining is why you know and love me. So I won't let you down in this new year. To kick things off, I have a tradition to continue-- the Year End meme thing! At first I was thinking it was totally a cop-out to do this thing again. Then I realized...maybe it's not a cop-out...maybe it's a tradition. After all, this will be my third year doing it...it'd basically be a crime NOT to fill it out. Even if it is basically an exact duplicate of last year's answers. Even if nothing has changed. Even if that's REALLY depressing to realize and think about. 

Ugh. Let's roll, kids. If you have no life would like to review my answers from past years, head over to 2009 and 2010.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? 
Went rock climbing, went on an airplane with my husband, met my blog BFF in real life, got a Big Girl Camera, Zumba..I'm sure there's more, why don't you just go reread the whole last year's worth of blogs if you're interested? ;)  

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember if I made any last year, which means I probably did not. I don't really plan on making any this year, either. 
 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Did anyone close to me NOT give birth? That would be a better question.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Well, sort of. I wasn't personally super close to them, but some people I love were. My brother-in-law Tom's parents passed away last summer.

5. What countries did you visit?

The good ol' US of A! I think I managed to see Georgia (surprise, surprise), South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas this year. 
 

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Hmm, let's see...a baby? A six pack? (of abs, not beer. I already have a 6 pack of beer.) How about some photography skillz? Oh, I'd like to have 100 followers! That would be cool.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
 No particular date is standing out right now...but I bet I know what date from 2012 will stand out: 12/12/12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Surviving it? Not kidnapping a baby?

OK, on a more positive note: I achieved CRAFTINESS this year. I'm pretty proud about that! 

9. What was your biggest failure?
 I don't feel like I've been a particularly good friend the past (few) year(s). I guess it's a combination of being sad/jealous/stressed out/tired/overthinking/at work. I'm better at being open and honest on a computer. But I should work at being a better friend in real life.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Eh, just the usual. A few sinus infections, asthma flareups, ruptured cysts, MRSA...nothing special.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Definitely the camera. Or the smartphone. Or my glue gun.
 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Matt, who is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Umm...the jury of the Casey Anthony trial. Appalling.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Truthfully? Probably to our mortgage. But that's boring! Ha. It FEELS like most of our money went to acupuncture, even though it was not really all that much (in the grand scheme of things). 

15. What did you get really excited about?

Crafting. Going to Texas. My triphasic chart. Getting our camera. Adoption.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
 The songs that I used on my brother and sister-in-law's wedding rehearsal slideshow I made. I had to listen to them 28293493 times in order to time everything perfectly on Kizoa.

I won't bore you with listing them all; they were mostly country and I can probably safely assume I'm the only person here who likes country music (besides my brother and his wife, of course).
 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) happier or sadder?
I don't know, probably happier. I am feeling really encouraged about adoption right now. But don't worry, give me a few weeks and I'm sure it will wear off! (Pessimistic? Or just realistic?)
(b) thinner or fatter?
About the same, I guess. I would personally describe it as 'perfection.' (HAHAHAHA)
(c) richer or poorer?

Richer, I guess. Woohoo! Go me! I got about 3 quarters bangin' together in my wallet...
  
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Working out...I got a little less hardcore this year. But now that Zumba has entered my life, I feel myself being re-excited about working out! Also...I got Zumba shoes for Christmas. Just sayin.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Sitting at home feeling sad.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With Matt's family. It was wonderful! I am so especially thankful this year for my wonderful sister-in-laws who I adore spending time with. And Baby Timmy's not so shabby himself...
 

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
I am possibly a teensy bit in love with Baby Timmy. Come on! You look at those cute cheeks and try not to be in love with him, too!!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Definitely my BFFs the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and New Jersey.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope. I don't think there have been any additions to the Hate List.

24. What was the best book you read?
Jane Eyre. I can't believe I didn't read that until this year!   

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

N/A. I don't make musical discoveries.
  
26. What did you want and get?

A Big Girl Camera, a smartphone, a trip to Texas, 2 massages, a Handy Nabber, a few mani-pedis, and the Spiritual Gift of Craftiness.
  
27. What did you want and not get?
BABYBABYBABYBABYBABY. I also did not win the lottery even though I played I think 3 times. And with said lottery winnings, I would have bought a baby (via IVF or adoption, of course. No human trafficking here!).


I also wanted to move to the Middle East and did not. But I'm okay with that (for now).

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
 I am currently struggling to recall ANY movies I saw this year. I do remember seeing Black Swan and thought it was equal parts disturbing and excellent. OH!!!! I went to the movie theater (the REAL ONE, not the dollar one) (because she got free tix) with Mollyanne and saw The Help! It was great. 

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Appropriate that this is question 29, isn't it? I turned 29. And I just went to look for my Birthday Recap post to link up to it and then I realized I NEVER WROTE ONE. And that is a tragedy, because it was a great day! We went to dinner with some wonderful friends and took lots of ridiculous pictures, so I am obviously going to share a few right now:

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Uhh...probs a baby.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Comfortable. And sometimes cute.

32. What kept you sane?
Blogging. For realz. Crafting. Pinterest. My BFFs.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Umm...Kate Middleton? I was a big fan of the royal wedding, as you may recall.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Other than the total and complete hot mess that was the Casey Anthony jury (which actually has nothing to do with politics, but is one of the few Current Events I kept up with), I pretty much did not care about any political issues. I know there were a bunch of folks with their panties in a twist about something who were busy occupying a bunch of places, and I didn't even care about that until someone almost mugged me next to the Occupy tent in downtown Athens, and then I decided I hated all those Occupying people because they could not be bothered to rescue me. That was about as political as I got this year. I am going to try to be even less political next year, what with it being an election year and all (guess who COULDN'T CARE LESS about that, either??!!) .

35. Who did you miss? 
 I miss my friends that live far away. And the ones that live near but that I still never manage to see.


36. Who was the best new person you met?
Meeting Amanda J. in real life, most def!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
God is good because He is good...not because He gives me everything I want.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
You're rich in love and You're slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
(10,000 Reasons- Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman)

Oh I'm sorry-- was this even LONGER than the other years? Sheesh, I thought we would never finish. If you made it to the end-- great is your reward. 

Yep, that's your reward. A picture of some fungi growing on a dead tree stump with a mountain stream in the background. I took the pic on Friday, when Matt and I took a day trip to go hiking in the mountains! And now this picture is your great reward. LUCKY YOU! Happy 2012!

final card stats, 2011

Well folks, the final Christmas Card Stats are in. Or at least, they should be. If I receive any more cards after this point, it is going to be stretching it to call them "Christmas" cards. I know you are probably biting your nails waiting to find out the final breakdown of my cards, so we'll get right to it!

Total Number of Cards Received: 21

# of Photo Cards: 14
# of Non-Photo Cards (in case you're not a math genius): 7 
# of Cards from Georgia: 9
Card Hailing from Furthest Away: Harlingen, TX (1,178 miles away) beat out Carrol, Iowa by about 100 miles. Way to go, Alejandros! 

The following categories apply to PHOTO CARDS ONLY:
Black & White to Color ratio: 3:11
# of Cards with Kids (not counting kids in utero): 11
# of Cards with ONLY Kids: 2
# of Cards with Pets: 1 (let's try to do better on this one next year, people)


I think that about sums it up: if you can think of any other statistics you're dying to know about, feel free to ask.

And while we're at it, here's what our card looked like:

I'm sure it came as a real shock that I used that picture. It's only my FAVORITE PICTURE OF US ever (this year)...which is why it's featured in my blog header and pretty much all profile pictures of late. I'm tan, bangs are looking good, arm is at a MOST flattering angle, I'm wearing my favorite dress...seriously, what's not to love.

Putting away the Christmas cards is always sad, but I look forward to pulling them all out again next year (yes, I save them every year) and seeing the friendly faces once again.  


And if you have nothing else to do today, I suggest YOU take inventory of your own cards. It's very entertaining (if you're a dork like me)!


PS. Happy Birthday to my bestie Mollyanne!! Go over to her blog and show her some birthday love if you have a minute!