{Sort of like a “Friday Five” or a “Life Lately” except it’s probably not Friday, and I gave up on the idea of a catchy alliteration. These are some bits and pieces of my not-so-glam 20-something life. See past posts HERE}
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Gearing up for Fall…
I am usually annoyed at people who proclaim September 1 as the first day of fall. But I am just SO READY for it this year! I will also never understand why being obsessed with fall seems to infect ALL WOMEN, but it does, it really does. I’m basic, and not even ashamed.
Sawyer June
Sorry for the spam of baby pictures but Sawyer June is growing so fast and I miss her so much!
The Teacher
I shared this on my Facebook a few weeks ago, but I just had to include it again. If any regular readers still don’t know why I fell in love with Manhattan, KS, just read this.
Bill and I actually have something in common, because my first visit was also on a cold December day and the kindness of the people I met is something that has always stuck with me. I left knowing that it was where I needed to be.
At the very least, if you are a sports fan, this is still worth your time to read.
Saved this as a screenshot from Facebook… but I can’t remember the source. Sorry!
Not to downplay anything related to Hurricane Harvey and Irma, whatsoever, but fewer people are aware that Oregon is hurting quite a bit too lately (as is much of the west!) because of a fire in the Columbia River Gorge that now covers an estimated 37,500 acres and is only 13 percent contained. The fire has changed the landscape of so many beautiful natural landmarks and treasures, some to the point that they will never again look the same during my lifetime.
Its been a rough couple of weeks all around, folks.
Motivation from Filly Flair
Growing up with a grandma and mom who own their own business, I have always had a special place for women entrepreneurs. Maybe a little less than a year ago, one of my friends told me about an online clothing boutique out of South Dakota, called Filly Flair, that I should check out. I am now a super fan and customer, but lately I also started followed the company’s owner on Instagram and have really enjoyed her overall message and transparency. So I wanted to share a little video that they recently posted about her and the company. I’d recommend it if you need a little motivation today. And no, this is totally not an ad of any kind, but hey Filly Flair hit me up! 🙂
K-State Capital Area Alumni
Recently I joined the planning committee for the K-State Capital Area Alumni group and my new job is handling social media (big surprise there!) We just kicked off our football watch party season, so I’ve already been all over our Facebook page and also started up our own Instagram account. We’re at @kstatecapitalalumni if you want to check it out.
But really though, making images with K-State purple and football? That will never get old.
The Power of Rituals and 6 Other Ways to Get in The Zone
My Shine Texts are always on the money for what I need to hear, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Habits and routines that help my productivity and focus have definitely been a struggle point for me for a while. This article lays it all out in a way that makes sense to me. Now to just better implement those things…
Last Saturday I joined a group of women from my church to hike the Maryland Heights Trail near Harpers Ferry, WV.
If the name “Harpers Ferry” sounds vaguely familiar to you… it should. There is so much history about the area, especially from the Civil War, including John Brown’s Raid. The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park covers parts of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, and was about an hour away from DC.
Our hiking group.
As you can still there is still a lot green on the trees although it varied based on how high we were. Personally I loved that there was a great blend of fall and summer colors. After week of higher temps in the 80s, the temperature dropped quite a bit the night before the hike, giving us the perfect weather for a fall hike.
I still don’t know very many of these ladies all that well, but I really value that the church I attend puts such an emphasis on small groups and community.
I had a great time with everyone!
The hike was challenging in a few places, but not too bad. What is more amazing is that I didn’t fall once… I think that is a first for me. You would think being so short and a dancer as a kid would help my balance, but no, most of the time it is quite the opposite.
I know this is probably a little creepy but I couldn’t pass up a good photo.
If you know me well you know that my favorite place to be is up in the mountains. I am a bit partial to the Blue Mountains in Oregon, but these ones sure didn’t disappoint. Its been another busy couple of weeks at work so a full day out of the city, enjoying the fall colors, with great company was exactly what I needed. And I am so glad I decided last minute to take my camera. I use it so much for work stuff and touring around DC, that it was nice to get in more practice with a different subject.
We didn’t explore the little town that much, but it was so cute! I definitely want to go back and focus more on the history.
I spent the first six months at my new job sharing an office with one of my colleagues.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually didn’t mind that much and in many ways, since she had only started 4 months ahead of me, it was a great way to learn the job and get to know her.
But a few weeks ago we were able to shuffle around and now I have my own office, and I have to admit, I really missed having my own space. I’m a true believer that creating a space that supports your habits, personality and creativity is important for balance and staying motivated.
I’m not quite done hanging things up and getting my office in order, but the first thing I did was add a few touches of fall décor, and I couldn’t wait to share.
The silks, wooden pumpkin and tin vase are from Michaels and the other pumpkins are all from Target. Everything is new this year. I’m really disappointed that the closest Hobby Lobby is over an hour away from me, but Michaels’ always has things super marked down, which is great because I have trouble staying away.
This is my other fall display sitting on top of my bookshelf. The pumpkin container I’ve had for a few years from a birthday flower arrangement my parents sent and the small wire pumpkins I found in the $3 bins that sit in the front of the store at Target. The DIY wreath is my favorite though! I have wanted to make one for quite a while now and was planning on it this past winter, until my big move happened.
To make it I used this tutorial:
The tutorial is pretty thorough, but I did have to re-watch a couple of times and re-did my first section a few times before I got the pattern of it down. The video said to use wire to first attach the burlap and that is what I had planned on using…until I forgot it in the shopping cart at the store. Even though I was going back the next day, I was impatient to get started and used safety pins to secure it instead and that seemed to work fine.
I made mine on a 24-inch frame and used 4, 10-yard rolls of burlap that was 4 inches wide.
For decorations I used a fall garland, a few of the small pumpkins from Target and fall silk bouquet. This is also the part where I share, for people who don’t know me, that my family owns a flower shop and home décor store, so I have an arsenal of random talents that only result in the constant itch to decorate things and spend way too much at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. I will say though, my school projects growing up were always pretty awesome because I essentially lived in a craft store and have a LOT of really creative people in my family.
I wanted everything to be attached to the wreath with wire because I want to option of changing the décor out with the season. So for the pumpkins, I hot-glued a few pieces of wire to them.
One of my friends back in Oregon already has plans for me to make her one when I visit for Christmas and one of my co-workers wants to pay me to make one for his home’s entry way. He then proceeded to make sure that everyone in our office had stopped by my office to see it.
In my family’s group text the conversation went like this:
Grampy: “Where did you buy that?”
Me: “I made it.”
Grampy: “Really? Outstanding… you must have grown up in a flower shop.”
Me: “Yeah, I guess I learned a thing or two.”
Cheers!
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I LOVE looking at other people’s décor ideas, so I’m excited to link up with Rachel and Astleigh for their Halloween/Fall décor link-up!
What I’m Eating This Week… September was a bit unexpectedly busy and stressful, so I just really didn’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen. This month was a lot of my quick go-to meals that are easy to prepare. I did try a couple of new restaurants though. Jaleo is a Spanish Tapas place in Gallery Place/Chinatown that was amazing!! I went there for a girls night with a few I know through work and there wasn’t a plate we didn’t like. We wrapped up the evening at Oyamel just right across the street for salt foam margaritas. I’m not big on the coarse salt margs are usually served with, but these were so different and so good!
Another place I tried was the Mitsitam Cafe at the American Indian History Museum. I think all of the Smithsonian’s have some type of cafeteria/food option, but the only other one I had eaten at before had a pretty standard menu. This one though had different stations and menus that reflected on native food from different Indian regions in the Western Hemisphere, so think “Northern Woodlands”, “Meso America”, “Northwest Indian,” etc.
What I’m Reminiscing About…
Our family friend posted this picture this week of Kelli, who is 10 years old and totally owning her first season showing livestock in 4-H.
My sister and I were Kelli and her brother Vance’s main baby sitters from the time they born, they even picked up on my sisters name for me “Sissy” for a while. One of the saddest things for me was to leave for college and not get to watch them grow up. All of these pictures from her first show season almost made me tear up because she looks so grown up (and almost taller then me) doing this…
And its so hard to believe that its been 6 years ago since she was doing this…
But the little girl in this picture will always be my favorite. Love you Kelli Bean!
2008.
What I’m Loving…
Pieces of home. Even at (almost!) 25, I still have waves of bad homesickness. The past week or so has been particularly strong. This month was a little overwhelming in a lot of ways and I’ve been talking a lot about home because I was making plans for Christmas vacation. My family has had some pretty hilarious group text chats and everyone just has so much going on in their lives that I wish I was closer for. So Snapchats like this one my sister sent me and t-shirts like the one my childhood bestie Kari sent me, are what get me through some days
What I’ve Been Up To… I started out the month in Guatemala, and each week that followed was full of lots of unexpected things at work. The fact that the month is over blows my mind a little bit. There’s always a few evening happy hours and work events, so honestly I’ve been pretty tired and definitely more than ok with my lazy weekends. The really exciting thing is that K-State football watch party’s have started and I am enjoying spending some of my Saturday in a bar full of purple-clad people.
What I’m Dreading…
Well I’ve been really excited about fall, but the other day my boss and I were in the District for a meeting and grabbed some lunch at a food truck. I start talking about how nice it is that we can enjoy our lunch outside and he immediately responds, “Yes, and that just means that winter is next.”
Thanks Eeyore, I was trying to forget about that part for now…
What I’m Working On… I finally got my own separate office at work so I am working on making the space my own. I added some fun fall decorations and am making a burlap wreath for it that I will share some time soon!
What I’m Excited About…
My kicked off my new “The Road I Traveled” series this week and I received a lot of interest and some good feedback! I am really excited to see how this project can evolve. A special thanks to my friends Jancey, Jordan, Megan and Lance for helping me work through some of my ideas!
What I’m Watching… I said last month that I have been working my way through Friends on Netflix from start to finish. The problem is I only have 6 episodes left in the last season and now I am avoiding them. I don’t want it to end!!
Last week was fall premiere week, and I was excited for some of my favorites to be back on. I’m not committed to watching everything in real time, so anything I miss I’ll catch up on later on Hulu or the specific network’s sites. Right now my fall shows are Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder and Criminal Minds. I kind of half-watch, half-listen to The Voice. I enjoy the coaches’ banter and like hearing good covers, but that is just SO MUCH time to commit to a show two nights a week! Usually if I miss an episode completely I’ll just watch the performances and highlight reels on YouTube. The only new show that I’ve checked out the pilot of is Blood & Oil. I wasn’t super impressed but I might give it a few more chances. There are a few others I like such as Gotham, Castle and NCIS: LA but again, I just think its a little unhealthy to spend that much time in front of the TV, so I’ll catch up on those later on a lazy Sunday or while I’m cleaning my apartment.
Thunderstorms have made a few afternoons a bit humid, but for the most part it is officially scarf weather here!
I don’t really make a habit of taking pictures of my outfits because I don’t see myself as that much of a fashionista. I was, however, proud of these outfits and took the pictures to send to my friend Megan…so I guess why not share here. The grey suede booties from Express are my new favorite and I’m excited to try them with different looks. The red Gap pants are my very first colored skinny pants. I’ve tried many on over the past few years but I was never brave enough. The cream sweater in the second picture is from The Limited and my other new favorite fall piece. It is really soft and actually is split from the buttons on the shoulder down to where you can see that it is uneven. Obviously I thought it was cute when I bought it, but didn’t notice that the extra tag said it was apart of the “Scandal’s Olivia Pope” inspired line. Now I love it even more!
What I’m Doing This Weekend…
So far just planning on watching these boys in their first conference match up of the season. We are 3-0, but I’d still say that the season has started up bit shaky. This weekend’s game against Oklahoma State should give us a better idea how the rest of the season might pan out.
What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month… Ah, I love October! I mean, who doesn’t love their birthday month….
So because I’ve traveled somewhere almost every month since I moved to D.C., I figured, why not continue the streak… Or it was more like I just really missed my Kansas friends and after being a K-State football season ticket holder for the past six years, I couldn’t imagine not going to a single game! I have a three-day weekend coming up with Columbus Day so I am taking advantage of it for a quick trip to the heartland. I have A LOT packed in but I am really excited!
This Month’s Bonus Question: What’s Your Favorite Halloween Tradition…
I’m not a huge Halloween fan. I have this weird phobia of people wearing masks and costumes that hide their face and growing up it was always freezing in Oregon by October 31 so we had to get creative with layers in our costumes to stay warm. In college though, the scholarship house that I lived in my freshman and sophomore year had a really cool philanthropy tradition. The guys from the men’s scholarship house were auctioned off to us girls (I was the auctioneer one year!) and we were in charge of dressing them up for Halloween. We would then go out and trick-or-treat for canned goods that we would then donate, along with the money to the local food drive. Typically girls would group together and pool their money, and it was always really funny to see boyfriends go for a really high price because everyone kept bidding up even though it was kind of an unspoken rule that no one else would buy them. The best part though, was costumes themes. My freshman year our guys were the Spice Girls and we were their groupies. And my sophomore year we were all a box of crayons.
2009
2010
2010
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Well, that’s what’s up this Wednesday!
Cheers!
Take a deep breath friends.
It’s officially the first day of fall.
I realize that the “first day” often doesn’t mean much, but regardless, I see it as a mini holiday.
In the DC/Northern VA area, fall is FINALLY starting to show itself. The mornings are crisp and the afternoons have that soft, warm Indian summer bliss. Fall foods and fashion are coming out of the wood work, and now #IwisheverySaturdaywasGameday is no longer a wish. Because, FOOTBALL.
I’m really not a fan of the cold but what I described above is the perfect balance. I think every season has its own distinct feel and smell, and since fall is a transitional season, I think we get the best of each of the seasons put together. Fall is crisp and clean, as well as musty and earthly. I love the balance of the chilly air and sunshine, and adding a few layers as the season goes on.
I haven’t done a Good Stuff list in quite a while and I realized earlier this month that I’ve never done one of the fall season (here are past lists on summer and winter, but lets not dwell on those.)
Let’s talk about the Good Stuffabout fall.
The perfect pair of blue jeans. Pulling favorite old hooded sweatshirts off the shelf. Cute fingerless gloves. Big infinity scarves. Layering. Flannel. Colorful pea coats. Wearing my Carhartt. Pairing cardigans with dresses, leggings and tall boots.
Crunchy leaves and watching them change colors. Sumac and maple trees. Little kids at pumpkin patches. Bonfires. The smell of firewood. Roasting marshmellows. Hating to eat anything pumpkin, except for my best friend’s mom’s muffins. Changing over to darker lipstick shades. Setting out new fall candles.
Seasonal beers. Chili feeds. Hearty soups. Cider. Rich spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg. Chai tea. Caramel apples. Pecan pie. Fresh apples and corn on the cob. Hot chocolate. Venison from friends and family that go hunting.
College Gamedays and high school Friday night lights. Homecoming. Tailgating traditions with friends. Playing cornhole and redneck golf. Cheering on the Wildcats with the K-State fam. Wabashing. Purple. Listening to Wyatt Thompson announce the games. Watch parties. Playing flag football. K-State’s limestone buildings and the fall foliage.
Fall decorations and colors. Faded green, mustard yellow, burnt orange, toasted brown, scarlet, plum and all the shades of a finished harvest. Scare crows. Pumpkins. Cornucopias. Pinecones. The overload enthusiasm for fall on Pinterest…
A new school year always feeling like the true start of a new year. Back-to-School events. My birthday. Thanksgiving. National FFA Convention and AFA Leaders Conference. Cross country season. Fire places.
TV premiere week. Cozy blankets. Enjoying the last few “sunny and 75” weekends. Corn mazes during the day. Carving pumpkins as a kid. Obnoxious baby Halloween costumes. Making corsages and boutonnieres in my family’s shop for Homecoming season. My Dad’s old buffalo check hunting jacket. Glade pumpkin spice air freshener.
That’s just a little bit of what I love about fall.
Take note that pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn and Halloween are NOT on the list. According to some that means I’m un-American. #whatever
I am so looking forward to exploring my new city and home during my favorite season.
I suspect in a few months there will be a lot more specific things to add to this list!
{Sort of like a “Friday Five” or a “Life Lately” except it’s probably not Friday, and I gave up on the idea of a catchy alliteration. These are some bits and pieces of my glam #postgradlife. See past posts HERE}
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1. One Day at a Time
The last two week’s since I returned home from Guatemala have been pretty stressful at work. Everything turned out great, they were just a bit stressful…
I was humored that the next page on my quote book knew exactly how I was feeling.
2. Happy 25th Birthday Megan
“Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates and guys are just people to have fun with.”
– Carrie Bradshaw
From age 18 to 25, we’ve been asking ourselves lately “how did we get here?” Not sure that there’s an actual answer to that, but I know it involves a lot of cheesy memories.
3. Wheel of Musical Impressions
So I’m not really an Ariana Grande fan, but seriously, I have to admit that her musical impressions were really impressive, and funny.
4. T-Swift Love
Tonight my bestie Megan is going to the Taylor Swift concert in Kansas City with tickets that she won on the radio! The grand plan was that I was going to fly there and go with her. Unfortunately it didn’t work out, (but I am going to visit Kansas for a three-day weekend in October!) Over the last few months I have become a little obsessed with all of the guests that she continues to feature at each of her stops, and I can wait to hear about who shows up at this show!
Almost everything that I love about sports and particularly the game of basketball is because of my Grampy. No matter what it was that my sister and I were involved in from basketball, soccer, cross country and golf to even dance team and FFA, he always played the role of coach and cheerleader, investing in us the best way he could to make sure that we came …out on the other side as better people. When I decided to go to college at K-State he immediately became a Wildcats fan, learning stats and hearing big news even before I would hear it on campus. People usually knew that he was the only person whose texts I would respond to during games. Even living so far away from home it allowed us to remain close and share something we both loved. On the outside he’s super passionate about sports, and while I’m very excited to finally see him in the coach’s seat, its not really about that. My Grampy taught us that sports are about investing in other people and challenging yourself. They are about hard work, discipline and committing yourself to something you love.
These kids really don’t know what they are in for this season. I love you Gramps! I can’t wait to discuss your team for a change!
8. Ready for Fall
It’s slowly starting to feel like fall in D.C. and I am loving this candle that I picked up at Target. It has three layers: pumpkin nutmeg, bonfire nights and vanilla dolce. So far I’m loving it.
9. Basic
Just humor me, and take the quiz. I promise a good laugh.
You know you want to.
Oh hey, what’s up? I’m excited to finally jump in on this fun link up! It happens the last Wednesday of every month with the same list of questions and is hosted by The Larson Lingo, Mix & Match Family and Pinterest Told Me To.
What I’m Eating This Week… Normally I would not really have anything interesting to share here. I don’t really enjoy cooking, so I usually keep it pretty basic. But I know that I eat better when I plan a little ahead of time and with a busy week ahead I knew that I was not going to want to come home after work each night and put any thought into it. So aside from a few of my easy go-to staples, that I bought or prepared ahead of time I also made these two recipes: Parmesan and Spinach Orzo (I substituted bleu cheese crumbles) and Baked Chicken. I have some pork and other chicken that I am trading off mixing into the orzo (although it would be good by itself,) and the baked chicken I will pair with some steamed veggies and maybe a sweet potato! I have enough for about 6 meals this week, and I am actually pretty proud of myself for how well they turned out!
What I’m Reminiscing About… Back-to-school memories at K-State. I always LOVED the week before classes started back up. Lot of traditions, moving in to new places, buying new supplies and getting organized, and catching up with friends you haven’t seen all summer before the busy semester starts. Yepp, I officially “Miss Manhattan.” Here are a few of my favorite back-to-school college photos.
What I’m Dreading… Flying on my upcoming trip (see below)? I don’t know, life is pretty good right now, so that would have to be it. I don’t get sick when I fly, but I never feel all that great. And honestly airports and the whole process of flying just pushes all of my buttons. I get it, you just have to practice a bit more patience then a normal day, but people who are rude or have no common sense, nope, the struggle for me is very real. Although packing is right up there with flying…
I promise, I really do love traveling.
What I’m Working On… That’s a good question. During the day I am a communications specialist for the U.S. Wheat Associates. It’s a busy job, but I love it. I always have multiple projects going on at once, but something that is a bit different than the norm is a set of writing and editing courses that I am taking online through Poytner’s News University. Continuing education is an important part of just about any career!
What I’m Excited About… Aside from my answers to some of the questions below? (!!!) Considering almost every blogger I follow also has a deep love for fall, I feel a bit cliché saying it, but seriously though, I’m SO EXCITED FOR FALL.
What I’m Watching… My list of shows to eventually binge watch on Netflix is never-ending, but for some reason I kept putting off Friends. I had seen enough random episodes over the years to know some of the references and storylines, and know that I would like it. I finally gave in and now I am wondering why the friends have not been a part of my life sooner than now, other than I might appreciate it the most right now, also being in mid-20s. I just started season 6, so I am on the downhill and I just know that I am never going to want it to end.
I remember back in 2013, when the original promos for Graceland came out and wanting to pick up, and for whatever reason, didn’t. My sister brought it back to my attention this summer, and I am definitely hooked. I love Aaron Tveit from Les Miserables and his guest spots on Gossip Girl (no shame), but I honestly expected him to be awkward in this somewhat gritty show. And he is at times…but it surprising fits into the story pretty well. Crime/cop shows are my favorite genre, and this one separates itself with an unique angle and has characters that are really easy to become invested in. I definitely recommend it!
I have no shame. I Facetime with my friend Brandi back in Kansas and it’s the best entertainment.
What I’m Reading… My reading list is significantly longer than my Netflix list. Throughout college I would buy cheap books here and there for my library, but didn’t get to read very many of them, because, college, duh. #herestoneverhavingtoreadatextbookagain. So essentially I have a ton of unread books on my shelf, yet I have no willpower from buying books that are popular right now and reading them right away. This month I only read one book…
I read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, the same author who brought us Gone Girl. Overall, I really enjoyed it. Like Gone Girl it was twisted, with well-crafted scenes and characters, and also very hard to review without giving too much away. I will say that this one was just a tad bit predictable before I would have liked (still a good shock though) and I felt like after so much detail, the ending was kind of misplaced and hasty. On the other hand, this book makes you think A LOT, which I particularly like. Definitely recommend it!
What I’m Listening To… I recently started up a new version of my Friday Jam Sessions, sharing each Friday what I have been listening to throughout the week. Check it out HERE.
What I’m Wearing… I don’t really consider myself that fashionable, but I like to look nice. I also don’t usually take mirror pictures… so maybe next time, maybe. But I am looking forward to a change in wardrobe with the upcoming change of season, especially so I can wear my new scarf! All of fall and winter, I really wanted a blanket scarf but couldn’t make up my mind on wanted. This year I told myself that I was going to make a decision and stick to it. This is what is on its way in the mail right now…
What I’m Doing This Weekend…
I’m going to Guatemala!!
I will be spending six day in Antigua, Guatemala at a World Staff Conference for my job. In addition to our East and West Coast U.S. offices, we also have 15 Foreign Offices around the world, so every other year this conference happens. Yes, a lot of my time will be spent in meetings at the resort, but I will still get to enjoy quite a few things. We have a day-long hike up the Pacaya volcano and weather permitting, I am going to be going zip lining! This is my first big international trip aside from a vacation in Mexico so I am extremely excited! I will be taking my camera, so be prepared for lots of pictures!
What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month… K-STATE FOOTBALL!!!!!
I’ve said many times that my perfect last day on earth includes a K-State Gameday and I know that I am going to be incredibly homesick for Kansas this fall. But I am very excited to join some of the watch parties here in D.C. and meet some new friends here that also bleed purple.
This Month’s Bonus Question: What’s Your Favorite Back to School Tradition…
So I definitely wrote the above answers before I read what the bonus question was. Oh well. We didn’t really have an consistent traditions growing up and I already mentioned that the week before school started at K-State was always my favorite. I will say my favorite thing at the end of the first week of school was sitting down with all of my syllabi and extra curricular schedules and organizing it all in my planner. I even had erasable colored pencils… #nerdalert
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Well, that’s what’s up this Wednesday!
Cheers!
The Good Stuff 