quote – The Good Stuff

So There’s That Vol. 30

March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 Amanda

{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}

**********

I Wander the World

i wander the world
not because i am lost
but because i know
who i am

a lover of movement
walking, running, spinning
hair to the wind
doesn’t matter where, when

here or there or home
look & see adventure, novel
new flower splitting earth in a yard
or foot in front of boot to 17,000 feet

touched by your hands to forehead
honored by my dust, while your path
teaches my heart to expand the
world is as big as the people I meet

new faces, new smiles greet
me with mother tongues, kisses,
invited to your spaces, tea with graces
& I’m grateful

i wander the world

By, Shannon Boettcher

This was written by my friend Shannon, from my hometown, who is also a wonderful photographer. Check her work out here! I loved her poem so much I just had to share! Thanks Shannon!

Sawyer June

As of March 13, this sassy babe is 8 months old!! Sadly, I won’t be home to see my cousin again until she’s almost a year old… so for now she’s still on my phone background, which recently got an update with one of these. Right now she’s currently trying to crawl. Until she succeeds, I’ll continue to be amused by the videos I get of her frustration and impatience 🙂

Havana

This song is one of my current favorites to jam out to in the car, but I am LOVING this version of it with the violin!

3 Years in DC

Last week marked my third year in DC and I wrote this blog post reflecting on my career and 10 things I’ve learned so far.

You’re Going to Be Okay

Photo property of The Girl Who Loved to Write Blog

I’ve shared this blogger before, but if you don’t already follow her, you should! I love her style of writing and so many of her posts ring so true for me, like this one did.

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

Took a salsa dancing lesson!

At the new Wharf with some small group friends for an Irish festival.

Note: This weather did NOT last very long.

FINALLY replaced a few of my pans and utensils. My old ones were hand-me downs when I received them 7 years ago. #adulting

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

**********

So, There’s That.

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 29

February 13, 2018February 16, 2018 Amanda

**********

Scottsdale Work Trip

Mid-January I headed to Arizona to represent my organization at the Wheat Foods Council annual meeting, which is a partner of ours. While it was a work trip with very little down time, I AM SO NOT COMPLAINING. It was between 60 and 75 degrees the entire time which was a nice mid-winter break from the bitter wind chill in DC.

Seriously, why are cacti so fascinating.

52 Things I Want to Do in 2018.

Chelsea, at “The Girl Who Loved to Write” is one of my favorite bloggers. I didn’t do true new year’s resolutions this year, but I loved this list she put together of 52 things she wants to do in 2018. I love a good list, and this is an approach to self-improvement that is more my style.

Positive Thinking

I’m laughing about this now, but I was definitely not laughing at the time. I’ve been struggling a bit with being positive lately, and so a few weeks ago when I got up early for a 6 am workout class before my late morning flight to Arizona for work, I was feeling really good and determined to have a better attitude going into this trip. Wrong move.

I had timed out the rest of my morning so that I could get everything I needed to done and out the door to the airport on time, which included ironing the shirt I was wearing that day. I only have a table top ironing board and no table so my kitchen counter is where I do my ironing. At one point I set my iron too close to the edge of the counter, and it fell and landed on my foot. I am pretty sure my next door neighbor (who I know was home because I could hear him moving around in his own kitchen #citylife) thinks I’ve lost my mind or something based how loud and how long I yelled. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but this was rough. I determined after a couple of minutes that the hot part of the iron never touched me (how does that happen?!) but that the reason it hurt so much was that the heavy iron had landed on ONE of my toes. But I was on a timeline so the purple swollen toe got shoved into a shoe and to the airport I went. I swear, the list of ridiculous (and eventually funny) things that happen that I can’t make up is way to long.

Why It’s Good to Embrace Negative Feelings

Link to video HERE.

I tried to get this video to embed directly, but I couldn’t get it to work correctly. If you click the photo though, the link will take you to the video 🙂 I saw a friend post this Ted Talk on Facebook a few weeks ago and it came to me right at a time when I really needed to hear it. It stayed with me so much, that I’ve thought about incorporating it into a blog post idea that I’ve been turning over in my head recently. Stay tuned, and in the mean time, watch this!

My favorite quote from the video was “Tough emotions are part of our contract with life.“

Ted Talk Summary: “Psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: our actions, careers, relationships, health and happiness. In this deeply moving, humorous and potentially life-changing talk, she challenges a culture that prizes positivity over emotional truth and discusses the powerful strategies of emotional agility. A talk to share.”

Spelling is Hard

My friend Nicole, who is an agriculture communications professional like me, tweeted the other day about what her crutch word was. Even though we are typically really good at spelling, I promise you that all communicators/writers/journalists/etc. have a word that is relatively easy that stumps them every time. Nicole’s word is “scissors” and I tweeted back that mine is “necessary.” Then our friend Jenni, who is a journalist for a paper in the Midwest, tweeted back that hers was “diarrhea.” Maybe you have to know these two ladies for it to be funny, but I thought her response was hilarious and it kept me laughing for the rest of the day.

Exodus 14:14

Exodus 14:14 is my favorite verse, so for Christmas, my best friend Megan gave me this handmade copper (also my favorite) bracelet and it’s been the perfect reminder to wear on my wrist. The bracelet is from “The Muddy Hammer.” If you like my bracelet, you should check out some of their other stuff HERE. #notsponsored

Busy, Busy, Busy

I typically try my best to avoid going on about being busy. It’s hard, but I think that’s a lazy answer when people ask you how you are, and while its also subjective, most people live what they consider to be busy lives. And to be honest, I personally prefer to have a busier schedule.

But with that said, the first six weeks of the new year always tends to be a WHIRLWIND for me, and this year has been no exception. It’s partially why this post tends to be short on pictures. This last week I hit that six week mark with our winter board meeting which is always right here in DC. My planner is quickly filling up again, but the meeting was a bit of a mental finish line mark for me, and it was nice to spend it surrounded by our farmers, who continue to inspire me and are such a large part of why I love my job. I’m a bit biased, but I am really excited that our newest elect to the board’s officer team is a farmer from Oregon.

When the farmer is extra tall and you are extra short, benches are necessary for taking good photos. Thanks for being a good sport Darren!

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

**********

So, There’s That.

Capture

Link up here.

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 28

January 15, 2018March 22, 2018 Amanda

**********

What Do You Want to Read on My Blog?

First and foremost, my blog is my way of journaling. It’s my scrapbook and my way of keeping “my people” updated on my life. With that said, I would love any feedback on what other content people might be interested in seeing added! Or what have I done in the past, that you would like to see more of.

Please let me know!

Welcoming Miss Callie Elizabeth

Richole and I have been best friends since we met in the first grade, so I was so excited when she welcomed her second little bundle, daughter Callie Elizabeth, on December 13 (a week after her due date!) Richole is already a wonderful mama to son Wesley, who will be 2 in March, so I was so happy that she now has one of each! I got to snuggle little Callie when I was home for Christmas vacation when she was just 9 days old!

Girlfriends

December was a bit of a hard month for me (though January is looking to be about the same), but I just want to share that I was so thankful for these girls and their friendship. I chatted a bit in my 2017 year in review blog post about how navigating friendship as an adult can be hard. But these girls were there for me when I didn’t expect it, and its just such a good feeling to have people in your corner, especially when you live so far away from your family and closest friends.

Sunday Brunch.

The Greatest Showman

I am LOVE LOVE LOVED this music! Les Miserables is my favorite musical (and one of my favorite movies), so I was already a big Hugh Jackman fan, but this movie really surprised me. I had seen the previews and thought it looked really cute, but I was pleasantly surprised that I loved it as much as I did. Even my sister, who proclaims often that she hates musicals, said she loved. Because I always like to read up on movies, their back stories and how they were made, I think I loved this movie more knowing that it was a big passion project of Hugh’s (and others) that took more than 7 years before they finally were able to make it. Plus, aside from it being a fun movie all around, it also dives into a few themes that are SO important for people of all ages.

Anyway, until further notice I will be playing the soundtrack on repeat on Spotify.

Home for the Holidays

I had a wonderful 9 days at home in Oregon with my family and friends, including lots of time with everyone’s favorite babe, Sawyer June!

2017 – Year in Review

Recapped my year HERE!

Top 20 Favorite Pictures From My Camera in 2017

Last week on the blog, I rounded up my favorites from my DSLR camera in 2017.

Favorite Things {in 2017} I Need to Tell You About Right Now

Last week, I also rounded up my new favorite things and obsessions in a new series, which featured Game of Thrones, Trader Joe’s, The Home Edit and more…

insta post

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

Shout out to my co-worker and friend Stephanie! These party favors were so creative and cute!

Update: Sawyer can get to her toes on her own now to eat them. (This was a struggle when I was home for Christmas 🙂 )

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

**********

So, There’s That.

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 27

November 27, 2017November 27, 2017 Amanda

**********

27 Years Young

My last “So There’s That” post was right before my birthday in October so we are backtracking a bit. It was a pretty low key day because it was a busy work week but those near and far made me feel pretty special… although my sister did try to make me a year older than I actually was.

Sawyer June

What happened to this wee baby?!? Suddenly she is looking so much bigger to me! I’ve been getting lots of adorable pictures lately so trust me this is the already culled lot.

How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk

I’ve seen this pop up on Facebook before, but never took the quiz. It anchors around large cities in the area that you most identify with and considering how broad and ambiguous I thought some of the questions were, this is basically SPOT ON for both of the main two places I have lived. The full results give you a breakout based on all of your responses.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html

Jam Session

I really do want to get back to blogging about what I am listening to someday, but my old “Friday Jam Session” posts just take too much to put together. Until I figure out something different, you know I am over here always obsessing over Ed Sheeran. Recently stumbled across this acoustic version of “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here” off his “Divide” album that I am currently loving.

30 Years

Last week I blogged about celebrating the 30th anniversary of my family’s flower shop by writing this love letter and reminiscing a bit on why its such a special place.

An Ode To the Women Who are “Too Much”

This article was recently passed around Facebook about being “too much” as a woman and I really wanted to share it here too. I appreciate that it was written by a man and I thought that its was sweet, short and effectively direct. There are parts that I can certainly relate to, and other parts that remind me that my home team is pretty great.

Link: https://www.stevewiens.com/2017/11/11/an-ode-to-the-women-who-are-too-much/

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

Crossing my fingers this sweet girl makes K-State her final choice!

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

Sorry for the language, kind of…

**********

So, There’s That.

Cheers!

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 26

October 16, 2017 Amanda

**********

Hey friends, October’s has come at me full force, so away went my recent goal of getting two blogs up a week. That’s OK though, because I make the rules here 🙂 I’m jumping out of order of the posts I had planned, but my next volume of So There’s That was pretty full so I decided to go ahead with a little life lately.

Grandparents Visit

The best of being busy the last couple of weeks was that my grandparents came to visit me for four days here in DC! My Grammy and Grampy are two of my favorite people to go on adventures with and after they were BRIEFLY here when they helped me move in February 2015, it was about time I showed them my new home. We had a wonderful time and I will be doing a full post on their visit by next week so stay tuned!

A Kind Word Goes a Long Way

Saved a screenshot of this message because it really brightened my day so much! It made me think of the amount of times that I have a positive or kind thought about someone else or their work, and never actually shared it out loud. Going to work a bit more on that.

Aaron Watson

Late in September I saw Aaron Watson at the 9:30 Club here in DC with two Kansas friends. Of all of the red dirt and country concerts I went to in college I never had the chance to see Aaron Watson live. That was my loss. He puts on such a genuine show and made sure fans had the opportunity to hang out with after the show. If he comes your way definitely check him out!

Sawyer June

Let’s be honest, this blog really should have just been an update of sweet Sawyer June. And if you think this is too many many pictures… I culled more than twice as many from this blog post before I was finished. She turned three months old last week and is starting to show off her personality. Christmas vacation feels way to far away for me!

SNL Papyrus Skit

I can’t get over this skit from a few weeks ago. It gives me life.

Clumsy

Mid-September or so I was walking and talking on the phone (when I was actually supposed to be jogging) and step off a curb funny and sprained my ankle. I’ve been there before, but man how easily I forget what that feels like. That first two days I was pretty helpless but Sam brought over Bella to give me all the puppy cuddles. #notcomplaining

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

Work field trip and goodies to take home.

Error

This video doesn’t exist

My Grammy made these cute pumpkins from wooden rounds that we used for centerpieces at my uncle’s wedding last summer… and then hauled a set for me in her carry on bag from Oregon 🙂

PSA: You need these candle from Trader Joe’s!

…and you need this lunch organizer. Why it has taken almost 27 years for me to get something like this is a mystery. I got mine at Target from Sistema brand.

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

**********

So, There’s That.

Cheers!

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 25

September 14, 2017September 14, 2017 Amanda

**********

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.

Article here —> https://www.theplayerstribune.com/bill-snyder-kansas-state-the-teacher/amp/

Eagle Creek Fire in Oregon

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…

Article —> https://advice.shinetext.com/articles/7-ways-to-guarantee-youll-have-a-productive-day/?utm_source=Shine&utm_medium=BroadcastMain

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

**********

So, There’s That.

Cheers!

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 23

July 15, 2017 Amanda

New Blog Look

If you haven’t noticed, things are looking a bit different around here. Recently I have been wanting to freshen up my blog with a white-based background and decided to follow that with a bit of a simpler overall look. I am making a few other updates here and there… but I tend to be a bit indecisive so those are happening as I go.

While I love blogging, it often takes the back burner when life gets a bit busy, which makes habit building a bit of a challenge. But I am doing some planning for some posts and series that are not just focused on my “So There’s That” series or my travel (which is all I’ve blogged about for most of 2017) so stay tuned!

Promotion

I’m not shy about sharing that I love my job working for U.S. wheat farmers, so it was nice to receive a promotion!

You can read about it here… unless you are my Mom and in case, I’m pretty sure I’ve already made the fridge 🙂

4th of July Holiday Weekend

Independence Day is my favorite holiday and this year my (4-day!!!) holiday weekend did not disappoint.

On Friday, I headed out to Mt. Vernon with some Kansas friends. This ticketed event had all sorts of colonial demonstrations, including dancing, which we all somehow got sucked into trying. There was also foods and drinks to purchase, a live band and of course fireworks!

I’m pretty sure there are few things more American than watching fireworks on the back lawn of George Washington’s crib. I would highly recommend this to people next year. Tickets were $30 dollars, which is actually pretty reasonable for events in this area.

Saturday morning was spent at brunch at SEI in Chinatown, where I failed to take any group photos, partially because I was drooling over these quinoa french toast that I ordered. Don’t worry, they still were made with wheat, but the quinoa added a great crunch! Brunch may have turned into a mini-wheat lesson for the group after I asked the manager about the french toast… #sorrynotsorry #wheatie

Saturday night was spent back with the Kansan’s at Red, White and Brew, a drinking festival down by the waterfront.

This guy had to work all weekend so Monday was spent relaxing.

I wrapped up the weekend on Tuesday with BBQ with friends and sparklers.

Annapolis

This past weekend I had to travel to my work summer board meeting, but instead of hoping on a plane, I just had to make a short drive to Annapolis. Visiting here has been toward the top of my to-do list since moving to the area so I head over early to check things out, and I may have had a tag along 🙂

Not that I thought it was going to be anything otherwise, but the main downtown area near the harbor is adorable!

We explored, walked down by the harbor and the U.S. Naval Academy (I need to visit again so I can go on a tour) and tried out a few stops.

The Maryland State House was just a block or two over from where we were so we swung by. There is SO MUCH U.S. history associated with this little building and it’s so pretty!

We rounded out the day with crabs #wheninmaryland! This guy grew up on “picking” crabs (taking them a part), so he (patiently I would add) taught me how to do it myself.

Summer Board Meeting

It’s rare that our staff stops and takes a picture like this. Although our team is MUCH bigger than this (and stretches around the globe), I am thankful to work alongside these people.

This gentleman below represents everything that makes me passionate about agriculture and the reason why I never want to work for anyone but farmers. Leonard has actively served on the USW Board of Directors for 21 years and this summer board meeting marked the end. I remember before my first board meeting 2.5 years ago, my boss was chatting about some of the farmer board members I would be meeting, and finally he said, “and then there is Uncle Leonard.”

Leonard has a one of kind personality that makes you feel like you’ve known him your whole life. In just two words I would describe him as funny and kind, two of the things that I respect most in people. But what has stuck out to me about Leonard, is his ability really listen and take in the discussions around him, while so many others are only focused on what they are going to say next. When Leonard does respond, it tends to be with more patience and thought.

At the end of the meeting, Leonard reflected on his year’s on the farm and on the board. I considered sharing the whole thing (I take the meeting minutes so I do have it!) but here is the bit of it that stood out to me:

“In our world of farming, we take over some land or lose some land, but our main goal whenever we take over new land is to make it better than when we got it. That’s how we gauge ourselves on whether or not we are successful … I have said yes to four different governors to sit on this board, and it has allowed me to discover this passion I have for wheat. It has helped me define who I am back at home to my neighbors, because I am Mr. Wheat back home. I think it is very rare how other people’s choices allow you to discover your passion.”

Thanks Leonard, we sure are going to miss you!

Big 12 Schools as Harry Potter Characters

I’d say most of these are pretty darn accurate and the descriptions are pretty funny.

https://www.cowboysrideforfree.com/2017/6/28/15883470/big-12-schools-as-harry-potter-characters

My People

This little note speaks to me in leaps and bounds, and after sharing it on social media and receiving quite a few comments, apparently it does for a lot of people. I think I have learned many times over that you just can’t be everything for everyone and on the flip side, some people are only in your life a “season” and that’s completely OK. But that makes it so much more important to INVEST in those core people around you who just really “get it” and let your crazy fly, whether they are near, or in my case for most, are far away.

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

Why does it all of a sudden look like baby Wes is NOT a baby anymore?!

My Life in Memes

Memes that are speaking to me right now… both thought provoking and just plain funny.

**********

So, There’s That.

Cheers!

So There's That Series

So There’s That Vol. 22

June 26, 2017June 26, 2017 Amanda

{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}

Colorado

During the last week of May, I was in Estes Park, Colorado for a work trip. My mom tagged along and we tacked on a few days for a mini-vacay, which included a great hike to Gem Lake.

Girl Time

Lately the girls from my young adults bible study have been making lots of plans together. Earlier in June, a few of us did the Billy Goat Trail near Great Falls, which was a bit more challenging than I expected… but such a beautiful day to be outside and chat with these girls who have added such a positive light to my life lately.

This last weekend we had a laid back girls night hosted at my place and then spent another afternoon at Quattro Goombas Winery for wine slushies (insert all of the heart eye emoji’s here) and awesome pizza. The location also has a brewery and a great outdoor space.

Kansas – National Festival of Breads

Earlier in June, I made a quick work trip to Kansas for the National Festival of Breads. Yes, it was a awesome as its name sounds. The festival is hosted each year by Kansas Wheat, and brings together eight finalists (that competed against hundreds!) to compete for the title. The festival also features a small trade show, a demonstration stage, a kid’s interactive section, a BBQ, live music and more. I spent the day of the festival taking pictures and enjoy a “few” samples! This event is a great way to showcase the diversity of bread and the quality of U.S. wheat.

Obviously since I was in Kansas, I made the most of my down time by catching up with friends that I don’t get to see nearly enough.

So many of my favorite things wrapped up in one. If you visit Manhattan and appreciate a good wheat beer, you NEED to try 1863 Wheat at Tallgrass Brewery!

College friends turned commodity colleagues.

Considering I just saw Leah, Ryan and Robin a month ago in Colorado, I was so happy that they made the drive from Topeka (on Father’s Day nonetheless) to see me again. It doesn’t look like it but I swear Miss Robin was happy to see me…

Kansas Wheat Harvest

During my trip to Kansas in I spent a day out on a farm in central Kansas that was in the middle of wheat harvest. In my mind there are few things more beautiful than a wheat harvest. I took lots of great pictures and shared them in a separate blog post.

Ed Sheeran Carpool Karoke

To know me is to know my obsession with all things Ed Sheeran. So really when you combine that with my obsession with James Corden (Craig!!) then basically you know that dreams really do come true.

I have probably watched this at least 6 times now.

Happy Birthday Jancz

My sister Janci turned 23 last week!

True Friendship

Out and About

A few snippets (and Snapchats) of life lately.

Pictures from home make me happy, especially when they include my sister and my favorite little guy Wesley. (Also, super jealous she got to hang with him for the day.)