My Current Obsessions :: August

This month there are quite a few things I am drooling over. Normally I like to keep my finds to myself... how selfish! Right? This month I'm sharing and hopefully will continue here on after!

Clothing:

Skinny Cargo Pants

Sanctuary Skinny Leg Cargo Pant, Nordstrom

These are a great alternative to the typical denim pant. Usually made in neutral colors, these pants will not only replace the stodgy knaki in your closet but give you variety outside of your daily denim. Cargo pants can be a bit bulky and masculine but with this skinny leg you are sure to look ultra feminine and flirty.

Pair With: Summer flats and sandals. Once fall starts, these pants look great tucked into boots.


TOMS Wedges

TOMS 'Calypso' Wedge, Nordstrom

As soon as a store stocks these shoes they are out the door within a week. Trust me, I know. I had my shoe gal on constant look out for my Blue Stripe 7.5 to appear. I wear these shoes at least once a week and get compliments everywhere I go! With the same comfort as the flats, these wedges offer a girlier shape that will have you looking like a laid back fashionista with a cause.


Pink Sugar Perfume

Aqualina, Pink Sugar

The other day I was walking around my department when I got the most delicious scent of caramel, sugar and cotton candy. It was like heaven in my nose. I tracked it down to this scent and bought it within an hour. It has the ability to take me back to childhood in an instance. Playful, fresh and a great way to brighten your day.

6 Years In The Making

Did you know I spent a couple years in Southern California? In Riverside, to be exact. Around this time the tv show The OC was popular which meant that the 909 was infamous for being that shady area of Orange County, also known as the Inland Empire. During my two years there, studying Honors Neuroscience at UC Riverside, I became a Bro and Bro Ho expert and learned how much I didn't want to be a neurosurgeon.

First week of school - Thomas in the back, obviously

Before classes started and the first week of moving into the dorms, I met a boy. Pretty, typical if you ask me.

I had seen him around during Honor's week a month earlier but my neighbor and future friend introduced us once we finally moved in. We immediately hit it off and quickly became known as a duo. Not a couple, a duo. We had regular movie nights, went through rush together, parties, events, this and that... he was one of my best friends. There are more than a few nights that I can remember calling him up because something bad, usually a break up and he would sit by me until I cried it all out or stuffed myself on the ice cream he brought. He wasn't gay. He wasn't ugly, the girls loved him in fact. But he was my best friend. My Thomas.

Our second year of school, towards then end, he started dating a girl he worked with outside of school. At first I was grateful because at one point he dated/dumped a sorority sister and I was forced to choose sides. I picked his. Let me tell you, it was ugly. But his new girlfriend wasn't fond of me. Like typical friendships, we grew apart. I eventually moved back to San Francisco to study advertising and he stayed in Riverside.

Thomas and I for my semi formal

However, all this time, we have kept in touch. Text and calls on all birthdays. Facebook messages and emails to say hello. And now, nearly 6 years since we first met, a reunion.

Early September I am flying to San Diego for my cousin's wedding. I have no doubt in my mind that the wedding will be exquisite and an absolute party. Truthfully, I cannot wait to spend time with Thomas. It will be fun to see how we have changed...  or how much we have stayed the same. He will always be my Thomas and one of my best friends but I'm not that little girl that went off to Riverside anymore. (Thank goodness for that!) I am afraid that my memory will be ruined by reality. The good news is, if we could put up with each other then... there is a high chance we can be friends for life.

But I'm still nervous. :-)

July: In Progress

I've been told that July will be one of the most difficult but most rewarding months at work and here I am, only half way through and completely exhausted. My days have been long, most not ending until the sun sets and my feet are ready to raise the white flag and ditch me for good. 

But...

I feel like I am hitting my stride. I worked entirely off of personal client appointments for the past two weeks and progressed into the second half of the month feeling confident and calm.

To reward myself I am taking a 3 day mini vacation to Seattle where I get to explore the new city I hope to one day call home and help my newly relocated sister find her niche in the Northwest.

If you will be in the area Tuesday through Friday reach out and I would love to meet up!

From: Facebook

Many of you know that when it comes to being a fan of Facebook I'm on Team Twitter. I recently when on a diet, eliminating 800 some friends only to slowly start accepting friend requests back. I came to a point where the amount of invites, messages, requests and pokes became an annoyance... especially from people who I met once, ten years ago.

But then I received an email notifying me I have a new family member. Miss Kelsey Hitchings had listed me as her sister and wanted confirmation. At that moment I was ready to burn my Team Twitter shirts and switch sides.

Last summer I spent time overseas for a British immersion experiment where I studied British behavior in juxtaposition to American. Part of the project was to live with a family to get a better grasp of the culture. Although I wasn't there long, I immediately fell in love with the Hitchings. From the parents, to the girls, to even their little rugrat boy who spent more time doing his hair than I do. Did I mention they had one bathroom for us to share and no one could use the bathroom until Bradley's hair had the perfect shape?

I've always called them my British family but having the offical request was by far the highlight of my week.

Does this mean I am easy to please?

Oh That Will Change, Just Wait...

Nearly 80% of my friends are married or engaged with only 10% having children too. With that said, I currently have 0% desire for husband or child.

Today is my day off and after running a couple of errands I turned onto my street to find a little boy laying flat in the middle of the road under his bike. I pulled into my driveway and ran out to his side.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“My foot is caught in my bike and I’m stuck.”

I, gently as I could, loosened his foot where the wheel and pipe met and put his other shoe, which had flown off, back on his foot. My first instinct was to pick him up and hold him tight but after I helped him up I offered to clean his bleeding wounds. I quickly ran into my house and found bandages and rubbing alcohol.

As I ran out to the street, his face scrunched up and he looked at the looming brown bottle and said “Not that, it stings.”

“But we have to clean up this cut or it will sting more if it gets infected. You are strong, I know you will be brave” I cooed at him. As I cleaned his hand his face stung with pain but soon a large bandaid was on to keep it clean.

I picked up his bike and held it while he hopped back on. He told me he just lives around the corner and can make it home.

I have never felt such a strong maternal instinct as I did this afternoon. Every desire in my body was to help this little boy and make him feel better.

How long was he stuck under the bike?

     Did he make it home okay?

          Why didn’t the construction workers a couple houses down try to help him?

I still have ZERO desire to have child or husband but for a short while I completely believed what my mom continues to tell me, “Oh that will change, just wait…”

Nailed It

Last week I had a phone interview with an agency in San Francisco.

Yes, San Francisco.

I can hear my mom hyperventilating at the thought of me moving away from the NW again.

The interview was the initial screening with HR for an agency I have great respect for and have liked for sometime.

After talking with the agency I tweeted:

"I've learned that in the job search you have to be honest about who you are and not try to be who you think they want."

I recently went through an interview process with my dream company but not the dream job. I tried to be uniquely me but I was also selling what I thought they wanted. After 4 days of being interviewed by 16 people they went with another candidate. Bummer, right?

I have always been a dreamer and my parents encouraged BIG dreams but only now am I starting to realize that I need to dream even BIGGER! Which is what I did with the phone interview. I continued to be uniquely me but instead of giving what I think they want to hear, I spoke the truth.  I talked about my strengths, where I see my future and ways I want to grow. After getting off the phone, even if they had hated me, I knew I would never regret being honest in who I am.

(Thankfully, I made a strong connection and the feelings were mutual. Now I am planning my SF return trip to meet in person. Stay tuned.)

Seize every opportunity.

I wanted to share a snipit from an article for Sports Illustrated that related to me in the job hunt and you might find it relevant to you.

[To read the full article click here>>]

What should every commencement speaker do at this time of year? Simple: Tell kids how to get jobs. Goodell's advice began when he graduated from Washington & Jefferson College just outside of Pittsburgh in 1981 and wanted to work in football. Anything in football.

"I wrote more than 40 letters to the NFL,'' he said. "Everybody. The results: a big pile of rejections. Some plan, huh? But I was determined and persistent and kept writing. Finally, there was a polite but somewhat dismissive reply from a weary executive at the NFL to, quote, 'Stop by if you're in the area.' So I told him, 'I'm in the area.' ''

Sort of.

"I got in my car,'' Goodell said, "and drove all night from Pittsburgh to New York, and I was on his doorstep the next morning. Six months later, 12 or 13 more letters later, they offered me a three-month internship. So it doesn't matter how you get in that door. Just get in that door. The lesson: Seize every opportunity.''

A little while after his speech, I caught up with one of the graduates, 23-year-old history major Thomas Screnci of Milton, Mass. I asked him what he thought of the speech.

"Very inspirational,'' Screnci said. "He knew what we wanted to hear. We all wanted to know how he got from college to here. He told us what we needed to hear -- there are no shortcuts, no magic formula. He got dozens of rejection letters, but he was determined to show his boss what he was made of. Same thing with us now. Now it's our shot to show the world what we're made of.''

In front of a civic center of strangers Saturday, Roger Goodell did his father proud.