Five things you should know about interviewing!

As of this morning, I've been working in the Registrar's Office for three months! Though it hasn't been that long, I feel like I've learned so much about the 8-5 life! 

With people always looking and applying for new jobs, I thought I'd share a few things that I've learned about the interview process from the side of the interviewee and the employer!

1. Pre-interview communication is important

Any communication that you have with a potential employer matters, whether you're sending an email or answering a phone call. The way you handle yourself shows in your voice and the way you type. When setting up interviews, I take a candidate much more seriously if they send me an email that's clear, personal and sincere. In the same way, if I call a potential employee and they can't remember what job they applied for, that is a big problem! 

2. Add the finishing touches

Things like painting your nails, matching your purse to your outfit, or for men, taming facial hair is a big deal. Though you want to be chosen for your skills in the desired position, this interview is a look into what you would be like as a potential employee. Don't get carried away with your content and forget to clean yourself up!

3. Be confident

I'm sure you've heard this before, but be confident and show enthusiasm! If you don't believe what you're saying, it's a safe bet that no one else will either. Speak confidently, and even if you don't have experience in something you're asked about, use that as an opportunity to mention another way that you can benefit their company.

4. Dress for the job you want

I saw a quote a while back and it's stuck with me ever since...

"Dress for the job you want, not the job you have."

Even if the position you're applying for isn't your absolute dream job, dress like it is! Though my office is a bit more casual, I dressed like I was interviewing for a CEO position for my interview because I wanted them to know I was the real deal.

5. Show your personality

Two of the most important things in my life are my family and my Doodle Paisley, and I let them know that during the interview! I knew that I was looking for an office where I felt at home and for co-workers that would become my family. This struck close to home with them, because this office is just that, a family.

I remember leaving the Registrar's Office that day, and telling my Dad that I thought they'd fallen in love with me.

The truth is, I'd fallen in love with them too. 

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

I Run for Me: Meeting My Five Mile Goal!

Last night, in the gym that I go to on campus, on the very last treadmill, I accomplished a goal that I have been working toward since November.

I RAN FIVE MILES!!!

I didn't stop. I didn't hesitate. I didn't care what anyone else was doing. I just ran, and it felt so good. With Kesha blaring in my headphones, I ran five strong miles, and I've never been more proud.

I think everyone has their reasons as to why they started running. Some would say it was to prove to themselves that they could do it, to lose weight, to get in better shape, or to prove someone else wrong. When I first started running, I didn't know what my reason was. Mainly, I liked going to the gym because it took up some of my free time, when I started my new job with all new people. The track was somewhere that I could do whatever I wanted. I didn't have to talk to anyone or impress anyone. It was my "me time."

Now that I've come so far, there are a lot of reasons that I run...

I run for my family that has never stopped believing in me.
I run for my amazing friends at work.
I run to hopefully be an inspiration for those that don't think they can do it.
I run for my bad eating habits, and immense love of all things sweet.
I run to relieve stress.
I run to feel free.
I run to show myself that I can do absolutely anything that I set my mind to.

But above all else...

I run for me.

Why do you run?

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Happy Wednesday, Y'all!

 

Here's what I'm loving on this super windy Wednesday in Boone!

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1. My Daddy's coming to visit!

My Dad is a huge basketball fan, and tonight Appalachian has a men's and women's game. Since he's off work for a few days, he's headed up the mountain, so we can go watch! I'm so excited to see him and have a great time cheering on the Mountaineers!

 

2. I'm getting my hair done!

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My every-eight-week hair appointment is this Saturday, and I can't wait to have my ends trimmed and get some fresh color! I'm still trying to grow my hair out, so I won't be cutting any, just shaping up the ends. I swear, my hair dresser Lisa can work wonders on this bob!

 

3. I snagged the cutest dress from Bre's Closet Purge

While scanning my twitter feed the other night, I saw that Bre from Basically Bre was having a blog sale. I fell in love with this super fun, black and gold KiKi La'Rue dress. I immediately emailed her, and got it for $20. Doesn't it look perfect for Homecoming or a fun night out?!

 

4. New York City

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As if I'm not fascinated enough with New York City, watching the Sex and the City TV series from the beginning has me just about ready to hop on a plane today! There are so many things I want to learn about this amazing place!

 

5.Meeting new friends!

Yesterday, I had lunch with my sweet friend Tara and her cousin Katie. This was something completely spur of the moment, but now I know it was simply meant to be! Katie is a current student at Appalachian and so precious. I was amazed by just how much we had in common! Just when you think you live in a small town, you meet someone completely new! It just made my day!

 

What are you loving this Wednesday? Link-up and let us know!

 

As always, Have a Sweet Day!



My Aha Moments Come in Threes!

I have always been amazed by the way that God can show himself to us in the most interesting of situations. There have been many occasions in my life that something a little too funny, ironic, or completely unexpected happens, and I simply look up toward the sky and nod to say thank you.

Last Wednesday during a trip to Walmart, this "aha moment" feeling happened to me three different times!

 It was one of those days, where I'd been going 100mph all afternoon. I'd already worked from 8-5, I'd stressed about Valentine's Day, and now it was pouring rain outside, only adding to the madness. About 4pm, I realized that I needed to make a trip to Walmart before heading home. Though I knew this chaos would only heighten my stress level, I had cupcakes to make and Valentine's to write, so it had to be done!

1. The first instance happened when I saw a sweet friend that I hadn't heard from in probably a year. My friend Teryn and I became close during our freshman year of college, but after moving off campus and getting busy with our own lives, we lost touch. It absolutely made my night to see her after all this time! She had been on my mind earlier that week, and this just reaffirmed to me that God hears each and every one of our thoughts. 

2. I was reminded of God's presence yet again on the candy aisle, as I stood with my cart waiting on a couple to move from their post in front of the $1 assorted chocolate hearts. As they continued to take their sweet time, I was getting more and more frustrated. Did they not realize that people had places to be on Valentine's Day Eve? I didn't have time to wait for them to rationalize which color heart the recipient of their valentine would like most! It was about that time, that I heard a little girl (probably about 6 or 7 years old) ask her mom if she could get her teacher something for Valentine's Day. The mother responded by asking her daughter why, and she said "Because my teacher helps me learn every day and she deserves something." Hearing that little girl say that both surprised me and made me so happy. So many of my close friends and family are teachers, and it was such a breath of fresh air to hear from a young child that they realize how much their teachers do for them.

3. The third moment took place right before I left in the check-out line. I was scanning the candy display, when I heard an older woman behind me explaining something to what looked to be her granddaughter. I didn't hear the whole story, but I did pick up that the little girl (about 5 years old) had asked about why another family couldn't do certain things, and the grandmother told her that because people in that family were sick, they didn't have the money to do things anymore. She then instructed her granddaughter to pray for them during this hard time.

I know in my own life, there are so many times when I'm simply rushing around, only worried about myself and getting things done that affect me. I am so thankful that God is here to remind me to slow down, breathe, and take note of all the amazing things that are happening around me. 

Who knew all this could happen just in a trip to Walmart?!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

A Valentine's Recap!

This year, Valentine's Day was a complete whirlwind for me! I had the absolute best time getting ready on Valentine's Day Eve, and enjoying the actual day, but it felt so good to relax after it was all over!

 

Valentine's Day through my iPhone!

 

My Valentine's Day Eve work outfit:

I loved mixing these fun reds and oranges! 

Top: Old Navy

Skirt: Loft Outlet

Booties: TJ Maxx

Necklace: Charming Charlie

 

After work, I made my way to Walmart (along with everyone else in town) to pick up last minute supplies. This is my cart complete with cupcake-making supplies, candy, paper valentines and a new hand mixer!



There were so many cute valentines to choose from, but I couldn't resist the Hello Kitty ones!

 

The cupcakes I made for our party at work!

My fun fetti icing was too pretty not to take a picture of!

 

The end result! Strawberry cupcakes with fun fetti icing.

 

Valentine's nails!

 

Valentine's lunch at a place in Boone called Coyote Kitchen! So good!

 My pineapple shrimp tacos had me feeling like I was in Mexico, instead of the arctic tundra.

 

A local bread company in Boone had the cutest Valentine's Day display, and was absolutely packed!

 

On Valentine's night, I had the most delicious dinner out with a friend. The place was absolutely fabulous! It was pretty formal, so I wore this dress I got for Christmas. The night wouldn't have been complete without a little pink & green!

As a little Valentine's gift to myself, I finally registered for The Color Run Winston-Salem in March! I am beyond excited to run my first 5K! Happy Valentine's to me!

Valentine's Day 2013 was a complete success! I hope yours was as well!

 

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

A Valentine Just for You!

Happy Valentine's Day from my sweet doodlebug & me!

 

My 2013 Valentine's Day Card:

I hope y'all have the most amazing day! I can't wait to read about what everyone did!

 

As always (and especially today), Have a Sweet Day!



I'm Totally the Valentine's Type!

I have loved Valentine's Day ever since I was a little girl!

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I love the candy, the flowers, and the chocolate, but more than all those things, I simply love love!

 

I'm so excited to spend this Valentine's Day being thankful for family, eating cupcakes with friends at work and having a delicious dinner. I've come to the conclusion, I'm just a Valentine's type of girl!

Chocolate, bears, and balloons
It makes my heart so happy to see stores stock their aisles with chocolate, bears, and balloons. I love their shades of pink and red, and their funny little sayings. Though some may be a little corny, it's the thought that counts!

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Flowers

I was one of those girls in middle and high school that loved receiving flowers for any occasion. I loved the feeling of surprise when they called my name on the intercom to come get them from the office, and the mystery of reading whatever that little card had to say. Flowers are still one of my absolute favorite gifts, especially when you don't expect them!

 

Sending Valentines

Last year was my first time sending actual valentines, and it was so much fun, but my obsession started long before that! I love the feeling of writing out valentine's for my family and friends, and putting them in the mail! This year, I decided to use all types of cute accents to add personality to my cards. They turned out super cute!

Love
I love couples holding hands, waiting for their name to be called at their favorite restaurant. I love dinner reservations, heart-shaped desserts, and Hallmark cards that say just exactly what you're thinking. I love the butterflies you feel before a first date, and jumping around the house afterward when you know it went well (I might be the only one that does that!) haha!

Call me sentimental, but I simply love love:)

As always, Have a Sweet Day!



Finally, An Apartment Tour!

I've been living in my new apartment for just over a month, and I absolutely love it! This apartment is in a great location, and is a perfect match for my working, post-college lifestyle! I'm so glad I ended up here!

This weekend, I finally took pictures for my long-awaited apartment tour! 

Here they are just for you!

As you approach the front door, you're greeted by my pink and green monogram wreath. This project turned out awesome, and it is so me! With this on the door, there's definitely no mistaking which apartment is mine!

As you make your way inside, you come into my kitchen. Since I collect cupcakes, I decided to give the kitchen a cupcake theme.

This apartment is built to be handicap accessible, making everything in the kitchen a little lower to the ground than it would normally be. With me only being 5'2", this worked out perfectly. I'm actually taller than my refrigerator, which is definitely a first!

The kitchen and the living room area are separated by a bar that you see above. Instead of buying bar stools that I probably wouldn't use, I decided to use that space for the kitchen table that I purchased at an auction a few years ago.

I found my plates, place mats and centerpiece at Target. I think they all bring so much color to the room.

Next is my living room area. Since it's just a one-bedroom apartment, I didn't want to bring in too much furniture, but I did have the perfect amount of space for my couch, new mirrored coffee table and TV stand.

The coffee table was a surprise Christmas gift from my family, and probably one of my favorite things in the apartment. It's another Target purchase that I think was definitely a home run!

I use the newest Southern Weddings Magazine for a little coffee table reading!

The view from the couch!

To the right of the kitchen/living room is my bedroom and full bath.

I came across my duvet cover on the Pottery Barn Kids website earlier this fall, and my pillows are from TJ Maxx and Target!

I also got super lucky with a set of lamps! One of my Mom's friends was downsizing, and graciously gave my a set of acrylic crystal lamps that she didn't plan on using. I use one in the living room and the other on my nightstand.

I love being able to showcase some of the artwork that I've made!

My bathroom is right off from my room, and features a stackable washer/dryer, an open walk-in type closet, and a large amount of counter top space.

These shelves are just begging me to buy more shoes!

For the bathroom, I decided to stick with my black, white, and pink color scheme, along with adding in a little chevron for fun! I picked up this shower curtain at Urban Outfitters. The pink rugs are from Target.

The End!

I hope you love my little apartment just as much as I do! If you ever get the chance to live by yourself, do it! It's amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

My Wallet Thinks It's Summertime!

From the looks of my bank statement this month, you would totally think it's summertime!

No matter how hard I try, whether online shopping or in the actual store, lately I've been drawn to summery items, like chino shorts, tunic style tops and bright colored koozies!

Regardless of the snow, sleet, and freezing rain that my little town may be getting, I've got summer on the brain, and I think I like it! 

Here are a few of my recent summertime purchases:

1. Lauren by Ralph Lauren paisley blouse
I can't wait to pair this with white pants and cute sandals!

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2. J.CREW blue gingham chino shorts

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3. Lilly Pulitzer Koozie in Chiquita Bonita

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4. Old Navy ruffle bandeau swimsuit
I ordered the black top & matching bottoms!

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5. Sex and the City: Season 4
Hearing the ladies of SATC talk about tanning in the Hamptons makes me so excited for summer!

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...and another pair of items that I've been eyeing:

6. Lilly Pulitzer Chiquita Bonita croakies 
(to match my new koozie!)

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7. Lands' End medium tote in Azalea Pink! 

 I bought my first Lands' End tote last year and loved it! This one would be the perfect size bag to use everyday (with a circle monogram of course!)

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Does your recent shopping have you dreaming of summertime?

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

My Friday Letters!

It has been a great work week, but at five o'clock today, I will be so happy to see the weekend!

 

Today, I'm linking up with The Sweet Season for Friday's Letters!

 

 

Here are my letters for this Friday:

 

Dear Springtime, please get here soon! I can't take much more of this cold weather. I want to run outside, go hiking and wear cute bright colors!

Dear Lusk Family, Thank you for always being so amazing. I can't wait for dinner with you tonight.

 

Dear Valentine's Day, I am so ready for your arrival! I can't wait to send Valentine's, buy myself chocolate and wear pretty reds and pinks all day long!

Dear Paisley, I miss you so so much every day, and I can't wait to see you soon!

Dear Advisor, Please go ahead and finish my final recommendation, so I can find out about graduate school!

 

Dear Self, keep trying to eat better and be more fit! This summer, every bit of it will be worth it!

 

What are your Friday's Letters?

Link-Up Here!

 

As always, Have a Sweet Day!