One Week Down!

I can't believe that I am already through my first week of work in the Registrar's Office! It has seriously flown by and I've loved every minute of it!

I had originally thought that I was going to have a lot of free time during the week, after work and such, but this has not been the case at all! I am a busy girl! Since I didn't have time to blog about each day, I thought I'd throw it all into one big post. Enjoy!

I went in early Monday morning for my official first day!

My first day outfit:)

I wanted to make sure I arrived on time, so I left a bit early, and actually got to the office before anyone else was there! It gave me the perfect amount of time to snap a few pictures of the office and my desk!

I have been having a fabulous time living with my old boss and her husband. We talk every night for hours about anything and everything. They have been such a support system for me over the past week, and I am SO thankful for them. I've even become accustomed to eating one of their famous ice cream sandwiches each night before bed!

Throughout the work week, I've met more and more of my co-workers. It is unreal how welcome they have made me feel. They are all absolutely amazing, from the tech person that spent hours working on my computer, (Thanks, Clint!) to the ladies that have been so sweet to invite me to lunch with them (Thanks, Tara & Theresa).

I can already say I feel so at home in the Registrar's Office!

My desk is even starting to look like my own! I'm still adding a few things, but I really like it.

This weekend while I'm at home catching my breath, I plan on finding my pink Christmas tree to add some color to my area! I'm also on the lookout for pink garland and a cute mouse pad. 

I don't think anyone was more excited to see me back home than this sweet girl!

 Pretty soon, Paisley will be making the move to Boone herself, and I can't wait! She's going to be a mountain dog!

You can follow along with my journey on Instagram: sweetlikeasong

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

It Feels like Heaven!

I am so happy to report that move in day went fabulously! I am settled in and so excited for the next few weeks! 

Here's a little recap of our day:

After packing throughout all of this past weekend, we were finally ready to get on our way yesterday afternoon! We loaded up my and my parents car and headed to Boone. Since I'm subleasing my new apartment from someone that graduates in December, it won't be available for me to move in for a few weeks. In the meantime, my old boss (from when I was a student at ASU) offered to let me live with her. I'll be staying with her and her family for about three weeks.

We arrived at my boss' house around 4:30, and I immediately felt at home. She and her husband were so nice and welcomed me with open arms. They showed me to my new room for the next few weeks and we moved everything right in. I wasn't sure what to expect because I had never been to her house before, but it is absolutely beautiful! I feel like I'm staying in a gorgeous bed and breakfast. 

I love how warm and inviting my room is here! I already feel so at home. 

I snapped a few pictures so you can get an idea.

After everything was put away and my parents headed home, I sat on the bed and thought about how lucky I am. The past month and a half has been a whirlwind of change and excitement, and I've loved every minute of it. 

I am so grateful for a family that loves and supports me, for a generous and giving co-worker that would invite me into her home, to be employed at a place that I know and love, for my good health and for my beautiful room with a warm bed. 

It feels so good to be home.

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Moving Day & My Thanksgiving Dish!

Y'all, today is the day!

I can't believe that moving day is finally here! While I'm busy driving, unpacking, and bursting with excitement, I thought I would share with you the dish that I made for Thanksgiving this year. It's super simple and tasty!

Every year, my family signs up to bring delicious dishes to our annual Thanksgiving Day lunch. For one reason or another, I have only contributed to the food selection once. Don't get me wrong the rice crispy treats that I made that year were good, they just fell apart in your hands. Boo. When I was younger, my parents bringing a dish or two was enough, but as an adult, I thought it was my time to participate!

I am not a cook in any way, shape or form. It's not that I don't have potential, I've just never really practiced. I knew I wanted something that was simple to make and difficult to mess up!

What dish fit all of these specifications?

Oreo Cake Balls!

You'll have to excuse the looks of my first batch, as they are not pretty at all, but they did taste good!

Ingredients:
1 Package of Oreos
1 Package of cream cheese (I'm trying a tub of cream cheese next time)
1 Package of vanilla melting chocolate (bars that you microwave)

Directions:
Put the entire package of Oreos into a bowl

Mash up all of the Oreos - I used a Pampered Chef potato masher, but if you have a food processor, that will work even better

Once crushed to a fine powder, mix the cream cheese in a mixer

Once the cream cheese is soft, add in all the Oreos and continue to mix

Once well mixed, form into balls and place on a cookie sheet that will fit into your freezer

While the chocolate balls are in the freezer, melt your chocolate

Take the balls out of the freezer when the chocolate is melted. Then you can either drizzle the white chocolate over them or dip them. I found it easier to drizzle and let the excess drip over onto the sides.

When finished, keep refrigerated until ready to serve!

Ta-Da!

I'm planning on trying another batch for Christmas and honing my technique a little bit. Hooray for my first cooking success!

Did you cook this Thanksgiving?

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Black Friday Deals!

It's a tradition in my family that we go shopping every Black Friday. That used to entail getting up super early on Friday morning, but since the sales keep getting earlier, we have to continue to adjust our shopping schedules. 

This year, after consulting my right-hand shoppers (my Aunt Robin & cousin Jessica), we decided the only place that we really needed to go to was Target. I had my eye set on a 32" Apex TV that was on sale for $147.00. The TV would look perfect in the living room of my new apartment!

We got to Target about 8:30pm for their grand opening at 9. I bet there were 500 people already in front of us, but this didn't deter our spirit. We were all so excited, and knew that we were on a mission.  My Aunt was to locate a cart, I was to run and find the TV, Jessica had to help me move the box out of the way and my cousin Patrick had to the guard the box once it was secured, so another crazy Black Friday shopper could steal it. We had this plan down to a science!

I think my tweet on Friday night describes it all: 

"I CAME. I SHOPPED. I CONQUERED!!!"

I don't think I have ever had SO much fun! Not only did we score the TV that I wanted (there were only 4 left when I got there), I also scooped up a new DVD player for $20 and The Hunger Games movie for $10. Throw in a bottle of wine and I'm ready for my next movie night!

We met up with a few other family friends that night and decided to share one cart between the 6 of us! This was just enough room for the new Xbox, 24" TV, six foot Christmas Tree, game controllers and flannel pajamas that we were also buying.

Since Thanksgiving is about being thankful and spending time with your family, I am so glad I was able to spend my Thanksgiving night with these wonderful people! It is a memory that I will treasure and never forget!

Did you have this much fun Black Friday shopping?

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving from Paisley & Me!

Have a wonderful holiday spending time with the ones you love!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

New Job Prep Through Instagram!

I start my job in less than one week...six days to be exact!

The beautiful cake at my going away dinner:)

Still, there are days when it doesn't seem real that I'm moving to a new place to start a "real" job! This coming Sunday afternoon, my parents are driving their car (full of clothes & shoes), and I'm driving mine up to Boone to move me in.

My new apartment won't be ready until the middle of December since I'm picking up another girl's lease. So in the meantime, I'm living with my old boss, from the job I had when I was a student. She is just wonderful, and I feel so lucky to be staying with such a great friend/mentor during my first few weeks on the job. She works for Appalachian as well, and I'm sure will be able to answer any questions I have.

In my last few weeks living at home, I've been trying my best to take care of any new job preparations that I can! It's a real task picking up your life in one place and moving somewhere completely different!

New Job Prep:

Finding a place to live: After so much stress and worrying, I finally have a place to live! Praise the Lord! I'll be moving in around the 19th of December!

It's not a huge apartment, but I think it'll be perfect for Paisley and me!

Getting a staff parking permit: One really nice thing about being a staff member at a university, is being able to drive my car to campus and park right behind where I work! This is going to be a such a luxury, especially during the blizzards that we're known to experience in Boone.

Getting a staff ID card: By having a staff AppCard (what we call it at Appalachian) I can get into the parking area, buy supplies in the bookstore, grab lunch, whatever I need, and it all comes out of my check each month. I also LOVE that since I'm staff, I can get into any gym on campus for $4.00/month! This is probably what I'm most looking forward to!

Getting my hair cut: I have been going to the same hairdresser for ten years! That's a long time! When my job's start date was set, I made sure to give Lisa a call. I wanted my hair/color to look really good for my first day. My appointment was yesterday, and I think my hair turned out the best it's ever looked! Go Lisa:)

Switching Banks: I love the bank that I've been using for years, but since there was no branch in Boone, I had to make a change. My Dad and I spent one day a couple of weeks ago closing out old accounts and opening new ones. I also decided to cash in my piggy bank that I'd been saving up for few months!


I'm sure getting all this out of the way will make my transition into a new place and job go much more smoothly. I'm so excited and nervous!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Starting a New Chapter!

After watching Sex and the City the movie a few nights ago, I am filled with an immense amount of ambition, drive and so many dreams for my future!

via

There's something about following along with the escapades of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha, that makes me really excited about living on my own! Big things can happen when you're in charge of your life!

This got me thinking!

I'm about to be in a new place, and though I've lived there before, there's a big difference between living somewhere as a student, and living there as a staff member!

With that said, I'm making a list of 20 things I'd like to accomplish during my first year of being on my own. It's not a full year, it's actually an eight month time period from November 26th, 2012 until August 1st, 2013. After that time, I'll have a roommate, so these are things I want to do before that!

Your first year post-college and out on your own is a big deal, that's why I've decided to make it a memorable one!

20 Things to do by August 1st, 2013:

1. Go to the gym everyday for a full week
2. Cook dinner for a group of friends
3. Visit a new church
4. Learn the names of everyone in my office
5. Go hiking on the parkway
6. Go skiing this winter
7. Watch 10 movies that I've never seen
8. Read 10 new books
9. Make friends with a neighbor
10. Take Paisley to the Greenway
11. Spend a day in downtown Blowing Rock
12. Do something fun for New Years Eve
13. Personalize my new desk
14. Buy an outfit from a local boutique
15. Attend an Appalachian basketball game
16. Do something that benefits my whole office (bring breakfast, write birthday cards, something!)
17. Eat at 5 restaurants that I've never tried
18. Throw a super fun housewarming party
19. Make my new apartment warm, inviting and like home
20. Make time to grab coffee before going to work (or buy a Keurig!)

I will be adding so many more things to this list as I transition to life working 8am-5pm, and living on my own, so I'm not stopping here! I'll update you all on my progress! Thanks so much so following along during this amazing journey of my life!

Interested in reading more?

I'm guest posting for Rachel at A Preppy State of Mind today about one of my favorite cold-weather patterns:
Plaid!

Read my post HERE.

As always, Have a Sweet Day!