Let's Go 2013!

The night before last, I had the pleasure of spending the evening with my dear friend, Sharyn. This is the person who gave me the push I needed to start this blog, nearly a year and a half ago, and one of the many reasons why the past five years of my life have been so amazing.

Among other things, Sharyn and I got to talking about 2013, how time is flying by, and our goals for the new year ahead. 

Goals are something that I love sharing on my blog, because by putting them here, I can explain exactly what I want to do (to my readers and to myself). It's a post that I've been meaning to write for 17 days now, but honestly, I wanted to have my goals right in my head first, before I shared them with all of you. After chatting with her last night, I knew I was ready to share. 

Thanks, Sharyn! You gave me the push I needed...yet again!

My Goals for 2013:

1. Run a 5k: 

Plain and simple. I was running fairly regularly for about a month, then Christmas break happened and the gyms in Boone closed, thus halting my exercise temporarily. Now that the students are back, the gyms are on regular schedule, and my running is starting back in full swing. Completing my first 5k is something that I would LOVE to accomplish. I've already picked out the race! I'm doing The Color Run Winston-Salem on March 16th! I can't wait!

2. Enjoy summer vacation with my family:

Last year, when my family went on vacation, there were a couple things that didn't go in our favor: the weather, some personalities, etc, so this year, I have vowed that things are going to be VERY different. My family is too precious, and times like these where we're all in the same place at the same time are few and far between, so I'm going to absolutely live it up! My Mama and I have picked a location in the Outer Banks that we're just crazy about, and we've invited my Mom's best friend and her husband, only adding to the fun. We also decided to rent a beach house this year (a Miller first) because we always stay in a condo, but this year is super special because it's my parent's 30th wedding anniversary!

3. Find my professional direction:

This goal may sound odd, but during 2013, I want to have more of an idea of where I want to go professionally. Over the past few weeks, I've been tossing around staying in higher education long term, going to graduate school, and about a million other things. There are so many options when you're "22, single and have no children," as my Mama says. Thanks, Mom! I have big dreams, and I want to take the steps to make them all happen! Who knows where I could end up?! If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be working at my alma mater, representing an amazing university, I would've said you were crazy.

I have three goals.

I have three plans of action.

I'm ready.

Let's go 2013.

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Boone To-Do List Check Up!

My first week of work was the perfect opportunity to cross some things off my Boone to-do list that I talked about here!

It's been so much fun figuring out where I can go and how I can get all of these things done. I'm already making my way, and have three things checked off!

Here's the list from my original post!

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!)

The items that are crossed out are ones that I have completed. 

Any item that is underlined is currently in the works!

What I've done so far:

1. Attend an ASU basketball game!

My friend Kim & I had the best time the other night catching up, enjoying the concession stand and watching the game! It was a great time and I can't wait to go again soon!

2. Personalize my desk!

It's taken this whole time to get my desk finally looking how I want it to, but I think I'm finally done!
Before:

After:

I love love love having my own space to work from every day!

3. Learn the names of everyone in my office

I got this done on my second day of work! Woohoo!

4. Eat at 5 restaurants I've never tried!

Last Thursday, I marked one of these off my list. We ate at a little place called Boone Drug. I had been to one of their other locations, but never this one. 

Here I am posing with a stuffed bear right beside where we were having lunch. That thing was nearly $400.00!

The place had a grill, as well as a place to shop while you wait! I love the small town feel. It reminded me so much of where I'm from.

Stay tuned as I try to check off everything on my list!

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!

Let's Catch Up: My New Job!

With so much going on the past few weeks, I have a lot to catch you up on! This is the first of many "Let's Catch Up" posts that I will be writing in the next few days.

So, I'm employed! Woohoo!

I know in my first post about my new job, I was very vague as to what my position was and what it entailed, but I happy to announce that I finally have time to elaborate on this fab opportunity!

I will be working in my college town of Boone, North Carolina! When I moved there four years ago as an undergrad, I instantly fell in love! The people, the town, the pretty weather, everything! I knew when I saw this particular opening, I just had to apply!

I applied at the end of September, and then waited...and waited some more! I was completely caught off, when the call for an interview finally came! They wanted me to come to Boone just a few days later. I was SO nervous, but SO excited to be back in a place that I love so much!

That following Friday at 10am, I had my interview, and it went better than well, it went fabulously! I hit it off instantly with the panel of 5 ladies interviewing me. They loved me, and I really loved them.

I knew this was the place I was meant to be.

I left Appalachian that day feeling amazing, and though I thought I had it in the bag, I tried my best not to get my hopes up too much. A week and half later, I got a call from my future supervisor offering me the position in Boone! To be honest, I think I froze for a few minutes. I couldn't believe the moment had finally come! 

I am so proud to be the new Assistant to the University Registrar. The Registrar is an office on campus, as well as a person that deals with everything graduation, class, transfer, registration-related. My favorite part, I'm also part of the event management team for our many graduation ceremonies, as well as convocation. Woohoo!

This opportunity gives me the full-time position that I've been craving, and still allows me to work weddings any Saturday that we have one. It's win, win. 

I feel so incredibly lucky.

My new office!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Sorry, No Vacancy

Throughout this whole new job/picking up my life in one place and taking it to another process, the most difficult part has been finding a place to live.

I know it has a lot to do with the town that I'm going to being super small, and revolving around its students, but I never imagined there would be nothing available. Seriously, nothing.

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To be honest, it's had me a little discouraged because it's hard to get excited about going somewhere and starting a new job when you don't know where you'll be laying your head down at night.

I'm sure anyone that has ever moved in their lifetime understands my feelings of getting your hopes up about one place, and having it fall through, or finding out it isn't exactly as nice as you hoped it would be. I've had this happen countless times over the past few days, but I'm trying my best to stay optimistic.

Unlike most people, I have never really moved before. Don't get me wrong, I did move into my college dorm for a year, but that was pretty much decided for me. Then I went from there to an apartment with two roommates, where a ton of other students lived, but this is a little different. I'm literally looking for a place to start my adult life, a place that I will come home to during the good days at work and the not-so-good, the place that I will have most of my "firsts" as an adult in the real world. 

Forgive me for being nostalgic, but that's a big deal!

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I've quickly realized that picking up your life and following a job is also expensive. There are a lot of initial costs of living by yourself that I hadn't taken into consideration before. These things combined with the rent of a one/two bedroom apartment for an entry-level position can be stressful. 

Yesterday, I spoke to a man over email that owns an apartment complex in Boone. He was very nice, and told me that though I preferred a one-bedroom, he had a two-bedroom unit available immediately! I've never been inside of this place (they're super new), but the outside is gorgeous. It gave me the ray of hope that I'd been searching for. I'm going to the university to sign paperwork on Monday, and my parents and I are planning to go see the unit!

Say a prayer, cross you fingers, send happy thoughts our way, please! I feel good about this one!

Have you had these same problems when moving to a new place?

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Interior Designer Needed!

Before I begin this post, there are two big changes that have taken place in my life that I must update you on!

1. I got a job!

One week ago, I got a call from a job that I had applied for in late September. I had an interview at the beginning of October that went fabulously, and this was the call that I had been waiting on! I was offered a wonderful full-time position at the university that I graduated from in May, and I cannot wait to be back! Woohoo!

This leads me to my next big change...

2. I'm moving!

I'm picking up my life and moving back to my college town! I have a little less than a month to get back and have everything ready, and I'm stressing! I'm trying my best to find a place to live, but places are few and far between because it's such an odd time to move in. Everyone already has a place to live, a lease in the works and roommates. This has me worrying, and scrambling for the perfect apartment and the perfect decor. 

I've made a few big decisions concerning my bedroom decor, which I think has me on the right track!

1. I want my room to be pink, gold, and white, with black accents.

Here are a few bits of Pinspiration:

All images via Pinterest

2. I want quatrefoil bedding in some combination of those colors.

I love this white quatrefoil, but it's only sold in size queen and king, and I have a size full bed! So frustrating!

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3. I want to use small pops of other patterns in the room.

Here are a few things I've bought so far!

Follow me on Instagram!

Thought this isn't quatrefoil, I found this black and white bedding, and I am in love!!!

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Seriously, could a bed be any more gorgeous?! 

Too bad the comforter alone is nearly $1500! Yes, outrageous!

I just can't seem to find the perfect bedding that I'm looking for! Everything is the wrong color or the wrong size. That's where I would love your help! Have you seen cute quatrefoil bedding anywhere lately? Or another fun pattern that you really liked? I'm open for suggestions!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

My Vistaprint Business Cards!

While applying for jobs, keeping up with this blog and attending Making Things Happen on Wednesday, it came to my attention that having business cards to hand out would be a really good investment!

I looked over a few sites, and decided that for my first card, I wanted something simple and pretty. I just needed something in my hand, and quick for the time being!

Hello, Vistaprint!

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I had never used Vistaprint before, so I was a little skeptical as to the quality of the cards, but I decided that since I was in a rush, it was my best option. The prices were amazing! I could have gotten 25 cards for $5.99, but I decided to spring for a few more, so I wouldn't have to be as sparing with them. I ended up buying 50, matte stock, one-sided business cards for $7.99! I also opted for priority shipping, so that ran me another $7.15, but it was worth it to have them in my hand for the conference!

50 Business cards at my doorstep for $16.00? Yes, please!

I was so excited yesterday when the package arrived, and it was two days early! It was originally supposed to take the full seven days to ship, but my cards came in five! They were in a neat little stack, perfect and ready to go!

I was so impressed!

Thanks to such a wonderful Vistaprint experience, I will definitely use them for any other printing needs!

Have you used Vistaprint? What did you think?
I was not compensated in any way for this post.

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Good News:)

For those of you that read my post a week or two ago, when I was super stressed out about changing my major, my future, etc...thank you for being so supportive!

I am happy to say that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel!

I've decided that I'm going to go ahead and graduate in May as planned! Yay! I met with my advisor and found out that to acquire a degree in Public Relations, it would mean not graduating until May of 2013. At this point, I'm just ready to get out and experience life. In the semester I have left at ASU, my Mom has suggested that I try to get some experience in event planning... 

This is what I'm so excited about, if you follow me on Twitter you may have seen that I had some good news! Well I may have found that job! I'll let you know when I hear more!

Fingers crossed!

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A huge thank you to my sweet friend, Julianne that helped me make my resume amazing! You are seriously the best!

Also, I'm so excited for tomorrow because my parents are coming up to see me get my Appalachian class ring! There's a special ceremony on campus where the chancellor will be presenting them to us and I can't wait to wear it! 

Mine looks a lot like this one! Except mine will have a gold "A" in the middle!

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Hope everyone has had a great start to their week! Only 8 more days until Thanksgiving!