bite me.
Biggest Challenge
December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
This is a tough one. 2009 has been a pretty calm year for me. My second year out of college, I enjoyed stability, lack of homework, weekends off and a regular income. I have certainly enjoyed it been living it up taken it easy.
So, although I think it’s pretty safe to say that the biggest challenges still lie ahead of me, the challenge has been taking the leap to really be here, in this space, putting myself out there. I bought my URL yesterday, which signifies my commitment to this blog. I’M. REALLY. DOING. THIS. (I’d be stupid not to cause that would be about $130 down the drain …) In the last nine months, I’ve managed to make some pretty incredible connections. It almost scares me to think how I will be catapulted into a world of awesome connections when I really focus in on what I’m doing here and lead by example.
I’m no entrepreneur and I’m not going anywhere. But here in little Reno, NV … man, I’m going places. I’m doing something different (for me, anyways). Can’t wait to see where it takes me.
What’s this about?
Moment of Peace 09
December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
Wow. I wasn’t going to answer this one because of what I imagine is much of the reasoning behind Gwen Bell’s post on this same topic.
I don’t find my chi, or vow to unplug or practice yoga, so nothing immediately stood out to me. But wow, the sense of peace that came over me when I read that post. Unmatched. Peace, for me, is in realizing that everything is as it should be, chaos and all.
On that same note, I just purchased my URL (or as Brad would have it, my “Earl”) for the thing that is to become my blog. Call it peace or call it pee-in-my-freaking-pants-excited … it’s a GOOD FEELING.
What’s this about?
Best blog find 09
December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can’t believe you didn’t know about until this year.
Where do I even begin? Because I just started blogging in April of this year, basically every blog in my reader is a new find as of 2009.
But I know that’s sort of cheating. So I’m attempting to narrow it down to only two:
Web sites & strategy for rockstars & gonnabes, authored by Sarah J. Bray. I’m not a designer. In any sense of the word. But that’s the amazing part of Sarah’s blog. What she writes can be translated to any and all facets of the industry in which I work (and many others, I am sure, but let’s face it–I’m 24 and I only care about what affects me right now, right?). She’s an inspired and inspiring businesswoman. And although I don’t have any grand plans of becoming an entrepreneur, the way she does and talks about her business really resonates me.
The second blog I can’t believe I’ve been living without would have to be that of Doniree. It’s hard to put into words why, but I just freaking love that girl. I first found her when she wrote this post about the cocktail question, and I feel like I’ve been in a perpetual state of introspection ever since.
The last blog find of the year (I know, I said I’d narrow it down to only two, but it’s just TOO DAMN HARD) is Life Without Pants. It is so inspiring to read Matt’s adventures in community-building. As of this year, I am someone who is devoted my community. I want to be a part of it, to connect with people and make it better. Matt offers so much to me in this way.
It’s really quite incredible to have been touched by these three people I have never even met. And it just shows me the power of what we’re doing here. As twenty somethings, as individuals, as bloggers and as people who want to change the world. You guys … just … THANK YOU!
Other blogs that have touched me this year:
- Rise of the Innerpreneur
- lizfranco.com
- Bike Carson
- OMG, give me MORE, please!
What’s this about?
#best09 catch-up
2009 has definitely been a year of growth for me. But it was growth without movement, if that makes any sense. If not, too bad. You’ll just have to wait until 2010 and the launch of my blog makeover to learn more about me there (muah-ha-ha).
Thanks to Gwen Bell and her Best of 2009, like 500 bloggers have been chronicling their last 11 months with 31 prompts, to be answered daily, or whatever. I chose or whatever (what can I say? I’m a rule breaker–HAH), so I’m going to catch up on a few that I wanted to write on here:
December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
That one’s easy. My dad took all of us kids on a cruise to the Caribbean. Lazy days, beaches, kayaking (for the first time) in Aruba and, above all, quality family time. That last one is the thing we don’t get often, with my sister and I up here in Reno. It was awesome and unforgettable. Oh and did I mention my dad also took Brad? I know right. Proof that he’s already a member of my family (whether he likes it or not).
December 4 Book. What book – fiction or non – touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
For me, this year, it a tie between A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. I loved the movies as a kid and read both books this year. I have never before been able to jump right back into my childhood like those books were able to take me. The innocence in those books is comforting and missing from our world.
December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
Well, the conference I attended in September was not only the only conference I attended this year, it was the only conference I have ever attended. That said, it was incredible. It was the American Advertising Federation’s Western Regional Conference. The workshops themselves were nothing far above average (hey, if I’m being honest), but the inspiration I got there was just unmatched. If you ever hear me speak passionately about the work I do through Ad2 Reno, this conference is why. It was a breath of fresh air. A reminder of why I do what I do for a living and of why Ad2 exists.
omg you guys
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this place I’ve been calling my blog for the last nine months (holee sheet, it’s been that long already?!) and I have this new place that I’ve been collecting all my bloggy thoughts:
see?
I’ve been trying to write down EVERYTHING I think of in terms of this blog. It’s been kind of fun to just be all over the place with it for now.
I’m working with my friend, Mike, to make it my most awesomest blog ever (which, lets face it, won’t be hard since what you’re reading is my first ever). But really, it’s been fun putting all our creative juices together. I don’t really have a lot of creative juices, but EVERY LAST DROP has been going into this.
Anyway, I just wanted to gush about how essited I am to reveal (which will be sometime after the new year)*.
*You see, I work in PR so I am building buzz. It’s what I DO. 
Recognition
This week’s A-team project was to give in some way involving food. A fitting and relatively easy task for this time of year. I chose to go to the store and buy about $25 worth of non-perishables like beans, rice and canned meats and veggies. I brought them to a local organization called Northern Nevada HOPES, which is facility and safe house for families and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. They have a food pantry, which they struggle to keep open. It’s is only open as often as there is enough food to open it. And then, when that supply is gone, they close it again.
This organization doesn’t mean anything in particular to me, other than I worked with them on a marketing campaign Ad2 Reno did for them last year. I don’t really have a particular connection to any organization or charity. At least not one that’s personal to me. It’s hard to try to determine who deserves my help and volunteer hours [I'm unsure how to say this without it sounding somewhat snooty]. Yes, battered women deserve a place to go, veterans deserve proper care, puppies deserve a home and terminally I’ll children deserve a life they wanted. I’m blessed to never have been affected by these things enough to know that any one cause is the one for me.
So, I brought them the food last night. I’m not sure how I expected to be recognized. I guess I thought maybe someone I’d worked with might be there. To thank me profusely. I expected $25 to look like much more food. I expected that my contribution would push the pantry to full and they’d be able to open it for Thanksgiving. I don’t know if that will or won’t happen. But the point is, my expectations and my being recognized don’t matter. I did what I could to help for this holiday weekend. I could have bought a meal for a friend, or paid for the coffee of the stranger in line behind me. But I wanted to do something that means something to me. Even if it goes completely unrecognized. That’s not the point. The reason I did it is because it was the right thing to do and the best way I could do it.
I guess for now I’ll just have to be involved with the organizations I get to know and grow to care about through my work with Ad2.
figuring it out
So, after last weeks post and joining 20sb waiting for my 20sb membership approval, I’ve decided this place needs a makeover. I have NO idea what exactly that’s going to look like, but I know that if I’m going to do this–REALLY do this–then this space needs to be much more than “my last bike ride.”
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m totally still going to ride my bike and write about it (when it get’s warmer). But … there’s so much more to me. There’s so much more to the development of the person I’m becoming. What I need to bring my focus to is what do I want? What do I want to do? I love my life and the people in it. I love my job and my family. But I have become complacent. I know I’m not the only one. I’m not the only person who graduates college [two years ago, now], finds a great job [trust me, I know how lucky I am], loves unconditionally and gets comfortable in that.
Hey, so live a comfortable life. I’m SO lucky. I know that. I was brought up in a privileged, caring and compassionate household [that's not without its problems, trust me]. I’ve made good decisions. I’m no genius and I’m no innovator, but I know I’m smart.
So what?
I love my job. I love my boy. So many people try their whole lives to get what I’ve got. It’s like my own little miracle. I can stop trying to find the right career. I’m in it. I can stop looking for Mr. Right. I have him. I can now focus all of that energy on anything and everything else.
But what?
I don’t know yet. I’m going to spend some time thinking about who I am and what I do. Who I want to be and what I want to do. I’m pretty excited. And I really hope that some of this will mean as much to some of you, as the things you have done mean A LOT to me. But I guess the truth is, it doesn’t really matter because this means a SHITLOAD to me.
how far i’ve come
Not very, if you’re using this blog as an example.
I was never too interested in having a blog of my own. It just seemed like a public diary to me. And I’ve NEVER been good at the whole diary/journal thing. I’ve always enjoyed reading others’ blogs though. ESPECIALLY the personal ones. We all know there’s something to be said for being able to relate to people (strangers, even), whether it’s about becoming a bigger rockstar, finding some center and stability in our lives, improving our communities, struggling with weight or just gushing about what we love on the weekly.
So, who in their RIGHT MIND would want to read my ramblings? And WHY?! (I mean, my dad reads this, but I think that’s less about me being awesome at blogging and more about the fact that I probably don’t call my family enough)
I guess it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m writing.
For at least the last six years, I’ve called myself a writer. I have it tattooed on my body for pete’s sake. The cycling thing was a good way to get me started in the world of blogging. And it’s been awesome because I’ve discovered a whole new community (but mostly it’s awesome because the blog MADE me want to ride my bike, which is a huge accomplishment). In truth, this blog has been just an experiment for bigger and better blogs in the future (dun dun dunn). I’ve learned SO much since I attended Wordcamp in March and started this blog in April.
Lately, I’ve been training myself [with the help of a few friends] on what it takes to build a really great, customized, beautiful blog with WordPress and CSS and all kinds of other crap I knew nothing of a few weeks ago. (Can’t wait to share it with you all … soon!)
But anyway, thanks to this amazingly honest little yogi writer in Minneapolis, I’ve learned about Twenty Something Bloggers (membership pending). I’ve heard about it here and there, but never really felt like there was a place for me in that network. Until I learned about how their new partnership is going to save the world. Okay, I don’t want to save the world necessarily. Or rather, I am aware that I can’t. But I am realizing more and more every day that there is more to my life than just me and the crap I do. I’m a part of this awesome organization called Ad2 Reno, and every year we (a group of advertisers under 32) donate a full service integrated marketing campaign to one local non-profit organization. After having been involved in the winning campaign last year, I decided to take on a bigger role as the public service c0-chair. So, basically, my friend Jessie and I are the account executives of this campaign for this amazing non-profit client. At first, I’ll admit, I mostly did it because I wanted a position on the Ad2 Board and they needed someone to step up. But I couldn’t be happier. Yeah, it’s frustrating sometimes. It’s a volunteer program that comes out of a less-than-strong membership. Sometimes people aren’t reliable or whatever. But what I’m realizing is that we are going to make a big difference in this community. We are giving a valuable local non-profit organization an opportunity they might never otherwise have.
So THAT is why I’m joining 20SB.
Because I live in this world. And I want to make it better in what little ways I can. So I’m going to. So, I’m not yet sure what will happen here … but I hope you’ll keep reading anyway. Because I’m gunna keep writing. (I will, dammit.)
sunday by myself
After what has seemed like busy weekend after busy weekend, sometimes you need to just allow yourself to be a completely lazy bum. For a whole day. Two weekends in a row*. :-/
I tend to get in this really bad habit of being a complete hermit on the weekends. I tend to start feeling sorry for myself and have a hard time getting out of it. That makes for really unfun Mondays. Lately, I’ve been a big proponent of not being alone with your thoughts. Well, let me rephrase that. People should not be left alone with their negative thoughts. Those things make us crazy. I guess some people need to work that shit out on their own. But that’s not me. I need to say things. Out loud. To people. Even if it’s only to hear myself say things out loud [but mostly it's because I need to say things to people who will give me honest feedback]. But like I said, that’s just me.
So, that said, I decided that I had to get out of the house today. I had a big pile of research to read through for my Ad2 Reno client (and a busted few-week-old tumbler that needed exchanging), so I rode on over to my favorite Starbucks to get some work done while enjoying a latte. I’ve forgotten how nice it is to work in a coffee shop, with all the hustle and bustle going on around you.
So, the reason I really wanted to write this post is this: I met the nicest, cutest couple sitting outside. They rode their bikes to sit and have coffee together and just talk about anything and nothing. “See you next weekend!” the man said, when they left with their bikes. Apparently they ride their bikes to have coffee together every Sunday. Immediately I began to think how nice it would be if Brad and I the ability to do that kind of thing together on the weekends (he works Saturday and Sunday 8-6:30, while I work Monday-Friday 8-5–sucks, I know.)
But then I realized (again, DUH, because of course I have realized this in the past), what is to stop me from enjoying that same Sunday morning afternoon rides and coffee by myself?** So there we have it. I do have to say, I’m glad to have my weekends back to myself.
* Please note that is one day each weekend, not four whole days. I’m lazy, but I’m not THAT lazy.
** oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, I have pretty much stopped riding to work for the winter. It’s too cold and too dark. I know there is of course equipment out there like headlights and special gloves, but this season I’m just not ready to invest in all of that. Maybe next year.
I’ve go to stop it with the footnotes.
