Thursday Inspirations

Sometimes in our lives we get so bogged down with our day to day lives that we often forget to take a moment to breathe and be thankful for all that is around us. The past three weeks of adjusting to life back on the road have been go, go, go, and I know that spring semester of travel is just beginning. Sometimes I find myself so consumed in to-do list that I forget this wonderful job I have is also the journey of a lifetime. I have a secret board on Pinterest where I pin things that bring me inspiration and remind me every day to take a moment and relax. Relax, unwind, and say "thank you" to all those who have impacted my life that day. So today my friends, I hope you can find some sort of inspiration in the following post:

Created by my little sister!

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Valentine's Wish List

Oh my goodness gracious, can y'all believe it's already the last week in January? I feel like every month for the past year has flown by and I'm always left wondering where time has gone. This past week has been crazy with job travel and delay after delay in airports with the southern snow but I have finally made it to New Jersey!
With January on the way out, I've turned my focus to the holiday of love. Aka Valentine's Day! Now don't get me wrong, I love any excuse to get dressed up and have a fancy meal out with my hunk of a boyfriend, but I also feel that the way we treat someone on February 14th should be how we treat them all year. Anyone else agree with me? This is even a more true feeling with me this year as I'm on the road and won't be anywhere near Josh to celebrate, so I guess we will be having a good ole' Skype date! 
Even though I don't like to go super overboard for this holiday, I still have my eyes on a few favorite things that I wouldn't mind having shipped my way. I mean a girl can dream right? So here are my 2014 Valentine favorites:

1: Kate Spade Be Mine Pave Stud Earrings: $48 2: NYX Matte Lipstick Pale Pink: $14 3: Naked3: $52 4: Kate Spade Polka Dot Phone Case: $40

Five on Friday

Happy Friday sweet friends...we made it! I've been looking forward to Five on Friday all week as I missed it last week due to my short notice visit to Nashville.  So without further to do, I'm teaming up with April for this week's post. Let's get started: [ONE] I am finally caught up on all the Bachelor episodes from this season. I may have stayed up way past my needed bedtime last night to finish watching them on Hulu Plus and thank goodness I am back on track! Luckily this week I don't travel till Tuesday so I'll be able to see the episode on Monday night AND the thing I've been looking forward to for days months.... Sean and Catherine's wedding! I cannot wait to see what her wedding dress looks like. 

[TWO] So one thing I'm looking forward to when I get off the road is purchasing a "big girl camera" aka a DSLR camera. But, I need some help! Those of you that have a DSLR, what brand/style do you use? Are you happy with it? Any other recommendations you might have would be great! 

[THREE] Last night I submitted my North Carolina teaching application and I can finally mark that off my list as one step closer to being a teacher! While I love the job I have now and would not trade the experience for anything, my little heart has been waiting to have a classroom of its' own and I cannot wait till I get off the road to find my teaching position!

[FOUR] Tuesday I head back up to New Jersey and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will see some snow. You would think with all the traveling that I've done that I would have seen some but nope, sure haven't! I already told the girls to get a big bowl of clean snow from this last storm and save it for me in the freezer. I think I'm going to teach them how to make snow cream!

[FIVE] One thing I just can't stand about winter is how chapped my lips always become. Like y'all,they get to the point sometimes where they are so dry they crack. Any one else out there suffer from this? Well my sweet friend A. Bax introduced me to Aquaphor last weekend and I'm obsessed now. You can find it in the lotion aisle at any drug store and it has worked wonders on my lips! You can also use it as lotion but I tried it once on my hands and it was way too greasy. My lips though, they are as soft as a baby's bottom!

 

Happy Handwriting Day!

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day so I got some inspiration from Dixie on my Mind to do a little different post today: 

What are YOU living for?

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So many times in our daily lives, we get caught up in earthly things. I'm not talking about just the material things, but the thoughts that consume our mind 24/7. Don't you think our thoughts should be set on the one who has given us this great life? For me personally, I constantly find myself thinking about what state will I travel to next week for work? What will my future classroom look like and what grade will I be teaching? When will it be my time to turn my love of crafting into a business? Where will I be this time next year? It's "earthly" thoughts like those, that will push us farther and father away from our father in heaven. I should not be concerned with my life on earth, but instead should redirect those thoughts to know that I am living my life for Christ. I am his and he has my future in his hands. So friends, I challenge you to the following: when you find yourself consumed with thoughts of what this life holds for us, remember the verse above and know that ultimately we are living for our forever home with HIM in heaven! 

Nashville Weekend

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin? First off, if you read my post from Thursday you probably learned that my life until May is very come and go with each day filled with something new and exciting. Well, as I was sitting in my cozy bed on Thursday night preparing my post for Friday (note to self: I should do a better job of pre-scheduling post), I got a call from work saying I could go to Nashville on Friday morning to help out at Vanderbilt. Wait what? It was literally 10:37pm and I was jumping with joy! So I quickly delayed finishing that post and began packing for a 4 day weekend at Vanderbilt University for sorority recruitment work! I have been to Nashville twice before, but both trips were short 36 hour visits. So to spend 4 whole days literally living in the city's West End, it just made my heart happy. I did not get to do much exploring till yesterday right when I was about to leave but that didn't stop me from taking over 230 pictures this weekend. Here is a little picture recap of my play time in Music City! I traveled 3 hours from Martin, Tennessee to Nashville and got to cross over the Tennessee River

Loving these ceiling decorations! 

Cutest little table decorations ever! They made them to look like TV's

Tables all ready for recruitment

We bought Target out in their cranberry and ginger ale

Turned our two shopping carts from Target into the cutest mason jar drinks

Lots of cookie making happened this weekend

The Zeta Tau Alpha Chapter at Vanderbilt just got a whole lot bigger!

Climbed up hills and steps to see the Tennessee State Capitol 

Who knew President Polk's resting place was in Nashville?

State Capitol

Touring Vanderbilt University 

Visiting Nashville's Parthenon 

 

A Week In My Life

First off, congratulations to Sarah for winning my first giveaway! I've sent you a little e-mail to get all your contact information so I can send you the book. Thank you to everyone who entered and thank you for helping me spread the word about this wonderful giveaway. Stay tuned over the next few weeks to see what February's giveaway will be!
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One thing I love about this blogging community is the friendships I have formed over the past few months. Every day I smile opening up my e-mail to read what you all have to say and I love even more being able to respond back to each of you. As I've gotten to know some of you, you have asked more and more about this awesome job I have as a Traveling Leadership Consultant. With so many questions I thought it might be fun to let you into a little sneak peak of what a typical week is like in my life! (I'll apologize now for the possible overload of pictures that are about to happen.)

Monday (travel days):
6:00am- Wake up and get ready for the day
8:00am- Head to the airport dressed in casual business attire and ready to tackle a full day of people watching

10:30am- Board flight number one

12:30pm- Quick layover which usually involves grabbing Starbucks for lunch before boarding my second flight
3:00pm- I am greeted at baggage claim by the most welcoming signs and sisterly love in the world.

5:00pm-I arrive at my home away from home for the week and get settled into my room with other wonderful sisters!

Tuesday-Saturday (meeting days):
6:30am-Wake up and get ready for the day
7:30am-Hop a ride to the college campus (isn't this the cutest car?)

8:00am- Student Meeting #1
9:00am- Student Meeting #2
10:00am- Student Meeting #3
11:00am- Student Meeting #4
12:00pm- Lunch with a sweet sister
1:30pm- Faculty and Professor Meeting
3:00pm- Student Meeting #5
4:00pm- Student Meeting #6
5:00pm- Student Meeting #7
6:00pm- Dinner with lots of wonderful people

7:00pm- Fun Break (usually filled with intramural practice, attending an on-campus event, or watching movies with sisters)

9:00pm- Student Meeting #8 to wrap up the day
10:00pm- Answer e-mails
11:00pm- Relax, call home, blog, read, etc.
12:30am- Lights out

Sunday (Sightseeing Day)
95% of the time I will have meetings late Sunday afternoon/early night; but I love Sunday relaxation. I've been able to attend so many different styles of churches on the road and worship with people who just a few days ago were strangers. Sunday brunch has become one of my new life loves, and sightseeing on a Sunday afternoon will never get old. Here are a few of my favorite thing's I've been able to see while on the road:

Kansas City Race for the Cure 

Liberty Bell in Philadelphia 

Miss America Shoe Parade in Atlantic City 

Color Run in Augusta 

Cleaning Up Beaches in West Long Branch

Sightseeing in Pittsburgh

Meeting Miss Pennsylvania 

Visiting the home and elementary school my mom grew up in 

St. Louis Arch

To say I have the best job in the world would be a huge understatement! It is truly a 24/7 job but one that I wake up blessed to have every day. Now hopefully you all can see a little peak into my typical week :-)