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Two Months and a Trip Later…

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Following our Eurotrip, I took a very nice break from blogging to take on the last of my Presidential duties, the beginning of my Past-Presidential duties, a 4th of July family event and one work trip. I love reconnecting with my family and while I’m home, I’ve been getting out a lot more, planning weekend trips and outings with friends.

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In between jetsetting, we finally took down the tree in our backyard and have started back with the house projects.
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So now we have a ton of open space, lots of light, and an entire backyard to resuscitate. However, we have two more months left of summer and a lot of things planned, in a good way. Including:

  • My first visit to Pasadena, for work
  • A kinda-sorta surgery for Troy
  • My 30th birthday in Maine
  • My stepbrother’s wedding in Maryland
  • Seeing the Giants (and working) in Denver
  • Ending the summer in New Orleans with my bestie

Over/under on how many house projects we can tackle?

Sunday Reading

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Happy Sunday Wednesday.

We are less than a week away from our big Eurotrip. After almost a year of planning and some very lucky developments at work, I have passed the anxiety stage and am hanging out in the “just get here” stage. I think I’ve read every travel article twice. Gone over my lists and itinerary ad nauseam. How many more semi-empty days until I can pack my bags?

While I’m triple-checking the clock, here is what I’ve reading pre-vacation:

  • A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank. I categorize this book as “Help, I’m in my twenties” reading. I just finished Girls in White Dresses, and needed a quick read to pass the time, so I could start a new book on my trip. I did not know that I had pretty much already read this book, in the form of the Sarah Michelle Gellar movie, Suburban Girl. I never like to watch the movie before the book, so this kind feels like cheating. Not a bad read though…
  • The Independent Women of Sweet Briar by the New York Times. Women’s schools have been in the spotlight a lot lately, with the closing of Sweet Briar College to the renaming of Mary Baldwin College to Mary Baldwin University. I’ve come across many excuses from friends who would never picture themselves in a single-sex environment. However, what they don’t know is the magic that happens once you get there.
  • Nora Ephron’s Wellesley College Commencement Speech, 1996. This goes hand-in-hand with the first two. What are the expectations of women now versus then, and what can we accomplish now that there are no more excuses?
  • 17 French Drugstore Beauty Products That Actually Work via Buzzfeed. I wanted to post some of my favorite travel blog posts, but this article is the one I’ve read the most.
  • A Shortcut Guide to the French Quarter via Savored Journeys. In the last couple weeks, some girlfriends and I have talked about a Girls Weekend in September, after my birthday. Guess who already has the basic itinerary in place…

Little Leadership

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This past weekend, I attended my last Board of Governors Meeting as Alumnae President. I also got to talk with the Freshmen Intro to Leadership class.

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St. Margaret’s Senior Charms

When I started writing about leadership, I brought in a coxswain point-of-view, paired with a young professional’s ambition, as seen in this post (and also this post). But when I met with the freshmen, I realized all of that didn’t really hold much weight to them. I had to start at the beginning.

Why did I choose to be a leader?
Why did I jump at this position?
What was the spark that started the fire?

When I was in college, my Reverend told me something invaluable. She said, “When you’re sitting there thinking ‘I can do this better,’ you obligate yourself to do so.”

Don’t wait for your turn. Don’t hoard all your good ideas. Don’t do it for the recognition.
Do it because it is right, or stop complaining.

In high school, I had to move around a lot, starting over every couple of years. Leadership was not an option when you’re continually trying rebuild your foundation. When you’re that young, most of your confidence comes from your peers. Ask anyone who’s ever run for Student Council…. In that world, going out on a limb is the scariest thing. (Read A Separate Peace)

For me, the key was showing up. Be present. Show genuine interest in what you’re doing through your time and effort. You don’t have to be a leader yet, just someone who is interested in the cause and wants to learn more. Your actions will speak for themselves. And then when you’re ready, you make your move and it’ll seem like the most natural thing in the world.

One of the things I tried to do during my term was to be more visible and active on campus. That meant flying up to Virginia more than expected. In case you’re wondering, it was completely worth it.

I learned that I am the type of leader who likes to get her hands dirty. The type that will email often, push the agenda, and doesn’t want things to be business as usual. I like being a fun leader, and letting my age show every now and then. I can wear different hats and engage with many different types of people. I’m not changing the world, but I think I changed the perception on what it means to be an active volunteer.

A Full Calendar

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“1929935_707924271941_9990_nSometimes I think staying busy is the opposite of staying hungry.

I found this in my journal this morning, right after I updated my personal and shared Google calendars. My schedule just got a little more packed, but it’s with events that really matter to me: leadership events, trips with Troy and my best friend’s birthday. This is just to get me through the beginning of June.

I’ve been counting my vacation days, planning trips and I always have my to-do list in hand. With all of this, I don’t actually feel busy at all.

Here is what’s on the agenda for April:

  • Pinewood + Proof’s Good Ol’ Fashioned Evening of Old Fashioned Cocktails. Troy’s favorite thing is an Old Fashioned. This ScoutMob deal was right up his alley, and we’ll be going with some friends. I love Pinewood’s Grit tots, too.

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    For Merritt’s 28th, we went to Trapeze School.
  • Merritt’s 30th Birthday. This year, both of my absolute best friends are turning 30. For Mary, we went to Stand-up comedy and UFC. For Merritt, I’ll be flying to Virginia to celebrate with her and her family. It’s also during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, so that will be an outstanding backdrop.
  • Chicago. My next work trip is to Chicago, a place I usually love going to, weather-permitting. I’ve done most of the tourist attractions, but I’m hoping it’s sunny enough to head to the Chicago Zoo. If not, I have my eye on Waffles Cafe.
  • St. Margaret’s! I have a Board of Governors meeting at the end of the month, so that means another flight to Virginia. I have some extra time, so I’m hoping to get to meet with some students and have dinner with my grandmother.
  • Inman Park Festival. This is one of the best events in Atlanta. It’s also where Troy took me on our first weekend together. We started as a long distance couple six years ago, and I would fly to Atlanta once a month. This festival is in an awesome part of town, and has blocks of local artists and great food.

Boston Recovery

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I got back from my business trip to Boston on Wednesday night. After freezing for four days, I was happy to get back to the non-jacket, non-glove weather of Atlanta. I’m usually good with a long coat and gloves, however no told me to pack long underwear or an ear warmer or boots. While Boston unfortunately has a way of not making me happy, here are some highlights of the trip:

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This was the view from my hotel room. I would love to explore Boston in July when the weather isn’t painful. The city has a great mix of modern and historic buildings, and I have a soft spot for Brownstone apartments.
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This is from the Bukowski Tavern, next to my hotel. I did not go into it, although I loved this neon.
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This is the view of NYC from my flight. I am planning a New York trip with my bestie for next year and this got me very excited.

I did get a chance to walk around Boston Back Bay before and after each work day. As a person who absolutely hates cold weather (when I’m not prepared), I tried to make the best of it by sneaking into local shops, restaurants and coffee houses. It is a fun town to explore, I just wish it was better timing.

Another highlight of the trip was that Troy and I finally booked our flights to Europe for the Spring. This includes a round trip flight, jumper flights via Easyjet, and a reservation on the Eurostar. We also purchased our Paris Passes and tickets to the Vatican museums. Needless to say, we won’t be doing much for a while after dropping that much cash.

Hope you’re having a great weekend!

Sunday Reading

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Next week, I will b8e31c6829d84cd747a72028999870d94e off to Boston for work. It’ll be my first time in Boston on non-rowing related business. I went for the first time in college and have visited three times since for the Head of the Charles in October. Nothing like kamikaze coxswains and a traffic jam on the Charles River to really ruin your taste for city. However, despite the cold and possible snow, I am looking forward to hanging out in Boston without being cold, wet and broke.

Here are is week’s Sunday Reading, not from bed but from 10,000 feet:

Have a good weekend!

Inheritance

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Photo: House Mix Blog. I particularly like this checklist. A bit more detailed than Keep, Toss, Donate.

When we moved into our house, it came with some surprises: 20+ cans of old paint, a screen door and a swinging door that now live in our basement, old cabinet doors and windows with removable window panes (???). I still have no idea how central vacuuming works, but we have all the hoses and attachments for those, too.

I finally got a chance to get rid of it all this past week, along with turning off the heat and opening the windows for the first time in forever. Here’s what went down:

  • The window panes were moved and the cabinet doors were tossed. We definitely don’t have a need for an assortment of old cabinet doors. I did keep the panes and two of the larger cabinet doors because they were wood, in good condition and painted white. No idea if they’ll find their way into a project somewhere along the line.
  • We’re in year 2 of resuscitating the back yard. We re-seeded and de-weeded everything, along with cleaning up our side yards overrun with ivy.
  • I cleaned and organized our half basement/garage. We don’t have any built-in shelves, so we brought down a wire rack to keep plant food, weed and yard sprays, and all of the other stray bottles. The tools, mower and trimmer now have a home, along with my furniture refinishing project.
  • A trip to Goodwill and recycling. We have three boxes of stuff in our spare room for Goodwill. I don’t think the recycling center has ever seen so many old paint cans or leftover computer equipment. Our parents are quintessential pack rats, so every time we bring something new into the house, we try to get rid of something as well.
  • Getting this off the counters. When my grandparents remodeled their kitchen last year, they wanted everything to have a place and nothing extraneous would be on the counter tops. We’ve adopted the same mentality.

Minimalism at its best, but we’ve got a long way to go.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Sunday Reading

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8e31c6829d84cd747a72028999870d94Today is the last day of my 2-week blogging challenge. It was fairly difficult, mostly because I’ll write about something then realize it’s absolutely worthless and no one would ever want to read it. Just a bit self-conscious…. Planning blog post does take time, and now I think I have a bit of a strategy,

Today is at least a blog post that I enjoy writing, because I get to share what I’ve reading all week. I definitely will not keep up writing everyday, but I do like my Sunday Reading post. I hope you will enjoy these, too.

Have a good week! ~Patti

Happy 30th Birthday, plus 1!

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I am writing this post in between batches of Chocolate Guinness cupcakes. Today, Troy and I are celebrating the 31st birthday of our friend Mark. After they are done with the “St. Patrick’s Day” festivities, there will be a house party and UFC viewing tonight.

7f5f952b87eb968640057ecbce597301Birthdays have always been my favorite “holiday”. Last year, I saw Britney Spears in Vegas. The year before, we had just moved into our house and we had a banana split/housewarming party. For Troy’s birthday, we had a big group go for Korean BBQ.

This year for my 30th birthday, we will be headed to Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. I am thoroughly excited to spend my 30th birthday eating a Ben & Jerry’s Vermonster Sundae. Although, Troy will probably top that with his 32nd birthday/our trip to Japan next spring. Get the picture?

I’m getting back to these birthday cupcakes. Try them out for St. Patty’s day, or maybe someone awesome will make them for your birthday.