Random act of kindness... People amaze me

Today while I was at work I saw something that just made me smile to myself.

Setting: I was sitting at the reference desk working on homework and helping the occasional student. However, I kept getting distracted by the CUTEST little boy (still not talking... so about 1 1/2?) running around and giving his mom a hard time. He wasn't obnoxious or anything, but he clearly thought that running away from her was a game. He just couldn't seem to stay put. She took him and his older brother (about 8 or 9) to the coffee shop and bought him a muffin to keep him quiet and in his seat while she went to the bathroom.

Lori and I were watching this play out as the mom walked away. Lori and I turn to each other at the same time and say "We should keep an eye on him while his mom goes to the restroom." We smile and chuckle as we watch the little boy getting ready to make a dash from the table. Before we can even stand-up to go grab him, 3 women at the coffee shop do it. One woman just turns to the little boy and says "Where do you think you are going? You know you can't go anywhere. You have to wait for your mom." and the little boy just sits there, smiles, and turns back to his muffin.

It was amazing how these women stepped-in and banded together to help another woman without even considering otherwise. They were never asked, but every woman in the vicinity was keeping an eye on this toddler as he teeter-tottered about shrieking. It's the little things in life, like this willingness to lend a hand, that make life worth living.

So lend a hand... you'd be surprised who it inspires.

Old Friends

"Even though we've changed and we're finding our own place in the world, we both know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not still friends."

This is Maggie and I in a nut-shell. We have been friends since we were 5-years-old. Do you know what that means? That means we have been friends for 16 out of our 21 years. That's 76% of our lives. Do you know how much we know about each other? Everything. How well we understand each other? Perfectly. How easy it is to pick-up after extended periods of time? As if nothing has changed.

What started as giggling during snack-time, and tracking down the Easter Bunny during recess has grown and evolved into a friendship that makes her family. She is my sister, and a reflection of my heart. She has been with me during some of the best times:
(Phantom Lake-- Who else could I share such a special place with?)
and the some of worst.

You will always be my best friend, no matter what we go through, how we change, or what phase in our life we are in. "A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are." And no one has proved this better than Maggie. Thanks for always being there for me, I look forward to what our next 15 years of friendship will bring.

Family

After re-reading through my last post, I have decided that one of the quotes deserves a dedicated post, all of it's own. So...

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." ~Clara Ortega

This has become quite apparent as my family continues to grow older and as everyone enters new phases in their lives. This Thanksgiving was one of the best yet, and definitely one of the most emotional. The conversation ranged from reminiscing about favorite childhood memories, to Jason's career and his future with Lynn, and to our recently passed Grandfather.

I am so lucky to have a family (especially siblings) that know my heart better than I do. They always know what I need and are there to support me. The holidays can be a hard time for everyone, but with family it can be a time to rejoice and celebrate deep love, great memories, and hopes for the future.

Little Sister

"A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double."- Toni Morrison

-This is my sister and I. In some ways COMPLETE opposites (and if you know us, you understand what I am talking about) but in other ways we are the exact same. Despite our differences (my typical outfit--sweatpants-- and hers --abercrombie--) our hearts are the same.
Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~Author Unknown

We love big or go home, and yet at the same time are afraid to love and surrender our hearts. Heartache and uncertainty are hard for anyone to deal with, but no one knows this better than us.

-So, this post is dedicated to my little Sister, Jenna, because I have never been more proud of her. This girl has been through a lot in her short 18 years, and I now know she is on the right path for her and will be happy and successful in any way she decides to be.

I love you Jenna! You are the mirror of my heart and I am so lucky to have you as a sister.



"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." ~Clara Ortega


"Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship." ~Margaret Mead


**This one is for you Jen (we both know its true):

If your sister is in a tearing hurry to go out and cannot catch your eye, she's wearing your best sweater. ~Pam Brown

Finally an Adult!

I can't believe how much time has gone by since my last post! I have so much to update you on, so let's get right to it!

-After an exhausting semester of interviewing and job hunting, I have officially accepted an offer for my first ever, full-time, real-life, adult job/ career! I will be starting next year (June '11) at Polaris Industries in the Leadership Sales and Development program (headquartered here in MN). It's nice to know that all of my hard work has finally paid off! The position will consist of a marketing rotational program (for the first 20 months) and a subsequent 2 years in field sales (DSM). They were my number one choice, so I am SUPER excited!

-I just started "Insanity"... and it's already holding up its end of the bargain by thoroughly kicking my butt! It is an "at home" work out program (similar to P90X) but a 60 day program and you don't need to buy any extra bells and whistles. Money back guarantee... so I am hoping to see some results! (will keep you updated as the 60 days progress).

-Re-connecting with God... this has been in the back of my mind for a while now, but has been placed on a back-burner for some time. It wasn't until recently that I decided that my life was getting too crazy and I needed to re-center myself. So God seemed like a good way to do that :) Laura has always been a great inspiration for me, so seeing her on her journey continues to motivate me to seek one of my own.

-Possible trip to Europe with Jenna? That's right... I got to travel with Jason last year, so now it's our turn. Hoping to save enough money by the time I graduate to travel for a few weeks (Greece is definitely on my list of places to see). Overall, I just miss my sister. She is one of my best friends and we NEVER get to spend enough time together! Sister bonding time, what could be better than that?

-Good friends = good trips! I got to visit Christie in CO for a weekend! It's hard to be away from such a good friend for that long, so it was nice to go out and see what her life was like out there (almost didn't come back!). Plus, for some reason they have this thing called "Fall break" where they get to come home early for TG... so dinner and drinks celebrated her arrival back home :)

-TG: Family... 'nuf said.

More to follow when it's not so late at night!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Attitude is everyting

I finally got to sleep in! But as I was moping around, procrastinating getting ready for work, I read my friend Tony's fb status. It really inspired me, and I hope it inspires you too. Don't be content with the status quo... always strive to make yourself and those around you better. It all starts with your attitude.

Here is the quote. I am thinking about reading it every morning when I get up:

"Everyday think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it, I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, not be angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can"

Becoming an adult

Sorry for the long lapse in posts... life has been getting the better of me. As my last un-inspirational post stated, I barely have time to sleep!

So here has what I have been up to:

-Interviewing for full-time positions for when I graduate in May.
To people outside of the Carlson School of Management realm, this may seem like I am getting ahead of myself. However, there are about 500+ people just from my school all fighting for jobs right now, in a market that hasn't completely recovered yet. I just feel blessed for all of the experiences I have had, the preparing I have done, and the infinite amount of advice my dad gives me (usually unsolicited haha). So where am I interviewing? So far it has been with General Mills, Polaris, News America Marketing, and Target.

These interviews aren't just "any old interview" and advice like "just be yourself" does not apply. Obviously you want to be authentic and make sure your personality fits with the company you will be working for, but preparing, practicing and forming answers using the STAR technique, looking up company history, networking etc all takes hours and hours of time! Not to mention that that's only for the first round of interviews. Then you have to wait to see if you make it to the second round... schedule that, and block off an entire day to go to their headquarters and interview for another 1-2 days. So yeah, interviewing.

-Delta Sigma Pi.
My co-ed professional business fraternity has mandatory weekly meetings on Tuesday nights. Mandatory Professional events every other week, volunteering events, fund raising, and recruiting/ social events. Last week I spent 12 hours just participating in things for DSP.

-Work
I work 15 hours a week in the school library. Its easy, but there goes another 15 hours of my week. And I am possibly looking at doing an internship for a beer company- managing their social media marketing.

-Class
This is the least assuming part of my life, oddly enough. But the past two weeks has been mid-term time on campus and looked a little like this: 2 midterms and a group project and a paper due one week, and a similar situation the next week. It just never seems to slow down!

-Intramural s
Wed nights: Soccer at 6:30-7:30, basketball from 8-9pm
Sunday nights: Double header soccer games 6:30-7:30, 7:30-8:30

Well, that about sums it up! So I apologize if I have not been as diligent in maintaining contact with my friends and family. :( I promise this will improve! I miss you guys! Love you, and thanks for tuning in.


"The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created--created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating."

So here's to the future! It is what you make of it!