i figured its about the right time to start my own blog. so, here i am.


Monday, October 29

hurricane sandy

and this is only the beginning...

A worker retrieves a grappling hook on the dock next to Bubba's Restaurant in Virginia Beach, Va.

Waves crash over Winthrop Shore Drive in Winthrop, Mass.

The most empty you'll ever see Times Square.  

Storm surf generated by Hurricane Sandy pounds Rehoboth Beach near Wilmington Avenue

Terry Robinson wades through high water after retrieving some of his belongings from his flooded trailer at RV Park on Oct. 29 in Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Leaning into the strong wind and rain off the Chesapeake Bay near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel in Virginia Beach

Shoppers emptied the bread shelves of Waldbaums Grocery store in Long Beach, N.Y.

Waves crash over Winthrop Shore Drive in Winthrop, Mass.

Sandbags protect the New York Stock Exchange. The exchange was closed Oct. 29.
...I think they just a couple more...



Sunday, October 28

love the little things


before and after of our ward bulletin board


( elders should say brothers )

Wednesday, October 24

i am so grateful for my job

seriously, i couldn't have asked for a better company to work for. it definitely was not the type of industry i would place myself in, but it's exciting and really growing on me.

i train property managers how to use their new online tools that help them with resident applications, resident rent, prospective residents, creating leases, etc. all the tedious office paperwork stuff. i am still training on the products myself, but i am eager to interact with people and get them excited about property management software!

we had a department meeting today to brainstorm ideas on how to make training interesting and have property managers feel like the training was worth their time. it was really fun actually! my team is great and also very excited about training!

now i have to brag about my boss because she's the main reason for this blog post. she is incredible. seriously. she's the type of leader i want to be. she's aware of her employees, she cares about their lives outside of work, she always has a smile on, she wants her employees to receive the proper training, she wants her employees to get paid well for their hard work, she is an efficient communicator, she praises great work, and she is sincere. and there's more that i'm discovering about her. she motivates our team towards unity and towards a shining goal within the work that we do.

and what's interesting, is that i don't think i would have appreciated her as much as i do if i hadn't had the experience i had in NY. loved my time in NY and all that i learned. one of the things that i learned from my internship specifically is how to work with people - both good ways and not so good ways. and not that the leadership i had was terrible, but i didn't feel that it catered towards individuals. the corporate world is very cut and dry. very stiff and regiment. not exactly my style. i believe in tailored leadership for individuals and not an organization. and i believe in everyone as equals. everyone has opinions and feeling and should be treated and honored as such. i hate to think that advertising isn't for me. i love the industry because of it's creative nature and how it motivates people to act. but i don't like the agencies that are like what i've described. and maybe it was just the team i was on.

in any case, i'm SOO glad that i've seen both sides. i value my time here even though it's not where i expected to find a job. i look forward to what i will learn here and what sort of impact i can make while i'm here.

my goal has been to move to ny in jan. and i would love for that to still come about. but at the same time, i've got a lot going for me here. i don't plan to stay for 5 years, but maybe i need to stay here longer than 3 months.. we'll see.


Wednesday, October 10

inspiring ad


this ad was published just this week and came up after a letterman clip. 

great inspiring video to start the day :)


thank you google chrome

Sunday, October 7

a conference to always remember

what a wonderful day it has been and wonderful news we have heard. 2 new temples announced, immediately followed by the announcement of a lower age for eligibility for elders and sisters to serve. 18 years old for elders (high school graduate) and 19 years old for sisters. incredible! i don't even know that i would have been ready to serve at 19. probably knowing that was a possibility. but man, would it have been a totally different experience. i think for this growing generation of youth, the need for immediate missionary service is wise. think of all the eligable youth RIGHT NOW and the existing missionaries in the field! the work is going to explode! i can't want to see what will happen. and the dynamic at BYU is going to change drastically. all freshman girls :) haha. 


i really enjoyed President Uchtdorf's talk about not worrying about the ending, but participating and being active in wholesome activities because of the journey of the experience. don't worry about the last note. enjoy life in the moment. he also said to find something each day to enjoy; look more with your heart. lastly, he has met too many people who wished their life was happier. how sad is that? 

here's some neat facts about us mormons...