Until Next Time, North Carolina

Last week was spent in Charlotte, North Carolina with the Eta Tau chapter at UNC-Charlotte. I made the quick drive down last Sunday and left yesterday. It didn't really feel like work, partially because I only had to drive a few hours to get there, rather than fly, and because I had a lot of fun the whole week.

When I arrived I was greeted with all of my favorite things. I apologize that the mini muffins aren't pictured, I'd already dug into them by the time I figured it was worth it to take a photo. 

I channeled my inner college freshman with my campus map to navigate my way to the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life. I'm terrible with directions (something I should probably work on before attempting to conquer the city) but the  map was all planned out for me by the sweetest sister so I managed to make it there with no serious problems. 

One of my sweet friends Alyssa (you can read her blog here) is getting married, and it just so happened that her biological little sister and MOH is a ZTA at UNC-Charlotte. We took an afternoon trip to the mall to send our favorite bride-to-be some of the best (and worst) dresses we could find. I'm just curious as to who is supposed to fit into this dress since it's actually TALLER THAN ME....?

I'm now in the Sunshine State and the land of all things right in the world, aka PUBLIX SUBS. If you've never eaten a Pub Sub, get on the next plane to Florida or any other southeastern state that has Publix, and get one. Life. changing. Until next time (in three weeks), North Carolina.

What's In My Carry On?

If you'd asked me this months ago, the answer would be vastly different. However, after being on a plane every other week for the last 8 months, you get pretty good at packing. Here's what's in my carry on: 

Planner

For a psychotic/OCD/Type A person like me, I can't go anywhere without my planner. Including the few hours of airport time where I know I'll be doing nothing productive (unless you count detouring to an entirely different terminal for coffee a productive use of time, which I do) I have to have my planner. By the way, this planner is the best thing that's happened to me so I'll be blogging about it eventually. 

iPad

Because when you're stuck behind the one person who decides to recline their chair on the plane (even though I absolutely do, it's just only okay when I do it) there's no room for your whole laptop. It's much easier to use my iPad for reading, catching up on emails, etc. word to the wise: if your flight is over 2 hours, invest in in-flight wifi. 

Makeup Bag

You really never know who you'll run into in the airport. In my travels I've run into coworkers, friends, potential new connections, etc. I always keep my makeup bag with me in case I need to make any touch ups. Ain't nobody got time to be lookin janky. 

Wallet

For obvious reasons, I need my wallet containing my ID, credit cards, and boarding passes. That whole TSA thing requires all of the above to actually get on the plane.

Eyeglasses

On some of my longest travel days I want nothing more than to take my contacts out. As someone who has worn contact lenses since middle school my eyes are, to say the very least, drier than the Sahara Desert. Airports and airplanes don't help this at all. I always keep my eyeglasses handy in case I need a quick rescue from my lenses.

Snacks

A hungry Rachel is not a happy Rachel. A sweet perk to this job is that people like to give you free snacks at the places you visit. I always toss a few of these in my bag before leaving so that in case I get stuck on a flight with no free snacks (by the way, what's up with this lately?) I at least have something to eat.

Ban Refreshing Wipes

I don't care who you are, if you say that you still smell glorious after hours in the airport then you're lying. Thanks to Polar Vortex 5.0 and the fact that it's still snowing in March, I've spent countless hours in airports waiting on delayed and rebooked flights. Occasionally you've just got to freshen up. These refreshing wipes by Ban are great while you're waiting on that flight and perusing the gossip magazine section for the fifteenth time just in case you may have missed one more article on what a loser Juan Pablo is. 

Cosmetic Bag of Toiletries

Kleenex, Chapstick, hand sanitizer, perfume, a lint roller, and a mini hairbrush are essential. Rather than having all these smaller items getting lost in the bottom of my bag, I keep them in a little makeup bag that's easy to access but also doesn't take up a ton of room. Side note: I got the cosmetic bag (pictured on the right) for free with purchase at Ulta a few days ago. Absolutely worth it. 

Sweet Caroline

I am so sorry for neglecting the blog the past few days but I just had to "unplug" from the internet for the weekend and enjoy my last "Spring Break" probably ever with a weekend in Chapel Hill. Here's a recap:

The first order of business was to celebrate this lil' biddie getting into Veterinary School at the UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. This chick is going Ivy League, y'all. I first met Morgan when she was a cute little freshman and she wandered up to the ZTA table at Greek Promo Day. I then proceeded to dirty rush the heck out of her (not even ashamed of this) and made sure this girl went Zeta. We ended up living together (with her ridiculously cute siberian husky, Basil) my senior year of college and I couldn't ask for a better friend. I'm sorry for making fun of you for all those nights you chose to stay in and study but clearly it all paid off!

Of course no trip to Chapel Hill would be complete without a trip to Carolina Brewery to watch the Heels play some basketball. In true Carolina fashion, they nearly gave me a heart attack before pulling out a W to take us to the next round of the NCAA Tournament (we won't even talk about the loss last night, it still hurts too much). 

On Saturday we got up bright and early to participate in ZTA's 25th Annual Franklin 5K. The sun was shining and weather was phenomenal given that it's been freezing/snowing/icing in North Carolina. This 5K has meant a lot to me over my college years and I'm so grateful to have such awesome friends who support me and my sorority in our hopes that one day we will be able to find a cure. In past years this 5K has raised over $40,000 for Susan G. Komen, ZTA Foundation, The UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, The Arc of Orange County, and Ashton's Angels and I am so excited to see how much money they were able to raise this year!

My next visit is the Eta Tau chapter at UNC-Charlotte so I made the quick drive down on Sunday morning. It's great to be back at work for the home stretch and even better to be starting this last leg of the journey in the greatest state there is, Sweet Caroline.

A Charitable Contribution

Hi I'm Rachel and I'm addicted to shopping. This is where we all sit in a circle and you simultaneously recite back "Hi Rachel". I went into this whole attempt to start clearing my stuff out with a very casual attitude. But I tell y'all what, you really don't realize just how much absolutely necessary stuff crap you have until you try to pack it all up to move over 500 miles away. And I know at least 90% of you are probably struggling with the same thing. I blame Carrie Bradshaw.

Here's the steps I followed to get rid of four huge garbage bags of clothing, shoes, and purses (and still going):

1. Find a Charity. I used to always think that donating my clothing meant Goodwill was my only option. Not that there's anything wrong with Goodwill, but there are tons of other charities out there that use donated clothing/appliances/home goods to raise money for great causes. For this donation I chose the National Kidney Foundation. Basically, you clean out your stuff, leave it on your porch for them to pick up, and all the proceeds for it go towards the NKF for kidney services. Being born with two healthy kidneys, I couldn't imagine having to go through anything like that. Finding a charity that means enough to you that you'll give up that size-too-small pair of jeans you know you'll never fit in again, but never saw reason enough to part with.

2. Try on everything. I often found myself picking up a shirt and thinking "Oh yeah six months ago when I wore this, it looked fine". Well, let me tell you, six months ago and now are two very different things (thank you Jimmy Johns for delivering to every corner of this country). Try the item on, see how it fits, how many different ways you can wear it, and think to yourself: in my next journey where would I wear this, how versatile is it, etc. I got rid of so many items by thinking through what kinds of items I would actually wear going to work, walking around the city, and going out. This was also a great time for me to pretend I was Carrie Bradshaw in the SATC movie, sans totally ridiculous 80's outfits.

3. Create three piles. This is the most simple step. Literally, three piles: Love, Donate, Sell. It really is that simple. If you love the item after trying it on, then keep it. If you don't love it, either choose to donate or sell it. My criteria for choosing to donate vs. sell is pretty much just based on condition of the item/when it was purchased. If I purchased it in the last year, and it's in good condition I'll try to sell it. If not, it's going in the donate pile.

4. Actually get rid of your stuff. Part of the reason I was so awful with donations before was having to load up my car and actually bring stuff everywhere, but the ease of the NKF donation is what made it so easy. They literally come straight to your door and pick it up for you. Hopefully your 'sell' pile is smaller than your 'donate' (but trust me I understand, I love getting as much money back as possible too so I get it if this is still consuming your whole trunk of your car). But this is the biggest thing y'all: If you go to sell it and they do not take it IMMEDIATELY bring it to a donation site on your way home. Don't let these items wander back into your closet.

Slowly but surely I'm narrowing down what I actually need. Loading up my dad's SUV in a few months should still be a total disaster but hey, at least I can say I tried.

Weekend Recap

My first weekend home for break was filled with fun, friends, and of course a whole lot of sleep. My hard work managed to pay off and I came off the road with ZERO paperwork to do (but we all know I'm still compulsively checking my email). Here's a short recap of the weekend via pictures:

Celebrated St. Pattys Day a few days early with some fab friends. This was the closest to green I owned but I tried! 

Brunched so hard at Breadmans, a Chapel Hill favorite. I gave up diet coke for lent but y'all know I made up for it with a huge glass of sweet tea and of course lots of carbs. 

Today I've been attempting to start cleaning out my clothes/belongings for a donation my mom is doing this week. If I ever figure out how to actually convince myself that I really don't need that tacky Christmas sweater I wore once in college, I'll make sure to blog about it. But for now, that sweater is still in the "absolutely coming to NYC box".

Catch Ya Later, Colorado

Today I am headed home sweet home after a great week in Ft. Collins, Colorado with the Kappa Alpha chapter at Colorado State University. I admittedly had to look on a map to see where Colorado was actually located (raise your hand if you can relate to this in any way) and to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure. But what I do know is geographically it's one of the prettiest states I've been to and if I ever decide to take up skiing (but let's not get crazy here people) I will definitely be making my way back to Colorado.

Flying in to Denver I was met with a great view of the mountains. I'm not going to lie, I got a little worried when ALL I saw for the entire descent was the mountains, but then saw a hint of civilization, so I was cool with it. Denver is about an hour and a half from Ft. Collins so we had a bit of a drive left after I landed, but I tell you what, Ft. Collins is JUST as gorgeous as this.

I had a great time getting to support them at their annual dodge ball tournament. I clearly missed the memo on the "Think Pink" shirt and I tried to blend in with the crowd, but people kept asking me what part of Texas I was from. But hey, great turnout, a DJ playing some sick beats (they used this phrase, not me), and free burritos. I'll take the interrogation for a free burrito any day. AND they raised over $800 towards ZTA's national philanthropy, breast cancer education & awareness (shameless plug, check it out)

Now it's homeward bound to the land of the pines today! Catch ya later, Colorado and see you soon, North Carolina.

Can You Guess What Day It Is?

It's. Hump. Day.

We all know Wednesdays can be a struggle. We've made it through the ever-dreaded Monday but for some reason it's just not Friday quite yet. It's easy to get bogged down in the mid-week 'hump' and start dreaming of Friday afternoon when we can high tail it away from work and nap forever finally get to play after a hard week. But for the sake of our own sanity we've got to push through those last few days of the week.

What's getting me through this hump day?

Fakeup by Benefit
I swear Jesus hand-crafted this himself exclusively for Benefit. I have tried so many other under eye concealers and they either didn't work or left my skin so dry. Not only does it cover your under eye circles but is also hydrates your skin at the same time without caking or creasing. Seriously, just put some of this magic concealer under your eyes and no one will ever know you were compulsively doing paperwork and emailing until midnight (guilty as charged).

Starbucks Vanilla Machiatto
If you have not tried this new drink please run, don't walk, to your nearest Starbucks and try it. I am a total creature of habit and it took everything in my to stray from my standard skinny vanilla latte, but just trust me on this one y'all. You won't regret it. What better way to push through the rest of the week than heavily caffeinated? I can't think of anything better.

Flight Reservations
I have always been pretty independent and rarely get homesick but lately I have been missing my mom like crazy. Even though we have tons of work to do since this is my last real 'break' before the big move (more details on how I found an apartment later but here's a hint: sheer luck), knowing that I get to see her in a few short days is definitely some motivation to get over the mid-week slump. And how can you argue with a woman who serves you grilled cheese with extra cheese cut diagonally at the age of 23? It's simple, you can't.

New Books
I finally downloaded "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert B. Cialdini on my iPad after learning about his persuasion principles in an organizational behavior class in college. Cialdini is one of my favorite experimental social psychologists and I'm a self-admitted psychology nerd so I'm really excited for this new book and the opportunity to keep learning (and clearly become way more persuasive when bargaining with my parents on those shoes I obviously 'need').

What are some of the ways you get through the infamous "Hump Day"?

Motivational Monday

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."

I should have renamed yesterday's blog post to "Sunday Kind of Funk" because I tell y'all what, daylight savings had me feeling some type of funky. I really cherish my sleep and that lost hour really kicked me in the butt. However, for those of you who read last Wednesday's blog post, you know that I set a few goals for myself when I turned 23 and I fully intended to stick to them regardless. I had a few hours in my afternoon free from meetings and the weather spiked up to around 70 degrees so one of the girls suggested we take a hike. Even though it took everything in me not to crawl back in bed and hibernate with my Netflix account, I opted to brave the great outdoors, and it was a decision I will never look back on and regret.

While I may have maybe definitely eaten chips & queso for lunch, and certainly didn't take my makeup off Saturday night (but did, in fact, not cake any more on Sunday morning), I allowed the mountains to block my cell service for a few hours and let myself enjoy the beauty that is Colorado. Taking these few hours to really embrace my surroundings was just the motivation I needed to start my week off right. This Monday morning I'm up and ready to take on my last week of work before a well deserved break!

Sunday Kind of Love

One of the things about my really cool job is that I am literally working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I hold meetings every single day and always like to make myself fully available to the chapters I work with. Even when I sleep I make sure my phone is nearby in case anyone needs anything (See goal #3)

But one thing I've learned over the past few months is to always make time for myself, however small the time may be. Something I've learned to cherish are my Sunday mornings. I typically take a stroll to the nearest coffee shop (meanwhile praying that a Starbucks is the nearest caffeine source) and take an hour to myself to breathe. I bring my iPad (which this morning was still thinking I was in central time zone, so it was actually 9:17 in the morning when I took this picture) and scroll mindlessly through Pinterest, read my devotional for the day, make sure my planner is filled out for the week, and usually call my mom (although I do this just about every single day).

It's taking little moments like this that help me keep my sanity. I have always been the type of person who gives a lot of myself to others and wants to make sure everyone else is taken care of before myself. But I've learned that you've got to take a few moments to breathe and put yourself first.

It's been remarkably warm in Colorado so this morning I enjoyed an iced coffee and my all-time favorite, a reduced fat turkey bacon breakfast sandwich (I consider it a great success when I manage to snag one of these before they run out). I didn't have as much time as I normally take because I could not bring myself to get out of bed thanks to my lost hour of sleep (daylight savings time, do less) but I still managed to take even a little time for myself before a day full of meetings.

What is your "Sunday Kind of Love"?

Ta-Ta Texas

The past week was spent in Fort Worth, Texas with the Gamma Psi chapter of ZTA at Texas Christian University.  I have been to Texas before on my visits to UT Austin and UT El Paso, but have never been to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, unless you count a quick (and likely missed) connecting flight through DFW. Before leaving for my flight I was reminded by my friend Macy not to confuse Dallas and Ft. Worth. The reaction I would receive would be equivalent to the eye roll I probably definitely give people when they confuse Chapel Hill (my alma mater) with that awful town down the road Durham. I quickly realized how awful of a mix up this would be and always made sure never to confuse the two.

One of the coolest parts about my job is that I have the ability to step out of my comfort zone and try new things all the time. I had never been skeet shooting before so when they told me that's what we were doing I was pretty pumped. For many of y'all that know me personally, it's known that I don't have the best coordination so the thought of me holding a gun is probably terrifying. And judging by my skeet shooting success it probably should remain a terrifying thought. I hit a grand total of ZERO clay pigeons but I did manage not to shoot my own foot (or anything/anyone else for that matter) so I considered the day a success. This was also the only warm day in Texas so let's bump that up to a RESOUNDING success.

As I previously stated, UNC is my alma mater (get ready Dook we're comin' in hot this weekend ready for another W). One night when I went to dinner it was clearly no coincidence that the UNC/Notre Dame game was on the TV smack dab in front of me. I more than likely extremely embarrassed my dinner-mate through my, shall we say, "intense" interest in this game. But hey, once a Tarheel, always a Tarheel.

National Pancake Day and my birthday were on the same day this year. Coincidence? I think not. Naturally I ate my body weight in pancakes and bacon to start off my birthday right. We were lucky enough to score an extra plate of bacon due to the waiter thinking "extra crispy bacon" meant "an extra plate of crispy bacon." No complaints here.

To say they spoiled me would be an understatement. Not only did they take me to a Mexican dinner (currently salivating at the thought of chips & queso at 10am) but they showered me with Kendra Scott, PR t-shirts, and some sweet stickers. Basically, I could pretty much be considered a TCU Zeta now.

And lastly here's one for you, Abbey Baxter. Fun fact about me is that I am beyond petrified of frogs. But for this one (and maybe only) time I'll do it for you A-Bax. GO FROGS.

Now it's off to catch my flight to the great state of Colorado for one last visit before my spring break (again, yes, my job is really cool and I get a whole week of break). Ta-ta Texas!

A Girl With Goals

So another thing that comes with birthdays is my inherent need to goal set for the upcoming year. I choose not to make New Years Resolutions because 1) I'm usually busy hauling my butt to the makeup counter at Nordstrom in search of the perfect eyeshadow to match my NYE outfit (not ashamed to say that this is actually the truth) and 2) spending the next day laughing with friends about what a disaster NYE was (again, it's a sad truth). That being said, I use my birthday as a time to reflect back and think of things to work on going forward and set some hopefully tangible goals, however small they may be.

Be better about taking my makeup off at night
My mother will probably kill me for the fact that at the age of 23 this still has to be a goal for me. Despite her constantly telling me to take my makeup off before I go to sleep, I still am yet to become mature enough to do this on a nightly basis. Anyone who knows me know that I am notorious for never taking my makeup off and occasionally caking on more the next day if I'm really pressed for time (you can thank my best friend Jen for condoning this behavior). Some of you may be scoffing at your computers right now, but I guarantee you've done it at least once. If not, I'll go ahead and nominate you for sainthood right now. But if one day I don't want to look 50 when I'm 30, I need to channel my inner Blair Waldorf (partly because I one day wish to be ladylike enough to wear an eye mask to bed) and becoming more mature with my skin care.

Be more health conscious
I have an unhealthy obsession with Mexican food and all things fried paired with a complete inability to bring myself to go to the gym. I've finally (sort of) realized that wearing workout clothing does not equate to actually working out. I'm really good about going to the gym when there's a buddy system involved but on my own I'd rather lay in bed. In fact, I could probably rule the world from the comfort of my bed if someone would just let me. My first motivation is that my friends and I decided to run my chapter of ZTA's "Franklin 5K" at the end of March. I'm still hoping "run" is being used as a loose term but I'll definitely try not to walk the entire thing like I did my senior year of college. I wish I could blame my father for being the reason we came in dead last but I'm pretty sure it was just me. (If you want to check it out, here's the Facebook page to the ZTA 25th Annual Franklin 5K - sorry, shameless plug) Now go ahead and give me Carrie Underwood's legs please.

Become less stressed with technology
I am self-admittedly addicted to technology. Whenever I receive an email or text message I feel the need to respond immediately. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when technology decides to run slowly when I'm trying to reply to an email. I like being able to respond to things promptly with the correct information and hate being 'behind the times' in my communication. While I know it's unrealistic to expect myself to become completely detached from my phone I at least would like to work on becoming less stressed about it. Unless of course this will all one day lead to me becoming a Kelly Cutrone power girl mini me. In which case, hand me back my iPhone and start dressing me in all black. Okay, minus the all black thing. I'm not THAT chic.

All in all, it's best to be a girl with goals. While learning to take my makeup off at night is obviously not on the same level as solving the great problems of the world, it's all about personal, small goals that will ultimately make you a happier more focused person. It doesn't matter when you set your goals, as long as you make a point to be realistic in your expectations and actually expect yourself to achieve them. What are some of your goal-setting tips and tricks?

The Beginning

So here I am, on my 23rd birthday, starting a blog about being a twenty-something. How cliche. But, I wanted to start this blog to chronicle the end of one journey and the beginning of another. So, I guess it's time I shared the big news (after all, birthdays are always the best time for that)...

I am moving to NEW YORK CITY in May. I've been dying to let this secret out since January, but figured I'd just have to contain myself a little bit longer until the timing was right.

Let's rewind to how this all happened.

Currently I work as a Traveling Leadership Consultant for my sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and it is without a doubt the best job I ever could have asked for immediately post-grad. I have had the opportunity to travel the country and visit various chapters over the past nine months. I've learned so much about myself on this incredible journey (that is still happening) and I value this position so much. But it's funny, for some reason they just won't let you pretend like you're still in college forever (imagine that). So I had to pick what my next journey would be, and this is where New York comes in.

One of the greatest gifts my parents gave to me was my work ethic. Throughout my entire life they have always instilled in me the mentality that if you want something then you'll need to set it as a goal, work towards it, and achieve it. I have always wanted to move to New York, so that's just what I did. I set the goal for myself that during my winter break from my current job (Yep, you heard me correctly. Winter. Break. I really do have the coolest job ever) I would land a job in the city for May when my travels would be over. And when you set a goal, you achieve it. So there was that.

Many of my closest friends who I shared the news with early on have asked me "How did you find the right job?" Well, here it is. During the application and interview process it felt a lot like sorority recruitment all over again (I couldn't resist, y'all. The Recruitment Chair in me will never go away). I wanted the perfect resume, perfect suit, and perfect answers to all those tough interview questions. But when I walked into the Gotham Technology Group office none of that seemed to matter. What mattered was the connection I had with my future employer. I felt comfortable, at ease, and most importantly, myself. The fact that I didn't look like I had "rolled out of the laundry bag" as my mother would so eloquently put it, had a resume, and knew how to hold a conversation undoubtedly helped, but being able to simply be 'me' was the greatest asset I had.

So my advice to all you other twenty-somethings on the job hunt is to JUST BE YOURSELF. If you walk into the interview room and you're practically sweating through your suit you're so nervous (believe me, I've been there sista friend, and it ain't a good look), fumbling for all the answers you think they want to hear, it's probably not the right place for you. Find a job where you're comfortable and the rest will fall into place.

The second question I have been asked is "Are you scared?" and I'll answer that one very simply. Yes. But if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough.