Friday, February 14, 2014

Friday, Friday, Gotta Get Down on Friday

1. They've found me. Everything minus the living with your person and going on double dates, everything. #momsknoweverything

 
 2. I got Virginia, which is close to Georgia, and much closer to home than most of my friends got. What are you?
 
3. I'm so excited - I've joined up and become a guest blogger at bSMART-- this week I'm sharing advice on keeping your resume up to date, among other things. If you liked my series on busines school, I'd highly recommend joining bSMART. I've been seriously impressed!
 
4. Obsessed. I've listened to it approximately 100 times on repeat.
 

 
5. I re-joined Tinder after my traumatic experience. Snowstorms make people crazy, don't judge. So far I've reconnected with a guy I used to date, scheduled a date for next Tuesday, and had penis pictures sent to me. Internet, I love you.
 
6. Running. I'm running again. Thursday, I only ran 3 miles, but I ran them faster than I've ever done. Friday I ran 3 more at the same pace, and I'm hoping to do 4 miles before tennis practice on Saturday morning. My shin pain has miraculously gone away (knock on all the wood)
 
7. It's b-school admittance season and I've adopted the #proudmom hashtag for all my kiddos who are accepted or applying, because I'm basically the proudest mama HR person there ever was. All my kids deserve trophies! The worst part is waiting for 2nd rounds in March, I think my anxiety might be worse than theirs. PS - those are the 2 best kids I've ever known <3 p="">
 
 
 
8. I haven't had a haircut since September, which I promised my new haircut girl I wouldn't do. But I loved, loved, loved my long hair and I wish it would grow this long again.
 
 
  
 9. I graduate from business school in May 2016 and I turn 30 in April 2016. You'll be able to find me in Iceland, Russia, China, and SE Asia in May/June/July 2016. Bye, work! See you in the fall.

10. I'm still happy. So so so so so so so so so happy. I smile just because. I don't even have a reason not to anymore. Let's all just be this happy together!


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Tears of a Stranger

I flew back to Atlanta from Dallas last week, and the girl across the aisle from me barely held back tears the entire way home.
It took everything in me not to lean over to her, give her a hug, and hold her hand the rest of our way home. I couldn't help but wonder why her heart was hurting so badly. Did the love of her life leave her in Dallas? Is she petrified of flying? Is she moving cross-country and terrified of what's coming next? Was she fired this morning and sent home instantly? Did her grandmother pass away? I found myself actually tearing up just thinking about the pain she must be going through, and then I smiled when the flight attendedant brought her a stack of tissues and a free refill on her wine. A woman after my own heart.
 
I've been there. I've cried my way through a 5 hour flight home for several of the reasons above. For the loss that I had just experienced and what I was leaving behind, for the huge life change I knew I'd be facing on arrival and for the new me that would walk off that plane. Life was about to take me for a crazy roller coaster ride, and I cried and cried and cried because I wasn't ready, but I had no choice. I was at the front of the line and there was no turning back.
Once we were on the ground in Atlanta, I caught up to her as we were walking towards the plane train, tapped her on the shoulder and said "I'm so sorry for what you are going through. Whatever it is, I hope you find the peace you deserve." The tears that had been welled up in her eyes for the 90 minute flight spilled over as she pulled me into a hug and I am not sure I have ever been squeezed so tightly.
 
I don't know if I will ever see that beautiful young woman again, but I will forever be changed by her silent tears, her gratitude to a stranger, and her fragile emotional state.
 

And I mean this in the most genuine way I can: Bless her sweet, sweet heart.
 

Friday, February 7, 2014

True Love: You mermaid for me!

Mermaid For Me Classroom Valentine's Day Cards
 
I am dying over these cards. I have searched the internet high and low to find full-size cards, and am on the brink of creating them myself and mailing them to friends and family.

Are you giving or sending Valentine's cards?

Monday, February 3, 2014

Just Feelin' Happy

My worlds collided about a year ago when I found out my GMAT-study-group-turned-business-school-BFF and work BFF knew each other. Fast forward, and now the three of us run in the same circles and see each other relatively frequently.


My work BFF has abandoned me for an amazing project abroad, and came back for a visit this weekend. Unfortunately due to Atlanta's ridiculous inability to deal with any sort of weather situations, his flight was delayed and I had a Saturday class and a huge assignment to work on, so we didn't end up seeing each other.
 
However, he & my business school BFF were at the same Super Bowl party and I guess my name came up. Work BFF called me from the airport to talk about life and catch up since we didn't see each other, and he said that when he asked how I was doing, our mutual friend told him that I was really happy - happier than I've been in a long time, and always in such a good mood.
 
I'm not sure why this resonated so strongly with me or touched me as much as it did, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I guess I am surprised. Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon happy with my life, so that's not the surprise. I simply had no idea how vividly noticeable my happiness was in my personal and professional lives. I am beyond pleased that without even trying, without even thinking about it, my natural state of being right now is happy, warm, energetic and fun.
 
That feels pretty darn good to me.