just say Yes!

I have a tendency to say yes - to everything. I have an innate desire to be a social butterfly.

I'm in a wedding this weekend and today was the bridesmaids luncheon. It was held at the delish Crepes de Paris on Birch Street in Brea. I definitely recommend this cute little crepe cafe for brunch, an afternoon sweet tooth craving or a late night snack. Anyhow, after lunch, the girls were all going to get pedicures and manicures and I had to say no. I had already been gone from work and had to get back to finish some projects. I've always had a job that I've been able to maneuver my hours easily, however, in a sense I do work 9 to 5, although they are flexible with me.

I shouldn't complain, but I was definitely sad at having to say no today. The little mouse in my pocket kept squeaking, just say Yes! Skip work! Fortunately, I didn't listen to it, but he continued to scream at me as I walked to my car. :)

On a happier note, I do get to take the day off tomorrow to be at the rehearsal and spend the night with the bridal party, etc. I'm extremely excited for my dear friend Megan to marry the love of her life this weekend. I think weddings are becoming one of my new favorite things, if they weren't a favorite before, that is.

a little nutty

If there is such a thing as brain food, I have taken advantage of it - or at least the snack form of it. I can't explain how much more productive I am when I have something to snack on. My choice of the week has been dried fruit and nuts.

Yesterday I came in and cleaned my desk - dusted and windexed to be exact. This is my first week with the office to myself so I plan on cleaning, organizing and then decorating. After I finished cleaning yesterday I went about to open my daily pack of brain food. I struggled with the pack for a few minutes until it barely ripped at the top. I proceeded to pull harder and to much delight the plastic finally gave, but only to my dismay of having nuts explode into a firework show as I split the entire package in two. Apparently I'm stronger than expected.

After sitting shocked for a second or two, I frantically swept all the nuts off my desk into my empty tea cup and swiftly picked the crumbs up off the floor and out of my keyboard in fear of someone walking by and seeing my nutty mess. Fortunately, I was left to my own laughter without any witnesses, but from now on I'm using scissors to open the packs.

energy, environment and education

On the upper floor of Metzger Hall at Biola sits the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) department. This is where I work. It is composed of journalists, directors, artists, designers, communicators, analysts, planners - the list goes on. The people I work with are fairly young, extremely energetic, multi-talented and cutting edge in their field of work. The web developer and designers are absolutely genius.

Last Spring at the Associated Collegiate Press Conference in D.C. with The Chimes, we were told our website was by far the best collegiate online newspaper website the critic had seen. When asked who our web developer's name was, they recognized his name immediately. I now get to work along side him in IMC and others.

I have big shoes to fill, but the staff has been extremely welcoming. The environment is fun and casual yet professional and productive. My boss has been great so far. She is giving me a long leash, so to speak, so I can mold the position I am taking over. I feel as though we will work together collaboratively, but she is allowing me to be independent for the most part which is awesome.

If anything else, I will be learning a lot in this position. I have already read multiple articles on brand marketing and am going to start reading about public relations this next week. It's awesome to now be paid to learn instead of paying to learn. The concept of not bringing my work home with me is still very fresh. The first day I attempted to bring some of the articles home to read as "homework" and someone told me I didn't have to, when I'm off, I'm off. This whole working thing is quite fun.

best of both worlds

Last Friday I went for my second interview with Biola. The interview was with HR and I never expected to receive the job offer, but the unexpected happened and Biola offered me the position! I politely asked for the weekend to think and they said yes, however, if I accepted the position, they would love for me to start Monday!

So today I entered the work force at Biola University! I am the new Media Relations Coordinator.

I am extremely excited about this position. It was a difficult decision to not accept the offer by Heal the World, however, I asked if I could volunteer. And John, the president of the non-profit, warmly wrote back yes and he understood my decision. I am also really excited to start volunteering with HtW. My first assignment is to help create and launch their blog site...how much fun is that? :)

God always provides. Always.

the good, the bad, and the...

So if I were to use the word ugly, I may be lying, but I can't think of anything except the large ugly face of decision making. I've improved. Yes. I have. However, that does not change the fact that I don't like decisions. So here is the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good
I have a job offer! And another one that looks promising.
The Bad
I can't choose both, and they are both great opportunities.
The Ugly
I have to choose between them.

Here are the facts: Heal the World offered me a position. It would not be journalism and there would be a high learning curve, because the position is more business administration. I would be writing grants, making contacts, and be a representative for the organization to corporate donors. Essentially, I would be the heart beat for the organization because I would be the only full time employee. The organization is awesome itself, and is missions oriented. The people seem really amazing as well. Their office is in Irvine, which would be a little harder since I'm living in La Mirada next year.

The other position is with Biola, who I would love to work for. My title would be Media Relations and Internal Coordinator. It is a PR position and I would be updating the website, writing stories and working with outside as well as student media. My experience is perfect for this position. And it would be really fun to work at Biola, especially since I already know some of the people I would be working with. I'm also going to be living about 5 minutes from Biola which would be great because of gas prices.

So now, I'm praying for discernment and for the ugly to seem a little less ugly.

you've got to move it, move it...

Four years ago, I packed my clothes, belongings, and life into my little VW bug and unpacked it all in a dorm room in Hart Hall at Biola. Last week, I packed all of my things up - which no longer all fit into a VW bug - and moved out of a house I had rented with 9 girls this past year. Every summer for the past four years I have moved. And every fall, I have returned to the safe security of being a college student. Leaving this summer was the last I would leave a student. I am no longer a college student, but I am a graduate - with no job.

When I returned home last week, there was a sense of comfort. I may not have a job yet or know exactly what I want to do, but no matter how many times I leave or fail, I always have a home to come back to. As I continue to search for the right path, I have realized there may not be the exact right path, there are probably multiple ones, and even if I fail, God is there to catch me and I have a home to return to.