NaBloPoMo Day 14 - Today

Today was an A+ Southern Maryland day. We went to an event at our favorite local winery Slack trying out their new beers. It was gloomy and foggy outside, but it only added to the ambiance of an outdoor, comfy, cozy wine event in Southern Maryland. There was a bonfire going, music playing, and tons of beer and wine flowing.  Basically, it was my perfect Saturday. Mike and I enjoyed the wine and beer, had big life talks, (like we always do in odd places), and just had a lovely little day. Mike is napping now on the couch trying to sleep off his sore legs from the past two days' soccer games and I'm catching up on Parenthood online and trying to blog despite how buzzed I am off wine/beer tasting.  Happy Saturday!!

The drive anywhere here is just dang gorgeous this time of year.

I love that he wears the weird sweaters I buy him for Christmas.

It's just idyllic here...no other word for it.

Mike gets excited when people serve Sierra Nevada beer

The Slack wine tasting cottage.  Can I move in there please??

Slack has a rescue dog wondering around who is super sweet and this little kid wearing a bear ears hoodie was following it around and oh man was it cute.

NaBloPoMo Day 13 - Cool Chick with a Cool Job

Today’s Cool Chick with a Cool Job is the gorgeous Jenny Maddern.  I’ve known Jenny since I was a sophomore in college and she was my sorority president.  I’ve watched her over the years move, make big changes, go through life-changing ordeals, and come out of it all a strong and determined woman who is now chasing her dreams as a Stylist and Image Consultant.  Recently, I interviewed her about her new, cool career (that I’m totally envious of…need to start an East Coast branch of your business, Jenny?!)

 

 

V:  What is your education/employment background?

J:  I’ve been a teacher most of my “adult” life. I waited A TON of tables before that.  I hustled my way through school so I could start working. I‘ve got a degree in English (which I buck conventions of whenever possible) and a Master’s Degree in Education.  My newest, and dare I say proudest , accomplishment is completing training as an Image Consultant (and soon to be Bridal Consultant!!!) Jennifer Maddern, CBS, I can’t wait!

V:  Is being a Stylist/Image Consultant something you’ve always wanted to do?

J:  I was already doing it, I just didn’t know it was a career! I have always loved helping my friends and family look and feel their best. In a rare moment of clarity, I realized I could have a career out of something I love.

V:  What made you decide to finally go for it and start your own business?

J:  Ooh. This one is sort of a downer, but it has a happy ending. I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer in 2011. During my treatment, I missed too much work and lost my job. When it was time to finally go back to work and start applying for jobs again…I panicked. I felt I was being untrue to my simplest needs and myself. There is something called Post-Traumatic-Growth…it’s incredible. PTG happened to me, it gave me the freedom to give the bird to my “shoulds” and embrace my “needs”.

V:  What is your favorite part of your job?

J:  When my clients realize they can have control over their wardrobes, a light comes on in their eyes! It’s so amazing giving people the tools to be a little happier. Oh and the shopping, obvi right? I get to shop vicariously through each client.

V:  What’s the hardest part of your job?

J:  The hardest part right now is balancing home life and work life. I’m blessed to be home with my two-year-old son Max…I’m also “blessed” to be home with my two-year old…very two-year-old Max.

 

V:  What does a regular day for you look like?

J:  (I pretended this day didn’t have any interruptions and I was able to accomplish everything I sought out to do, in reality this would be done over 3 or 4 days’ time)…I might spend the morning interviewing a client and analyzing her/his “Style Recipe”, I do some homework , make them a personalized Pinterest page with clothes that I believe would suit their needs, pack up my gear (rolling clothes rack, full length mirror, tubs) and head to the client’s house, go through the closet editing process (which takes about 4 hours) determine which items are needed to “fill in the gaps” of their wardrobe, go “pre-shop” a designated store for client, client arrives and heads straight for dressing room, client falls in love with the clothes I have chosen and chooses his/her favorites, client and I drink coffee and hug because we are so happy, we head back to client’s house and I incorporate new clothes into existing wardrobe, I “shop the closet “ and create 10 – 20 complete outfits for client to wear, I take pictures of these outfits and catalog them for client use and reference. I sleep hard.

V:  What advice do you have for someone who wants to get into your field?

J:  Check out the AICI website first! It has all the legit info you need to know, research Image Consultants in your area and see what it looks like for them, go to http://mackenzieimage.com and check out their training options. Trust me, this is the place. Don’t let anything stop you. If you are unhappy where you are, make the changes. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, I’m saying it’s going to be worth it ---(I thought I  coined this phrase, but I’m pretty sure someone else said it first).

Thank you so much Jenny! Check her out on her website, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

NaBloPoMo Day 12 - Babies Are Scary

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Okay, I cannot decide whether or not to have kids.  We decide to go for it, we start trying, we change our minds, we decide never to do it, get relieved, change our minds again.  It's effing stressful.  Here are some reasons why I'm scared of babies:

 How on earth do you ever know you're financially stable enough?

I will have to be a working mom and I am not even pregnant and I already have working mom guilt.

It is going to be really rough to get a good amount of maternity leave at my current job.

I will get fat. And stay fat. And the boobs, oh man, I'm gonna have scary boobs.

Babies are LOUD. I mean, right?

The whole "not sleeping" thing.

They are going to inevitably hate me. That just always happens and oh how sad.

My husband and I are both nuts and will end up passing on our nuttiness to that baby.

Boob stuff.  Breast feeding.  Yikes.

Lots of poop.  Poop everywhere.

Speaking of poop...giving birth?!!

Okay I'm done.  I think it's kiiiind of obvious that I shouldn't be a parent...

NaBloPoMo Day 11 - Positivity

I'm just going to leave that there.

And say that until today I have been making myself crazy with negative thoughts and anxiety about things in my life. Today, it turned over. It's not all of a sudden rainbows and butterflies, but I just said to myself, "Self, just let it go. It is what it is."

There may be crappy things going on around me, but I am in control of how I interact with them and how much I freakin' torture myself about them.

I have been wracked with anxiety lately, feeling sick and crazed and just wanting to up and leave. But today, I just surrendered.

Isn't that such an obnoxious thing to say?

Oh well, I'm happy about it.

It's not the most positive universe to be living in right now, but I'm not going to fill my own head with negative shit all day any more.

And that will have to do.

(Isn't being a working adult the worst best?!)

(Don't you hate super vague blog posts?!)

NaBloPoMo Day 10 - Scrambled Eggs

My husband has been making scrambled eggs like crazy recently since he found this video by Gordon Ramsay on how to make perfect scrambled eggs. Of course it involves too much butter, but I mean really, eggs are good for you right?  These are DELICIOUS and fluffy and oh man.  Enjoy!

NaBloPoMo Day 9 - This Sunday Currently

Okay, so it's Monday technically, but just go with it.

Currently I am...

Reading:  I just finished Where'd You Go Bernadette for the DC Bloggers Book Club and it was a great, quick read. I'm still working on the second Outlander book which is simultaneously confusing and intriguing me.

Writing:  this blog and the answers to this week's questions for book club. I should be writing more blogs so I have them ready for the week, but my head is blocked.

Listening:  to the sounds of my typing and Mike showering.

Thinking:  too many things. I wish I could turn my brain off for the day, really.  Mostly stress about the future, trying to make decisions, and anxiety about work.

Smelling:  nothing, my house really has no scent...is that weird?

Wishing:  that my future was all laid out for me and that I didn't have to go to work tomorrow.  Also that I was thinner.  I mean, if we're being honest...

Hoping:  that this next week at work goes well and helps to ease my anxiety.

Wearing:  a train wreck of an outfit, VS pajama pants, grey tank and yellow sports bra leftover from the gym, and a leopard cardigan because I'm chilly.  I look insane.

Loving:  that I got out of going to Thor today at the movies.

Wanting:  this is a public blog, so let's keep this light and not get me in trouble...I am wanting a bloody mary, how about that?

Needing:  to do more cardio and drink more water.  Desperately.

Feeling:  anxious.  Always.

Clicking:  Reddit pics page.

Linking up for (for the first time) This Sunday Currently with siddathornton

NaBloPoMo Day 8 - Maryland

Alright Maryland...you're pretty cool...

This is the view from my impromptu date with my husband drinking cocktails and eating bar food in a town we've never been to at the end of a road we've never turned on. We're surrounded by water and when the sun dipped down in the perfect spot beneath the water line, everything turned pink. So no matter what I'm dealing with right now internally, externally, crazy chickternally, that was gorgeous. Mike was smiling like a fool, enjoying his beer, and giving me a kiss every 5 seconds telling me he loved me. So yeah, Maryland, you win tonight. You're pretty great.

Mike has really only ever taken one attractive iPhone photo of me. This ain't it. #giantheadgiantnose