Birthday Celebrations {Work/Floor Party}

Hey y'all, 
Today is my last day of work for the week! YAY for only having two full weeks of work this month! I love long weekends and this weekend is about my birthdday! My lovely co-workers have already showered me with lots and lots of birthday love.

Earlier this week CC blessed me with the traveling balloons. Our floor has a set of birthday balloons that keep being reused and when it is your birthday the vase finds it's way to you. 

This morning GM gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers that are now sitting in a vase on my desk. KW made a birthday banner for my office space and I love over the top birthdays but my floor is so sweet and are a huge blessing.

AC brought in fruit and chocolate chip cookies at 9am along with the balloon bouquet. KW also found a Happy Birthday crown. To say I have been spoiled and it is only 10:30 in an understatement. I love my office and my birthday and so far today has been pretty close to perfect.

P.S. SHOUTOUT TO jHl FOR HER BIRTHDAY! I am excited to hopefully get to celebrate our birthdays together this weekend!

30 days of thanks {cars & jobs}

Hey y'all,

So yesterday was my one year anniversary at my job! It is so weird to think that I have been out of college and working at UNC for an entire year. I can still remember getting the call for the interview and being so nervous since I thought the position was perfect. Now a year later I am still loving my job. I am blessed to work with some amazing people that I also call friends, spend some time everyday laughing and get to help lots of undergraduate students. It is really a great job and on Monday I even saw my boss of my first job at Carolina back when I was a work study student in 2008! For all of you postgrads still looking for jobs I say good luck to you! After lots and lots of cover letters and resumes I know that I found the job God had planned for me. Look for a job that is not just a paycheck but a blessing. I can honestly say that my diploma might not be getting a whole lot of use but the skills I learned in college are and I recommend finding a job with lots of great people. People to look up to and ones who can bring joy to your day. I have found the best people and whether it is grabbing lunch with the girls during Lunch Loser Tuesdays, shopping during pantervention, book club, potlucks, or just the large amount of sarcasm that occurs on my floor, I have had the best year and cannot fathom starting my life in the "real world" anywhere else than my alma mater.

My office loves Halloween so eCs was Mary Poppins and I was Audrey Hepburn.
Also if you ever wondered what my desk looks like it's behind us.

Today I would have to say that I am so grateful for my car on chilly mornings since it is a great form of transportation as well as keeping me warm on my ride to work. Apart from being a reliable car though I have to say thanks to my Daddy who understood me freaking out over the low tire pressure light, talking me through everything and even offering to drive two hours to check out my car if it wasn't fixed easily. Yep, best Dad ever, and I am pretty sure, little Cora who was my biggest purchase to date is one of my greatest blessings. Often we take things for granted but I often seeing individuals on the side of the road or walking across streets in uniforms and I always say a prayer to remember all of my blessings even if it is the blessing of a car and gas in my tank.  

 What are you thankful for today?

WILW

Hey y'all,

I know that it has been awhile but with Christmas shopping for my family, attending December commencement and being a secret snowflake for my office my free time has been spent unwinding with a good book, and sleeping (I went to bed at 9pm Friday if that tells you anything).  So here are a few of my favorite things this week:

1. My office. Last week we had our holiday party which was a blast not to mention playing White Elephant. I guess everyone had it out for the new one since all of my gifts were stolen. I ended up with cute salt and pepper shakers though so it wasn't a loss. We also had secret snowflake all week and I was kind of upset since I didn't receive anything the first day but that was due to my "snowflake" being out on Monday. I was spoiled the rest of the week with craft and baking magazines, a 6-pack of Cheerwine, baked goods and on Thursday with the reveal a festive red with green and white polka dot blanket. *Spoiled* I also have been getting great holiday cards from co-workers so my desk is now a bit more festive.

2. Gossip Girl. I know that everyone is talking about it but, the show has been apart of my life for the past 6 years. 6 YEARS! I have grown so much in that time it is fun to look back at where they started and it was the same as me: in high school. I read the entire book series and was excited for the show to start. I was not that suprised with the ending of the show but I was happy with it. It does make me wonder who Cecily Van Zeigler wanted as GG since the books never revealed her identity.

3. I leave for home on FRIDAY! Yes, in a few days time I will be hitting the road for home for a nice long weekend. It is going to be great to see my baby sis since we are the only kids coming home and hanging out with the newest addition to my family: our kitten Max. Yep, my parents rescued a kitten a little over a week ago and as of last Monday the vet checked him out and he had no tracker or collar and became part of my family.

4. Liz Curtis Higg's book The Girl's Still Got It. This is a wonderful verse by verse study of the book of Ruth. I read it in a little over a day. Her writing style is captivating and I loved the way she informs you of all of the various meanings, you really connect with the people and message of God. I am now looking to read her Bad Girls of the Bible series.

5. The initial necklaces I got from J.C. Penny. I typically don't check out JCP that often but after their re-branding the store looks much better. Last week I saw    post about single intial necklaces that look almost like a monogram. I forgot to check them out when I was near Southpoint this past weekend but Tuesday when I finished shopping I stopped by and saw that they were on clearance for $7 and then 20% all fashion jewlery! STEAL! However, since they were on clearance they did not have a J or K (baby sis' initial) but they had a D in gold and silver so I went ahead and grabbed those for our last name and since from a distance it looks like a traditional monogram with the letter D in the center.

jCm & I
Welcome to the Alumni Club!

6. jCm and sCa graduated this weekend!!! My big sis graduated from South Carolina with her Master's degree this past weekend and as much as I wanted to be there, one of my best friends/sorority sister/former roommate, jCm graduated from Carolina early as well. So since I couldn't be in two places at once I stayed here to watch Decemeber Commencement. It was so great to spend time together and special to see her graduate!

mKh, jCm, jDl
Sisters and Former Roommates

What have you been loving this week? Next week Christmas will be over!

Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Preppy, Postgrad & PROFESSIONAL!

Hey y'all,

I AM OFFICIALLY EMPLOYED!

It feels so good to say that. I hope that makes up for why I have been MIA. Long story short, I was contacted for an interview at the beginning of the month for this wonderful position. After the interview I was feeling great and rather confident which is strange for me but it all worked out. I had a follow up interview the following week, then low and behold I received an official offer this past week. 

Yesterday was apartment hunting and today I am packing up my bedroom at my parent's house!!! I am moving in NEXT WEEK!

I am in love with the position and the place and I can't wait to begin work in TWO WEEKS! WHAT???

Ok, I am sorry for all the capital letters but I can't tell you how excited I am for this position. It has been an interesting summer struggling with family loss and working in a retail job that while ok I knew was a job not a career, but I can only count my blessings and thank God!

via

via

This summer was filled wit lots of job applications, cover letters and even a few interviews but it wasn't in God's hands but I have learned that God's timing is perfect and I was glad to be home with my family through August with the loss of my grandparents and now I am really ready to begin a great career. 

This English major is EMPLOYED (trust me, if you are an English major you will find something!)

I won't give you all the details about my position yet (SAFETY REASONS) but I am working in the field of administration within a university.

Now back to packing my life into boxes. AND CONGRATS TO UNC ON THAT TAR HEEL VICTORY vs. NCSU!