Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

May, you were good to me. Let’s meet again soon.

How is it already May 30? I feel like I was just submitting my last school assignment and preparing for graduation.

May was an amazing month for me. One of the best I’ve ever had.

It started off with me sending off my last assignment, a take-home final exam, and then worrying myself silly that I would somehow fail a class. Although there was a mix-up regarding my final short story, it all worked out and my final grades were what I expected. (And I just received an official letter congratulating me on my diploma, but I still don’t think I will be fully relaxed until I have that diploma displayed on my wall.)

May was the month I went on my first interview, only to be sorely disappointed the job was for door-to-door sales. And as my job search has yielded no positive feedback, sometimes I let myself wonder if I should’ve tried harder to get that job. But I also know that it is a job I would’ve hated and I need to keep searching until I find a job that fits me better. I’m not idealistic in the sense that I have to find my dream job, but I’m also not going to accept a job doing something I don’t like.

Two big things happened in May: I graduated from college and went on a five-day Western Caribbean cruise.

My graduation was amazing. Simply fantastic. It was a culmination of 7 years of hard work and lots of stress. I went through a lot to obtain my degree, including being oh so close to graduating with my education degree. I think I made the right decision in switching, even though it probably threw a lot of people for a loop. It was exciting to be surrounded by the people I had seen throughout my 2.5 years as a journalism major because they all get it. There are times when I just think, I don’t have to be a student ever again if I don’t want to. But mostly, I think, hm, graduate school? Maybe someday.

And then there’s my cruise. It was one of the best experiences of my life and it’s all I can do not to click back onto the Carnival site to find another cruise. I’m officially a fan and I will find myself on another ship before 2011 is over. I have so many pictures to show you guys and so many stories to tell you about. From kissing sting rays in the Cayman Islands, touring Mayan ruins in Cozumel, and waking up each morning to an amazing view of the ocean, I’m very sad my vacation is over. (And so not excited to go back to work tomorrow after a lovely 10 days off!)

I’m not sure how June will ever live up to May. Perhaps if I’m offered a job?

How was your May? What stood out for you?

Categories: Recurring Series

30DC: In Ten Years…

In 10 years, I will be 33 years old. There is a lot I want to accomplish in the next 10 years. When I think about where I was 10 years ago, at age 13, and where I am now, 23 and a college graduate, I know I have made some major changes. I have accomplished a lot.

In 10 years, I would like…

…to be a wife and a mother. Being a wife is something I know I was meant to do and I know my time will come someday. There’s no time limit on this but I would be lying if I said I would be content with singlehood for the next 10 years. Along with becoming a wife, I also desire motherhood. Pregnancy, babies, new life. As I watch how much work my brother and his fiancee put into their son, it exhausts me. Being a mother is more than a full-time job but I imagine they could never imagine their life without him. Fewer hours of sleep are worth it. Likewise, I could not imagine my life as a single woman, without a husband and children in my home.

…to be healthy. I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and consistent exercise routine over the next 10 years. Since this running thing is going pretty well so far, I’ll even venture to say I want to run more races and perhaps even a triathlon someday. (A sprint one…I’m not looking to do anything crazy just yet!) Mainly, though, I want to have conquered my bad eating habits and not be on an endless cycle of weight loss. I want to be at my happy weight and confident in my body. I want the healthy choices to be the easy ones and for exercise to be as much a part of me as my flip-flops.

…to be a published author. And to do this, I should get started on my novel, huh? In all honesty, I never knew the dedication and time it took into writing a novel. Writing my short story took everything out of me, made me doubt all my abilities, but also realize that this is what I want to do and that I do have what it takes. I had some tough criticism to listen to but it didn’t crush me as I thought it would. It’s a tough world out there, but I’m going to give it my best shot. Who knows what could happen?

…to have a successful, fulfilling career. The job search has been on for a few weeks now with very few bites. Nothing substantial. A major goal of mine, though, is to have a career that makes me happy. Maybe not every single day and maybe it will take a while to find said job. But I do want a job where I feel happy and satisfied, putting out my best work and growing as an individual.

…to have traveled the world. Well, maybe not the world, but I do want to travel a lot more over the next 10 years than I did during these past 10 years. I want to visit Europe and Asia and Australia. I want to see more of the United States and Canada. I will probably want to go on more cruises. I want to visit blog friends and have girls’ weekends away. There is so much of this great world I have yet to see.

What is one big thing you want to have done in 10 years?

Categories: Recurring Series

Ten on Tuesday: The Movie Edition

I promise a recap on my graduation tomorrow, but it will be epically long and full of pictures. I just didn’t have time to get around to it yesterday, so be prepared for the onslaught tomorrow. 🙂 For now, enjoy my answers to Chelsea’s Ten on Tuesday, questions by the lovely Nora!

1. If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Tough question. I’m not a fan of sad or dramatic movies, so I would probably choose something light and fun like Leap Year! I have yet to own this movie but I want it because it was such a sweet romantic comedy, without any crass humor. It’s the perfect movie for a pick-me-up!

2. Let’s say someone wrote a screenplay about you: what actor/actress would you choose to play you and why?

People tell me all the time that I look like Kellie Martin so maybe her? And then there are a bunch of actresses I just absolutely adore like Reese Witherspoon and Amy Adams. It would have to be someone good at being quiet and aloof, but also funny and silly. Hmm…

3. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in theaters?

I have no idea! Possibly The Lion King, which I fell asleep in halfway through.

4. Did you ever make out at the back of a movie theater in middle school/high school?

HA. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

5. Are you a Netflix-er, Blockbuster-er, or a Redbox-er? (Or none of the above?)

None of the above. I am an On Demand-er. The sad thing is, I rarely see movies. Every once in a while, I’ll venture out to the theater and my mom and I did just watch Life As We Know It a few weeks ago, but before that, it had been a while. Our DVR list is always so full, we just don’t have time!

6. Name one actor/actress who you would give anything to have a dinner date with?

Let’s see…either Shia LaBeouf because he’s so adorable (although his legal issues leave a lot to be desired!) or Reese Witherspoon because I have a monster girl crush on her. In both cases, I probably wouldn’t be able to say a thing, I would be so star-struck!

7. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen?

There have been a few. I hated Napoleon Dynamite and there was this awful movie called Stealing Harvard with Tom Green. I went with a bunch of friends in middle school to see it and had to pretend I thought it was good, like they did.

8. Do you sneak snacks into the theater when you go?

Usually, no. I always end up buying popcorn at the stand (I can’t resist!) and sometimes, I’ll buy their overpriced candy. I’m a sucker for that stuff.

9. Movie theater popcorn: love or hate it?

Love. Love, love, love, love, love, love. It’s so delicious, especially those first few handfuls coated in buttery goodness! Yum, yum!

10. What is the all-time best Disney movie, in your opinion?

I’m going to have to say Pocahontas, even though I know it’s not historically accurate. But, man, did I love that movie! I had Pocahontas bed sheets, the soundtrack (with a book to go along with it!), and I believe a Pocahontas Barbie doll. I can still sing every song from that movie, word for word, and I still think John Smith was a hottie. 🙂

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a set of 30 address labels or seals! Giveaways ends Thursday at 8:00 p.m.!

Categories: Recurring Series

Wine & Love (V. 1)

Things that are making me reach for my wine glass (or…a pound of chocolate, in my case) this week…

…A bummer of a job interview. I really wanted this to be the company I worked for fresh out of college, but I guess I have more searching to do. But it’s much better than being stuck in a job I would hate.

…Getting totally off track in my eating/exercising for the past two weeks. It’s time to kick it into high gear for these next two weeks before I leave for my cruise.

…Not quite loving my new haircut. It’s the same style, but I’m getting a little tired of it. Go shorter, or grow it out? Ah, decisions, decisions.

Things that I am loving this week…

…My grandma’s PET scan coming back absolutely perfect. She’s been feeling wonderful and it’s so nice to have her back to health again. (And finding out the results on her birthday, no less!)

…Being completely done with school! It’s so great to go to work and come right home, not have to go to class or do homework. While I am trying to apply to jobs every day, I’m also enjoying the time off from being super busy. It’s a nice break.

…Shopping! My mom and I spent so much time at the mall this weekend, mostly shopping for the perfect second interview outfit. I bought two dresses from the Loft over the weekend and I’m completely in love. (Especially getting one dress for over 60% off, when I thought I would have to pay full price!)

…Selling back my textbooks, and getting some serious cash. I worked in the bookstore one semester, buying back used books so I know not to complain if a large book only nets me $10, but I really made out this semester! Enough to buy me a dress, two shirts, and lunch with my mom at Panera. Woo, woo!

Thanks to the lovely Nora for hosting this series!

Categories: Recurring Series

So Long, April

April was a busy month for me. And it showed in the fact that I only posted six times. For me, that’s not a lot. My entire April seemed to be wrapped up in school and finishing up assignments that blogging fell by the wayside. It happens.

April was about school. It was crunch time to get all my assignments completed. I knew I had to complete my final draft of my short story, complete a bunch of quizzes and blogs for my online lit class, and take two Spanish exams. For my senior seminar course, I had a mock interview and a professional website to finish. It was going to be a busy month. And let’s just add on the anxiety that I would fail a class or something would happen that would cause me not to graduate. It was a worrisome month.

But I got through it with hard work and determination. I set aside an entire weekend to fix my short story and make it a million times better than it had previously. (And my second read-through went a lot better, as well, with my classmates telling me how much they enjoyed this second version.) I set aside time daily to work on my website and make it look as professional and unique as I could, using a free template. I began studying a week in advance for my Spanish tests to make sure I knew the vocabulary and verb tenses backward and forward. Any extra time left over was used for my literature class.

I’m ending April on a good note. All of my work is done and I did the best job I could. Next Sunday, I will be walking across a stage to receive my diploma and it will all have been worth it.

April was also the month of the IronGirl race. It was the month I should have been able to declare myself a half-marathoner, but I ran the 5K instead. It was a great race and I had a blast. I ran my fastest 5K yet and it proved to me how strong and capable I can be when I put my mind to it.

Easter was made more special by seeing it through the eyes of my nephew, who is two-and-a-half. We dyed eggs with him and hunted for Easter eggs. Kids just make the holiday so much more fun and he was especially thrilled whenever he saw an “Eter Vony” (Easter Bunny). The day was pretty low-key, with dinner at my grandparent’s house and spending the night curled up on the couch, watching TV.

I started applying for jobs in April. And worked a lot on my resume. In the beginning, it was pretty awful and I had a sweet Twitter friend who helped me to make it sound and look better. I only applied to three jobs: two involving human resources and one involving marketing. I was called in for an interview for the marketing job and today, I am in the midst of the second round of interviews. This is big and I am desperately praying that God grants me this job. I mean, how awesome would it be to already have a job lined up before I graduate?

As for weight loss, it was a pretty stellar month for me as I lost 4 pounds this month. It puts me at 12 pounds total and I am finally beginning to see the difference. Some pants are fitting looser and my clothes are looking better on me. Seeing the results in the mirror is sometimes better than seeing the results on the scale. And while I’m not counting on May to be a big weight loss month (uh…I’m going to count it as a success if I only gain 5 pounds during my cruise…), I’m still hoping to stay on plan and keep a consistent exercise pattern.

May is going to be a busy month for me but I’m excited about it. It marks my graduation, cruise, and hopefully a job offer. I am so ready for May!

What exciting things are happening for you in May?