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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
In case you missed it...
As of last Wednesday, I am now a freelance writer over at the Examiner. I will be writing about all things young pros in Charlotte (from places to eat/drink to networking to all news affecting YP's). Pleeeease support me. This is where I beg. I get paid based on my readership. No readers=no paycheck. This means that not only do I write more over there, I also am slightly more interesting, if you can believe it.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Because my blog is the latest, greatest thing...
Look to the right and you'll notice a little fundraising widget. It's been up there for a couple of weeks, but recently it changed (and actually has money on it).
Yesterday, I announced that I will be running my first, possibly last, half-marathon. It's crazy, considering I ran a 5K on Saturday and made it 2 miles and then got sick. Lovely.
But still, I am convinced I can do this. Hoping to not walk any of it, but we'll see. And in the meantime, I've committed to raising $2000 for the Bethlehem Center. But I need you to help me get there. I will match every donation that is made up to $1000. That means if you donate $25, it really is like you donating $50, and so on and so forth. Just think, if you donated $1000, too...
Anyway, I just posted this yesterday and have already received 3 donations totalling $85. I'm impressed! But we still have a long way, so if you could just click on that widget and donate, I'd appreciate. :-)
Yesterday, I announced that I will be running my first, possibly last, half-marathon. It's crazy, considering I ran a 5K on Saturday and made it 2 miles and then got sick. Lovely.
But still, I am convinced I can do this. Hoping to not walk any of it, but we'll see. And in the meantime, I've committed to raising $2000 for the Bethlehem Center. But I need you to help me get there. I will match every donation that is made up to $1000. That means if you donate $25, it really is like you donating $50, and so on and so forth. Just think, if you donated $1000, too...
Anyway, I just posted this yesterday and have already received 3 donations totalling $85. I'm impressed! But we still have a long way, so if you could just click on that widget and donate, I'd appreciate. :-)
Monday, August 10, 2009
A little bit insane...
A few months ago, someone gave me a newspaper clipping that stated that Run For Your Life was looking for charity beneficiaries for their Thunder Road Marathon in December. Obviously, I jumped on that. I headed over to RFYL in Dilworth to talk to them about adding Bethlehem Center as one of the beneficiaries.
We have been added to their list of charities. In support of this event and what Run For Your Life does, I have decided to enter the half marathon. Which is insane, for so many reason. One being that even in my top shape (I ran track in high school), long distances have always been difficult for me. Our warm up was 3/4 of a mile, and I even struggled with that.
Still, I'm determined. I ran a 5K on Saturday, and am currently running 3-4 days a week. Save me now.
We have been added to their list of charities. In support of this event and what Run For Your Life does, I have decided to enter the half marathon. Which is insane, for so many reason. One being that even in my top shape (I ran track in high school), long distances have always been difficult for me. Our warm up was 3/4 of a mile, and I even struggled with that.
Still, I'm determined. I ran a 5K on Saturday, and am currently running 3-4 days a week. Save me now.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
I only have $10... Now what?
As a fundraiser, the most frustrating thing that has ever happened to me was someone taking back a nickel because it wasn't enough. In a charity, nothing is never enough, and every little bit helps.
CharlotteONE: recently started the BeONE campaign to raise money. The point is to have 40 people donate $10/month ($4800/year, for all of you math slackers). As you can see, this adds up quickly. Still, it isn't a ton of money towards the cause. But that's ok.
The point isn't necessarily that every $10 helps, although it does, it is more to get people on a regiment of giving. $10/month--$2.50/week--seems like nothing. Ok, I have one more teeeny bill, but compared to my $500/month in student loans, this seems like something I can handle. So, I start giving monthly. Well, then I realize that I can up my giving to $15/month with very little effort, and so on and so on, until finally that starts adding up to some major buck-a-roos.
At Bethlehem Center giving $50/month would put you amongst our top 10 individual donors. A fact that made my Board of Directors gasp when I told them. In all honesty, we can all afford $50/month. Truth is, you probably easily spend that on lunch in a week b/c you don't want to eat PB&J every day (ok, or am I just speaking about myself right now?).
I challenge every one reading this blog right now to find a cause and start out donating just $10/month. No fair with counting event ticket costs in that amount. Set up your bill pay or use their fundraising services. Let's see how much of an impact $10 can make, shall we?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
What in the world has been going on??
Yes, "what in the world" is right. I haven't posted lately, due to a miriad of factors. Specifically, I haven't shot anything praise-worthy in a while, although I hope to shoot an engagement session for my friends who recently got engaged. This is the friend who was my first model when I got my camera. Poor guy.
Recently, I've been trying to find my passion, though. There were definitely a couple of days of me not wanting to get out of bed b/c I couldn't find the motivation to. To say that I need a change is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, there are things that I enjoy, but sometimes it's hard to remember those things.
Anyway, before I change this into a sob story, I wanted to update. I am still looking for study buddies for the GRE, since I haven't been doing a great job of staying on top of it. In the meantime, I have been looking for opportunities overseas to study economics hands on before I go back to school. This has not been easy. After all my searching, I found one fellowship overseas that is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. I would be away for approximately 3-4 months, living and shadowing Kiva, an organization that pairs business owners in poverty with donors that can help them with their mission. It's an amazing organization doing something very similar to what I've already studied and talked about. I've also researched opportunities with their partners. Ideally, I would like to find something in the states that would give me the opportunity to travel overseas from time to time, but actually working and living overseas for a few months before I head back to school would also be a great opportunity.
Prayers are appreciated. I'm very much a believer in open and closed doors, so I trust that God has my ultimate good in mind. Still, I'm getting slightly impatient with his revealing of that plan to me!
Recently, I've been trying to find my passion, though. There were definitely a couple of days of me not wanting to get out of bed b/c I couldn't find the motivation to. To say that I need a change is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, there are things that I enjoy, but sometimes it's hard to remember those things.
Anyway, before I change this into a sob story, I wanted to update. I am still looking for study buddies for the GRE, since I haven't been doing a great job of staying on top of it. In the meantime, I have been looking for opportunities overseas to study economics hands on before I go back to school. This has not been easy. After all my searching, I found one fellowship overseas that is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. I would be away for approximately 3-4 months, living and shadowing Kiva, an organization that pairs business owners in poverty with donors that can help them with their mission. It's an amazing organization doing something very similar to what I've already studied and talked about. I've also researched opportunities with their partners. Ideally, I would like to find something in the states that would give me the opportunity to travel overseas from time to time, but actually working and living overseas for a few months before I head back to school would also be a great opportunity.
Prayers are appreciated. I'm very much a believer in open and closed doors, so I trust that God has my ultimate good in mind. Still, I'm getting slightly impatient with his revealing of that plan to me!
Monday, June 29, 2009
High School Times
I haven't blogged in a while, and my next blog will be a "for real" blog, but for now I've stolen some questions from my friend Kevin's blog. Because, well, I'm not that creative, obviously.
6. What is one high school experience that was so exciting you would love to relive?
I have a lot of really fond memories of things that I did outside of high school, but absolutely loved going to Canada and going to New York City. Like I said before, though, being on stage with the Choraliers was amazing.
7. What is one high school moment you wish you could take back?
Two words: Josh Sharpe.
8. What was the wildest thing you did under the age of 18?
Pretty much everything I can think of is kind of lame. I made out with a guy on our chorus director's boat. I cussed and was sent to ISS (so lame). I went to high school parties. Mostly just normal kid stuff, though.
1. What was your fondest high school memory?
Choraliers, hands down. It's the only high school memory that I would love to repeat. I was on the track team, and loved the bonding that we did as teammates, but to this date there is nothing quite like the adrenaline of getting on stage before a tremendous performance.
2. What was your most embarrassing high school moment?
Honestly, my most embarrassing high school moment is one that everyone at my high school knows of, but that I still do not feel comfortable putting here. It really shaped my junior and senior years, I'll put it that way. My second most embarrassing moment was senior class elections. A group of us had always been on student council, and we had pre-selected, basically, all the senior class officers. Jennifer was fun-loving and caring and good with people, so she would be Student Council President. Allison was a lot of the same, so she would be Senior Class President. I never wanted to be president, but was also very hard-working and dedicated, so I was selected as Senior Class VP, and Beth was phenomenal with numbers, so she would be treasurer. It came to election time, and although maybe the rest ran against people, they had it in the bag. Mine was not so easy. The captain of the cheerleading squad decided to run against me. Now, I was never nerdy by any means, and even sat at the "popular" table, but I also wasn't captain of the cheerleading squad. This girl had no experience, had never been on student council, and only just ran because she hated me. I decided that my speech had to be memorable, so I decided to talk about how similar Clover High was to Columbine. Big mistake. I had this big 70's outfit on with rose-colored glasses. I lost by a landslide. Very sad. But more so embarrassing.
3. Who was your favorite high school teacher and what did you liked about him/her?
Choraliers, hands down. It's the only high school memory that I would love to repeat. I was on the track team, and loved the bonding that we did as teammates, but to this date there is nothing quite like the adrenaline of getting on stage before a tremendous performance.
2. What was your most embarrassing high school moment?
Honestly, my most embarrassing high school moment is one that everyone at my high school knows of, but that I still do not feel comfortable putting here. It really shaped my junior and senior years, I'll put it that way. My second most embarrassing moment was senior class elections. A group of us had always been on student council, and we had pre-selected, basically, all the senior class officers. Jennifer was fun-loving and caring and good with people, so she would be Student Council President. Allison was a lot of the same, so she would be Senior Class President. I never wanted to be president, but was also very hard-working and dedicated, so I was selected as Senior Class VP, and Beth was phenomenal with numbers, so she would be treasurer. It came to election time, and although maybe the rest ran against people, they had it in the bag. Mine was not so easy. The captain of the cheerleading squad decided to run against me. Now, I was never nerdy by any means, and even sat at the "popular" table, but I also wasn't captain of the cheerleading squad. This girl had no experience, had never been on student council, and only just ran because she hated me. I decided that my speech had to be memorable, so I decided to talk about how similar Clover High was to Columbine. Big mistake. I had this big 70's outfit on with rose-colored glasses. I lost by a landslide. Very sad. But more so embarrassing.
3. Who was your favorite high school teacher and what did you liked about him/her?
Mrs. Richardson, our AP Calculus teacher. Let me start off by saying that although I was (and still am) extremely intelligent, I am also a big slacker when it comes to studying and reading. So, I had decided to drop down to CP Calculus (at Clover, AP was highest, then honors, then CPl) for my senior year. My Honors Algebra II teacher decided to convince me to do AP instead. He said that I had the intelligence to do it, but that I needed to make sure I did my homework. Just like the many years before, I didn't follow his instructions, never studied, and never did homework. Mrs. Richardson had this tradition of making tacos at her house for a mega study session right before the test. I went, and wouldn't you know it, after very rarely doing homework and almost never studying, I got a 4 on the exam. I'm still a little upset with myself b/c I probably could've gotten a 5 if I hadn't been a slacker, but a 4 was still a very good score.
4. If you could have nominated yourself for one senior superlative, what would it have been and why?
So, funny story. Similar to the elections, superlatives were usually in the bag before even voted on. Grady would be most likely to succeed (extremely intelligent football player), Marsi would be best dressed (her outfit for "tacky" day was a brown belt with black shoes... seriously), and I would be Biggest Flirt. Well, for some reason, that year they decided to do away with Biggest Flirt and Best Looking. So, no superlatives for me. But I definitely wanted Biggest Flirt. I did get a few votes for best dressed (I was always head to toe Gap, which was cool back then), but I knew I was no competition for Marsi.
5. Who of your high school friends are you still in touch with (and facebook stalking does not include being in touch with).
This is going to sound so random to those of you who knew me in high school, but our family is still pretty close to the Killians, and since we went to college together I still see Laura (Killian) and Mark Goddard about once or twice a year. Mark and Laura had their baby the same week as my nephew, and Ashley and Lucas live very close to my parents, now. Elizabeth Maroska and I used to meet up for drinks together, but that stopped a couple of years ago, and Paul Sutton is now dating one of my friends and I see him once or twice a month. Other than that, I still talk to people pretty often on facebook, but no real relationships.
4. If you could have nominated yourself for one senior superlative, what would it have been and why?
So, funny story. Similar to the elections, superlatives were usually in the bag before even voted on. Grady would be most likely to succeed (extremely intelligent football player), Marsi would be best dressed (her outfit for "tacky" day was a brown belt with black shoes... seriously), and I would be Biggest Flirt. Well, for some reason, that year they decided to do away with Biggest Flirt and Best Looking. So, no superlatives for me. But I definitely wanted Biggest Flirt. I did get a few votes for best dressed (I was always head to toe Gap, which was cool back then), but I knew I was no competition for Marsi.
5. Who of your high school friends are you still in touch with (and facebook stalking does not include being in touch with).
This is going to sound so random to those of you who knew me in high school, but our family is still pretty close to the Killians, and since we went to college together I still see Laura (Killian) and Mark Goddard about once or twice a year. Mark and Laura had their baby the same week as my nephew, and Ashley and Lucas live very close to my parents, now. Elizabeth Maroska and I used to meet up for drinks together, but that stopped a couple of years ago, and Paul Sutton is now dating one of my friends and I see him once or twice a month. Other than that, I still talk to people pretty often on facebook, but no real relationships.
6. What is one high school experience that was so exciting you would love to relive?
I have a lot of really fond memories of things that I did outside of high school, but absolutely loved going to Canada and going to New York City. Like I said before, though, being on stage with the Choraliers was amazing.
7. What is one high school moment you wish you could take back?
Two words: Josh Sharpe.
8. What was the wildest thing you did under the age of 18?
Pretty much everything I can think of is kind of lame. I made out with a guy on our chorus director's boat. I cussed and was sent to ISS (so lame). I went to high school parties. Mostly just normal kid stuff, though.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Free Ringtones
So, I have become recently OBSESSED with Slumdog Millionaire (best movie, ever!) and after lots of research, have finally found a site that has Salim's ringtone.
Check it out!
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