Since graduating on the 12th of May, I have been feverishly searching for job openings and updating every social media outlet I own in order to keep myself relevant and in the spotlight of my networks.  All the while, people have been congratulating me and asking me, "What are your plans for the summer?"  Most of the time I reply with a smile, a thank you, and a swift "looking for a real job".  This question is growing tired on me but the reply is easy and I appreciate the well wishes.  However, since the job market is slow and I am still holding out for my dream job before settling for something less related, I have been thinking of ways to get creative and boost my personal selling points.  I have considered getting a waitressing job to ease my itch for something productive to do, thought about re-designing my resume and portfolio pages (which I will probably still do at some point in the next few months), and have even been networking with friends and passing out my new business cards to everyone who may know someone in the biz.

Seemingly un-relatedly, as fate would have it, the other day I reconnected with an old friend.  We got to catching up and he told me about a business he owns in Arizona, proofing houses for rattlesnakes.  I thought it was really strange but I guess it makes more sense in those areas... Anyway, we continued talking and one thing lead to another and now I actually have started doing some freelance copywriting and brand management for his business!  More updates to come, but I do believe that this is the the first freelance assignment I have ever gotten as a professional in the real world.

Forget summer vacation... I'm starting the rest of my life!

Start out as a freelance copywriter? CHECK!

Hello! Things have been busy since graduating, but I have a been crossing things off my "To-done" list like crazy!  While there is not enough time in the world to write a post for each of these things, I'd like to highlight the biggest one so far... 

This past weekend, I drove 477 miles with my father to Ohio University from my hometown to watch my best friend graduate with a degree in Athletic Training! I felt like one proud momma as she walked across the stage and I bawled like a baby through the whole thing.  I am so proud of her, but it was also my first experience with a larger university like that at an official ceremony.  In short, the ceremony was HUGE and overwhelmingly long as they read every name off.  However, the differences between OU and Bradley were very apparent.  First, there were two ceremonies in that day, divided by the colleges.  Next, there were so many students in each, that they had to be seated in some parts of the arena above the floor. And the final biggest difference was that after having their name called, they walked right out of the arena and left.  (p.s. their speaker was Nancy Cartwright voice of Bart Simpson!) 

It was different, but worth it just to hear her name called in person.  Congrats Michelle!!! 

Attend a larger university's graduation? CHECK! 

Holy smokes.  A LOT has happened since my last post... and a lot of them were definitely firsts to be scratched off my To-Done list.  First and foremost, I GRADUATED!!!

I cannot express fully my elation for being the first woman in in my family to fully graduate college.  In summation, it was a bittersweet day overall and I am happy to say that I was able to share it with my best friend, my grandmother, and my parents.  When I took the big walk up the arena, I was so nervous and was mainly focused on not tripping but when I hugged the president of our university, I took a sigh of relief and felt unbelievably accomplished.  Back in my seat, I finally let a few tears of joy roll down my cheeks with my friends as we hugged our pseudo diplomas.  I can't believe I'm actually checking this one off my list but....

Graduate from Bradley University???  CHECK!!!!!!!

The past few days have flown by so quickly and I am happy to report that I have quite a few things to scratch off my To Done list because of it.  First and foremost, I went to NewYork City which I had never done before.

While I was there, I saw the Statue of Liberty at night...

rode the Staten Island Ferry....
saw the famous New York City Skyline...

met a famous person (B. Smith, former model)...


saw Times Square (night and day)...

and went to Central Park!

Other things that I did included pitching a real advertising campaign proposal to members of the company it was for, holding an official ABC7 news anchor microphone, visiting the 9/11 memorial, and riding the subway.  To say the least, it was an incredibly awesome trip and I am thrilled to have been able to experience so many things in so little time. I'd say after all of that, I can definitely check all this off the list, but for the sake of everyone's sanity (and slight abuse of making lists) I'll chalk it all up to a total experience of one:

Experience downtown New York City? CHECK!

It is about that time of year when things are truly wrapping up for us graduating seniors.  Yesterday was perfect proof of that as I participated in my last SONOR and HEAT events ever. :(  I have been involved with Bradley's Wellness Program for the entirety of my time here and I am desperately sad to be saying goodbye to all of the amazing things we do every year.

The events this week were held on Monday and Tuesday on the quad and SONOR passed out free cup tumblers for those who pledged to be smoke free while HEAT held their annual B.E.E.R. drive (an event where students see the effects of drunk driving by maneuvering a golf cart around an obstacle course while wearing beer vision goggles).  This was the first year I actually participated in the B.E.E.R. drive and it was actually quite funny as I took out quite a few recycling bins.  SONOR was also successful in handing out a majority of the cups they ordered and got over 100 people to sign the pledge on Olin Hall's brick wall.

Overall, the times I have spent in the Wellness Program have been some of my best at Bradley and I am sad to see them go.  And it is with a heavy heart that I am lead to another To Done item for the week...

Drive a golf cart wearing beer goggles? CHECK!

Complete my final Wellness Program event? CHECK! 

Graduation, here I come...

What an amazing week! First, I found out that I won an award for my senior project.  This means I will be going to New York City to meet the company the project was done for in person and my team and I will be receiving a small cash prize.  I have never been downtown New York and I cannot wait to experience it with my amazing team. Next, I got to have an awesome time presenting for SONOR (a peer education and wellness organization I am president of) at the regional BACCHUS Network.  This year it was at Illinois State University so we were able to attend and still sleep in our own beds at Bradley.  I also have never been to the regional conference, just the annual national one so it was a treat to meet the people in our area in a smaller setting.  Finally, I won an award at the conference for Outstanding Graduating Senior!  I have never had my own little plaque like the one I got there either, especially not with my own name on it, so I was more than thrilled to accept!

I am so honored and I couldn't have had a better week doing all of it!

Win the Douglas E. Alligood Diversity Advertising Campaign award? CHECK!

Present at the Area 4 BACCHUS Network conference? CHECK!

Win a plaque with my name on it? CHECK!

This week I was invited to a going away party for a professor at Bradley at a home in Galesburg.  When I was asked to bring a dessert for everyone, I knew right away that with the nice weather, I should bring a lemon-based cake (I always imagine lemon to be good for summer).  That said, I found a quick recipe on Allrecipes.com and whipped it together.  The recipe called for lemon pudding mix added to the yellow cake mix and I am very glad that I chose this one over the others I saw.  It was fluffy and moist and the whipped topping frosting made a very refreshing after-taste.  It turned out perfectly and it went over well with the guests (see remnants pictured below).

Basically this week, I did what all good women do and brought a lovely dessert to a party.  But for the sake of this blog, this was my first time making a lemon cake to present to a party full of people and I am happy to say it can be crossed off my "To Done" list!

Make a lemon cake? CHECK! 

If you have read my other most recent post, you will know that I just published a portfolio website and since then, I have been updating it and changing it as I get more and more feedback.  As it happens, the other day I had coffee with a professor and she spent some time with me on it and when we finished going through it, she asked if I wouldn't mind speaking to her journalism portfolio class about online portfolio designing.  I was so honored!  So, per her request, that is what I accomplished this morning and I decided to add it to my "To-Done" list. Not many undergrad students get the opportunity to guest-speak for another class so I figured it to be a really good one to mention.

Overall, it went very smoothly with the class.  The information seemed well-recieved and I was even able to answer a few questions about the creator that I used.  They were attentive and some of them even signed up for the same site that I used while I was talking about it.  What a positive, productive way to begin my day! :)

Guest-lecture for an undergraduate class? CHECK!

UPDATE: I have been asked to go to another classroom to share my experience with online portfolio building next week!

This post is a little late this week as I have been insanely busy lately but maybe this will help explain why.  In class the other day, we had a speaker from Bradley's career center come talk to us about LinkedIn, a professional/resume networking site.  Since then, I have been feverishly updating it; asking for and adding recommendations, updating my information, and finding useful groups to join.  After I did all of that, I updated my Twitter and began exploring new corners of what I can really use it for productively.  Next, I updated my Facebook and finally adopted Timeline (it's still growing on me, but so far I'm okay with it).  I also updated this site and changed the background and edited the "About Me" a little too (taa daa.)

So, the final thing I needed to get done was to design and publish a portfolio webpage and I am happy to report that as of Friday morning, it is finished!   The link is below this post and there is a screen shot above, but I am super happy with the way it turned out and I look forward to continuing to update and change it as my life and career progresses.  I used Wix and it was super easy to design with and it was totally free.  I had a vision of what I wanted a template they had to look like for my own use and this is exactly what I had in mind.  I guess the next step is to buy my own domain name and link the page to it, but for now I am taking a slight break to catch up on homework and apply to more jobs.

Design a portfolio website? CHECK!

Feel free to check it out: Portfolio

I have never been one to celebrate heritage that isn't mine, but St. Patty's Day seems to be the exception for everyone else and so I decided to jump on board and make it one more thing to add to my "To Done" list.  This Saturday while I was up north at my hometown, I joined my family and some neighbors at a bar in Wisconsin to see a local band that we knew the lead singer of and do it up right for the holiday.  It turned out to be an absolute blast! Before we left, we even had Corn Beef Ruben sandwiches just to make it official.  The bar itself was a new experience since I had never even heard of it before.  The band was also a new experience for me, mainly because of the style of music they played.  But overall, this being my first St. Paddy's Day as a legal adult, I'm just glad I finally got to celebrate it with everyone!

Go out on St. Pattys Day? CHECK! 

I don't usually give in to trends or popular fashion movements. So when I began noticing people wearing colored jeans, I thought I would never buy a pair. However, a time comes in everyone's life when they just have to admit when something is purely awesome looking on them and that is exactly what I did this weekend.

Basically what happened is my old roommate, who works for GAP, wanted to see what we had in the store in Peoria while she was visiting as compared to the store that she works at and my current roommate and I tagged along.  Well, we ended up trying on clothing and subsequently bought a few things with her discount.  Yes, among the things I got, was a pair of rose-colored skinny jeans.  Am I now obsessed with colored jeans? Not quite yet. Would I buy another? Sure.  I was surprised when she urged me to try a pair and they looked pretty good.  

So, to all of my readers, I encourage you to try something you don't think you will like (even if it is as a joke) because you may end up like me and find a new thing you love. :)

Buy a pair of colored jeans? CHECK! 

This weekend held a lot of firsts for me so I decided to make this post a little more of a "list" than a journal entry.  But to preface it all, I'd like to announce that my best friend came to visit my family and I to celebrate my "21.5" birthday.  No matter what we were planning on doing, we were definitely set up for a good time.   

• Get a manicure AND pedicure at my favorite salon?  CHECK!

• Do a bar crawl downtown Grayslake?  CHECK!

• Have a real afternoon tea with my Grandmother?  CHECK!  (This was how we know we are officially "adults"- Thanks Grandma!)  :)

• Stay at a fancy hotel off Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago? CHECK!

• Go out on Rush Street? CHECK! 

• Try a Gyro? CHECK!

As you can see, we kept ourselves very busy but we had a great time doing all of it.  However, the point of this post is that it has been a while since I felt this excited about so many small accomplishments in any period of time.  I hope everyone can have the same feeling and I definitely wish every weekend was this productive for my "To Done" list! 

Remember that video game you had on one of those "ancient" systems that you were OBSESSED with and felt compelled to beat back in the good old 90's?  Well, I had a lot of those, especially because I have an older brother who introduced me to all of the systems as they came out.  However, there was one game that I had never been able to complete and thought I never would.... but this weekend, I FINALLY BEAT IT!!!! Yes, I am officially a master at the old Playstation2 game, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy.  :)

My roommate and I spent a total of 15 hours on this game this semester (I know this because the game feels the need to tell you exactly how much time you wasted when you finish it) and now we can finally go back to our normal lives.  I can't tell you how accomplished I feel though, because this was always a favorite game growing up but I apparently lacked the small motor skills and ability to figure my way through all of its winding levels back in the day.  When she brought it to our house at school from her parent's house, I just knew we were going to finally finish it.  I'm (pathetically) very proud of our gamer skills!

Conquer the Evil Skorn in Gauntlet: Dark Legacy for PS2?   CHECK!!!

As a graduating senior at Bradley, I have found that the closer to my final day in school I get, the more terrified I am of it.  Lately, when it comes to talking about leaving friends behind, making final arrangements in my apartment, or simply realizing that I need to start bringing things home to make the final move-out easier, I am becoming quite the procrastinator.  However, more and more people are asking me what I will be doing when I leave and that is where the true anxiety has begun to set in...  

Over the weekend I decided to sit down and begin applying for jobs.  I updated my resume and even put together a few writing samples and projects into a digital portfolio to send in.  When I finished that, I went ahead and applied for a REAL "big girl" job! I am so nervous to hear back and I know that I will have to apply to 100 more by the end of this semester in order to have some direction when I leave school, but I feel so grown up already! :)

Its an intimidating world and with jobs being scarce, I have been trying to get creative on what I should apply to and how I should go about doing it.  But overall, I am satisfied with my progress thus far and am very optimistic about where my life could take me! Sooo....

Apply for my first real (career-oriented) job?  CHECK!!!

Since everyone seems to be posting about the Super Bowl this year, I feel it is only appropriate to add something about it on here.  So, that being said, I would like to announce that I managed to sit through an entire super bowl game this year!  While it doesn't constitute a need for a Guinness World Record, it is at least note worthy on my list because this year, I was able to constructively contribute to all discussions on the commercials that aired, the whole half time show, and even say a little about the game itself. :)  Football is not usually my thing, but I'm glad I was able to at least say I tried!

Also, as an advertising major, I feel like it is only appropriate to rank my top 10 favorite commercials.  Feel free to let me know what yours were and/or if you agree:

1. Half Time in America - Chrysler

2. Speed Dating - E-Trade

3. Sexy and I Know It - M&M

4. 2012 - Chevy Silverado

5. Reinvented - Toyota camry

6. Happy Grad - Chevy

7. Battle of the Coaches - NBC's The Voice

8. Performance Football - Bridgestone

9. Dog Strikes Back - Volkswagen 

10. Here We Go - Bud Light

Watch an entire Super Bowl game? CHECK!

This image may not seem like much, but as of the 27th, I officially have one of my very own photographs published in a newspaper! I took a few shots and gathered the names of the people in it and sent them in to the head photographer.   We had been emailing back and forth and here is the end result.  Hopefully this will be the first of many, but for now I am basking in my tiny piece of fame!

Have an original photograph get published? CHECK! 

As I said in my introduction, this blog will be for anything that I have done for the first time (however big or small that thing is).  So, this week I would like to announce that I have tasted my first Banana Pepper!  I have never had one and I actually enjoyed it a lot.  I would like to thank my friend Kiersten for offering me some at lunch.  The next time I go to the grocery store, you can bet a little jar of them will be on my list! :) 

Now, I understand this is a minuscule thing to add to my list.  HOWEVER, this just goes to show that even the little things you are willing to try in every day life can be worth trying out because they can lead to so many more new things.  Who knows, maybe I'll discover some incredible recipe one day that calls for Banana Peppers and I will be more willing to try it out.

Try a Banana Pepper? CHECK! 

So, the first real experience I would like to check off my "To Done" list is that I went to the U.K. For the first time (I hope to go back ASAP).  The trip was through Bradley's Study Abroad program and we were staying in London for our class.  However, when I was not in class, I was able to do so many things and see so many incredible sights.  The following are a few of my favorites: 

 

I took a day trip to Edinburgh, Scotland and even tried Haggis! (Not too bad, I hate to admit I almost liked it...)

I stood on the Prime Meridian of the world! (Which is a lot cooler than it sounds, considering its just a place some English men decided in the 1400's was the center of the globe...)  

 

Big Ben and the Parliament buildings! My favorite sight of all! 

 

The Tower of London where I saw the crown jewels and a bunch of medieval stuff! 

The Tower Bridge! My second favorite spot and I even walked across it at sunset on the last night there.  (I recommend anyone who goes to London takes the time to do it, it was breathtaking from the top.)

Go to London AND Edinburgh? CHECK! 

Welcome!

This is my first try as a blogger, but here it goes...

A little about me; I am a senior advertising major at Bradley University.  I enjoy photography, traveling, and spending time with family in friends.  (Pretty generic).  Anyway...

This blog was created so that I could document all of the things in my life that I deem worthy of sharing that I have done.  This includes anything like traveling somewhere cool, experiencing something unique, or even cooking something awesome.  Basically, people are always creating bucket lists and things like that but I have never been able to come up with things that I couldn't die before doing.  SO, as I go about experiencing as much as I can in this world, I will be simultaneously adding them to my "list" and crossing them off at the same time. That way, I can die knowing I have done everything I wanted, plus a few unexpected things as well.    :) 

Enjoy! 

Start a Blog? CHECK!