It's The Final Countdown!

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Today is my last day in my current job! I'm so pumped. I danced all morning and I'm pretty sure Bryce thinks I'm crazy now. Alright fine, he already knows I'm crazy.

I have 6 hours left as an administrative assistant. Maybe you have (or one day will have) an admin of your own. If you do, these might be some things for you to think about. You can thank me later, admins of the world (or of the three people that read my blog...)!

As an administrative assistant I've learned a lot of lessons about working hard, being flexible, and understanding the needs of the team. Those lessons will stay with me throughout my career as well as other lessons like cleaning up after myself (the admin shouldn't have to be the maid), independence especially when it comes to things like un-jamming a printer (as the admin I had no one else to pass my problems off to), and respect for people on varying levels of the corporate food chain (I'm not going to make someone mail my friend's lotion for me...so weird).


Things I'll Miss About My Job:

Talking to my cubicle mate throughout the day.
Reporting to my awesome manager.
My big, glass window walls.

(I'm staying in my department, just getting a new position so I don't have to miss my co-workers or potluck days or anything like that.)


Things I Won't Miss:

Fixing the printer every stinking day.
Running errands for other people around campus.
Working in a cubicle.
Sharing my cubicle with a microwave and a fridge (and another person).
Turning off my space heater every time someone uses the microwave so that the power doesn't go out.

Now on to bigger and better things! Have a great weekend!

Leaning In

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Right now I'm gearing up for 5 weeks of working out of town. I get to come home briefly on the weekends, but this means my blog post schedule needs some adjusting.

For now I'm thinking posts will go up at night instead of in the morning and you will be seeing some of my adventures from Neenah instead of Milwaukee. I'll get to share what it's like to wedding plan from afar, how to eat out of a microwave for five weeks (I don't even have a microwave at home!), and I might even talk about starting my "big girl" job. I'm leaning in, Sheryl Sandberg!

Career Links I'm Loving:

1. Details that matter when writing a cover letter.
2. Some workplace style bloggers I will be relying on so that I can look like a fashionable 9to5er.
3. A DIY gold polka dot mouse pad for a cute work space.
4. The best pancake recipe ever for a treat after a long week of work.
5. How to style a desk.
6. Since I'm leaving my job as an assistant this article made me happy and it's so true.
7. Three ways to impress when you're the youngest one in the office? Yep, that would be me.
8. Career books for young women.

Cooked

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Up here in Milwaukee we have an incredible local bookstore, Boswell Book Company. Yes, I have a Kindle and on occasion I buy books from there, but for the most part I'm a paper girl. I love buying a new book. My future children and grandchildren are sure to make fun of me for not being book tech savvy, but those little brats and kiss my future saggy butt. I'm never giving up my books.

Back on track, Boswell is fantastic. They have a beautiful selection of books and I've never gone in looking for something that they didn't have. A section of their store is dedicated to employee recommendations with little book reviews and another section is full of book club books.

Not only are they the best bookstore ever, but they host the best events. Most recently Bryce and I attended a Michael Pollan event at the Oriental Theater that Boswell hosted. Michael Pollan was amazing, informative, and entertaining. He read from his new book Cooked and gave us a nice long Q & A session.

Here's a quick excerpt I pulled from Boswell's website:

"In his new book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, Pollan explores the uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements -- fire, water, air, and earth -- to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink."

I feel like it's important to mention that Michael Pollan said himself that this is his most light-hearted book. Cooked comes after Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore's Dilemma and more. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. If you haven't heard of him at all you are probably living under a rock. He is a wellness bad ass and you need to check him out (preferably at your local bookstore).

Leek, Chard & Corn Flatbread

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I'm gearing up to head out of town for 6 weeks for my new job. I get to come home briefly on the weekends, but my poor fiance is going to have to fend for himself at dinner time during the week. He is very capable of feeding himself. He's a wonderful cook and he's even the master behind the homemade pasta that I posted yesterday. But when it comes to being alone and feeding himself he tends to forget about eating until he's starving and then he downs a frozen pizza.

I guess I'm just worried about him (mostly because I'm going to just miss the heck out of him) and my hope is that if he is going to eat pizza every day that he at least makes a healthy version like this 

Leek, Chard & Corn Flatbread from Smitten Kitchen. 

It's delicious and easy to make. It is definitely way better than the food I'll be cooking up in my hotel microwave! 

Weekend Wrap Up

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~ A view of Milwaukee from Lakeshore Park ~

I love that I am constantly discovering new beauty in my city. The weather this weekend was gorgeous and I took every opportunity to be outside in it. I had a Girl's Night Out, a nature walk with my mom, and a Sunday afternoon spent enjoying the sunshine and delicious food.

~ Alterra at the Lake ~

 ~ Checking out Lucille's Piano Bar in preparation for my Bachelorette Party ~

Margo is too pretty!

 ~ Lakeshore Park ~

~ Homemade Pasta ~

The 1-3-5 List

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I am a list maker. I am an obsessive list maker. I make lists of lists.

Despite the environmentalist in me I use a forest's worth of paper in post-it notes on a daily basis.

I've heard about the 1-3-5 list before, but I've only recently started using it and so far I'm in love. It reigns me in from making my list excessive, but it also lays things out so that I actually accomplish them.

Check out 1-3-5.com for a virtual version of the list and get ready to spring clean your cluttered mind!

My 20's Bucket List

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I didn't realize how many cool things I've done already by the age of 23 until I started writing my 20's Bucket List. I was looking for ideas to inspire me, but I've done so much of what is on other similar age appropriate bucket lists (or it's things I just don't care about like partying in Vegas). Mostly because those lists were a bit lame and included things like "move out of your parents house". Which I respect, because I didn't go away to school so I definitely felt like I lived at home longer than everyone else. But I digress! I've seen some natural wonders of the world, I'm SCUBA certified, I can cook, I'm about to get married, I did cancer research, I live in a city where I have amazing food and fun, I just got a "grown-up" job.

It's funny how I compare myself to other people and think that I just live the most boring life ever. I'm a list person so I guess I needed to sit down and make one to figure out that my life is actually pretty amazing.

I'm so thankful for everything that I have experienced, everyone in my life, and everything that I have, but I always need to strive for more.

1. Learn a language...fluently!

I took 4 years of Spanish and hell if I can even speak one sentence of it now. For some reason I just really want to learn French so I can go to France and order some wine without looking like a tool.

2. Re-learn ballet. 

I took ballet for about 10 years as a kid. I really loved it, but was heart broken when my instructor decided to leave her studio to dance in Chicago and I gave it up. Ballet is the OCD girl's dance.

3. Visit New Orleans. 

I don't know why I want to spend time there so badly, but I want to soak up some voodoo and eat a bunch of beignets.

4 - 6. See the Northern Lights, learn astronomy, get a telescope. 

I feel like these three are related. I had a telescope as a kid and I'm pretty sure I saw a UFO. Don't laugh! My dad is in the aircraft field and I called him while he was at work one night to tell him about what I saw. He told me that only 1 plane could do what I described and there were only a couple of them left in the world. Therefore, I decided it had to be a UFO. SHUT UP.

7. Become a Wine Connoisseur. 

8. Meditate daily and practice yoga on a regular basis.

9. Donate Blood. 

I have the universal donor blood type and I am a universal chicken that needs to suck it up and give someone my blood.

10. Invest My Moolah in the Market.

11 - 12. Visit Pike Place and Go Whale Watching. 

These are also related because I've always wanted to do both and on our honeymoon we will be! I'm too excited!

13. Attend some TED Talks.

14. Learn more about US & World history. 

I feel like everyone knows more than I do.

15. Become passionate about a cause or charity and get actively involved.

16. Visit the Smithsonian.

17. Travel, travel, travel. 

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." - Susan Sontag

18. Revamp my wardrobe and own everything that J. Crew makes. 

Okay, that part may be a bit unrealistic.

19. Trade in our falling apart cheap furniture. 

Get a new mattress, couch, and some real bookshelves.

20. Get married to my best friend.

What's on your bucket list?