Sarahndipity

Believe me, I’ve heard that more than once. Sometimes I can’t believe it myself, but I’m so glad I took the leap and I’ve found myself totally obsessed with my new hobby.

I’ve been horse crazy since I can remember. My first real ride was on an Appaloosa named Strawberry Jam, but I nicknamed her Pocahontas because of the polka-dots on her butt. Since then (probably before then) it has been all downhill. “Horse” has stayed on my wish list for every birthday and Christmas since I can remember – even to this day. When we bought my car when I was 16 I reminded my mom that she could get me a horse instead (which would have been cheaper, at least for the moment) and I would have been just as happy. I would have had to walk almost everywhere in my suburban town…but I’d still have been just as happy.

I participated in a summer of horse camp, which was somewhat similar to Pony Club in that we learned about horsemanship from the ground up including breeds, colors and basic horse care in addition to riding. Besides that, I satisfied my horse crazy with periodic trail rides when I could. I wanted to get into regular riding lessons, but let’s face it – they’re frickin’ expensive! And as a kid I knew my mom tried to give me as much as possible, but that money didn’t grow on trees.

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[Found at Note to Self.]
[via Erin Wilson on Pinterest.]

I love the idea of setting goals, but I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the best at keeping tabs on them. No matter how soon or far away I set them for, I just lose track (and sometimes lose interest). When I heard of the 101 in 1,001 list I loved the idea. 1,001 days, or just under three years, is a great timeframe – not too far away, not too soon – and 101 goals allows you to think of goals across the gamut, from dreams you’ve had all your life, places you’ve wanted to go, and the pesky little things you’ve been meaning to get done.

Making this list was really fun and I think I even learned a few things about myself and how my priorities have changed as I’ve gone from college student to “young professional” and soon-to-be wife. If you want to do your own list, check out Day Zero Project for goal ideas. Once I get a little more organized I’ll try to link up with other bloggers who have taken on the 101 in 1,001 challenge. If you have a list link to it below in the comments!

Here we go…

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Everyone has those couple moments that they’ll never forget as a kid. Those special events or trips you went on with the people you love and the places that are etched in your memory forever. I have a whole week’s worth of scenery, animals, people and experiences  that I hold dear to my heart and that I like to remember often.

My parents split up when I was little and I lived mostly with my mom, so the time that my dad spent with me he really tried to make special. He’d take me ATVing, fishing, tubing, shooting and climbing. If you haven’t noticed a pattern here, he most likely was trying to turn me into a boy, but he always encouraged my love for horses (as well as driving me to and from ballet classes and taping every single recital :) ). Being the awesome dad he was, he picked out and planned just about the best vacation his little horse-crazy-girl could have ever imagined, a week at Black Mountain Ranch in McCoy, Colorado.

This place has it all. Situated on a mountain, this working dude ranch provides adventure (trail riding, fishing, shooting, whitewater rafting, cattle drives, and a ride to town to attend the rodeo at the end of the week), camaraderie (great wranglers, fellow guests and a nice saloon to spend your time together each evening) and the feel of home (delicious gourmet meals and comfy, cozy accommodations), even if you’re thousands of miles away from where you usually hang your hat.

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And so it begins…

I’m already feeling at my wit’s end and I’m only at the very beginning of wedding planning. We only got engaged at the end of September, but I’ve consistently kept abreast of wedding trends, etc. ever since my junior year of high school when I helped plan my mom’s wedding. I’ve always contemplated a career somehow related to the wedding or events industry, so my interest in wedding planning was always a hobby, but I did hope it would also come in handy for when the day came around that I could actually use it. I’ve been hoping that I just was missing some magical venue out there that I wasn’t seeing yet, because I wasn’t planning my own wedding yet.

Personally, I think the venue of the ceremony and reception is the biggest, most key part of setting the entire mood/theme/feeling of the event. I want everyone that is coming to celebrate with us to feel as if they’re coming home, to celebrate with old friends and dear family, even if the only people they know at the event is us. What do you feel is the most important part (besides the two people in love entering into MARRIAGE part, duh.) to creating an overall great wedding?

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When it comes to managing my life, I would say I rely pretty heavily on digital tools. Some of my staples include Gmail, Google Docs and Calendar, and Dropbox – and of course I have to be able to access all of these via my Android phone. But there’s something about having a paper planner/notebook that I haven’t been able to find a replacement for in the digital world. I have a planner that holds all necessary to-do’s and appointments, as well as a notebook for each of my larger projects in my life.

Currently I have a Moleskine Weekly Planner + Notebook for my personal planner (I have the X-Large size, but I couldn’t find it on their website). I’ve had this same style planner for the past few years through college and, while there’s a few things I might change about it, it has worked really well for me. I got another of these planners this year, but I was disappointed that I could only find the 18 month version, rather than the regular 12 month version (which gives me the feeling that they’re trying to phase this format out). So now I’m stuck lugging around pages for 6 months of 2011 that have already passed. And for work, since my day-to-day was pretty standard at my last job, I was just using a plain, half-page size notebook that I documented what I did each day so it was easier to bill my time at the end of the day.

Since starting my new position I’ve been scouring the interwebs for a new notebook/planner system that I can use for work (and the bits of work and personal life that will intermingle). I know I’ll be involved in a lot of different large projects, many of which I don’t even know what they’ll be like yet, so I need it to be versatile. I’ve found some cool options, so I thought I’d share them for all you fellow office supply/organization dorks out there.

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…To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

I’m a Girl Scout again! Yesterday I started my newest adventure as the Social Media Manager for Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE). This position is brand new to the organization, so I’m very excited to get started and help figure out what role social media will play to serve the council’s strategic plan.

I’m a council staff member, but I’m also registered officially as an adult Girl Scout member, so although I won’t be selling cookies I do have a uniform I need to wear to certain official meetings and I get to sport some spiffy pins. The pic I included is of my nametag and pins. The “100” pin is to commemorate Girl Scouting’s 100th anniversary and 2012 being declared as Year of the Girl.

To be honest, I’ve never been much of a “girl’s girl.” I was a Girl Scout until 5th grade (when our troop dissolved due to our leader no longer being able to continue), but since then I haven’t been involved in anything that really celebrated “sisterhood” or girl power. I’ve tended to find myself working and being friends with more men than women. I’m excited to be surrounded by so many strong, driven women (most of the GSWISE staff members are female), all working together to build girls of courage, confidence and character. I’m hoping that some of that will rub off on me, as well. :)

Since I lack kids (and currently even pets) to brag on, I’m taking a few minutes of my morning to brag on my Momma. Besides being a wonderful mom, she’s also a businesswoman, operating separate real estate and home staging businesses. (For those of ya’ll that don’t watch enough HGTV, home staging is the practice of re-organizing and tidying or completely “staging” an empty home with furniture when you have it up for sale, so potential buyers can better envision themselves living in the house, rather than focusing on your tacky porcelain figurine collection, the walls that are painted with their least favorite color or your awkward family photos.)

Even with a housing market that’s been slower than molasses over the past few years, she’s managed to keep things rolling with her staging business, The Buyer’s Eyes Home Staging. She works with her own listing clients, but she also works with other agents and home developers. She was just informed this morning by the listing agent of a house she recently staged that it’s going to be featured tomorrow morning on The Today Show during Barbara Corcoran‘s “What you can get for…” segment! We’re not sure if they’ll mention her company or even that the house has been staged, but it’s exciting nonetheless.

This property was a complete staging project, so all of the furnishings and decor were provided by my mom. If you want to see her work, you can see photos of this house on the property listing’s page or on my mom’s StagedHomes.com page.

If you’re near your TV tomorrow morning tune in to NBC’s Today Show (we were told around 9am, but wasn’t sure if that was EST or CST).

Okay, bragging over. :)

I am undertaking a brand new opportunity starting next week. I’ll don’t think it’s appropriate to divulge the details until I officially start, but let’s just say that I’ll be working very closely with social media for a local organization that’s all about “girl power” and might just be famous for some baked goods… :)

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