Reverb 10: Day 21 + 22

December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead?

1. You cannot control other people's actions or feelings.

2. Forget what you cannot change.  

3. Let go.

4. Friends are always there for you.

5. Focus on yourself.

6. Taylor Swift always understands how you are feeling.

7.  You can do anything you want. 

8. Stepping out of your comfort zone always leads to good things.

9. Don't forget to accessorize everyday--accessories make the outfit.
10. Don't forget to laugh at yourself.

(one of the more attractive pictures I've taken of myself I think)

December 22 – Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt) 

In 2010 I did do some travel within the mighty U.S. I was able to visit the exciting states of Ohio and Kentucky (they really are very nice places regardless of the stereotypes). I was also able to go to Baltimore, MD for a communication conference. Unfortunately, that's about as extensive as my traveling got....well unless you count many trips throughout New York State. If I had my way, 2011 would bring me going back to Europe. I was there in 2009 studying abroad and I would do almost anything to get back there and explore the cities and countries I wasn't able to cross off my list. Sigh, please 2011?!?

Reverb10: Day 17

I'm skipping to this one because I really like it. I've decided that while I haven't adhered to this challenge like I originally wanted to, it's simply better, and more practical for me to answer just the prompts that I really like :-) My intention wasn't to have this blog all about my life anyway...so I'm going to stick with my method of not doing all of them.

December 17 – Lesson Learned What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)

This year has been so crazy and has changed so dramatically that I couldn't possibly name one "best" thing that I learned this year. The first half of the 2010 was spent at Geneseo, with my closest friends in my complete comfort zone. My life the second part of the year did a 360 and is completely different. So instead, i'll list a few things I have learned this year:

-I CAN live by myself. It's actually  nice most of the time.
-If you're in the right type of workplace environment...the real world isn't quite as bad as you may think.
-Having a paycheck is nice.
-Paying bills to live outside NYC is not quite as nice.
-Letting go of something or someone is one of the hardest things to do.
-Having friends that let you talk about the same subject over and over again is a must.
-Having co-workers that like to recap Jersey Shore with you the day after each new episode, is simply awesome.
-I like being independent.
-I want to go back to school sometime soon.
-Reading fashion blogs is my new hobby.
-I eat too much canned soup, sushi and chocolate...but i'm ok with it.

Those are the first things that came to my head. Probably not the most insightful or meaningful list I could have come up with...but all important things to remember nonetheless. 

Reverb10: Day 10 + 14

So as I'm trying to catch up on this challenge, I have decided to skip a few that don't exactly pertain to me or that I can't seem to write about. (I know this is cheating but...oh well!). 

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

Easy: taking my job at House Party Inc. Though it required a move and was quite the decision and transition, I couldn't have asked for it to play out any better. I'm loving my job and the company I work for...simple as that!

December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

I have come to appreciate my friends so much in the past year. Through stressful times during my senior year of college, to stressful times moving, starting a new job and "losing" someone close to me, I never realized how necessary it is to vent to someone. I have leaned on them more than I wish I had, but without their ability to listen to all that I was going through and having their advice and words of encouragement, I don't know if I would have been able to get through this Fall. I hope they know how much I love them and appreciate them. If they don't, then maybe this post will tell them. Thank you.

Reverb10: Day 7 + 8

Back again! Phew I know this is a lot Reverb10 at once but I'm determined to do all of the prompts this month! I'll slow it down a bit after this week, I promise.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

The second half of 2010 was eye-opening for me in regards to the vast online community for recent grads and young professionals. As I started to think seriously at the end of my senior year about my professional future, my interest in social media started to grow. I wasn't quite sure how to go about learning more about this industry until a chance encounter last April. I met David Spinks, a Geneseo grad back for alumni weekend. He told me about what he had been up to in his year after graduation and encouraged me to check out the twitter chat he had co-founded for young professionals, #u30pro. This community was definitely my jumping off point for getting more involved online. I started becoming more active with twitter, reading blogs, and networking with other recent grads. It has been eye-opening, educational, and more interactive than I could ever imagine. With the creation of the u30pro facebook group, new thought-provoking industry discussions are popping up everyday. u30pro has definitely been the community that I am most grateful for discovering in 2010. In 2011, I hope to become even more involved, and step up my weekly chat participation :-)

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)


To be honest, I'm not really feeling this prompt. I was hoping I would get more in the mood to write about it over the last few days...but it hasn't happened so i'm skipping it. Shh, don't tell. 

Reverb 10: Day 5 + 6

I'm back again playing catch up with the Reverb 10 challenge!


December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)


I am not one for sharing too many personal details on this blog but I do have a clear answer for this prompt in my mind. However, the details are going to stay in my mind. Here I am just going to say 2011 will be about me letting go of someone I care deeply about. The why, is simply one of circumstance and timing. 2011 is about moving on.


December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

Now this prompt is up my alley. I LOVE making things, I'm just pretty bad with the follow-through (ahh the life of a procrastinator). I always have these big, crafty, nifty ideas of things to make, and hardly do they ever happen. However, I'm working on changing that. One thing that I recently transformed, more than made, was for my apartment. Because this is my first apartment by myself where I had total control of the decor, I was very excited...well except for the budget I was on. The budget led me go down to my parents basement where I found many treasures. My favorite was an old end table that my mom had bought 10+ years ago at a garage sale for $2. She had then painted it white and stenciled it (very early 90's). After I convinced her to let me take it off her hands, I bought a can of shiny black spray paint and turned it into the perfect table for my hallway! Gotta love it. 

My next decor project that I would like to tackle is making something similar to this awesome wreath to hang above my bed:

found on Creature Comforts blog

Hopefully I will follow through with this project and a blog post will be up soon to prove it!

Reverb 10: Day 3 + 4

Hey all,

I have been slacking on my Reverb10 challenge (busy weekend/week so far... but still no excuse I know). This is my attempt to get back on the bandwagon. So, from here one out I'm going to combine a few everyday until I catch up. So here goes...

December 3rd: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

Well, to be honest I read this prompt on December 3rd and have just been putting it off because I've had a hard time picking a moment like that. I'd have to pick the night of my graduation from college. Not the actual ceremony. Not sitting waiting for my diploma. Not crossing the stage and shaking the college President's hand. The moment I will forever have etched in my brain is from later that night, at 2am. There is a bar in town that is practically on campus. It's infamous, and is where everyone ends every Friday and Saturday night, so it was obvious that we would ultimately end our 4 years at this bar. This is the moment I picked because for me, it culminated my college experience. As it neared 2:00am, the closing time of the bar, they played the song "closing time" (fitting I know). I will never forget that moment. I stood in a circle of my closest friends. The girls I had lived with for the last four years straight, the people that now knew me best, and we sobbed. It wasn't just us crying though. Everywhere I looked, people stood in circles with their closest friends and held each other as they realized that this was it. It was in that moment that I undoubtedly knew I had picked the perfect college, and had been lucky enough to have the perfect college experience. I will never forget those four years, or that night.

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

Another hard one. I think I cultivated a sense of wonder this year with my curiosity into what I was going to do with myself post-grad. I spent the second semester of my senior year trying to fully understand what kind of job and career I would like as I entered the real world. This led me to a lot of online research, article-reading, twitter-chat participating, and just a lot of thinking. Though I have my first job...have I ended that sense of wonder in my career search? Nope, not even close. 

Reverb 10: Day 2

Back again for Day 2!

December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

Considering lately my days consist of working (which involves me writing all day), reading blogs, working out and watching television, I'm going to say my choice is fairly obvious. I can most definitely cut down on the amount of television I watch, and by starting this blog I actually have been. Maybe I'll try to limit my tv time even more. 

But...lets be honest, there are some seriously addicting shows out there that just need to be watched every week! (especially when you live alone...)

Love in Thursdays kick-ass tv line-up (it's a work in progress obviously),
-N