Last year, as an intern with Chi Alpha, I discovered that I am an emotional person. I have noticed this even more so the last few months. The weather really impacts my mood. When it rains I feel lethargic and when it is sunny and warm, I find it so easy to be joyful about life. I can go for a motorcycle ride, enjoy time with friends outside, go for a ride in a convertible with the top down, or even just work outside on the back deck.
Beyond the weather, I am learning more and more that life is an emotional roller coaster. Some days are really good, some days are really bad and some days fall in between. I have had several friends going through a lot recently. I want to be there for them. I want to be the one that they can turn to. I feel like I have been able to do that in some capacity. We all need somebody to lean on. I enjoy being that go to person for people, even when I do not have the words to comfort them. But then I think, why is there so much crap in the world? On a day like today, Good Friday, I am reminded that this is not the way it is supposed to be. Jesus died for us so that we may live. Thank you for what you did Jesus- for me, my family, my friends, and everyone. I find comfort in that, but the last few months I have found that hard to be enough. A lot of it is me still needing to look past my own selfishness. I'm reminded that I am still young and have a lot to learn.
I am enjoying my job, but there is just so much else in life that is still up in the air- where do I want to live, with whom do I really want to continue to purse relationships? These and other things lead me on the emotional roller coaster. Shows like Parenthood make me look forward to the future- possibly married and with kids, but then I also see how difficult that phase could be- your kids rebel, you son could have autism, your daughter could be in a severe car accident, your spouse could cheat on you, etc. Each new life phase brings new challenges and new emotions. There will continue to be both really good and really bad days. It's the good days that keep you going.
Two untitled songs by Mumford and Sons, to me, are very emotional. Listen to the words and let me know what you think.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKkYR_tiJQw&feature=youtu.be
2. (two minutes in) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CrxU2SXFMs&feature=related
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Corrigan Partners
I GOT A JOB! I will be an Independent Contractor for Corrigan Partners. I also have the distinct pleasure of working with my friend Sarah Cowherd, her mom, Karen Corrigan, and several other talented partners.
Here is a description of Corrigan Partners and what we do:
Corrigan Partners™ provides integrated business, brand and marketing solutions to create competitive advantage for health systems, organizations and businesses in the health industry. We are growth strategists, brand builders, social marketers, business storytellers and innovation catalysts who share a passion for the success of our clients. Our approach brings together the power of strategic thinking with marketing creativity, innovative design and social technologies to unleash the potential of businesses and individuals to grow, prosper and improve lives.
Specialties
Strategic marketing planning, Marketing, corporate and social communications, Brand strategy, planning and development, Social media marketing strategy and implementation, Marketing management operations and performance, Marketing retreats and workshops
Here is a description of Corrigan Partners and what we do:
Corrigan Partners™ provides integrated business, brand and marketing solutions to create competitive advantage for health systems, organizations and businesses in the health industry. We are growth strategists, brand builders, social marketers, business storytellers and innovation catalysts who share a passion for the success of our clients. Our approach brings together the power of strategic thinking with marketing creativity, innovative design and social technologies to unleash the potential of businesses and individuals to grow, prosper and improve lives.
Specialties
Strategic marketing planning, Marketing, corporate and social communications, Brand strategy, planning and development, Social media marketing strategy and implementation, Marketing management operations and performance, Marketing retreats and workshops
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
My Quarter-life Crisis
Great article from the UVA 2009 newsletter.
Here is the full article and here is an exert: In the past year and a half since graduation, what opportunities have come your way? Whether it was a dare-to-be-great situation or a chance to grow as an individual, did you take advantage of it? Just as there is no one way to define success, these challenging decisions are different for everyone.
Here is the full article and here is an exert: In the past year and a half since graduation, what opportunities have come your way? Whether it was a dare-to-be-great situation or a chance to grow as an individual, did you take advantage of it? Just as there is no one way to define success, these challenging decisions are different for everyone.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
California
I have had such a great summer. Summer is technically over, but my travels are not. The month of September I traveled around Virginia visiting friends- Winchester, DC, Richmond, Charlottesville, Norfolk & Virginia Beach. It was great to see friends and catch up.
I was visiting my friend Sarah in Norfolk. She was home for a month before her big move to San Francisco. She was going to drive, but decided to fly. While looking up tickets, she found a great deal- DC to San Francisco direct for only $109. I jumped on board and bought a ticket to California. I was finally going to make it to California.
October 1st, I drove from Lynchburg to Norfolk to Winchester. Not a very direct route, but I made it to Winchester and even got to see a friend’s art show gallery opening. Sarah and I flew out to San Francisco early the next morning.
San Francisco is a really cool city. Sarah and I spent a lot of time exploring the city. It is great to have another travel companion who is currently not working. We visited Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, the Golden gate Bridge, China Town, Japan Town, The Painted Ladies, Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf and Coit Tower. We even made it to Candlestick Park to see the 49ers play the Eagles. It was also an exciting time because the Giants were doing well in the baseball playoffs. We did not have a car so we walked around a lot, which was fun. One of my favorite things we have done so far was rent a car and drive to Napa with Sarah’s roommate Suzanne. We hit up about 5 vineyards and bought bread and cheese to enjoy along the way. Napa was beautiful and the wine tastings were great. We also went to a double feature recently- we saw the Social Network
Other than that we go to the grocery store a lot to cut down on our expenses. Much cheaper than going out to eat all of the time. The grocery stores even sell liquor, which is weird to me coming from Virginia. We mainly hit up the wine thought because we are in wine country, it is good and it is cheap. Sarah and I have gotten really good about only really buying things on sale and even looking for deals in the Cala Foods ads. It reminds me of traveling in Spain- when Liz, Caleb, Annie and I would grocery shop a lot and tell each other, “this is getting pricey” when one of us went overboard. I have such good memories from that trip. With all of the grocery shopping Sarah and I cook a lot and I enjoy it. We take turns cooking and cleaning up so it works out well.
Currently I am in Los Angeles, technically Santa Monica, visiting my cousin Mike. I flew here on Thursday, October 14th, and it has been overcast and a little cold. This has not impacted my visit here though. My cousin has been a great host showing me around the LA area. He let me borrow his car so I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Malibu. The view along the coast was incredible. He showed me around Hollywood- The Walk of Fame, The Grove including the Original Farmers Market. At There was a Barnes & Noble at The Grove where there were going to be several book signings in the coming weeks- Hillary Duff, Ricky Martin, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and others. I guess it was because of the area. We also went to a cool bar in Santa Monica- Bodega Wine Bar where they had great soju drinks. We have been to a lot of restaurants as well. One, The Counter, reminded me of Boylan Heights in Charlottesville- build your own burger and great sweet potato fries.
One night I wanted to see the Hollywood sign, so Mike was driving me around trying to find it. We were going all around Hollywood Hills, but could not find it. I looked it up on my phone and apparently it is not lit at night. I later went back and found it to get a few pictures. We have been to the gym a few times, watched a few movies, and had some great conversations. He always has a few apps to recommend for my phone as well as answering my tech and social media questions.
While Mike is at work I have enjoyed rollerblading along the Santa Monica boardwalk and to Venice beach. Yesterday I was rollerblading down the Venice Beach Pier and had a few observations. There was an old man pushing his wife down the pier in her wheelchair. It took him a very long time, but it showed how much he loved her that he was willing to do that. I hope that I am still that in love with my wife at that age. I better start looking harder. Secondly, I observed a homeless man reading the Bible. I stopped to talk to him and really enjoyed our conversation. He got caught up in drugs, but has been clean for the last 20 years. He has been on and off the streets, but he says that he really enjoys reading and reflecting on the beach. Rollerblading back, I went past the skate park and enjoyed watching several guys perform stunts. It was nice to not be in a rush and work my way back, but stopping along the way to observe, talk to people and just enjoy where I was. I had nowhere to be and I was in no hurry.
Finally, no trip to LA is complete without a few other things. I drive by downtown LA to see that. I also drove through Beverly Hills and saw some nice houses. I really like the Palm Tree lined streets and Rodeo Drive. I am at the beach, and while some people have a thing about cold water, I don’t and I get in the water. So I went swimming in the Pacific Ocean. It was cold and I was not in there too long, but I got in.
Tomorrow, Wednesday October 20th, I fly back to San Francisco. I will be there for another week then fly back to the East Coast. After that I am not sure yet. I have a few possibilities- cruise in the Caribbean, visiting friends in Chicago, visiting friends in Dallas, or visiting family in New England. Not knowing is all part of the fun. I will probably head home for a few days to regroup and make plans. I will be home for Thanksgiving at the end of November though. I’m going to go enjoy my last full day in Santa Monica and my last week in California. Until next time….
I was visiting my friend Sarah in Norfolk. She was home for a month before her big move to San Francisco. She was going to drive, but decided to fly. While looking up tickets, she found a great deal- DC to San Francisco direct for only $109. I jumped on board and bought a ticket to California. I was finally going to make it to California.
October 1st, I drove from Lynchburg to Norfolk to Winchester. Not a very direct route, but I made it to Winchester and even got to see a friend’s art show gallery opening. Sarah and I flew out to San Francisco early the next morning.
San Francisco is a really cool city. Sarah and I spent a lot of time exploring the city. It is great to have another travel companion who is currently not working. We visited Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, the Golden gate Bridge, China Town, Japan Town, The Painted Ladies, Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf and Coit Tower. We even made it to Candlestick Park to see the 49ers play the Eagles. It was also an exciting time because the Giants were doing well in the baseball playoffs. We did not have a car so we walked around a lot, which was fun. One of my favorite things we have done so far was rent a car and drive to Napa with Sarah’s roommate Suzanne. We hit up about 5 vineyards and bought bread and cheese to enjoy along the way. Napa was beautiful and the wine tastings were great. We also went to a double feature recently- we saw the Social Network
Other than that we go to the grocery store a lot to cut down on our expenses. Much cheaper than going out to eat all of the time. The grocery stores even sell liquor, which is weird to me coming from Virginia. We mainly hit up the wine thought because we are in wine country, it is good and it is cheap. Sarah and I have gotten really good about only really buying things on sale and even looking for deals in the Cala Foods ads. It reminds me of traveling in Spain- when Liz, Caleb, Annie and I would grocery shop a lot and tell each other, “this is getting pricey” when one of us went overboard. I have such good memories from that trip. With all of the grocery shopping Sarah and I cook a lot and I enjoy it. We take turns cooking and cleaning up so it works out well.
Currently I am in Los Angeles, technically Santa Monica, visiting my cousin Mike. I flew here on Thursday, October 14th, and it has been overcast and a little cold. This has not impacted my visit here though. My cousin has been a great host showing me around the LA area. He let me borrow his car so I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Malibu. The view along the coast was incredible. He showed me around Hollywood- The Walk of Fame, The Grove including the Original Farmers Market. At There was a Barnes & Noble at The Grove where there were going to be several book signings in the coming weeks- Hillary Duff, Ricky Martin, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and others. I guess it was because of the area. We also went to a cool bar in Santa Monica- Bodega Wine Bar where they had great soju drinks. We have been to a lot of restaurants as well. One, The Counter, reminded me of Boylan Heights in Charlottesville- build your own burger and great sweet potato fries.
One night I wanted to see the Hollywood sign, so Mike was driving me around trying to find it. We were going all around Hollywood Hills, but could not find it. I looked it up on my phone and apparently it is not lit at night. I later went back and found it to get a few pictures. We have been to the gym a few times, watched a few movies, and had some great conversations. He always has a few apps to recommend for my phone as well as answering my tech and social media questions.
While Mike is at work I have enjoyed rollerblading along the Santa Monica boardwalk and to Venice beach. Yesterday I was rollerblading down the Venice Beach Pier and had a few observations. There was an old man pushing his wife down the pier in her wheelchair. It took him a very long time, but it showed how much he loved her that he was willing to do that. I hope that I am still that in love with my wife at that age. I better start looking harder. Secondly, I observed a homeless man reading the Bible. I stopped to talk to him and really enjoyed our conversation. He got caught up in drugs, but has been clean for the last 20 years. He has been on and off the streets, but he says that he really enjoys reading and reflecting on the beach. Rollerblading back, I went past the skate park and enjoyed watching several guys perform stunts. It was nice to not be in a rush and work my way back, but stopping along the way to observe, talk to people and just enjoy where I was. I had nowhere to be and I was in no hurry.
Finally, no trip to LA is complete without a few other things. I drive by downtown LA to see that. I also drove through Beverly Hills and saw some nice houses. I really like the Palm Tree lined streets and Rodeo Drive. I am at the beach, and while some people have a thing about cold water, I don’t and I get in the water. So I went swimming in the Pacific Ocean. It was cold and I was not in there too long, but I got in.
Tomorrow, Wednesday October 20th, I fly back to San Francisco. I will be there for another week then fly back to the East Coast. After that I am not sure yet. I have a few possibilities- cruise in the Caribbean, visiting friends in Chicago, visiting friends in Dallas, or visiting family in New England. Not knowing is all part of the fun. I will probably head home for a few days to regroup and make plans. I will be home for Thanksgiving at the end of November though. I’m going to go enjoy my last full day in Santa Monica and my last week in California. Until next time….
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Travels July 2010- August 2010
so there is a lot that I need to update and there will be details to follow, but here is a recap:
July 10-18: Sandbridge Beach, VA
July 18-23: Between Charlottesville and Lynchburg moving
July 22- BMW Ultimate Driving Event at Crossroads of Lynchburg!
July 24-27: NOVA- Tim's house, Jeff & Stacey in MD, Sammy's
July 28-31: Charlottesville
Aug 1-7: Myrtle Beach with College roommates
Aug 8: Lynchburg
Aug 9: Charlottesville
Aug 10: roadtripped to Seneca, SC with Chip (he in the U-Haul, me in his car)
Aug 11: Seneca, SC
Aug 12: Roadtripped from SC to Dallas TX
Aug 13-24: Dallas, TX (awesome & potential job offer at Sewell Lexus of Dallas)
talked to a woman on the plan to Denver that helped push the Lexus job
Aug 24-31: Colorado- Denver & Colorado Springs
Sept 1-2: Roadtrip to New Orleans, LA
Sept 3-4: Florida Panhandle
Sept 4-6 DC & Winchester, VA to chill with Sarah and her family
Sept 6- Dec 31st: in the works: NH? CA? Trinidad? C'ville for football games? London? Italy? Hawaii? Chicago? Australia? All on the list, but none are set in stone at this point. The last hurrah before settling down.
Before the trips up to this point, Aug 25th, I had never been to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma or Colorado. It has been fun.
Also to come, a car blog. Stay tuned.
July 10-18: Sandbridge Beach, VA
July 18-23: Between Charlottesville and Lynchburg moving
July 22- BMW Ultimate Driving Event at Crossroads of Lynchburg!
July 24-27: NOVA- Tim's house, Jeff & Stacey in MD, Sammy's
July 28-31: Charlottesville
Aug 1-7: Myrtle Beach with College roommates
Aug 8: Lynchburg
Aug 9: Charlottesville
Aug 10: roadtripped to Seneca, SC with Chip (he in the U-Haul, me in his car)
Aug 11: Seneca, SC
Aug 12: Roadtripped from SC to Dallas TX
Aug 13-24: Dallas, TX (awesome & potential job offer at Sewell Lexus of Dallas)
talked to a woman on the plan to Denver that helped push the Lexus job
Aug 24-31: Colorado- Denver & Colorado Springs
Sept 1-2: Roadtrip to New Orleans, LA
Sept 3-4: Florida Panhandle
Sept 4-6 DC & Winchester, VA to chill with Sarah and her family
Sept 6- Dec 31st: in the works: NH? CA? Trinidad? C'ville for football games? London? Italy? Hawaii? Chicago? Australia? All on the list, but none are set in stone at this point. The last hurrah before settling down.
Before the trips up to this point, Aug 25th, I had never been to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma or Colorado. It has been fun.
Also to come, a car blog. Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
the loss of a great person- Stephanie Jean-Charles
When I heard of the Haiti earthquake, I was saddened by the loss of so many lives. It hit even closer to home yesterday when I found out that a friend, Stephanie Jean-Charles was a victim in the earthquake. She graduated from UVA with me in May of 2009 and she was pursuing a masters degree in Public Policy at UVA this year as well. We had a class together our second year, but I ran into her so many times around grounds. She had a smile that would brighten your day, even if it was one of your worst. She had an incredible accent, she had a very positive outlook on life, but most of all she was just a joy to be around. This past semester I ran into her so many times at the AFC (UVA gym) while we were both working out- cardio, using machines, or swimming. I got to see her a lot this past semester. We would always say hi and ask how our respective years were going. In my mind she will still be there next semester when I head to the gym. It is so sad to think that she will not be there. She was such a talented young woman with a bright future ahead of here- she was going to make Haiti a better place by helping reform their education system there. Stephanie I will miss you. Rest in Peace and until we meet again.....
Frank, John, Nicole, Kiersten and other friends that probably knew her better than me- my prayers are with you all as well.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
