i heart fall

Fall is my favorite time of year.

My mom, sister, and I took Savannah and Beau to Eckerts Farm in Grafton, IL.

"We are on an adventure!" ~Savannah

Our journey started out taking the ferry boat across the river from St. Charles.  It was a beautiful sunny day with no humidity, a cool breeze, and temps in the 70's.  It was nice that there were hardly any other people at the farm on this Friday afternoon.  We rode in the wagon out to the apple orchard and were dropped off next to four superfluous rows of Honey Crisp apples.  We usually don't do our apple picking until later in the season but these apples were humongous and de-licious!

Stalking Clooney

In light of recent tragic events (i.e. Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg were in St. Louis for the premiere of "The Other Guys" and I had other engagements that prevented my celeb stalking) I decided to blog about a prior celebrity stalking event to remind myself of the days when luck used to be on my side.  (Where were you, luck, when I needed you this time?!?)  Like the time George Clooney was in town during the filming of "Up In The Air" as seen in my videos below....hey I have to claim bragging rights when I can since it doesn't happen too often. 

We were on set relatively close behind the director!  It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! I had a big paper due that night so I couldn't stick around to get his autograph or picture with him.  Life is always getting in the way!  One day I will go to Hollywood where I belong. 

XOXO  Starstruck Jo

Excerpt of the Day:

I am reading a book by John C. Maxwell called: The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset.  I love this book because it is filled with so many quotes and stories of people who have overcome adversities and it is really inspiring.  This book has helped me focus on my attitude and I realize that having a good attitude is not everything but it does make a difference.  Maxwell does a great job making the reader feel inclined to make personal change and growth.

I wanted to share an excerpt about attitude out of this book:

It is the vanguard of your true self.
Its root is inward but its fruit is outward.
It is your best friend or worst enemy.
It is more honest and consistent about you than your words.
It is your outward look based on your past experiences.
It is what draws people to you or repels them.
It is never content until it is expressed.
It is the librarian of your past.
It is the speaker of your present.
It is the prophet of your future.

Say Cheese!

Last week I was hanging out with my best friends, Matt and Charity Craig and they decided to test out some new lighting equipment for their photography biz and yours truly was honored to be the test subject.

The extent of my professional photographs in the past extends back to Lifetouch school portraits and that one ill-fated experience with Glamour Shots.  One day I might swallow my pride and post a couple of those up on my blog.  Until then, they will remain in the far corners of my memory...where they are better off than open to public scrutiny on the Wide World Web.  It was bad enough to deal with the scrutiny in yearbooks.

I am proud to say that even though I was not expecting a photo shoot when I woke up that morning, I am impressed with the turn out of my session.  Of course, hanging out with Matt and Charity is ALWAYS full of laughter so the glow in my countenance is due to good company...oh and the larger-than-life soft box...and minor credit goes to the amazing touch up job Matt did to make my skin look flawless!  I could use the magic touch of that button EVERY day!

Check out Charity's blog about my impromptu photo shoot:

Charity Lynn Photography: An Impromptu Shoot and Marital Tension

Confessions of a College Grad

I was sitting here in my bed trying to decide what should be my first blog entry topic since, oh APRIL and now that summer is almost over and I graduated from college in May I think it is only appropriate to confess what life is like now that I am done with school--my 10 year long quest to find completion.

I ended my last semester as an undergrad so unbelievably stressed, strained, and overwhelmed that my graduation seems almost like a blur--like after you have itched your eye really hard for far longer than what is really healthy for the longevity of ones sight and then you can't seem to focus your vision because there is nothing but a big, huge, blurry blob standing in the way between you and...everything.  Yes, that's how my graduation feels now.  

Originally, I wasn't even planning to attend the ceremony.  Let's face it, they are long and boring and anybody you invite to come watch you go through this academia ritual is only doing so out of mere obligation (or so it seems).  I also wanted to induce more inner motivation to go back to school to get my Masters and thought that if I didn't go to my ceremony for my Bachelor's then I would make a concerted effort to complete my Masters for the mere sake of going to the ceremony.  I thought long and hard about how there is the possibility that I might not go back to school and I didn't want to have any regrets.  So, I sat through the ceremony and my obligatory guests included: my mom (who cried the whole time), my sister (who cried as well), my dad, my best friend Ethan (who shouted my name so loud I think that it was heard across universities around the globe), and my best friend Summer.  I feel honored to have these people by my side for the support so it's only right to mention names.

I graduated May 15, 2010.  Today, it is August 2, 2010.  I am sitting here on a Monday afternoon blogging, so what does that tell you about where I am as a college graduate?  I confess that I envisioned things happening slightly different then how they are.  

Current status: UNEMPLOYED

If you are under the misconception that once you slap your degree on your resume that companies will be awaiting you with a fanfare welcome than you are highly highly mistaken.  I have applied for hundreds of jobs in the past several months (and I will continue to do so) and I am realizing that a college education is not what it is cracked up to be.  Okay, okay so the economy-sucks period is not the most ideal time to be looking for work...I get that.  It would be different if I was being turned down for jobs where I was applying to be the CEO or the CFO but I'm not.  I will take just about ANY job right now but as all the rejection emails continue to infiltrate my inbox, I confess as a college graduate that maybe college did not give me all the necessary skills that I need to make it as a successful working class American.

Several companies I have applied:

Enterprise

Build-A-Bear

BJC

SSM-St. Joe

Brown Shoe

Liberty Mutual
Edward Jones

American Family

GRG

Marriott

USA Jobs.gov

Snelling

Adecco

Emmis Communications
Graybar

Charter

Kelly Services

and many more...

Alas, I am not totally disheartened.  No.  My trust is 100% in a God who I know has a plan for my life.  I believe that with everything inside me.  I know that something will come up eventually.  Some people take many more months than I to find a good job.

I am going to end my first blog in 4 months with:

TO BE CONTINUED...

You can take the girl out of the city...

For most college students, Spring Break involves the ocean...since I am not your traditional student I chose to deviate from the norm.

Destination Location: South Bend, Indiana

Activities included (but not limited to):

-4 wheeling
-Shooting guns (one of which was an AK-47)
-Facials by a beauty school student
-2 Robert Pattinson Flicks (New Moon & Remember Me)
-Lunch with Gran
-Witnessing real Amish country (horse & buggy & all!)
-Dinner with Beth's folks
-Knowledge of the nudist colony called "Sunny Haven"
-Picking out fabric for Beth's latest quilting ambition
-Tasting the best fricken (melted) donut in my life! Yes, made by the Amish
-A walking tour of the Notre Dame campus
-The squirrel led daily devotion at the Grotto of the Notre Dame campus
-The privilege of see Beth's humble abode
-Setting Beatrice (the cat) free
-Drinking mango juice
-Making our cheesy chicken pasta meal

Quote of the Day

“To love is to risk not

being loved in return.

To hope is to risk PAIN.

To try is to risk failure,

but RISK must be taken

because the greatest hazard in life

is to risk NOTHING.”