Oh HEY!

SO... totally didn't mean to take six months off from blogging. But hey, it happens. Now that it's a long weekend, I figured I'd jump back on with a little update post!

After my May vacation with my family, I threw myself into job hunting. I had found out in May that I wasn't going to get the job I had interviewed for at a nearby non-profit... but that was mostly OK because I had always wanted to work at a college or university. It must have been the turn of the financial quarter... or perhaps universities hire in the summer (?) but right around the end of July, early August, I started getting invited to interviews at OSU all at once. This was reassuring, because I felt like I had been applying nonstop and was hearing NOTHING back; but it was also nerve-wracking because I had so many potential options, and yet nothing at all was for sure! My graduate assistantship had extended throughout the summer, but my office didn't have the resources to hire me full-time, so my contract ran through the end of August. I knew I had to land something by then.

My top three interviews ironically fell in the same area of the university - medicine. I had an interview with the College of Medicine, one with the College of Nursing, and one with a graduate program in alternative medicine. They all went really well, and it just worked out that the first one to offer me the job (!!) was the College of Medicine. I was so excited and freaking out when they called to offer it to me. I had done a lot of research and worked with people in my own office who were career experts, and they had given me the advice to appropriately a) negotiate my starting salary, and b) to tell them I needed a few days to think it over. Both of those were so hard to do! But I was glad I did - I negotiated a higher starting salary than they first offered me, and I survived the three-day wait until I officially accepted the job without spontaneously combusting (which felt like a real possibility).

The hardest part of everything was calling the other two locations that I had interviewed and telling them I had to pull out of the interview process - especially when the College of Nursing told me I was their top candidate! So flattering. But in the end, I felt that the position at the College of Medicine (a program coordinator position working with first- and second-year medical students) was a better fit for my career goals and interests.

I gave my summer job a week's notice, and took 5 days off for myself (one of the best pieces of job-hunting advice I'd gotten) before starting at OSU's College of Medicine at the end of August. And the rest, as they say, is history :) It's been just over 3 months now, and I love my job! As I said, I'm a program coordinator in OSU's med school - I coordinate a certain class that all first- and second-year students take on a daily basis. I work with some fantastic people, and even have my own lovely office :) and BUSINESS cards! Who gets excited about business cards? This girl.

look! that's me!! ^

Everything else has been pretty normal and wonderful:

• I'm still living in and loving on Grandview.
• I had to skip my family's annual trip to Michigan due to work, but HEY I landed a job so I'll make it there next year (I have VACATION time, what?!). 
• Emily and I have made progress on planning her wedding and all the fun stuff that goes along with it. 
• My cousin Erin got engaged :)
• Ben's little man Adry started kindergarten (WHOA!) and is doing fantastically; making friends and writing notes and just generally being a skinny, happy little genius :) 
• I went to two OSU football games; one in 90 degree heat and one in 16 degree frigid-ness. Go Bucks!!
• I've grown distant with some people, and become closer to others, and made a few new friends along the way.
• Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I ate my heart out with my family (I made these). 

In general, I just feel really joyful and happy and thankful and blessed that I've got nothing to complain about. I know myself, now better than ever, and I never feel pressured to do or act a certain way that's not me. I may have some different interests than other mid-20's millenials - I may like my alone time, and may not be THE most social of butterflies, and may get really geeked out sometimes over a budget, or a book, or learning about how carbohydrates affect the body, or a new dinner recipe, or an old episode of Friends that I've seen approximately 1000 times... but I'm surrounded by people on all sides who know me and support me, and who I have fun with and love.

So! Before this gets any longer, I'm gonna sign off. I'll be back soon! Hopefully before another six months goes by :)

-Sammie

24 Things I Love at the Age of 24

Last Tuesday, May 21st, was my 24th (!!) birthday.  And, since I was on vacation in the Outer Banks with my family, the day consisted of donuts for breakfast, lounging by the pool and reading all day, a champagne toast with strawberries, and authentic Carolina BBQ (mmmmmm) for dinner followed by massive cupcakes.  It was a great day :)

Duck Donuts: made to order!

My 21st birthday was my last big "milestone" birthday, but I've always been one to celebrate my age and embrace the next year to come.  I love getting older, and seriously, the years just keep getting better!  24 promises to be a great age-- my first full year without school, my third year in my apartment, and hopefully my first year at a full time job!

But those are big, grown-up things.  This post is about the little things I'm currently loving in my life :)  So here goes: 24 Things I Love at the Age of 24:


1. Coffee!  I prefer it dark (Gevalia French Roast til I dieee!) with some Truvia and a bit of milk.  And if I'm feeling fancy at a coffee shop, I order a skim hazelnut latte with extra foam.

2. French fries- all kinds. tiny and crispy, curly, seasoned, steak fries, restaurant or homemade. I love me some taters.

3. The food scene in Columbus

4. Books- new ones and re-reading all my favorites. I'm a huge geek and I love adventure fantasy and science fiction novels.

5. Birds- again with the geekiness, I love bird watching. In the Outer Banks we had ospreys nesting 20 yards from our pool and I watched them all week. In Ohio, I love seeing cardinals, goldfinches and especially bluebirds!

6. Running, and working out in general

7. Walking around barefoot in the spring and summer

8. Hiking- close to home at Highbanks or out in Hocking Hills or Mohican.

9. Talking with my best girlfriend about her upcoming wedding (!) next year, among other things :)

10. Kerrygold Irish white cheddar cheese and rosemary crackers

11. Acrylic paints, and the mystery of an empty canvas

12. Grabbing the Glass of the Month at the Winking Lizard- my once-a-month beer and wings tradition

13. This website

14. Making up recipes- my current favorite is throwing various veggies into different shaped pastas with lots of olive oil, lemon, parmesan cheese and black pepper.

15. Reading restaurant menus

16. Sitcom re-runs

17. Black and white clothes- I pretty much never shop, but recently I took a trip to H&M and found tons of summery tops and dresses in various black and white patterns and solids. We've already established that I love neutrals, and black and white is going to be my summer go-to.

18. My curling iron- I've never been one to spend much time on my hair, but since I got it cut short, my new curling iron makes quick waves that I love!

19. Ice cream- I quite literally crave it all year round. Coldstone, Graeters, Orange Leaf (froyo), Dairy Queen... yum.

Last summer, up north- Moose Tracks! Vanilla, fudge, and peanut butter

20. Board games- Scrabble with my mom, Munchkin with my friends

21. Upbeat country music- yes, it's my guilty pleasure, especially when it's hot outside and I can crank it up on the radio in my car.

22. Nighttime things- candles, fires, bats, stars, the moon, darkness

23. Bricks- I love brick streets and buildings, bricks as decorations, brick walls indoors a la the Mohawk:

This was one of the little things I loved about Ohio University so much- most of the streets and buildings are brick, and there's a lot of cool old bricks from decades ago (again with the being-a-dork thing, I know). I currently have an Athens, OH brick and a Nelsonville Star brick decorating my mantle:

Here, to the left, you can kind of see them! (I was taking a picture of the little spots of light all over my living room, lol.)

24. Grilling out, and any food that can be put over a charcoal grill, from the classics (burgers and brats) to the funky (salmon, fajitas, pizza, polenta)


So there you have it!  Granted, nearly half of these are about food or drink, but hey, a girl's gotta eat.

Happy birthday to me!

--Sammie

Ohio Love.

[from here]

Now that school is done (forever!) and I have a few weeks before I go back to work, I'm in the mood for some little Ohio road trips! I love Ohio, and there's so much to see, do (and EAT) in little towns all over the place. Here are my top priorities in the next few weeks:

-Prospect Place and The Depot (Trinway and Dresden, Ohio)

Remember this place that I visited last August? It was part of the Underground Railroad, and is supposedly haunted. Now that it's gorgeous outside again, I'd love to make the short drive back, explore the area a little more, and of course have some of the best BBQ ever at The Depot, the home-smoked barbecue joint in the teeny town of Dresden. 

Prospect Place--my own photo, obscured by a tree.

-Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)

Oh, Athens, how I love you so. I haven't been back since graduating nearly two years ago, and I miss the pretty scenery, College Green, the cherry trees, the brick streets, the people-watching (unmatched by pretty much anywhere in Columbus), and most of all Jackie O's, my favorite brewpub. Fried cheese curds and a pint of house-microbrewed Razz Wheat would really hit the spot!

[from here]

-Glen Helen and Antioch College (Yellow Springs, Ohio)

As a kid, my mom used to take us to visit the little town of Yellow Springs and go hiking in the nature preserve, Glen Helen. The area is so pretty, and the hiking trail winds around the edge of a huge gorge, across a small river, and up through some amazing rock formations. The town is home to Antioch College, which I recently wrote a big paper on--the college closed for a few years due to poor financial management, but was purchased and reopened by alumni members. How cool! It's also home to a great pizza place and Young's Jersey Dairy, some of the best ice cream ever. 

The actual "yellow spring." [from here]

Also on my May agenda:  A North Carolina vacation with my family :: my 24th birthday!! :: Friday night wine bars :: a Clippers game, hopefully on a dime-a-dog night :: movie nights :: game nights :: cookouts :: spring cleaning :: planting herbs and flowers :: getting my patio in order :: finding the right JOB! :: getting a little color on my pale, pale skin, haha.

Here's to MAY!  

--Sammie

May Day!

Happy May Day, everyone! I'm pretty darn excited (and might secretly wish I had a maypole to dance around); May is my absolute favorite month of the year. It's the really warm part of spring, full of flowers (lilies of the valley, my favorite!) and sunshine and it's perfect for picnics and adventures. It's full of celebration (May Day, commencement, wine tastings, Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, Memorial Day, and my birthday!). And it's the gateway into summer after months of cold, snow and rain. Yay May!

A few photos from late, rainy April:

"If you can't get out of the rain, you might as well drink from the puddles." -Snickers

Flowering tree!

I'm so thrilled to be done with school. I found out yesterday that I not only passed, but got an A in my capstone class! I really enjoyed college, loved it in fact, and I appreciate all the amazing opportunities and the growing personally, professionally and academically that I did during those years. However, after six straight years of college, two schools, two degrees, dozens upon dozens of classes, countless pages written and presentations given, I. am. done. At every stage in life, I think it's a good sign if you look back fondly at the last part, but are also really looking forward to the next part, whatever that might be, and I've been fortunate enough to feel this way at every stage.

Champagne, because there's been lots to celebrate lately :) also, the coolest wine label ever. 

Speaking of the next stage, I have a second interview at Battelle for Kids on Friday! Wish me luck :)

Like I was talking about at the beginning of this post, there's a lot going on soon. The first Friday night wine tasting is also on Friday-- it'll be a great way to unwind after the interview. The first outdoor farmer's market is Saturday morning, and the Glenn School's Pre-Commencement ceremony is in the afternoon. Then commencement is on Sunday, and our speaker is President Obama! Seriously, whatever your political views, it's pretty awesome that OSU got the president to speak at our commencement. (However, it's going to be a looong day. But worth it! Helloo second college diploma.)

A few more shots of life lately:

New shoez. Thanks Mom :)

This building always makes me think of The Big Bang Theory. I wonder if there's a Sheldon in there somewhere... 

Emily dog-sat for this lil' cutie last week! His name? Binkley. *cue animal sqee-ing noises* I almost dognapped him.

Cheers and happy MAY!!

--Sammie

So. Close.

YOU GUYS.

I am in the near-literal sprint to to the finish of grad school!  I have a paper due Thursday and one due Friday.  Between work and working out and homework and apartment-work, I feel like every second is taken up with productivity.  But on Friday, all my schoolwork will be done!  Forever!

(sidenote: I keep getting excited for "lasts," like my last class ever, and my last presentation ever, and there's always someone who's like, "Well, don't say last EVER..." blah blah blah.  Yes, I fully acknowledge I'll have to do presentations at work, and perhaps attend classes or trainings, and I even might go back and get my doctorate in a few years.  But for NOW, I'm darn well going to be excited about "lasts."  I've been in school since I was 3, seriously!  Let me be thrilled that this is the end for a while.)

I have lots of ideas for new posts, and as soon as I have another free second, I can't wait to get back to this little blog of mine.  But in the meantime, wish me luck!  72 hours left of school!!!

--Sammie

PS: also, happy belated Earth Day!  I try to find time every day to appreciate nature, and I hope you do too!

from here.

The Day of Cute.

I don't know if it's the arrival of spring (finally!!) but Saturday was full of adorable.

--At the Farmer's Market, the neighboring vendor's baby girl learned how to walk sometime in the last week. She's super smiley and animated, and she walked over to me and gave me her shoe and giggled. I about died from cute overload.

--I saw seeing eye dogs being trained at Target (I assume to get them used to people). There was a German Shepherd and a black Lab. They were still young, and while they weren't exactly experts at focusing on their job just yet, they were some sweet puppers, and it took all my willpower not to pet them.

--The weather was beautiful, and as I was walking outside, a little boy and his dad rode past me on bikes. I caught the following bit of their conversation (talking about some nearby store I assume):

             "Dad! They have more candy than ANYone!!"
             "Oh really?"
             "Yeah, we should go! Do you like Take 5 bars?"
             "Yes."
             "They HAVE those!! Let's go!"

(I mean, his logic was flawless.)

Aaaand scene.  I can't wait for the Farmer's Market to move outside to High Street in Olde Worthington again (the first weekend in May); there are so many puppies and kiddos to see!

All the cute and happy of yesterday even managed to keep me positive in the face of the final three weeks of the semester (and my final three weeks of school EVER). I have three papers to write, three presentations to give, and about a million class visits to do for work. But soon, I'll be done with school for. eh. ver.  If that's not a happy thought, I don't know what is!

--Sammie

Job Hunt Update.

Just interviewed at the awesome Battelle for Kids.  I think it went well!  It's a fantastic non-profit that works to promote educational effectiveness; and it happens to be like 90 seconds away from my apartment (literally).  Stay tuned, and send your good thoughts and vibes and prayers my way!

:)

--Sammie