Thursday, August 29, 2013

Day to Night OOTD

This is probably going to be a sucky outfit of the day because some of the details are lacking...lol...but I thought I was cute this day (outfit AND hair) so I wanted to share:

One of my last pics taken at my old job!
Owl Earrings: see here
Sideways Cross Necklace: see here
MK Watch: see here
Sideways Cross Bracelet: from the Umbrella Market (which is like a local flea/farmer's market)
Ralph Lauren Cardigan: see here
Dress: who knows?! LOL...I've had this dress for a while, but it just now fits as it should!
Shoes: were very cute this day, but I didn't capture them, so I'll save them for another outfit


With this outfit, I did a work vs. play look. I wore the cardigan for work and took it off after work. It was a lovely look both ways!
:-)

The week is steady moving along and I'm still trying to get acclimated to my new home. I've learned a lot just in the past couple of days, but to make sure that things don't get too crazy my routine has been pretty much the same. I'm ready to get to a point where I can explore a little...and I kind want this to feel like home already!! But as I keep saying...all in due time!

Have a great day y'all!!


My favorite post of the week!

Life in a Break Down


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Monday, August 26, 2013

First Day On The Job

Today is the first day of school for many kids in my hometown. How coincidental is it that today is also my first day on my new job?!

Much like the first day of school, I'll be going into a brand new environment where I'll have to learn a whole new set of coworkers, in a whole new city! I'll have a whole new curriculum to take up...as the laws, rules, and regulations are different for each state...and I'll have to navigate to and from work on my own!! Let's just admit it...I'm nervous!

I've never liked the first days (or weeks, for that matter) of school. I don't like introductory phases. I'm ready to be in the midst of everything. I'm ready to be as knowledgeable as I was on my last job. I don't like being the new kid on the block. Everybody wants to ask you a million questions about who you are and what you've done. Everybody wants to get to know you...or it could be the complete opposite! Because you're the new kid, you don't exactly fit into the setting the already-established workers have. Either way, I know this will all work out with time.

I wanted to etch this day in stone on my blog with this post, so when that day comes I can look back at this and say "I really had nothing to worry about!". So far the transition has been just that...a transition. I don't really feel like this is my home just yet...but I'm sure that's something that will come with time too!

Wish me luck.


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Sunday, August 25, 2013

Sunday Social

It's been so very long since I've done a Sunday Social, so I wanted to get back into the swing of things.

Sunday Social

This is one of my favorite hops because you get to see others answering the same questions you did and you'd be surprised at how similar we all are!

1. What do you miss most about being a kid?
I talked about this in one of my Liebster Award posts! Although, I discussed a few memorable things about my childhood there, there are so many things you don't realize you'll miss as an adult! When you look back at the things your parents always told you to enjoy because you would miss them later, it kind of makes you wish you had taken more enjoyment from some of those things.

2. Did you have a nickname growing up? What was it?
I did not...and I really wanted one!! I probably should have had one seeing as how my name is so difficult to pronounce!! There are a select few who call my MiMi, but that nickname never really stuck like it should have.

3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess?
I loved playing outside when I was younger. We did so many things like play basketball, play on the jungle gym, play tag, race each other, jump rope, flip, etc. etc. You name it, we did it...and we had fun doing it!!!

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I answered this question before too...see #6 here! I came to this conclusion when I was in the 4th or 5th grade. At my secondary elementary school (it only held grades 4 and 5) we were always doing neat little projects because the school was so small. I remember one time we all got to put our hand prints on the wall of the hallway! It was so neat to see your hand on the wall every time you walked by. But anyway, we had this big poster where we had to write our name and what we wanted to be...here is where I made my first decision about what I wanted to be when I grew up. If you read here (or one of the 4 other stories in that series), you can see that dream didn't stick! But, it doesn't hurt to have a dream!

5. Did you participate in any school activities?
I did several things in school. I talked about them here (#3) in the first Sunday Social I ever did!! How exciting, (and coincidental), right?! Go take a gander at that!

6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about?
I was just talking about this the other day. I grew up in the era of home movies. There is a video tape that my aunt has starring me (for about ten minutes). My family likes to bring this snippet up often, but thank goodness no one has pulled it out recently! This was during my tomboy days. I had hair standing all over my head and I was monopolizing the camera with talks of how well I was doing in school...being on the principal's list, making good grades, etc. I've seen it a few times and it's quite embarrassing, so it's good that this tape stays hidden. Matter of fact, I don't even think anybody has a VCR nowadays anyway!! LOL

So there you have it!! I somehow always find myself traveling down memory lane!!

Hope you enjoyed it.


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Friday, August 23, 2013

Less Words Friday

Shine Your light on me


Today, I will be moving my life to DC. I pray for safe travels and Your blessings for this new start in my life.

AMEN

Have a great weekend guys!

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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

50 Questions, Part 9

Let me first start off by saying...help me! Y'all please be praying for me. I'm packing and so far I've been doing it alone. I've been dealing with a number of stressors all at once (on top of packing)...things like trying to get business affairs in order, organizing and packing up six rooms, trying to coordinate multiple pick-ups, etc. It's a lot...I forgot to eat yesterday for Pete's sake! The bad part about that was even when I realized it, I was so tired I just didn't feel like it. The best thing I can do is pray for myself and ask for you all to pray for me as well. Thank you so much in advance.

Now, here I am...again...with the 50 questions series. The good news is this is the next to the last set. So far, it's been an interesting ride, but I'm ready to get this series completed!!

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? This is a tough question considering the fact that death related issues are a touchy subject for me. I would want to split my time with everyone I love. I would go into detail, but I think this answer is sufficient!

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? Heck no!! If you've been following me, you know good and well I'm not studying being center of attention (see here). I would hate being famous. As far as being extremely attractive, I'm that already...so no need to waste 10 years for it! ;-)

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? When you're alive, you're doing the bare minimum; you're basically just living a life; and doing the things you have to do. When you're truly living, you're enjoying yourself; you're enjoying life; and you're doing some of the things you want to do. Don't get me wrong, we all have to do the bare minimum (work, pay bills, eat, sleep, etc.) but while doing those things, we want to make sure we're doing some of the things we enjoy doing too.

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? 
Any time is a good time for that. There will be times when you'll be concerned with the decisions you're making. There'll be other times when you get tired of being so calculating and you'll just do what you want!! Whichever way you decide to do things, you will have to deal with the outcomes! These things aren't necessarily calculations about what's right and what's wrong, but they're decisions you have to make for you...so in a way, it can be your right or wrong (if that makes sense). The outcomes can be positive or negative. We live a life that's influenced by the decisions and choices we make so we always want to do what's best in our eyes.

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? I think most of us want to do things right the first time. No one wants to have to deal with the repercussions of mistakes. Yes, you can learn from the mistakes you make, but I would much rather weigh the options and make the best decisions I can...as to hopefully avoid mistakes in the future. All of life is a learning process and yes mistakes are a great teacher and yes mistakes add a little flavor to life...but I'd much rather learn from the mistakes of others!!

We're almost finished!! Hang in there...and I'll try to do the same.


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Monday, August 19, 2013

I GOT A JOB...and I'm Moving!!

If you read the series I put out this past Monday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday...THANK YOU SO MUCH!! That series was leading up to this great news I wanted to share!! And...if you read the finale, you also know how secretive this government job stuff can be! So, I may have to revisit this post at a later date, but I won't let the secrecy of my workplaces keep me from sharing such great news!!

I'll be working for the Washington, DC government doing something very similar to what I've been doing for the county government here. If I must say so myself, this move and change in career is definitely about 2 or 3 steps up for me!! I enjoyed my job and I had great opportunities there. I would even go as far as to say that I would take my job with me if I could; but along with preparing myself for my personal future I wanted to do the same for my vocational future. My desire to develop my personal future is much stronger than my desire to develop my vocational future, but my career path is important to develop because one thing you need to ensure a great future is MONEY!!

During the last five months I was job searching and getting interviews...but not jobs...and it was very frustrating and discouraging. But to God be the glory. He had a plan of His own for me!! In church you learn to trust, be faithful, and wait for God. When you're faced with real life situations that can be hard to do sometimes because it's so easy to be persuaded by what you see. Looking back, I can see that God has always shown up and shown out when it's come to my job searches. I need to become more confident in knowing that He will always come through in other areas of my life as well.


I've definitely added thousands of miles on my cars because of this!
As you can see from the picture on my left, the trek between NC and DC is not a light one. Both me and my boyfriend have probably made this trip more than either one of us would have liked to, but you do what you have to do for the things you want. If this were under any other circumstance, I would say good riddance NC...but the people I love are here, so I'll still have to make this trip...but it will be under completely different circumstances!!

In case you haven't noticed, that's a very long drive y'all!!

To make a long story short, things seem very surreal right now. Even though I'm going through all the motions of ending my chapter here, I still can't believe this is real. I've waited for this for so long, and it's like a dream to actually be going through with it. I just can't wait to start this new journey! I very well may be the only one who's excited about this as much as I am, but that's okay!! I'll be super excited right by myself!! With that excitement comes some nervousness about this transition. As much as I've said that I wanted to be in a big city, I've been experiencing DC quite often and I'm still not as comfortable there as I want to be. I think it'll take some time for me to transition my southern mentality to a northern one, but I don't doubt I'll be able to do it. With that being said, I will always be a southern girl at heart!!

I'm hoping everything will fall into place as it should so I'm not going to worry too much about it. The things that make me most nervous are not knowing what to expect from my job and the traffic before and after work! Let me explain. I'll miss my last job and as I say that I'm not quite sure if I'll miss the job as much as I'll miss my coworkers. As I mentioned in this post, things were very laid back at my last job and we were like a family (of sorts); my coworkers made the job what it was. Going into a new job, you don't know what to expect and, like the Introvert that I am, I have to feel a whole new set of people out! This job I'm leaving was also the ONLY job I've resigned from where I wasn't actually trying to break my neck to get out of the door!! As far as the traffic goes, I've experienced DC traffic before and I'm cool with that kind of traffic outside of work hours. BUT...since I'm new to the area, I don't want the traffic before and after work to affect my timeliness, take up too much time in my day, affect me or my car (parking, accidents, etc.), and things of that nature!! I know I'll have to deal with it, so I'm mentally prepared for it. With these things considered, my future called and I had to answer...so I did what I had to do.

I have a renewal of faith and I want to continue to build that up. I know God will be with me on this new job and during this venture from NC to DC!!

Y'all be praying for me!


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Of course this is my favorite post of the week!!!

Life in a Break Down


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Sunday, August 18, 2013

I'm Still A Working Girl! Finale

You've read about college; then you read about my first job...and my second job. Now, let's get into my third job.

Again, when I got this job I thought it was a sign from God that I needed to stay in this field and make the most out of it. I went to college and into debt to get the education I have, so figured I needed to use it. I'd gladly left both my first and second jobs but I was feeling like that wasn't what I was supposed to be getting out of my career. I shouldn't just have jobs to make money, I should enjoy what I do...right?!

I went into this job not knowing what to expect. I was going into the department that providers viewed as "the bad guys". To make a long story short, I was in the department that monitored providers providing mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities services. Basically, we monitored services to make sure providers were doing what they were supposed to be doing. We looked at things like: making sure funds were being appropriately used, making sure services were being appropriately provided and documented, making sure consumers were healthy and safe, etc. We were liaisons for providers. When rules and regulations changed at the state or federal level we disseminated that information to providers. We were a first hand contact for providers. I did external trainings for providers and internal training for my coworkers on a variety of subjects. I was in many work groups that worked on so many important things (one example being reducing Emergency Department visits for consumers who have provider homes). I could go on and on about my responsibilities...but I won't reveal too much. Policy and procedure prohibits us from disclosing certain information on social media sites, so it's probably smart for me to nip it right here! LOL

During my time here I finally received full licensure as a LCAS (Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist). I was promoted to Clinician status shortly after receiving my license. This was one example of how I knew my future here was great. This was the type of job I was comfortable with seeing myself doing for a while because I enjoyed the job as much as you can enjoy a job...meaning there were plenty of times when I was overwhelmed, annoyed, or fed up with different work situations but that comes with the territory of having any job. We went through some major changes as the mental health system continued to change so a lot of the negative aspects were due to growing pains.

Office space was limited here. The company had grown
pretty quickly from about 30 employees to 200 (to accommodate for the changes taken place). There was no room for everybody. We had five buildings in 3 different cities. When I first came, I had no office at all. I was then put in a small office with two other people. This wasn't ideal, but it was awesome after having no office at all!! Then, as we grew some more and other changes were made throughout the department, I was put into a larger office with five people. I was a little worried at first because you
guys know I'm an In...tro...vert!! Over time, though, we
became much like a family in there with all the ups and downs to go with it.

Out of all the professional jobs I've had, I'd have to say that this one was the best. I made great money, I grew professionally, I had great coworkers that become awesome friends, and with the exception of my boyfriend being in DC and there not being much to do in rural Eastern North Carolina...I couldn't have been happier.

There's a time for everything and I guess this job came at the right time for me. I have an announcement to make tomorrow that's the cherry on top of this series and I can't wait to share it with you all!!

Keep watching....


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Saturday, August 17, 2013

I'm A Working Girl! Part Deux

Yesterday, I told you all about my first job. Let's talk about job number two.

At my first job we had something like wellness training where I learned that it was considered somewhat normal for young adults to 'job hop' to sort of get a feel for what they're looking for from a job. This was the case for me. During the time between my first and second jobs, I was beginning to think I had made a mistake. I didn't want to do mental health/substance abuse anymore. I was burned out and unhappy. I researched going back to school for pharmacy, counseling education, and physician assistant studies. I seriously put time and effort into researching each of those areas but none of them would have been feasible for me in the position I was in so I decided to stick this work thing out.

After I left my first job, I was only expecting to be unemployed for about two months! Little did I know how bad the economy really was. When I got a job, it was only part time and...although it wasn't in my hometown...it was in the next city over. This wasn't too much better, but I took the job because I needed the money. I only planned to be there until I could find full time work.

I worked Tuesday through Thursday and was off every Monday and Friday. I absolutely loved my schedule but that part-time money was no joke because I had full time bills! At this agency, I was the Mental Health Clinician for an ACT Team (ACT Team = Assertive Community Treatment Team). People could not begin to know what working this job was like!!

The ACT Team works with people who have the most severe and persistent mental illnesses. These are illnesses like Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, etc. This service is the highest service you can receive out in the community before inpatient hospitalization. Most of the people we worked with had been hospitalized multiple times and could not follow through with traditional types of services (which are the services offered in office settings). We were a medium team, so our team had a mental health clinician, a substance abuse counselor, two peer support specialists, a vocational specialist, two psychiatrists, an administrative assistant, and a team leader. What an ACT Team does is take the services to the consumers, so when I say we worked in the community, I mean we actually worked out in the community! We saw people in their homes, in adult care facilities, and if they didn't have a 'home' or enjoyed being on the streets we would find them wherever they were. I'm sure you could guess from this description that we weren't in the upscale parts of town...and things were some times really bad...but it wasn't always as bad as it could have been.

This position required a lot of individual counseling. I had to work with consumers and their families (since I was going into people's homes). I had to transport people in my personal car (at times) to their doctor's appointments, the grocery store, to pay bills...you name it! I spent about 80% of my work days driving. Eastern NC is not a metro area, so when I was out visiting consumers they could be minutes apart or they could be cities apart. In this area that could mean anything from 10 minutes to 30 or more on a good day...lol. This was a very laid back job. We didn't have to dress up for work since we worked in the community. We wanted consumers to be comfortable with us and we didn't want to draw unwanted attention (from neighbors or other people in the community) so we wanted to blend in as much as possible. We also had a very relaxed schedule as far as office hours. We met in the office every morning, dispersed to see consumers for the day, and come back long enough to turn in notes for the consumers we'd seen for the day. This job was not the most glamorous of jobs but I learned a lot of things here too.

The mental health system was steadily changing during this time and things were very unstable in the provider world. I felt like the only way to find some stability in a job where I could financially take care of myself, by myself, was to find a position with the government. I wanted to make my way up the ladder. Don't get me wrong...I liked working with consumers but I wanted to be behind the scenes. I wanted to make some progression I could be proud of so I figured why not now?

Since I knew job searching was a lengthy process, I looked for another job the whole time I had this job. This "temporary" job lasted a couple of months over a year y'all. I mean, my hourly wage was okay...but I only worked 24 hours a week!! Can you imagine living off of a part-time job for over a year?! I can't believe it myself and I actually did it!! I also really needed some medical insurance. I've always stayed current on my yearly eye, dentist, and physical appointments. Not being able to go to any of those was not okay with me.

That time in my life was a struggle, but I continued to put out as many job applications as I could. I really wanted to get away from the area and move to a "big city" but things didn't work out that way. Around November or December of that year, I finally got an interview at the county government agency in town. I completed two applications but only got one interview. Although I wanted to get away from here, I was happy to be interviewing for a full-time, government job with government benefits. About a month after I had that interview, I received two rejection letters for BOTH positions. I was distraught, as I usually am whenever I receive a rejection letter. It takes a lot out of me to get prepared for and do interviews only to get rejected...but that's another story for another day.

Wouldn't you know it?! I ended up getting a callback at the beginning of February offering me the job I was initially turned down for at the county government agency! That was nothing but God!

I was able to resign from my part-time position to begin work at this county government agency. Getting this job allowed me to cut some old ties and start anew in so many areas of my life. I was happy to have gotten the job, but I knew this was not my end. I knew this would be temporary because it wasn't quite what I wanted at this point in my life.

Who knew my career story would be so long?! There will be a final and third part tomorrow...so come back tomorrow for the conclusion to my working girl series....there's a purpose behind my story!


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Friday, August 16, 2013

I'm A Working Girl!

I began telling you my career story at the beginning of the week. Now that you're up to speed on college and grad school I'm going to talk a little bit about my career thus far.

ECU Graduation - 2009
I graduated from grad school and this time I was a little more prepared for my future than I was in undergrad. The last semester of our graduate program required us to do an internship. My goal was to find a place where I had the potential to get hired after the internship was done.

I reluctantly took an internship in my hometown. It was bad enough that I was in school in the next town over but to be working in my hometown was not exactly in the set of plans I had for future. When I graduated from high school I told my moma I was never coming back (to stay, but I would visit...LOL).

Since I didn't have a plan in place after undergrad, it was my fault I ended up right back where I started...but I made it okay with myself because I was in school. BUT to take an internship there that would potentially turn into a job was something completely different!

I did my internship as a Clinical Intern. It was a great internship because I was getting paid! Being a college student is not all it's cracked up to be in the finance area, so having a steady paycheck was nice. The internship did turn into job offer after graduation and I was promoted to the Substance Abuse Program Director. I also received my certification as a Rehabilitation Counselor (or CRC = Certified Rehabilitation Counselor) at graduation.

Being in charge of a substance abuse program at an agency that quickly expanded from a small provider into one of the largest providers in the area was one thing. I was a part of growing that program into what it became and that attributes to some of the accomplishment I feel. The staff I supervised was a great group because we were small in numbers but we handled a large caseload very well. Being in charge of a substance abuse program in my hometown was another thing. There were many people sitting in front of me that I knew...it was awkward at times, but as a counselor you must be professional regardless of who's sitting in that chair (unless it's family, then you must refer them to someone else).

Besides running this program administratively (which included things like billing, chart audits, supervisory duties for staff, leadership meetings, committee roles & meetings, etc.), I provided services as a counselor. At this time I was provisionally licensed as a clinical addictions specialist (or LCAS-P = licensed clinical addictions specialist - provisional) so I had to have contact hours with consumers to get my license. I was being pushed to get my license but I didn't really want it right then, so I decided to wait on it. I did comprehensive clinical assessments, individual counseling sessions, group sessions, case management, treatment planning, and referrals just to name a few things. If you're keeping up with me (and have read this, this, and this) then you know, out of all of that stuff I just named, running groups was not my favorite thing to do, but it had to be done!

Working with people with substance use issues is not always as simple as someone coming to you for help. We had many referral sources. Most referrals came from a program that worked with people who tested positive for substances while on probation. They had to either come see us for substance use counseling...or go to jail. So, many of the people that came from that program weren't there because they wanted to be. We got referrals from the Department of Social Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, court programs, etc. I have heard some of the craziest stories and seen some of the craziest things during my time at this agency!! You wouldn't even believe it!!

I ended up leaving this place. If you work in the mental health/substance abuse field, you know things are constantly changing. There were changes made to the system that required certain things. Once these things were in place, the agency turned into something I couldn't stand behind. I got fed up and couldn't take it anymore, plus that commute was wearing me and my poor car down. Something had to give. Things were so bad I resigned with no job to go to and ended up being unemployed for four months. Looking back, I also wish I would have had more supervision during my internship. Once I got into the field and started at such a high position, there were different expectations of me than of someone starting at a lower position.

I learned some very valuable lessons, in spite of it all, and the things I learned there are things I still carry with me to this day.

Since this post was SO LONG I'll post part two tomorrow (or Monday - depending on how I feel because I don't like posting on the weekends...!)

Stay tuned....


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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

I'm An Introvert - 3

It's time for more interesting info about Introverts! This is only my third post in this series, but you all have really been tuned in to these posts. I've found that there are many people out there who can truly relate to the things I talk about it in these posts. I find it most interesting that the bulk of the people who can relate are my followers!! That makes me wonder if we're drawn to people who are most like us because if we are, I'm glad to be in good company :-). It helps to have people who can relate; it normalizes something that can seem so strange to those who don't truly get it. I love hearing what you all have to say, so keep the comments and stories coming!

I'm killing two birds with one stone in this post!

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Monday, August 12, 2013

Let's Talk About College

It's very difficult to explain my profession. My best friend asked me the other week if I realized how important my job was. I do, but I certainly think the job I have is under appreciated. Every time some one asks me about what I do, I have to take a deep breath before trying to explain what I do. So, I've decided to talk about it. In order to get to that, I want to give y'all a little background. So...let's talk about college!

For undergrad, I went to the best school in the nation...the great University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I majored in Psychology. I went into college thinking I wanted to be a pharmacist. UNC has one of the best pharmacy schools out there, so I thought perfect; I get to go to the college of my dreams and major in what I want!! Thing is, I had a jaded perspective of what college would be like. I expected it to be just like high school...which was a breeze. I was sadly mistaken. The first semester of my freshman year, I was taking four classes. Two of those classes were Chemistry and Calculus...both of which were at 8:00 AM! SMH...I know!! I'm a first generation college kid, so I had nobody to prepare me for what I was getting myself into. Chemistry and Calculus were two of my favorite subjects coming out of high school. I took AP courses for each of those subjects in high school, so I didn't think anything of taking those classes my first semester in college. I remember my AP Calculus teacher saying "Whatever course you place into, take the course under it!". Looking back, I wish I would have. I believe if I could have used that first semester as an adjustment period, I may have become that pharmacist I wanted to be (as this is still a dream for me...LOL...I say dream because I doubt it will become a reality at this point.) With all this said, I've taken away from this experience some great things. I believe I adequately prepared my sister for college life by constantly talking to her before she went and while she was there...letting her know what to expect, things to stay away from, things to do, etc. If I could do it over, I would! Since I can't, I'm determined to do what can for the generations under me.

I came up on psychology as an elective class and I really enjoyed it. I've always, for the life of me, wanted to understand people and the way they think and act!! I thought majoring in Psychology would be the answer. Psychology is the study of mind and behavior...so why wouldn't I understand people better after majoring in it? When I declared this as my major, I had no thoughts of what I would do after college. I just knew I enjoyed learning about psychology. I didn't think that far out about it.

I enjoyed all of the psychology classes I had to take...social psych, child psych, abnormal psych, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. I did extremely well in my major and I made it through to my senior year on time! I was planning on dropping one of my courses during my last semester, so I'd only have four classes. I wanted smooth sailing during my senior year; but we had to see our academic advisors to be cleared for graduation and thank goodness I did!! She told me I had just the right amount of classes I needed to graduate. I thought, 'SHOOT!', but I ended up enjoying all my classes anyway.

That semester I also found myself at a job fair. This is when I became a little concerned because I had no idea what I was going to do after school. At that job fair there was someone from Vocational Rehabilitation there. They talked to me a little bit about what they do, but I paid it no mind. I left the job fair with no direction...but some indication that I needed to figure out what I was going to do!

UNC-CH Graduation - 2007
Graduation was upon me. I was thankful to have gotten out of there on time. But I didn't know what was ahead. That summer after graduation I went home. I searched for jobs, but there wasn't much out there for someone with a psychology degree. My older cousin heard of what was going on with me and decided to take me to meet a professor he knew. She was a professor in the Rehabilitation Department at East Carolina University. I remembered hearing about this at the job fair, so I thought it was a sign from God that this was what I was supposed to be doing. We went for a visit one day in July...school started in August. This was a newer department and they were trying to build it up. I met a few of the professors that day and they encouraged me to apply. I was reluctant, but I needed something to do with my life!!! Why not grad school?!

I hurriedly took the MAT and got my application and everything else to ECU. I got in!! I was very excited to know that I wouldn't be out there floating aimlessly anymore. I was also thankful to have gotten into this program and although I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it, I thought it was God's plan for me. I ended up double majoring in Rehabilitation Counseling and Substance Abuse & Clinical Counseling. That's right, I have two Master of Science degrees!! I enjoyed my program. It was a small and personal program. I knew all the professors and all my classmates. Great friendships and networking relationships were made. I also learned a valuable lesson from this too! Have a plan for what you'll be doing after undergrad!! I drilled that into my sister as well! During my study there, I got an internship which later turned into a job opportunity.

But that's a story for next time...so stay tuned....

Happy Monday Y'all!!


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My favorite post of the week!!

Life in a Break Down
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Saturday, August 10, 2013

10,000 Views


Today I hit 10,000 Views!!! YAY!

Thanks to everyone who consistently reads the material I put out. It really and truly means a lot to me. I appreciate you all and I pray that you all stick around because there are so many new and exciting things to come!

I'm so excited I can't even contain it!!

:-)

It's for these reasons that this is my favorite post for the week!!

Life in a Break Down


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Thursday, August 8, 2013

50 Questions, Part 8

Here we go again! I'm on part 8 of the 50 questions series. This set of questions is a little more interesting than the last set, so let's jump right on in!

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
It's possible, but depending on what it is...it may be very difficult to make a decision between the two. I think prayer is very helpful when trying to determine what's good versus what's evil. It's so easy to be tricked by the things of this world but with God on your side, you can have the upper hand in your determinations.

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
I've always said I wouldn't quit completely...I'd work part-time! LOL. A million dollars is not going to last that long. If I win the lottery, I want to be able to live comfortably off my winnings for at least 70 years! I'm sure I can't do that with a million dollars. So, I would significantly cut my hours back on my job...and since I'm such a great worker, my employer would happily agree because they don't want to lose me :-)

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
More work I actually enjoy doing! I don't know if you've ever had to spend 8 hours a day doing something you didn't truly enjoy, but I have and it super sucks. I don't mind working. It would certainly make more sense to spend my precious time doing something I actually enjoy doing. The cherry on top would be getting paid to have fun! It all works out.

39. Do you feel like you've lived this day a hundred times before?
I actually do. I feel like my life is full of monotony because I'm so busy doing things I have to do instead of doing the things I want to do, but isn't that what life is? Sure, I wish there were more fun and exciting days interspersed throughout my weeks and months, but some times you just have to get through the uneventful times to make room for the times in life when things will be like you want them to be.

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
LOL. Well...I guess you can saw back in March. It was more of an idea about what I wanted to happen in my life moving forward. Things have just recently come to fruition and it has definitely put me in a new headspace. I've put a lot of myself into trying to make it happen, so much so that I've been overwhelmed quite a few times. Since then I've had my feelings hurt at times and I've felt like I couldn't do it anymore but I've continued to push. I want to stay in this space and continue to live in this space as I approach life from here on out.

So...onward we go. Two more sets and I'll be all done with these. I know you guys hate to hear that...lol...but hey, I'm sure I'll find much more interesting topics to cover. I've actually got some great things scheduled for the next few weeks so keep your eyes open and your hands on your keyboards and mice!!

I'm about to take y'all on an exciting journey!


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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Hair Inspiration

I'm a reality TV junkie! Well, sort of...lol. I was watching a marathon of R&B Divas of L.A. the other day and I couldn't stop oohing and aahing over Chante Moore's hair. For those of you who don't know, Chante Moore was a singer in the late 90's, now she's on the R&B Divas show.

There have been a few ladies that have made me marvel at their hair and wish mine was more like theirs...so I decided to shout them out today!

1. Chante Moore

She's so very pretty and this hair is just the cherry on top! You can't really tell from this picture but that left side of hair is shaved. Not many people can pull off the partially shaved hair look, but Chante gets a 2 thumbs up for hers! Her hair is so beautiful and I LOVE IT!! Now, I'm not completely sure if all that hair is hers (*side eye*) but the texture of her hair (not necessarily the length) is what I love!


Before being natural, I've always admired Tracee's hair! When becoming natural was a thought for me, she is who I would watch to see what she was doing with her hair. I love her hair and she does some lovely things with it from time time...definitely an inspiration!!

3. Corinne Bailey Rae


Pinterest became a big deal right around the time I started going natural. I noticed Corinne's hair one day while I was on a Pinterest expedition. When she put her first song out in 2005, she had short natural hair, but natural hair wasn't even a thought then, so I paid it no mind. Fast forward a couple of years later, I saw her on Pinterest with this beautiful long natural hair and I was like 'Wow!'. This definitely demonstrated that with time hair can do some amazing things.

4. HONORABLE MENTION:

I was at church and one of the members stopped me and asked if I knew who Esperanza Spalding was. I thought it was a weird question and politely responded that I did not. He then went on to tell me that I looked a lot like her with my afro. So I'm thinking, she must be a nice looking young lady then!! I kid...lol...but indeed she is! We have very similar hair types, which is a type of hair that is very different from the three ladies mentioned above, however we both love to rock our fro's just the way they are!


I know I can't change my hair texture nor am I saying that I don't like my own texture. Spending time in the salon, I've noticed that a lot of times we (women) want different hair than the hair that's on our heads!! I absolutely love my hair, but the ladies I've pointed out are exactly what I've named this article..hair inspiration! I may not have that texture, but I can definitely rock some of the styles that they rock!! Who knows, I might pop up with a shaved side one day...LOL...so be on the lookout!


:-)

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

July '13 Length Check

Good gracious y'all. It's August 1! Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the new year.

In June, I did a compilation of length checks as a summary of where my hair has come from. I got a trim then so I didn't exactly do the normal length check picture. This month, I kept reminding myself to take a length check picture but I've had so much going on that I couldn't retain all the things I needed to do to actually get them done. So, I've had to do my length check picture with the available hair I have at the moment, lol.

I'll show you the last three months worth of pictures to give you an idea of what's going on.

May 28 = 69 weeks natural, 28 weeks since the BC


June 18 (picture on the left) = I got my ends trimmed
72 weeks natural, 31 weeks since the BC 


July 30 (picture on the right) = 78 weeks natural (or 1 year 6.5 months...woot!),
37 (a little over 9 months) weeks since the BC

My hair continues to do well and flourish. I can tell it's getting longer because I'm starting to notice JUST A LITTLE hang time! Lol. I'm trying to get it in my head that I probably won't see the growth I'm looking for until around 2, 2.5, or 3 years...so I might as well get comfortable with what I have (not that I haven't been, I guess I'm just trying to rush the process).

I'm still not happy with the shrinkage, but I'm learning to be prepared for it and okay with it now that it's starting to get longer. I've been having some trouble with "rough" ends and frizz. I haven't exactly figured out how to combat this so I've been over moisturizing to compensate. 

I'm going to have to figure something out soon, but for now I'll give my hair a B+! 

Go hair! Go me!!

:-)


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