And That My Friends is All the Nanny Wrote....

      And that friends closes the book on the nanny chapter. Friday was my last official day as a nanny and I am filled with mixed feelings of both relief and sadness. Relief in that I am moving forward with my life and entering a new and exciting chapter and sadness over the leaving behind of everything that I have known and come to love over the past five years.

                When I was little I had big dreams, dreams that one day I would change the world, that I would somehow make a difference. Somewhere along the way that dream changed and I settled for making a difference in the lives of the children that I cared for. It might seem like such a small thing, caring for a child, but it’s really not. Children are so impressionable, they pick up our quirks and laugh at things we long ago had forgotten was funny. When I first became a nanny I had no idea that I would be doing it for as long as I have. But now that my time with my current family is coming to a close I can reflect back on the many things that I will miss, such as:

·         The feeling of William slipping his hand into mine as we walk up the driveway from the bus

·         James’ endless questions

·         Kathryn getting so excited about a book that I have to read it just so I can understand what she is talking about

·         Jason’s jokes that are so lame I can’t help but laugh (sorry Jason, but you totally know its true!)

·         Movie nights in front of the fireplace, where we all gage how good of a movie it was based on how long it takes for Laura to fall asleep

Being a nanny has been one of the most rewarding things I have done with my life so far, it has awarded me the opportunity to do more, see more, meet more people than I could have ever imagined. I have made memories and forged connections that will last my whole life through. But like all good thing, they must eventually come to an end. And I am both excited and anxious about starting this next chapter of my life, I can’t wait to see where it leads me.

                                Let the Journey Continue!.....

What I'm......

• Watching right now (as in lately- not right this minute because I am so totally focused on writing this :)- A lot of baseball- the Yanks are in a precarious position right now and every game counts and I am totally superstitious to the point that I just know that if I miss a game they will totally lose any chance they have at the playoffs. 
• When there just so happens to be an off day- I tend to watch movies or stuff that I have DVR'd which recently has been quite a bit of Face off- ya'll know my obsession with that show! 
• Reading right now-  Divergent by Veronica Roth. Excellently written and very engaging~ plus its currently in the process of being made into a movie - SCORE!! 
• Listening to right now- Lets talk audio book first~ I am totally addicted to this podcast called "We're Alive" its basically a radio drama from the survivors of a zombie apocalypse point of view. There are like over a 100 episodes but I just recently got into so I am only on chapter 6 but so far I am lovin it! I have been listening to this mostly when I run but sometimes when I'm alone in the car, (word of caution~ it is very explicit and they don't curb their language in the slightest) 

• Now on to music- recently I have been listening to a ton of Justin Timberlake and JTX (Seven day weekend anyone?!?) but my favorite single right now is Wake me Up by Avicii ~ LOVE IT!!   

• Hoping to catch at the movie theater this weekend (!) - I'll admit that its been a while since I hit up the movie theater for a little weekend showing, mostly because all the movies that have come out recently haven't been anything I would be willing to pay $10 to see. And this weekend is no exception, although The Family look - ok, but only if I can get my butt up and moving before noon when its only $6 for a ticket (which isn't likely). 
• Pinning right now- Tons of stuff for our 2nd annual Halloween party! 
  
  
  
   And that's all she wrote folks.... at least for today :) 

Laters!! 

How I Organize My......

Nail polish!

Admit it those pretty little bottles of nail lacquer are floating around in your bathroom somewhere, shoved in the back of a drawer or hiding under your bed because you never know where to put them. Not only are nail polish bottles hard to organize but us girls tend to have a bunch of them. So here is how I keep them;

All I did was purchase a large fishbowl from Walmart and plunked all my nail pretties in it. Bam- instant nail polish organizer. Now the trick is, is making sure that the colors you use the most often are near the top, not that its that much of a hassle to be digging around but it just make it easier. This bowl is big enough that I even keep my nail files in it, two birds one stone! Unconventional organization is often the best organization!!

Laters!! 

How I Organize My........

Tank Tops!

Have I ever told you that I have acute OCD? Maybe you noticed all on your own, or maybe your all like DUH we all knew that already! Well I know you all know about my obsessive need to have everything organized and in its proper place, to which my clothing is no exception.

Here's something you might not know about me thought, I LOVE tank tops, and I have a TON of them. I wear them as undershirts, or pair them with a cute pair of jeans and a sweater, I wear them when I am working out and I wear them to bed. Honestly I wear them everyday. Keeping them organized and easily accessible has always been something of a challenge for me. I used to keep them in a drawer in my dresser, but that got so full that keeping them folded became a challenge so I moved them into a three drawer organizer in my closet, but that got so packed that it became hard to find the one I wanted and ended up pulling a bunch of them out to find the right one, and then having to shove them all back in, quite a hassle if you ask me. So now I have moved them once again, and so far I am liking this current set up. So here's the details;

 Basically what I did was I took Shower curtain hooks, and hooked one strap of each tank onto the hook (it can hold a lot more than you think) and then hooked that to the back of my closet. It works really well, because I can see each of them, they are easy to pull off (simply slip the strap over the hook and pull down, the tank will slip over all the others) and it utilizes negative space in my closet. Its basically a win-win right now! 

I got these shower hooks from IKEA but you could get them anywhere they sell bathroom decorating supplies. I grouped the tanks by color and by style, since I have ribbed, racer-backs and I have spaghetti strapped tanks.

Hope you guys find this helpful, let me know how you guys keep your tanks organized in the comments!

Laters!!

That Dirty Little S-Word.......

Listen up people, I got myself a little rant to go on here......

I'll let you in on a secret...... I'm SINGLE. OH MY GOD can you believe it?????

The thing is, a lot of times when people find that out they feel the need the fix my little "Problem", but here's another little secret, I actually enjoy being single. I enjoy not having to take anyone else feelings into account when I make decisions, and I like not having to deal with another person's schedule when I make plans. And I really like getting the popcorn bucket all to myself when I go to the movies(!).

The truth is I have always been a very independent person. I don't need other people around to make me feel happy. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy going out with my friends to dinner or the movies or anything else we might enjoy, but that does mean that if they can't do something on a Saturday night and I want to go to the movies or dinner I am perfectly content to go by myself. That doesn't make me weird. I also feel that I certainly don't need a man to complete my life. I'm not saying that having one is a bad thing, I'm just saying that I don't NEED one.

 That's not to say that I avoid relationships, but I am also not desperate to find one. My philosophy is, if it happens it happens and if not then that's fine too. Here's the problem though,  people don't seem to believe me. The first thing people seem to ask when they find out, and they do find out because a friend of mine feels the need to tell everyone within a 25 foot radius of us that I am single, is "How old are you?" 26 (at the moment) this question is usually followed by, "Don't you want to get married?" the two are not mutually exclusive, just because I'm 26 and single does not necessarily mean that I don't want to get married, and although I am not entirely sold on the whole institution of marriage, for the right person I just might change my mind.

So people lay off my love life or lack thereof. I'm not going to change it just because you give me a weird look or make a snide comment on my behalf.

P.S. Stalker this little rant does not give you permission to continue pursuing me. YOU are most definitely NOT the person who I will change my mind for.

And Thats All She Wrote....

The morning blossomed clear and bright. The light filtered into the room in beams of yellow that seemed to fill up the empty spaces with happiness. For a Monday, the day seemed particularly optimistic, which could of course be caused by the simple fact that this was not like any other Monday. No, this Monday was filled with glee and hope and all those other bubbly emotions that lift your soul and fill your heart with gladness.


Whats with all the waxing poetry you might ask, well its all due to the simple fact that I'm happy. Perhaps more happy then I have ever been. Something that I have been working my butt off for, something that I have sacrificed dinners and movies and weekends with friends for. Something that I have bit, clawed, and fought for has finally come to fruition. I, my friends, have finished college. It was official last night when I turned in my FINAL final project. To say I was excited would be and understatement, but there was also the feeling of fear in my heart as my finger hovered over the submit button, which was not something I had expected. I think it might stem from fear of the unknown, I have been working so long for this, its has basically consumed my every waking (and often sleeping) moments, that what comes after seems a bit daunting. Nonetheless with the dawning of the new day, I feel exuberant. I DID IT!!! I came I saw I kicked that Bachelors degree's ass (pardon the language). When all was said and done, I completed a four year program in 2 1/2 years, quite and accomplishment if I do say so myself.

But the question remains..... What happens now?

Well I have been sitting on this news for a while because I wanted to make sure that my family all knew before I announced it to the world, but I know what I am going to do next.

I had quite a few opportunities presented to me as my college career came to a close. I was offered an Internship in China with a finance company that does business with American companies. I was also offered an Internship here in NYC with Chase bank. I was also offered an Internship in Lansing MI for an brokerage firm. For the longest time I was leaning towards heading to China, it seemed like the best opportunity for me to get some Global Finance experience under my belt, but for whatever reason when it came time to fully commit I was torn. I wrestled with this decision for months, constructing Venn diagrams, and poster boards of pro's and con's. But when it came down to it I realized that I have spent most of my life making decisions with my head and leaving my heart in dust, and for once I didn't want this decision to be like all the other that came before it (as good as all those decisions might have been). So I made it with my heart and plan to let my head catch up along the way. When an opportunity came up for me to "Join the family business" I leap at the chance. So dear friends, I AM GOING HOME. Its back to hillbilly country for me in the new year and I couldn't be more excited. My family's farm is in the process of becoming a legitimate business and has ample opportunities coming its way, but my mom and step-father needed some help to make that happen. So I swooped in to offer my expertise and we are already in the process of taking over the world, or at least our small little corner of it. This really is the best decision for me right now, and for once my future looks to be chiseled in stone or at least mostly.

Remember that dream you used to have, the one that consumed your soul, the one you never thought you could accomplish and so eventually you gave up.... Well don't. We can do anything we set our minds to, You can achieve everything you dream, because I believe in YOU, just like I believe in ME.

 

Thanks for standing by me friends, I couldn't have done this without you. I shall close with a cheesy but effective saying;

 " This isn't the end it is merely a new beginning."

Laters!!

Weekend Fun!

Want to know what I did this past weekend?

Then head over here for another episode of the Many Adventures of Steph!!!

Memorial Day Weekend....

Wanna know what I did over the weekend??

Head over here to find out!

http://nomadtraveler.blogspot.com/

You'll enjoy it, I promise!!

Laters!!

Sweet Kicks.....

Let me just tell you one thing, I love me a good deal. I come from a long line of coupon hounding, clearance rack browsing, deal bustin line of women so I know a good deal when I see one.

I have been in need of a new pair of running shoes for a couple of weeks now, ever since I regrettably wore mine on a misguided hikin adventure with the munchkins in which we all ended up knee deep in a creek; but that's another story. I had been putting it off because those suckers can be expensive, like upwards of $100 for a good pair(and you should invest in a good pair). Close to the town I live in we have a outlet for NIKE (and just about any other store you can think of) and I had been watchin and waitin for a sale to take advantage of. On Monday a friend and I went for a brisk walk around the "Commons" (as the outlets are referred to by us locals) and decided to stop in to see what they had. If you know anything about outlet shopping you know three things:

1. There are a ton of FOREIGNERS there. Even on an early Monday morning you couldn't spit without hitting one square in the face. 
2. Its always messy. I blame those foreigners, and the fact that these places are almost always staffed by college kids who feel its a better idea to stand around hitting on unsuspecting females than it is to actually work. 
3. And lastly, you have to really search for a good deal. It might be an outlet but the prices aren't actually all that much better than department stores. That is of course unless you find something on sale. 

So after much searching I happened to stumble upon these little cuties,

Cute right! I always am drawn to things (fashion wise at least) that are a little oddball. So original retail price was $80..... for a pair of runnin sneakers, CRAZY. I would never spend that much normally, on anything. Except maybe a ticket to a baseball game(!!). So I was all like "AHHH I gotta have these, their so cute, but oh no their $80 and I don't want to spend that much, boo hoo" and then thankfully before I embarrassed myself I noticed the sale tag, which said $39, now that's more like it! I seriously did a little jig in the isle (thankfully my friend was on the other side of the store so she didn't witness my moment of insanity). I tried them on and they fit like a glove, so I snatched them up and went in search of my friend, who had also found herself a new pair! I was ridding high from my sale find and then we got to the checkout..... where they rang up for $26! Yes you read that right, another 13 dollar discount, SCORE!!!!! I literally yelled at the checkout lady, "YOU MEAN THEIR ON SALE EVEN MORE!" to which she of course replied (with a startled expression I might add) "yes" Needless to say I was one very satisfied customer. Since I am running Monday/Wednesday/Fridays right now I only just got to try them out today,

They look awesome, and they feel even better but that might just be because I got such a great deal on them!

Moral of the story kids, good deals might be hard to find but they are almost always worth the wait!

Laters!!

The Begginning of the End....

This is it!!! Finally I am in my LAST 8 weeks of College! I am literally exhausted, especially since I spent this last weekend working on two finals and one final project (which I estimate that I spent 18-22 hours working on). With no break between when my last classes ended and my new classes begin I don't feel like I even have a moment to take a quick breather, but its only 8 weeks. I can do anything for 8 weeks. In other news I am meeting my mom next weekend for a little 3 day vacation up in Toronto which I am very excited about.Other News:

• The Yankees are kickin butt and takin names!!! They are first in their division (at the time of writing)
• So are the Tigers.... More or less
• All my favorite (TiVo'd) shows had their finales which means I have to wait a long time for any new episodes :( 
• My new classes are SOOO much fun. and by fun I mean soul sucking and tear inducing. 
• Anybody else tried the new minute maid orange Coolata from DD??? Because it's life changing!! 

Thats all I have for Ya'll right now. I'll keep you updated about next weekend and any of the exciting things we do!!

Laters!!!

P.S: To my STALKER. Take a hint and stop tryin to leave comments. Nobody sees them but me and I could care less, all I do is delete them. Your like a mosquito to me, nothing but annoying.