Life's a true roller coaster

I really had no idea when I entered the work force after graduation, that working for any company is truly like being on a roller coaster. There are ups, downs, twist and turns that really can play on your emotions. Especially with my newest job, there is something that always needs to be done and it seems like they are really depending on me to do the job right in the shortest amount of time.

The reason that I have been extremely busy at work lately is that I have started to help out more in the office, specifically working with improving the PR division at Van Der Meer. It is exciting that they thought that I would do a good job, but at the same time, it has been a little frustrating. I have been working longer hours after work without getting a paying supplement. I guess that is just how it goes sometimes. I really just have to prove myself and prove that I am the right person for the job. Then hopefully all my hard work will pay off.

Roller coasters are a true test of strength. You have to get through all the different twist and turns in order to reach the end. Who knows what stage of the roller coaster I am at the now, but I know that soon my hard work and dedication will pay off.

Balance

Life lesson #1: Having balance is the key to success. Now, I think that I have heard this throughout my life over and over again, but it was not until this week that I really understood what having balance exactly met.

As many of you know I took a job down in Hilton Head to work at Van Der Meer Tennis Center. Included in my job description, I take on many different responsibilities at the company. One of these responsibilities is an academy coach. For the new year, one of our goals at the academy is to have all of our tennis players work on the basics of tennis. Now matter their level, we are breaking down their strokes and determining do they have the basic fundamentals to make them a great tennis player. One of these basic fundamentals is the ability to stay balanced. Now you may be asking exactly how this correlates to life, but believe me it does.

In any good stroke in tennis, you have to be able to keep balance. This means that your entire body is working together to achieve one goal, winning the point. Balance is the foundation to any good player. Without it, you can only achieve so much. Same with life, keeping balance and learning the foundation is the key to success.

I always thought that I would enter the work force knowing that I would be successful. Not to say that I have not been successful at Van Der Meer, but I have still a lot to learn and sometimes that can be extremely frustrating. It was not until this week that I realized that I am just beginning my journey. I have to be able to put in the work at the bottom of the totem pole before I can start to climb. Over the seven months that I have been here, I definitely have put some time at the bottom. Doing exactly what others want me to do exactly at the time they want it done. Now I have come to realize that’s ok. Now my opinions are starting to matter and my employers are asking for my input.

Life lesson #1: Having balance is the key to success. You have to start at the bottom so that you can work your way up. If you start at the top, where’s the challenge?

A new year and direction

Ok, Ok... so I have not been the best at posting updates since I created this before starting my first job out of college this past May. There have been a few distractions, but I don't want you to have to hear about a mouth full of lame excuses. Anyways, I have decided like millions of other Americans to come up with a few New Years Resolutions that I would like to accomplish during the year 2010.

#1, like billions of other Americans I would love to get in better shape. Of course the success rate for this resolution is likely to happen to only 10% of everyone who makes this goal, but of course it is going on my list and will be accomplished. #2, not letting the small things get me down and going more with the flow. I have a tendency to over react and become extremely emotional to the littlest details. I want to be able to "roll with the punches" and become a lot more flexible. #3, this is an interesting resolutions that was brought to my attention by a former professor of mine at Wittenberg, Dr. Smith. During a visit yesterday to campus, I was able to visit with some of my lovely professors of communication. While talking to Dr. Smith about different odds and ends, he asked the pondering question about my un-updated blog. I told him a couple of reasons why I had not been able to update it, later thinking that these were no excuses at all. Yes I have been busy down in Hilton Head, but those are not reasons why I should not be able to keep up a little blog ever so often. So, New Years resolution number 3 is to update my blog twice a month. Goal set, now the tricky part is to stick with it.

With this new goal of mine, I also want to add a little spin to the blog. I still want to update people on what is going on in Hilton Head, but also take what I am learning from my job and share it with my few, but loyal followers. Thanks Dr. Smith for inspiring me to start anew! That's the wonderful thing about a small school like Wittenberg, relationships are built between professors and students and kept longer then just four years!

So it has been awhile since I last posted something on my blog. It is amazing how busy and forgetful somethings can be in the real world. Thought that I would take a little time and try to ketchup on the past month or so.

I guess the best way to start this conversation is to talk about the ten hour drive here from all the way up north in Pennsylvania. After teaching two weeks at Mercersburg, I had to pack up all of my possessions and make the long drive to Hilton Head. Only stopping three times to get gas, I made it to Hilton Head in a little over ten hours. That was an experience that I soon wanted to forget!

After enjoying my first weekend on the island I started work that following Monday. I started out my first couple of weeks working in the pro shop in the mornings then teaching the academy kids in the afternoon. It was not a bad schedule, but I wanted to make sure that my bosses and supervisors knew what I was capable of doing at Van Der Meer.

Now my schedule is looking a little different. Im still working in the pro shop periodically, but now I am opening it solely. Previously I was working with another Van Der Meer employee. I was nervous to work in the pro shop alone at first, but it has been working out great. In addition to working in the pro shop, I am also working in the sales office. I even have adopted my own little project with facebook and Im working closely with the sales director on how to spice up Van Der Meer and get people to come out and play! Very fun and exciting stuff.

Well, hopefully I will get better at posting. I think that it is a little embarrassing when your last post is from the beginning of August!

Kat

Adventures in the Capital

Just got back from a wonderful weekend with Alie, also now known as my little sea squirt, in our nation's capital. We did a lot of amazing things and it was difficult to travel back to Mercersburg for one more week. Can't wait to go back and see more of the sites, hopefully sooner rather then later

Since I only work half days on Fridays, I was able to leave Mercerburg around 1230 in the afternoon. After having lunch at Lizzy, the place that has the superman ice cream, Heinrich and I were both on our way to the capital. He had made plans to visit his friend Bobby, while I had made plans to stay with Alie Friday and Saturday. After getting to Alie's house and chatting it up in her kitchen for about two hours, Alie, her mother, and myself traveled to Bethesda to grab some dinner. We ate at this really neat Mexican restaurant, drank a couple Corona's and had steak and chicken faijtas for dinner. Even though we were all three stuffed from the wonderful food, we decided to walk around Bethesda a little and venture to a cupcake place down the road. For a little pre birthday celebration, they bought me some amazing lemon favored cupcakes. Even though at the store I knew the cupcakes were going to fabulous, we could not even wait more then ten minutes before opening the package at home. Alie, her dad, and mom sang to me, while I blew out my single candle off my cupcake. Laughs were shared and it was a great way to start out my adventures in Washington.

Saturday was a early day for Alie and myself as we had made plans to go site seeing all day in Washington. We did not know exactly what we were going to do when we got there, but we knew that we wanted to spend the day going to museums and the national monuments. We first started out at the National History Museum where we learned about the ocean, mammals, rocks, minerals, and butterflies. We even got to go into a butterfly exhibit and be face to face with many different types of butterfly species. After about an hour and a half at the National History museum we ventured across the street to the Air and Space Museum. There we saw tons of planes and air crafts and even went to the planetarium to learn about black holes. Our last museum stop for the day was the National Art Gallery. We did not spend a ton of time there, but I saw actual paintings by Monte and Vincent Van Gogh. It was so incredible to be standing right in front of some of those historical paintings!

After going to three museums, we decided it was time to walk around the mall and see some of the monuments that were close to us. Around 4:30 Alie and I were able to meet up with another Adpi, Rebehak and we all three walked around together catching up on the last three months after college. We saw the Nation's Capital, The Washington Monument, The World War II Monument, the Korean Monument, the Lincoln Monument, and from a distance the Jefferson Monument. Even though I had seen some of the monuments before, it was great to see them all again!

The excitement only increased after visiting the museums and monuments during the day. Myself, Alie, and Rebehak were meeting Heinrich and his friend Bobby for dinner at a bar in Bethesda. Around 6:30 the three girls hopped on the metro to make it back to dinner on time. Throughout the day I had noticed that my legs were becoming extremely itchy and even swelling a little. I thought that maybe it was from just walking to much and being out in the heat. Soon did I realize that I had server sun poisoning on my legs. I started to feel a little ill as well. Poor Rebekah was trying to hunt down water for me as Alie sat there hoping that I was not going to get sick in the metro. The first attempt to get water was a bust, so we just got on the train. About two stops into the train ride, I started to feel ill again. So we had to get off and Rebekah ran above ground to find me water. The second attempt was a success and I finally started to feel better. Thanks goodness I had Alie and Rebekah to help me or I don't know what I would have done.

We made it to dinner and we all had a wonderful time. Alie and I said our goodbyes to Heinrich, Bobby, and Rebekah and headed back to Chevy Chase. Both of us went right upstairs to fall asleep. This morning Alie's mom cooked us an amazing breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and Mimosa's. It was fantastic! Sadly I said my goodbyes and ventured my way back to Mercersburg. I leave this up coming Friday for my permit home in Hilton Head. So excited just to finally be down there.

Kat

Washington

Going to visit my lovely Alie Bell this weekend in Washington. Excited to go site seeing and visit our nation's capital!

Tomahawk Wisconsin?!?

So I was taken back to many of my childhood summer memories in Mercersburg yesterday. Since I was a little girl my Grandparents owned a lake house on the tip of Wisconsin in Tomahawk. I loved going up there each summer, going out on the lake, shooting the bow and arrow, and especially eating ice cream at the Windmill creamery. Yesterday Heinrich and I took the kids to a little ice cream place about twenty minutes away from campus. Even though the parking lot was not for boats, I was so excited when I walked in the door. There right in front was one of my favorite summer ice cream favors, superman. It just took me back to all the wonderful memories of Wisconsin and if I ever get the chance to come back to Mercersburg, I know exactly where I will be stopping first!