Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Dangling with "Real" Life

I feel like I have gotten into a great rhythm in Baton Rouge. I am on my own during the week and then I get to make some awesome plans over the weekend.

This weekend, my mom and sister came back into town to visit. On Thursday night I decided to catch my mom and sister up on what has been going on in my life recently. I told them about some of my future plans and some of the people that I have gotten to know while in Baton Rouge. It was a big learning experience for me because I am stuck in the middle of deciding what is best for me and what is going to make me happy. I am hoping that I can find something that will satisfy both of those wants but I also will never know everything when I am making my final decision. I think one of my biggest lessons this summer is about being my own support system. It would be a lot easier for me to make decisions if I didn't want all of the people close to me to be on the same page. I am not at that stage yet but I think it is only a matter of time.

The next day, we went to the Myrtle's Plantation. It is one of the top 10 most haunted plantations in the United States and my sister just couldn't get enough of all the legends. I usually don't do scary but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. On Saturday, we really became a part of the Bayou by going on a Swamp Tour. My mom is obsessed with the show "Swamp People" and the first thing that our tour guide told us was that you can't believe everything you see on TV. We only saw one little alligator but we learned a lot about different birds and a lot of flowers in the swamp. After that we were looking around the antique shops for a cameo necklace but we didn't have any luck. I am hoping that there will be an antique one in New Orleans this weekend. We were exhausted to say the least, so we spent the rest of the weekend just relaxing in my apartment.

It was another average week at work. It was the first time in a few weeks that I actually worked regular hours, not trying to make up hours to leave early on Friday. I have really started to make note of what I like at work. I like when I get to work with other people. I didn't think I would like collaboration but I think it reminds me how I am helping the other people in the accounting department. I also like having control over my work. The more work that I get to contribute to a project, the more I feel like I am making a difference. I also like projects where I am making a significant difference for the better. I know that realizing what I like about work will help me make a better decision in the coming year.

This past weekend, I got to spend some time by myself. It was nice to feel like I could do whatever I want and that is exactly waht I did. I stayed in bed for a long time on both Saturday and Sunday. I got out of bed to do some sightseeing on Saturday and to go to this great restaurant on Sunday night. It was just what I needed in order to get ready for New Orleans this coming weekend. Unfortunately, I am not feeling too good this week, so hopefully I can kick it in the next few days.

Movie of the Week: Forrest Gump. I know, it's a tradegy that I haven't seen it before now. It was a very interesting movie and I can definitely understand more of the jokes now. I am glad that I am using this movie of the week goal to get caught up on some pretty old movies. I feel like it helps me get caught up with my generation.

Book of the Week: How to Bake a Perfect Life. One of the many books I picked up when Borders was going out of business. It was your typical chick lit novel with a few bread recipes tied in. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it as a summer read in the future.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Dangling with Parrotheads and a few other pretty awesome people!

So after working extra hours a few days, I got to head out of work at 3:00 p.m. to catch my flight to Atlanta. I am getting really use to being in the airport and by the end of this trip I was kind of tired of seeing planes fly into the distance.

I headed to Atlanta to see the Jimmy Buffett concert (check that off the bucket list) and boy was it a sight to see. My friends, Audrey and Coey, had the pleasure of coming with me and we will probably talk about this night for awhile. We were first excused of being too young to buy beverages for the tailgate, so we pulled out our IDs and proved the cashier wrong. Once we got to the concert, we picked one of the more chill parking lots that was probably a good mile away from the entrance to the amphitheatre. We made it to the amphitheatre and tried to find a place on the lawn. Lucky us, we picked a great place to see two shows that night. One show was taking place on the stage, the other was taking place two feet in front of us. I won't go into all the details but I will say that the average "Parrothead" is a very interesting bird =) Also, I had my first experience having a beer thrown in my direction. To set the record straight, I did not do anything to deserve this beer being thrown in my direction, I just happen to be in the crossfire of a fight.

The biggest surprise of the evening was when Zac Brown decided to join Mr. Buffett on stage. They sang a few of their collaborative songs which I thought was a great added bonus. All in all, the concert was great. I feel like I got the experience that college students should have and I will definitely go back to one of his concerts one day.

The next day, I got the pleasure of having brunch with my sorority advisor. It was her goal to meet with all the vps individually over the summer and my meeting could not have come at a better time. I got a lot of my feelings out on the table and she really helped me come up with a game plan for the rest of the summer and into the fall semester. I am hoping that I can rebuild some bridges this summer in the land of Delta Gamma. I think it is great that I have gotten away from my responsibilities for awhile and I know I will be ready to come back with a renewed vigor in the fall. I wouldn't be able to feel so good about this experience without the help of my advisor.

I got back to work on Monday and had a pretty relaxing day just catching up on stuff. On Tuesday, I finally got to have dinner with someone my own age because the controller at the plant introduced me to his daughter. We went to a restaurant/bar that someone had suggested to me and I got to try my first po'boy. I am not sure why this sandwich is such a rave down here. It is really just like a seafood sandwich with all the regular fixins. I think it at least needs an unique sauce or something. On Wednesday, I got to participate in a Cycle Count Audit for one of the warehouses and teach someone how to work with Maintenance Labor Reporting. It is great to see the work that I have put into a project being used to improve processes. When I can see that I am helping people is when I really enjoy my job. That night I got to catch up with the president of Delta Gamma and it was absolutely one of the best discussions I have ever had. She reminded me that Delta Gamma is really about the relationship that I make and in order to be a good leader you have to be able to hold yourself and others accountable. I am hoping by the end of this fall semester, we will have made a lasting impact on the chapter and be able to walk away from our experience as great friends. On Thursday, I got to spend a lot of time in the retention shed at work putting together some documentation. It is one of the tasks that has to be done but it's hard to find the right time to do it. I am hoping that the work that I put in this summer will help them to move forward with this project.

Another pretty average week work wise but I am trying to use my time away from work to create meaningful experiences. I am hoping that I can come back to Athens with a new outlook on life and be more aware of how to make my senior year in Athens one for the record books.

Dangling with the Family

So, as soon as I got back from my trip to Atlanta the worldwind adventure kicked up a notch. My mom and sister came into town on Saturday and we decided to go to one of the tourist restaurants in town. My tongue is slowly getting use to the cajun flavor that is used on everything in Baton Rouge. Also, we got to hear some Cajun music and see all the old couples dance which I thoroughly enjoyed...really makes me want to take dance lessons! On Sunday, we decided to make our way to St. Francisville. I got to show my mom and sister where I am working on a daily basis and we took a trip to the back side of the plant to see the new building ang the National Cemetary that is located near the mill.

After a trip around the plant, we made our way to Rosedown Plantation. It is an absolutely beautiful plantation home and has acres of gardens that can be walked through after the tour. We learned about the history of the house and got to take a ton of pictures. I wish my internet was fast enough to post these pictures haha! My biggest discovery about this weekend was that it is great to have people visit you when you are living in a different city. I enjoy the time that I get to spend by myself during the week but living this far away from home has made me realize how important it is to spend time with your family. We got to experience Baton Rouge together and I could not have asked for two better people to keep me company.

This week at work was the first that I got to experience working later hours. I had plans to fly home for the Jimmy Buffett concert, so I had to make up the hours that I was going to be missing on Friday. Fortunately, my supervisor gave me a project that can fill up hours of a day or weeks at a time, so I was not lacking in tasks to complete. I am keeping the company in business these days because I am printing a million invoices, putting them in numerical order, and keying in the appropriate information. That week I also got back to keeping myself accountable by making list in my planner. I knew it was going to come around eventually and it really does make me feel better to be organized.

The best part about the week was probably getting to catch up with one of the other interns. I was really interested in watching the CMT Music Awards but I got caught up in a great conversation instead. I think the best part of the internship is getting to know other people who I might not have met otherwise and I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings.

It was a pretty average week for me but I am still trying to absorb every experience. Everything about this situation makes you think and you have to learn how to control what you think about on a regular basis. I know there are some people who would go crazy with this much alone time but I believe it is making me a better person.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Dangling with a Business Trip

So, I am kind of behind on posting but I am really trying to remember everything that has been happening the last few weeks and will try to give a complete overview!

I spent my day off watching Cake Boss. It felt great to relax for what feels like the first time this summer! I also got ready to go on my first business trip. On Tuesday, I worked all day and then flew to Atlanta. The Baton Rouge airport is so small! If you get to the airport 30 minutes before your plane leaves then you will probably still make it. It is so different from a big city airport. I got to see my parents because they picked me up at the airport. On Wednesday, we started our internship training in Atlanta. We learned all about the different positions available in the company and learned about the culture. That night we went to the Braves game and they started their winning streak! We had more training on Thursday and then I headed to the airport. I met another intern right before we got on Marta. We had a mishap with the traveling on Marta but we got to laugh about it and we had four hours to waste at Hartsfield-Jackson. I walked through Concourses A-D and got to eat at Sweetwater! It was really tiring taking a business trip during the week. You do so much with such a small amount of time. I feel into bed when I got home from the airport. On Friday, it was the first day of closing which means that I was learning more about general accounting. My sister and mom came into town on Saturday and I was so excited! It is a completely different experience living away from them. They were coming to see me and the town that I live in, so we got to be tourist and I got to enjoy having them around. On Sunday, we went out to St. Francisville to see the Rosedown Plantation. I didn't enjoy all this tourist stuff when I was younger but now that I have a limited time in a city I really want to get the most out of the experience. We ate at a great cafe in St. Francisville and drove around downtown Baton Rouge to see where I should visit on my own.

All-in-all, it was a great week living on my own. I felt grown up by traveling on my own and hosting my mom and sister. I know that life is gong to work out in my favor because I am willing to take chances. I was so shy up until my sophomore year of college and I still have those introvert tendencies but I also realize that I can make myself happy on my own.

Movie of the Week: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- a great movie that really let me just get all my emotions out. There wasn't necessarily one ending. It was one of those movies that let you come to your own conclusions. It was about healing and the bond between families. It was completely different from Top Gun but I needed it.