"All Growed Up" ?

Certain things have me feeling like more of an adult lately and they aren't the things I would have expected. Technically at 24, I am very much an adult. However, I aspire to be like my 58 year old dad and never truly grow up. I love being able to laugh like a child at adult situations that are not as serious as your adult-self makes them out to be. I also delight in 8-year-old boy humor - fart jokes and such. I wish I was kidding. So inappropriate. Why are they so funny!? I think I spent too much time with my dad and brother as a child. I digress.

Yes I live in a big girl apartment, am paying bills, working full-time, etc. On the other hand, I have "The Sims 3" on my phone, I watch children's movies on a regular basis, and if it was socially acceptable to play with Barbies at my age, I definitely would (much of the reason I want to have a daughter someday). Lately though, I keep noticing small differences -ones that I wouldn't have thought of- in myself that make me feel not so much like a kid anymore. They aren't bad things, just different.

1. Leaving lipstick marks on my coffee cup. Isn't that how your mom's cups always were? Moms are the most grown of the grown-ups. They know everything.

2. Making myself busy when I am upset. I got homesick two weeks ago. Rather than indulging in the sadness, I went to Ikea, bought a six drawer dresser, hauled, and assembled it that evening - BY MYSELF. The other day I got really frustrated at work. I went into our office kitchen and vigorously scrubbed probably 20 dirty dishes. Both times I felt better. Or maybe I just felt too tired to remember the other feelings. Either way, it works.

3. Always making sure my nails look nice. I don't let the same polish chip away for three months as I have for the better part of my life. When it starts to chip, I remove it. Crazy, I know.

4. Taking clothes to the dry cleaners. I found a local dry cleaners that I like - and I take my blazers, work pants, other "DRY CLEAN ONLY" items there. Gone are the days of "Oh, it says 'dry clean only' that's probably an exaggeration, right? "...

...."Wait. Why do my favorite khaki dress pants look like a soggy burrito!?" 









5. Making my bed daily. Something about purchasing the bedspread on my own and paying an arm in rent each month makes me care that my apartment looks neat each day. Again, who am I? 










What does being an adult mean to you? Have you noticed changes in yourself that make you feel like a "grown-up"? 

Love,
Logan

P.S. If you got the Rugrats reference in the title, you probably watched Nickelodeon almost as much as I did.

I'm the worst, but I'm not sorry.

It has been exactly 7 weeks since my last entry. Life has been a tad bit busy. My new years blog resolution took a backseat to working, moving, and traveling. But I'm mostly settled in and thus ready to continue sharing.

Work consumes most of my time, which I love. I seriously love working. I love my job. I love having goals and accomplishing them. My coworkers are fabulous. I love working on a team, mentoring students, hiring new students. So far, my position is really rewarding. And I get paid to do this? Totally worth the wait.

So far, my apartment is fantastic & my roommate is super cool. Although I haven't had the chance to spend much time here. I moved in 3 weeks ago today and this is my first day off that I am spending here in Baltimore. Crazy. Last weekend was spent in South Beach with my mother, aunt, and one of my most favorite cousins - my bff was able to come for parts too :) We had silly amounts of fun. The weekend before that I spent at home sweet home, Ohio. Another of my aunts finally found her other half and was married on a beautiful sunny day before my whole huge family. We obviously danced and sang/screamed all night long. I think I'm just finally getting my voice fully back from that event. Worth it. The weekend before that, I moved to the city. Crazy. And then the weekend before that I visited another of my many awesome cousins in Virginia. Time goes so quickly when you don't ever sit still. I have been trying to capture each of these moments in my memory and by photograph. Rather than selecting a few funny stories - which seems overwhelming...they will come to me in time - I will share with you my last several weeks in photos. I'm off to my first Orioles game in a few short hours! Happy viewing.

Hung out with best friends before leaving the buckeye state.

Packed up the old Odyssey. 

Milo tried to come... holy moly I miss him.

Celebrated O's 21st / moved to Annapolis.

Became a Retriever. 

Hung out with O :)

And with my super cool Naptown roomies!

Made a new friend. SNOWY McFLUFFFACE

Got crafty with friends in Deep Creek. 

Laughed a lot with Tay.

Visited Steph in VA. We love each other.

Moved to Baltimore....

This was my nightstand for 2 weeks.

Met Steph again to road trip to OH.

To see this breathtaking bride.

And this handsome BIG lil bro.

Then South Beach for Mothers Day :)

Of course working tirelessly & making it rain all along...

...this is the good life.

Love,
Logan

Black & Gold?

My dad raised me to hate the joined colors black & gold from a very young age. As a result of growing up in Northeastern Ohio, we have the bitter sweet burden of being Browns fans. The general rule: we want the Browns to win, the Steelers to lose, and everything else to line up so those first two things can happen. Every season begins with lots of chatter about the promising potential of the new season. New players, new coaches, and a new beginning. Inevitably, every season -and most games- end in disappointment. If it isn't clear from my extremely basic explanation, I admittedly don't pay a lot of attention to the NFL. I try to follow it enough to know what's going on. But the big picture is that there is always a new season, we always hope, and we are always let down. And when we are let down, we root against the Steelers.

UMBC's Golden Retriever Mascot.

Imagine my awkward inner conflict when I come to find that UMBC's colors are primarily black & gold. My first trip to the bookstore was tough. Trying to pick out a subtle shirt that doesn't go completely against the basic foundation of being someone from Canton, Ohio. Black and yellow are evil. We don't wear those colors. It sounds silly because it is. And don't worry, it's not that dramatic or important. But I would be lying if I told you I didn't cringe when I walked in that bookstore, choose a plain grey shirt and walk out. It will probably be a little while before I can dress with more spirit. 

One place I have found that I have no troubles wearing black and gold is in my professional attire. It doesn't look athletic so no one associates it that way. In the last week I have rocked a few different black and gold outfits. All of these items are recent purchases (or gifts) of mine that I wore this week and am so excited to wear over and over again.

1. Gold Necklace, $18 at Charming Charlie

2. Calvin Klein Dress, gift from my aunt

3. Anchor bracelet, gift from one of my best friends from Sara Aghili

4. Tunic Blouse, $23 from Target

I wore 1 & 4 together earlier this week.

Something gold I would like to acquire: How cute is this dainty elephant necklace?

$15 from LemonTreeLand's Shop on Etsy :)

How do your loyalties or dislikes dictate your wardrobe? Do you cringe at the site of certain colors and delight in others?

Love,

Logan

Happy People

Saw this quote earlier this week and can't forget it. How true.

Love,
Logan

First Day

It's been a while since I last posted. Been a little busy. Packed up most of everything I own and moved it to Annapolis, Maryland last week. This past week, I started my new job (I love it so far), and have been trying to navigate this new location and chapter in my life. I thought I would share with you my first morning as a full-time working professional because it was a complete disaster. And don't we all feel a little bit better when we know someone else's life is as out of control as our own at times? I know I do.



It was the morning of Tuesday March 12, 2013. I woke up at about 6:30am to get ready for my first day of my new job. Went upstairs (I am currently living with my awesome Aunt, Uncle, and cousin while I search for a place closer to work), ate breakfast, etc. At about 7am, the power goes out. Apparently there is some major construction going on down the road so they had to turn the power off for a couple hours to configure the power in their new giant building. To the leaders of this project I would like to say:

1) Great time choice. I'm sure no one else was getting ready for work around that time on a TUESDAY.

2) It was pouring down rain, so how did that whole electrical thing go for you?

3) I'm really not that angry about it. I actually have laughed a lot about it since. So we're cool, right?

Anyway, powers out. This is when you realize that in complete darkness, your iPhone flashlight isn't even that bright at all-pretty lame actually. Thank the sweet heavens that I didn't have to shower, I picked out my outfit the night before, and that the high bun is super in right now. Doing makeup by candlelight is pretty difficult, especially if you're not trying to go for the drag queen look. I think I did alright. I just told myself that if anyone jokingly asked, "What did you do- get ready in the dark?!" I would simply say "Yes, yes I did." Got out the door and on the drive toward Baltimore. This is when I learned that 695 is a hellish nightmare from around 7:40-8:15am and today it happens to be pouring rain. I'm in the far right lane (of five lanes) and going nowhere. We start to move forward, but I need the lane to my left. Look over my left shoulder, no one is coming, I start to merge, only to notice a massive semi-truck at full speed merging into that same lane from the left side. Obviously, HOLY CRAP -I hit the gas so as not to be hit by him on my driver's side just as the car in front of me came to a screeching halt. I clipped the back left corner of a very nice woman's Toyota Camry with my sweet little Honda Accord's right headlight. Oh my gosh I'm going to throw up cry jump out of my new pencil skirt immediately. I did none of those things. Everyone is okay. Damage is minor. Exchanged information, called insurance agent, and handled it all like a big girl. The whole while thinking "Keep it together Logan, this is your first day of work. Keep it together." Also knowing that I could definitely not call my mother because the sound of her selfless, maternal, perfect voice would most definitely send me in an emotional downward spiral. Arrived to work with no further issues other than that feeling of wanting to cry and throw up simultaneously, but reminding myself to be thankful that it was as minor as it was. Made it to work 10 minutes EARLY. I was one of the first people to arrive to the office. Set the security alarm off, did not know the code. Tracked down someone downstairs with the code and also someone to unlock my office. Then my office alarm went off. Fortunately, a woman that knew the code was down the hall. Whew. Sat down at my new desk and took a very deep breath. I made it. I was there.

Aside from a power outage, fender bender, and a false security breach, I had a wonderful first day. I was at my new job which I would soon learn that I love, working in an office full of amazing people in a cool place. I also had to remind myself that in the whole world, that morning was great compared to people that don't wake up in a nice warm bed or have anything to eat for breakfast. Any of my "bad" days are a lot better than many other people's normal days. So through this morning and my first week at work, I couldn't help but feel how absolutely blessed I am.

Have you had a bad day lately? How do you handle it and bounce back? How do you remind yourself that you are lucky when you're feeling a bit unlucky?

Love,
Logan

So Much to Smile About

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.” -Marilyn Monroe

Love,

Logan

Exactly

For the last ten months I have been working for my dad's small business (SWS) and living at home with my parents. I graduated with my masters of education in May of 2012 and have been ardently pursuing the job search since then. I am very blessed to be able to live at home and work for my dad, which I actually really enjoy. I can definitely see myself coming back to the family business, but I also want to venture away to experience a new place and work in the field that I have studied. I'm not sure if I will love or hate this next chapter of my life, but I know it is an adventure that I need and am ready to begin.

During this in-between time, I got down on myself a lot. It has taken me a good deal longer to land a position in my field than most of my former classmates. I often felt as though I should be somewhere else, like this wasn't what I was supposed to be doing. I learned quickly that should or shouldn't and what if thinking is in no way constructive. It's extremely destructive and makes you feel much worse about most situations. Around the time I began to spiral into these negative thoughts, I received a card from a great friend and sorority sister of mine that read "You are exactly where you need to be." I can't tell you how many times I have read that card. Reminding myself of this makes me feel more appreciative of where I am in any moment. Of course some days it is easier to believe this than others, but I think it's important to tell yourself this everyday. Especially on the days that it's most difficult to believe. "I am exactly where I need to be."

Yesterday I began sorting through everything I own so that I can pack it up and move to a new city for a new job. I am leaving my Canton, Ohio home sweet home for the east coast in just 10 short days. Initially, I didn't think much of cleaning out and organizing my stuff. Mostly I thought "This kind of sucks" and "How in the world have I accumulated SO MUCH crap?!?" Then "Stop This Train," by John Mayer played (dammit, Pandora.) and I found a box that reminded me of some college friends whom I miss terribly. Surprisingly, I did not cry (I am typically a hot mess when it comes to any type of life transition. When I was six years old I got a new bedroom set and cried for a week strait, when I got my braces on in seventh grade I did not speak or smile for three days. Like I said, hot mess).  But I was not sad that my friends and I could not be together or that I will be leaving home soon. Of course I miss my close friends and will surely miss my family, but instead of sadness I felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude. In that moment, I only felt thankful and blessed. Thankful that I have so many people that care deeply about me. Thankful that I care deeply about so many people. Thankful that my mom and dad are always there for me whenever I need them. Thankful for all of the opportunities and experiences I've had that have brought me friendships that will absolutely last a lifetime and probably longer because I think heaven will probably be a cool place to hang out. And finally, I felt so very thankful for moments like that one when you have an awe-inspiring sense of clarity and know for certain that you are exactly where you need to be.

Are you hard on yourself about where you should be in your life and what you're supposed to be doing? Are you thankful for where you are in life? What are you thankful for?

Love,
Logan