Month: September 2012

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Instagram

I discovered that if I add hash tags to my photos (legitimate ones that people would actually search for), my pictures get a LOT more exposure. It’s kind of exciting! Especially since Instagram is a good bit more anonymous than Facebook. It’s also a little sketchy, though. I tagged one photo with “girl friends” and another with “feet” and “pedicure”, and as it turns out – Instagram has weirdos. They need to update the app so we are able to delete comments… or is that already possible and I’m just missing it?

Anyway… I use hash tags all the time here on Tumblr, but it doesn’t seem to work for me quite like it did for Instagram. Maybe it’s better that way 🙂 Sometimes it’s better to lay low, but it’s also nice to have a random audience that enjoys what you have to share. So long as they’re nice! And totally not sketchy… ha!

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Lovely Virginia

           

This past weekend, Chuck and I went to Charlottesville – home of Monticello and the University of Virginia – to join some friends and family for Top of the Hops Beer Festival. Although the festival was a great time, I am not particularly a fan of beer, so we made it a point to go apple picking as well.

      

It turned out to be the most beautiful weekend, and we got to roam apple orchards and farmer’s markets in warm golden sunshine. We were able to picnic alongside old Virginian architecture and browse the orchard’s country shop. It’s fun to go back to my “home state” and get a taste of mountains and hills in comparison to the endless flat land of Coastal Carolina!

       

As I type, I’m actually enjoying one of the crisp, juicy apples that I hand-picked myself. We got so many – I’ll have to make a cinnamon apple crisp this weekend! Yummm. 🙂

       

Every morning when I open my eyes, there’s Annie sharing my pillow with me. I mostly get the back of her head or even her butt, but this morning we were practically face to face. This was moments before I pulled her under the covers with me! Such a warm and cozy lil’ fluff ball ❤

(Taken with Instagram)

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Highs n’ Lows

“We have received your application. However, you were not among the best qualified candidates. Therefore, your application will not be sent to the hiring manager for selection consideration at this time.”

Oy VEY. It was for a job that asked me about my expertise in sending E-MAILS! An assistant to the administrative assistant! My application won’t even be considered?? Good grief. I had even moved my degree information to the bottom of my resume so I would appear less overqualified. Ugh. Forward and onward, I guess…

In other news, I’m super excited after purchasing a Living Social deal for some pole dancing and barre classes. That’s right. Pole dancing. Judge all you like! I did it for almost a year back in NoVa and loved it. Great workout, and a ton of fun! Better yet, it’s very affordable here and I can’t wait to get back into it. The barre classes sound amazing too – a mix of ballet, yoga, and pilates. It’s been over a year since I’ve done any dancing at all, so I’m ready to dive back in.

And, as our small world would have it, a friend of mine from the DC area randomly got engaged to a Marine and moved down here a few months ago. She is a dancer/ cheerleader and bought the Living Social deal with me. 🙂 Yayyy, I have a buddy!

Her being here has been hilarious in the first place. We didn’t hang out a lot in DC, but our social circles crossed paths a good bit. She messaged me on Facebook telling me she was moving here and needed advice on transitioning from the DC professional/socialite lifestyle, to military wife in the middle of nowhere. It’s been interesting being on the other side of this issue, giving advice to a nervous young woman instead of receiving it – allowing me to see how I’ve changed, grown, and adjusted since I moved here almost a year ago.

In yet another twist of circumstance, her fiance is on the same team as Chuck, and they will deploy together in the winter! It will be nice to have someone around who is on the same schedule as me, in terms of deployment. 

Anyhoo. It’s a quiet day here at the office. My boss is out all day so I’m more casual and relaxed while I cold-call potential investors. The assignment wraps at the end of next week, so I’m trying not to complain too much about it. I need this $12/hour – it gives me the means to dance 🙂

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Dream Come True!

Today I filled a life long dream of holding a baby tiger, and I did it without having to travel to some far, exotic land. Months and months ago, I pinned a photo of baby tigers to my Bucket List board on Pinterest, including a caption that explained how someday I needed to hold one. A random stranger commented and told me there was in fact a place that I could do it right here in Coastal Carolina.

Myrtle Beach Safari is pretty much the coolest thing ever.  They have a 50-acre plot of land where you can personally interact with tigers, wolves, falcons, a variety of monkeys, an elephant, and even a liger! At $240 per ticket, we decided to wait on that, but the photo session with the cubs was more reasonable, if not cheap… and totally worth the few moments we got to play with the little tykes!

All the proceeds go to sustaining the wildlife and funding efforts to conserve and protect endangered species, so I feel like every penny was well spent. I DO plan to go on a full safari tour next season, once I can (hopefully) relax our new budget. But seriously – I was just so excited!! You can totally tell what a crazy person I am in the photo – not that most flattering shot, with my crazy eyes and tensed-excited body langauge and bulging forehead vein!! Chuck, on the other hand, looks suave and chill as a cucumber… and the tiger cubs… well… they truly just steal the show 🙂

Of course, I couldn’t wait to get back to my very own little cublet back at home. I may be crazy for wildcats, but Miss Bean will always be my one and only ❤