Crazy Hair!

Hello Readers,

The other night, while watching River Monsters, I came up with this crazy hair style:

It's a bit sloppy (it was created without a mirror), but I kind of like it. I think this Heidi-esque style is worth recreating. . .

If you are interested in trying this style (or something similar), here is how I made it happen:

-first divide hair into two equal (or somewhat equal) parts and braid into pigtails. For this style it is important that you have long hair in order to achieve the next step.

-then, take the pigtails and tie (or pin) them together... and voila!

If you try it, let me know how it goes! If this crazy style catches on, maybe it could be called the Laura! Here are a few more pictures of this zany style!

Preparation: What to Bring to a Job Interview

When you learn that a company or organization wants to interview you, on the phone or over skype or even in person, you may experience moments of excitement followed by moments of nervousness and even self-doubt.

That's ok. It's ok to do your "I have a job interview" victory dance and it's even ok to feel so nervous that you want to lock yourself away from the world to research and practice until the interview. Wherever your reaction may fall on this spectrum, it is crucial that you PREPARE for the actual interview. Here are a few helpful tips:

-Review the job description: one of the best ways to know if you are qualified for a job is to, well, read what the qualifications are that a company desires in a person who would fill this position.

-Review the company or organization: this is your chance to figure out how you would fit into the organization. Carefully read through the mission and vision statements, look at their portfolio, read about them in the news.

-Review your resume and portfolio: remind yourself who you are and how you fit into this company. What skills, interests or experiences do you have that would make you a great fit for the job?

-Practice answering "typical" interview questions: while it is virtually impossible to know exactly what an interviewer will ask, it's important to do your homework. If the company is passionate about helping the community or caring for the environment, there is a great possibility that an interviewer might ask you questions about those topics. And be prepared to answer those typical interview questions: strengths, weaknesses, where do you see yourself in 5 years, tell me about a time when you..., how did you find out about this company/opening.

-Figure out how to get there, on time!: arriving at your interview location on time (or a bit early) requires careful planning. The person who contacted you about the interview might tell you how to get to the interview location, and sometimes even where to park, but they also might not give you this information. You may have to ask for these details- and you should! If you are traveling to a different city or state, make sure that you give yourself time for construction, getting lost, and other unpredictable  time-gobbling situations. If you are close to the location, I recommend a drive by. Sometimes maps and directions can be confusing and even inaccurate, and you don't want that to be your excuse for being late to an interview. You don't want to start your interview with a need to apologize!

-Select your interview outfit: it may seem odd to pick out an outfit ahead of time, but (believe me!) this is a helpful step to take before the big day. You don't want to be late to an interview because you couldn't decide on a color of shirt or choose between pants or a skirt. Choosing an outfit, ahead of time, will not only save you time- it will also provide a great boost of confidence!

Preparation is a key step in the interview process- but it's not everything! It is, however, an important thing to bring into a job interview. Gaining knowledge about the job, the organization, yourself, the interview, how to get to the interview, and even what you will wear to the interview will help you be (or at least seem) a confident and knowledgeable candidate for the job!

Preview: What to Wear [and Bring] to a Job Interview

Hello Readers!

As many of you know, I am back on the job market! So far, this journey of applying for jobs has been a journey of self discovery. Filling out applications, writing essays, completing aptitude tests, and spending a lot of time on LinkedIn. In many ways, searching for a job is a lot like online dating- creating a profile, answering and asking questions, and looking for the right match for your passions, interests, personality, etc., etc.

Last week, something exciting happened to me. On Thursday, I had an interview! I was so excited- so excited that I almost didn't know what to do with myself. I read and re-read the job description (I even wrote it out by hand to commit it to memory), highlighted the skills I possessed that the job seemed to demand, imagined answers to questions the interviewer might ask me, researched the organization, and even came up with a few questions of my own. I was almost ready. Almost.

What I couldn't seem to prepare was my interview outfit. As I stood in front of my wardrobe, a sea of advice filled my head :

-"don't wear anything too quirky"
-"wear something professional, but not boring"
-"don't wear any colors that will wash out your complexion"
-"don't wear anything too tight"
-"don't forget to wear hose with a skirt!"

As well as a few questions:

-"am I a winter or a spring?"
-"if I wear pink will I seem to girly?"
-"which necklace will make me look creative, hard-working, and smart?"

Selecting items of clothing for an outfit may seem like an insignificant task to complete before an interview- but it really is an important part of the preparation process. What you wear to an interview communicates a lot about who you are, or at least the self you choose to present.

First impressions matter, especially in an interview situation. A lot is on the line, for you as well as the organization interviewing you. The interview is their time to decide whether or not you- as a whole package of personality and skill- are the right fit for the job and for that particular workplace culture.

In the next few blog posts, I am going to share important information about what to wear, and even what to bring, to a job interview. The tools you need to narrate your story as a capable and confident job candidate.

Join me on this journey!

A Wedding Wardrobe Malfunction: Always Bring an Extra Dress!

Me in the dress, before it became a disaster

The dress was perfect. It survived the hour-long drive into St. Louis without falling off the hanger or getting wrinkled. My toenails were freshly painted to match the midnight purple of the dress. Unzipping the dress, before stepping into it, the zipper seemed to snag on (what I now understand as) a faulty tooth, but I persisted with a tug and stepped into the dress.

The soft silk and rich hues made me feel like I was preparing to step onto the red carpet- even though the dress was purchased final sale at a cool 75 dollars. My hair was set, my makeup was even red-carpet ready- and then something terrible happened.

As I pulled the zipper up, it became stuck on the same place as before. "I'll just tug it a bit harder," I thought as I performed the task, anticipating the zipper to properly catch on the teeth... but alas- it did not. Instead of properly catching track, the entire zipper and track became even more untracked. I was stuck. And then the zipper split. And I was still stuck. With less than 45 minutes to go until I had to be at the church.

I began to sweat and fret- undoubtedly a combination that exhausted the confidence, bounce, and height of my hair. No more bouncy curls- just beachy waves. Would I have to sew myself into the dress? I didn't bring and needles or thread- could I find a tailor to fix my dilemma within my dwindling timeline?

Panicked- I called Banana Republic, and described the situation I found myself in. The agreed to pull their most formal dresses in sizes 4 and 6 off of their sales floor for me to try on between the ceremony and the reception. Even though the dress was final sale, the agreed to take back the dress.

Miraculously,  I was able to yoga-move my way out of the dress (and I found out that my shoulder is perhaps double-jointed?) and change into a dress I brought for a graduation on Sunday. A much shorter dress, that I had worn many times- but a dress without a gaping hole on its side. Much better.

With friends from grad school in the replacement dress from White House | Black Market

The ceremony was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The bride was one of my best friends from graduate school, the groom was a close friend from Bible study (I was the first to introduce them, during a visit to the church- our friend Jenny was the first to ignite the spark between the bride and groom), and the pastor was my pastor. It was a ceremony full of meaning- for everyone there! My stress I felt during dress malfunction seemed quite silly when I sat down in my seat and remembered the reason I was in the church that day.

Between the ceremony's end and the reception's beginning, I stopped at the mall (which was in between the ceremony and reception sites) to find a replacement dress. The search was unfruitful- there was nothing I could find that I liked as much as the original, or even as much as my replacement dress. But I'm glad that I brought an extra dress with me. So glad. Moral of the story: bring an extra so you won't have to sweat the small stuff (literally and figuratively).

So, I continued on my trek to the reception in my improvised outfit and enjoyed a wonderful night with my friends. We hit the dance floor, ate cake, and had a blast.

And, most importantly- the bride and the groom had a great time celebrating the start of their journey together as husband and wife.

With the beautiful bride and more friends from grad school. Thankfully, the bride's dress was flawless!

April Adventures: Dinner with Lauren Winner

Hello Readers!

Lauren Winner- image from http://divinity.duke.edu/

Last month, just over two weeks ago, one of my favorite authors, Lauren Winner, came to my college to speak in chapel and to give a colloquium. You may recognize her from her books, like Girl Meets God, Real Sex, Mudhouse Sabbath, or her latest book Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis. In addition to being a successful author, she also teaches at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina.

Earlier this semester, when I found out that Lauren Winner was coming to campus, I mentioned to a colleague and friend that I was a fan of her writing and I hoped to meet her during her visit to campus. He recommended that I ask the powers that be (my now friend and former professor of Ethics) if I could meet  Lauren Winner. I did (thank you Kent!) and I was even invited to dinner with her, Winner, and another colleague from the college (thank you Christina!). Amazing! How many people get to eat dinner with one of their favorite authors?

As the time approached, I read and re-read some of her books to prepare for her visit. As I did my "research" I came to an interesting realization about authors, like Winner, who write autobiographies: they reveal so much of their stories to readers. It must be strange, then as an author, to meet people who already know so much about you, or at least the portion of you project in your writing. With this possibility of a realization in mind, I was determined not to be one of those creepy "I feel like I know you" fans when I met Lauren. I would be cool, or at least as cool I could be.

Finally, on April 25th, the day arrived of Lauren's visit. I had a lot of grading to finish, so I listened to her chapel address on the college radio station. In the afternoon I attended the colloquium, which was wonderful, and before I knew it it was time to jump in the car and drive to St. Louis for dinner. Lauren Winner, Christina, Brian, and me.

The drive from campus to our restaurant, Mangia, on South Grand was nearly an hour. On our way there we talked about almost everything: politics, religion, literacy, education- it was great! We arrived at the restaurant in time for half price appetizers (hooray!) and ordered duck potstickers (delicious!) and tomato bruschetta (yum!).

During dinner, our conversation continued over delicious food. At one point, Lauren asked each of us what our favorite book was that we read in the past year. Woah! One of my favorite authors asked me what I was reading? Cool! All of the books shared around the table were interesting, and I wish that I would have written them down. The rest of the dinner went well: delicious food, a bit of laughter, and more great conversation.

Looking back on the whole experience, I am so grateful for how it went. I've heard of people meeting authors and being disappointed, but Lauren was no disappointment! Meeting a woman with a powerful voice, an accomplished career as a writer and academic, and thoughtful Christian was an inspiration. I must admit that I wasn't very talkative during my dinner with Winner, but that was because I had so many interesting things to listen to and learn about from her and my colleagues from the college. This adventure may be my favorite one from this semester.

What a wonderful opportunity! Have you ever met an author? Or, if you could- who would it be?

Thanks for reading!

As of Lately. . .

Hello Readers!

My dusty car hit 100,000 miles! Crazy!

This is perhaps the start of the craziest part of each semester for students and educators. Last May, I experienced that craziness in both roles- and I am thankful to only be a educator this time around! But even this time around is still a bit hectic.

A lot has happened since my last post. Would you like to know what some of those things have been?

OK. . . bend my arm!

1) I went to a Jars of Clay concert with friends

2) I met with a former professor (one of my favorites!) and a former student (one of my favorites!) to catch up on life

3) I went to my first professional baseball game

4) I met one of my favorite authors

5) Helped plan and throw a surprise birthday for a friend

6) I applied to a bazillion or so jobs

Whew!

Now you know that I am still alive! No worries folks, no worries! Hopefully you will hear more from me this weekend. . .

Have a very wonderful night!

Windy City Rendevous- Bethany's Bridal Shower

Hello Readers,


I took a hiatus from blogging (as you may have noticed) and this afternoon I was browsing through posts that I never published- either because of lost inspiration or timing. I stumbled across this post, that I meant to publish right before my hiatus, but never did!

So. . . without further adieu, here are the belated details of my visit to Chicago a few weeks ago!

Last Saturday A few Saturdays ago, was one of the best days of the year. I woke up early and drove 2.5 hours from my parents' house to a bridal shower in Chicago for my friend Bethany (the Bethany from my last post). This was followed by a trip to Woodfield Mall, dinner with my cousin and her husband at Potbelly's, and even a brief stop at Jamba Juice for the drive home.

I didn't take any pictures of the mall trip, Potbelly's, or Jamba Huice- so I will focus on the bridal shower for this post because it is the reason for my Windy City visit and because I took somewhere around 200 photos of this event. (But don't worry... I won't share all 200 with you). Here are a few of the highlights:

Me, Bethany, and Charlotte (SLU Grad School friends!)

Katherine, Bethany, and Meghan (Bethany's friends from high school)

And so begins the present-opening!

The hostess had such beautiful windows!

Hands

Hooray!

The bride and groom to be!

The groom-to-be