Favorites on Friday: Trashin the Camp

Favorites on Friday

This week has flown by.. I had a busy work week in Salt Lake City and flew back into KC late last night. It will be a pretty chill day at the office, followed by a team social! I haven't gotten a chance to get to know many people on my team since I am always gone - so I think this will be extra fun! Anyway, here are a couple of things that made my week a little happier.. :)

~Tarzan Soundtrack~

Don't worry. It's on Spotify.

-My new workday afternoon boost - the Tarzan soundtrack. My roommate reminded me of this fun spirited soundtrack last weekend. We were jamming to, arguably, Phil Collin's best work. Since then, I have played the album a couple of times throughout the workday as an afternoon pick-me-up. Just listen to Trashin the Camp and tell me it doesn't make you want to get up and do a little dance! 

~Any Occasion Wallets~

-A wallet meant ready for anything. I am obsessed with wallets that are big enough to carry the essentials, but small enough to fit in almost any purse. And with the wristlet, it can double as a cute little clutch for a night on the town.

~Breakfast of Champions~

-Delicious hotel breakfasts make being away from home a little easier. With all the travel, I am finally seeing some perks.. and that means a tasty omelet and great cup of coffee to start the day! Can't complain about that.

What's new with you this week? Any fun soundtrack suggestions? Comment below!

And for past Favorites on Fridays posts, click here!

PTT: Credit Card Chaos

Professional Tip Tuesday
Well folks, I have an update on the credit card conundrum. As I told you a few weeks ago, I am trying to take advantage of all of this travel and rack up on the rewards points.

Photo Credit: Petr Kratochvil, via Wikimedia Commons

So as I was trying to weigh the pros and cons of adding yet another credit card to my wallet..
2 major credit card questions had me worried.
     1. Is it ok to close old credit cards?
     2. How many credit cards is too many?

It is not easy to find straight answers to credit card questions. Everyone has an opinion, and Google searched are overwhelming. But I finally hit the jackpot. Have you heard of www.mint.com? It's a free website that helps you keep tabs on your finances. They also have a great blog with lots of articles that cover all sorts of topics!

So here's what I found out... 

1. Is it ok to close old credit cards? 
• Yes. According to the article 6 Credit Myths That Refuse to Die, "Not only do closed credit cards still factor in the age related metrics of your credit scores, but they even continue to age after they’ve been closed."
2. How many credit cards is too many?
• Personal preference. It doesn't matter as long as you keep a low balance on all of them. The article How Many Credit Cards Should You Have? pointed out that it might be good to diversify with different kinds of cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc).

Those articles helped me to better understand the ins and outs of credit cards. I applied for my second rewards credit card. But just to be safe - I am only using it for my business trips, and paying it off in full every month. What credit card tips do you have? Comment below! 

Favorites on Friday: Home Sweet Home

Favorites on Friday

I am one happy girl - it has been a great week of quality time with people that I love. As to be expected, the crew had the best weekend in Iowa City with lots of shenanigans. And this week has been just as fun: I got in a few date nights with my boyfriend, got together with friends, and just enjoyed the amenities of being at home!

~No place like Kansas [City]~

How great is this picture of KCMO from Wikimedia?

-There was nothing better than being home sweet home for a week. You know that really great feeling of knowing your way around town, getting back into a routine, and the joy homemade food after a long trip? AH. It's just the best. I am happy to be back.

~Magic Bullet Smoothies~

My breakfast this week has been a fruit, spinach, oat smoothie. So filling and delicious!

-I think I almost missed my Magic Bullet as much as I missed home. I would say I have a side job as an unpaid Magic Bullet spokeswoman. Honestly I just don't think I could live without it at this point. Since it's not all that practical to take it with me on my travels, I have been taking advantage this week with lots of coffee frappuccinos, fruit smoothies, and banana peanut butter shakes. YUM.

~Divergent at the Alamo~

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
Well, except for during all the fighting scenes.. then I covered my eyes and curled up in my seat.

-A movie premiere at my favorite movie theater with my roomie. Rarely do I finish a book, and the movie comes out the following week.. luckily I was late to jump on the Divergent bandwagon! It was so much fun to see the film adaptation of everything I had imagined. The movie was fantastic. Also, I am the biggest fan of the dine-in movie theater here in town - The Alamo Drafthouse is the best. It's a great atmosphere, tickets are reasonable, and they are always doing fun specialty showing of old movies. If there's one in your city, check it out!

~Spring Break 2013~

Oh, Cozumel. Take me back.

- Last year at this time, I was soaking up the sun with my favorite ladies. I have been daydreaming about the warm weather and blue waters all week long. I wish we could be back on our cruise ship this year - but at least we have lots of fun pictures and great memories to remember an incredible trip!

So how was your week? Any smoothie recipes I can try in my beloved Magic Bullet? Did you do anything fun for the start of March Madness tournaments? Notice how I didn't bring up Iowa's heartbreaking loss.. Comment below!

And for past Favorites on Fridays posts, click here! 

PTT: What's in a name?

Professional Tip Tuesday
I am terrible at remembering names. I think everyone feels this way. Except for the lucky ones that have a special knack of always nailing it.. How do they do it?

It has to be one of the worst feelings: minutes after being introduced and blanking on a person's name.

Here's how it usually goes: 1) Meet someone new, 2) Introduce yourselves, 3) Focus on making a good impression 4) Say Hi! It's so nice to meet you! 5) Totally forget what their name was 30 seconds later.

Especially when meeting a new business associate, it's one of those things that can make a huge difference in your relationship. Think about it. When you do something for some one.. which goes further: "Thank you" or "Thank you, Anna"

I know which one would make me feel more special and like that person is truly recognizing me (not just the monotonous task I just did).

The best of the best.
After doing some research, I found two Forbes articles that give a few tips and tricks that I am excited to try:
- The Five Best Tricks to Remember Names
- Tired of Forgetting Names? Try These Tricks

But even with these tricks.. sometimes I set myself up for failure. I get so caught up on making a good impression (showing a big smile, seeming genuine, perfecting the handshake, etc.) that I forget to even THINK about these kinds of tricks before meeting someone new.

• So give yourself a chance. I actually put a reminder on my calendar before an upcoming meeting. I know I will be meeting lots of new people and I want to be consciously thinking about remembering names.

And if all else fails.. it's not the end of the world. So you forgot their name? Life will go on. Number 3 on the second Forbes article includes how to "Recover When Memory Slips".

What do you think? How do you remember names when meeting new people? Comment below!

Favorites on Friday: A few of my favorite things

Welcome to the very first "Favorites on Fridays". 

I wanted a second reason to post throughout the week, and this seemed like the perfect way to do it! I was inspired by "Things I'm Loving Fridays" on the always adorable blog, PBFingers.

What is Favorites on Friday? Every Friday, you will see a short-and-sweet post featuring a few 'favorites' from the past week. It could be anything that made me smile recently. 

This was also partially inspired by 100 Happy Days - something a friend sent my way. It's a bright, and cheery challenge, and a great way to celebrate everyday! If you are interested, read up on the challenge. I haven't fully committed to blowing up my social media news feed with a picture a day yet, but I do love the idea of reflecting on what makes you happy :)

So here it goes - what better way to kick off my weekly favorites than with..

~My Favorite People~

I cannot wait to hug each and every one of these people.

-In just a few hours I will be reunited with the crew. Of course my friends would make it to the top of the list every week.. but I have an extra reason to be grateful today. I couldn't be more excited to see some of the best people I know tonight. Here's to a good weekend!

~Double Tree cookies~

-I just couldn't get enough of these delicious treats. The Double Tree hotel offers a warm-nut chocolate-chip cookie every day to their guests. I have a sweet tooth and these cookies hit the spot! Luckily I made a promise to Britt that I would bring a few back for him - otherwise I wouldn't have been able to resist eating at least one a day.

~Divergent on iBook~

-Divergent is tough to put down and keeps you flipping the virtual pages. Also this is the first book I have downloaded on my iPad and I will definitely be downloading the next book of the series soon! Especially when I am traveling, a bulky book is one less thing I have to throw in my bag now that I have caught onto iBook.

So as Maria sings, "those are a few of my favorite things," well for the week anyway! What has been making you happy this week? Have you been hooked to Divergent like I have? Or ever tried the irresistible Double Tree cookies? Comment below!

PTT: Conquer the Tuesday Blues

Professional Tip Tuesday
Who likes Tuesdays anyway? I'd say they are the worst day of the work week. Monday usually isn't as bad as I think it will be. Wednesday is HUMP DAaaaY. Thursday is Friday Eve. And Friday is FRIDAY, finally!

But what do Tuesdays have going for them? ...Other than Professional Tip Tuesdays of course! :)

By Tuesday, the work week is in full swing. And Friday is too far away to be hopeful yet. If there was a study done, I bet most 'bad days' fall on Tuesdays.

I was having one of those days today. Everything was just a little harder than it should have been.

Well, lucky me.. I found an article today on HuffPost Women that can help ya beat any 'down' day. "What To Do When You're Feeling Defeated" offers 6 great ideas for putting things in perspective.

So for this week's Professional Tip Tuesday, I will summarize a few - but click the link above to check it out for yourself!

1. Make a list! 
- Do you ever feel overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings on those 'off days'? I do! It makes it really hard to get back on track and be productive. 

• Write down everything that is bothering you. Ed Catmull says getting it all out will allow you to see that a long list of 'problems' can be combined into a couple big things.
• I totally believe in this one. Writing down what's on your mind helps to put things in perspective. Sometimes our brains go a little wild, and can turn a little problem into a daunting irrational fear.

2. Pick a productive hobby. 

- Do you ever lay in bed at night and think, What did I even do today? Especially in this technological world, it's easy to zone out on Pinterest and watch Netflix all day long.

• Find something that you enjoy and allows you to see results. At the end of the day, you will have something tangible that YOU did.
• I picked up knitting this year. It seemed like the perfect, after-work relaxation technique and I couldn't figure out why it was that great. Now I know, after a night of knitting - I can see progress. I feel like I accomplished something in the day

3. But wouldn't (little) you be proud? 

- So it's been a bad day. But that doesn't change all of my other accomplishments and good fortune- big and small!

• I love this one. The author asks, "What would 6-year-old you think?" 6-year-old me would be pumped! I am doing juuust fine. Good friends, lots of adventures, and I could have pancakes every Sunday morning if I wanted! 
• Even though, the author's comment about being able to get a puppy whenever I want is a sore subject... iiii wish. Someday, 6-year-old-self.

I'll let you read the article for the rest of the goods! But I thought those were some fun tips worth sharing. How do you get over your Tuesday Blues? Comment below!

And here's to a Happy HUUUMP DAAaaaY! 

Weekend Adventures in Utah!

I finally took advantage of this back-to-back travel and had a little fun. This past weekend I stayed in Salt Lake City to do touristy things. The first stop in our adventure? Solitude Ski Resort.

See where the snow just seems to drop off? That's a considered a 'green' run. And I went down it.

While I have skied probably five times in my life, the hills in Iowa don't really compare to the intimidating mountains out west. But I survived Saturday's ski trip, and didn't even fall once!!

Do we look like pros?

On Sunday, a few brave souls went back for more. But some of my friends and I thought one day was enough. We went and explored Park City - such a cool town! We walked around a bit and grabbed a quick lunch at No Name Saloon. There are a lot of fun shops and I can't wait to go back!  

Beautiful Park City!

On the way back, our little crew made a stop at the "Utah Olympic Legacy," the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was interesting and we had some fun with the photo ops in the museum! 

  

A future Olympic bobsled team, right there!

So we made the most of the weekend and had a great time! But after 3-straight weeks of traveling, I am counting down.. 4 more days until I get to go home for a little while. I am hoping my roommate and boyfriend haven't forgotten who I am! :)

PTT: Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend!

Professional Tip Tuesday
Everybody's workin' for the weekend! Okay, hopefully not everybody. I was though. I had to work 12 hour night shifts Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles. It wasn't so bad. I literally didn't think I was going to make it. I haven't pulled an all-nighter in a while. But I survived.

You will never guess what happened on my way.. Since there were some crazy rain storms happening in Cali this past week, my 8AM connecting flight from Oakland to LA was canceled. Along with almost all of the morning flights.

View of San Francisco right before I landed for my 12 hour day at the Oakland airport. 

The Southwest agents got me on an afternoon flight. I spent the day working from the terminal. As boarding approached, I heard a very important announcement: "Ladies and Gentleman, we have oversold the flight and are looking for a volunteer to take a later flight."

That was my cue. I ran up to the service desk as quickly as I could. Why? 1. I was already going to miss the meetings that day. 2. I knew that Southwest compensates very well for those 'volunteers'.

The perfect weather for sleeping after a long 6PM-6AM shift.

I don't get lucky very often, but when I was the first person up at the ticket counter - I felt like I won the lottery! So I made it to rainy-Los Angeles a little later than expected.. BUT I got a $300 voucher + the cost of my first flight.. a little over $500 for a future Southwest ticket. Woohoo! :)

So ideally, no one really wants to work over the weekend. But sometimes it's inevitable. My good fortune reminded me there are always positives to undesirable situations!


So today's Professional Tip Tuesday - Lessons learned from a working weekend.

1. Have time on your side.
- Even if it doesn't end in a nice voucher, travel is made a lot less stressful when you have plenty of time to spare. My situation wasn't so bad thanks to a flexible schedule!

2. Take a number. 
- Put the important contact info in your phone just in case your travel plans go awry. This makes it much easier to coordinate schedules.

3. Bond with coworkers. 
- A weekend work trip is a great way to get to know your colleagues. Learn more about what they do in the company. It is a good learning opportunity and helps the time pass quickly!

4. Be thankful. 
- Thank the clients, coworkers, and whoever else you interact with during your trip. Not only is it a nice gesture, but you never know when those contacts come in handy!

5. Ask for a comp day.
- Most importantly, I am all about work-life balance! I traveled back-to-back from one client to another and will be gone for 3 weeks. It won't hurt to ask for a little time to relax :)

How do you make the most of a working weekend? Comment below!