Cutest Kid!

It's true that I may be somewhat biased, but I am on the record saying that Gabriel Beamon is the cutest kid in the world. Bold statement, I know, but this kid has more than just his good looks going for him. Not only is this  brown-eyed, toe head the most adorable piece of life, he also is turning out to be one cool cat. I guess it doesn't hurt that he has two wonderful parents and a handful of loved ones guiding him along.

Gabriel turned 2 years old in August and each new day is an adventure. He recently started talking a lot-- the words that he can say well--mom, dad, nice, mean, ok, no, pa pa, house, stop, purple, and a few more. Yes, his favorite color is currently purple. It may have taken him a little longer to get in the talking  habit (as he mostly just "signed" for what he wanted or needed) but he is a talking machine now. Since he is 2 and a big boy now, he is working on potty training. And I assume teaching a kid to use the potty is no easy task. His parents have introduced his big boy potty to him, but he is not necessarily interested in its uses just yet.

Some of Gabriel's favorite things are: Toy Story, trains, his "babies" (which are a couple of special blankets that he has everywhere with him), oreos, apple juice, kitties, playing outside, walks/adventures with his mom and dad, feeding the ducks at the park, Elmo, and Dora the Explorer. He loves to visit the mountains of North Carolina and hang out at Pa Pa's house. He is very curious and likes to explore everything. And he is too smart for his own good. The Mr. Repeat title suits him well, because if he sees you doing something, even just once, he'll remember it and repeat it.

He's already growing into such a little man. Here are some pictures as proof of how awesome this kid is!

The Job Hunt

Ah, the dreaded job hunt. I have watched so many friends either recently graduated or on the verge of graduation going through the process. Some it seem (like me) are ready to pull their hair out-- so stressed about finding a job that it is virtually all they think about. Desperately pulling any and all contacts they have made in hopes that someone might have an opportunity available. And some are very lucky-- they already have a job lined up, or at the very least, they know exactly what it is that they want to do.
So for those of you that are like me, and the job hunt process feels like and actual hunting experience, searching high and low and near and far for that elusive position that will be the start of the next phase of your life, here are a few hunting guidelines and tools.


The Job Hunt:
1. Perfecting your--
A. Cover Letter-The heading of the cover letter should include: date, name of person you are contacting, name of the company, and address of the company. The body of your cover letter should include: the position you are applying for (and where/how you heard about it), at least one fact about the company paired with a strength of yours that will be beneficial to the company, and what you are wanting to accomplish with your application (whether it be to come in for an interview, contact them later to further discuss the opportunity, etc). 
B. Résumé- The very top of your résumé should include your information: name in all caps and slightly larger font than everything else with all of your contact information. Next you should have: your objective, education information, experience, strengths, and activities. Make sure it is all formatted on one page and all spacing is clean  and polished. 
Edit, edit, edit! You do not want to submit anything to a potential employer with any silly spelling or grammar mistakes, so have someone else look it over for you.
2. Building your contacts-- if 80% of job hires are from networking, get your bootys out there and network. And if you meet someone that isn't necessarily in your desired job department, take their information anyways! You never know who they might know. Your connections are a great, solid start, so refine those social skills and work that charm!
3. Recent and Soon-to-be graduates-- check with your school's career services. They are a great source of information on job-related things from interview tips and etiquette to job listings. The people working in these departments are there to serve you, so take advantage of that and let them help you. 
4.  Get yourself out there--now that you have your cover letter and résumé ready to go, it's time to start sending it out. There's no limit to how many places you can send it out to, so send it everywhere (places that are appropriate for you and your desired profession). The more places that receive your letter equals more places that may hire you.
5. Be persistent-- you can't necessarily expect to get hired immediately or after only contacting the desired firm once. You must remain persistent and show them that you are motivated and determined. Prime example: a friend of mine graduated in May and just recently got hired as an RN at the local hospital. She applied there a couple months ago, but unfortunately, all positions had been filled. She called back every couple of weeks during those two months to check and see if there were any openings, etc. and then not too long ago, she called and there was an opening. She set up an interview and after being hired, the HR person informed her that they had basically already decided she would be the new hire because of persistence. 
6. Be prepared for you interview-- have background knowledge of the company you are interviewing with. Have practice interviews to prepare yourself to be able to best answer the questions in the time of the real interview. And it is very important to come prepared with questions of your own; you are in a sense interviewing them too. 
7. The follow-up-- it is important to send a follow-up letter of "thanks" after your interview. Thank them for taking the time to meet with you. This goes back to building relationships and contacts. Even if you don't get that particular position, another one may open up. It is important to follow-up with the company. 

Long Distance

So... you finally meet a guy who actually might be worth your time. A guy who embodies all of the qualities that you find important: intelligence, a great sense of humor, a man that is honest, fun and outgoing, caring and considerate, passionate and determined, and who makes you feel like the princess you are. A guy who puts all of the men that were before him to shame. One of those special guys that doubles as your knight-in-shining-armor and your best friend.

 Everything is bliss, but then BAM! The gods of the economy and unemployment force this guy to pack up and move elsewhere in search of a job, and his future.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about long distance relationships and if/how they work. Which has led me to think, "how does everyone else do it?". I mean, what are the odds that you meet that special someone and then are both able to find jobs/careers in the same area. Does having a significant other mean that one will always be sacrificing something, like where they live, for the other? It seems like the ideal situation would be to move somewhere, find a good job, and THEN meet that special someone-- who already happens to live in that same city and already has a job. 

I believe that my situation would be less complicated and maybe even easier to deal with if this guy and I had more time together before life intervened. Now we're about six months deep and 600 miles apart. And trying a long distance relationship this early into the relationship seems a little overwhelming; adding more stress to an already stressful world. 

Currently, my thoughts on the situation are this: I can only live one day at a time, that's all I can handle. Both the boyfriend and I are not ready for "us" to be no more, so we are taking this one day at a time. I graduate in December, so we know that we will be living away from each other at least until then. And when December comes? Who knows. We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it.