So, obviously I haven’t written in a while...I feel the need to
explain. I need to explain to the people who are looking for updates and not
receiving them and I need to explain to myself. It’s taken me a while to even
realize how much I have slacked on this personal writing project. The easy to
understand explanation is that my blog was made mostly to document my
AmeriCorps experience. AmeriCorps has been done for nearly 5 months already…so
maybe that is why the posts have stopped. But I know all too well that that’s
hardly a reason at all. I haven’t been writing…because I haven’t been that
happy. This adventure of moving to Denver was supposed to turn out a lot
differently than it has…and I think I’m just taking a bit longer than usual to
adjust to this kink in my plans.
Don’t get me wrong—wonderful things are happening in Denver.
Plenty of things, in fact, that would excite you, make you proud and perhaps
even make you desire to pack up your life without a plan and become as
successful as I have. Seriously, that is how good things are going. Textbook
Shannon is rockin’ and rollin’. It’s everything underneath the surface, the
emotions wrapped up in all the twists and turns, the version of me that writes this blog that isn’t glowing with
success.
“When life gives you lemons, don’t forget the sweet stuff”
is the cheesy little tagline I have on The Simple Serendipities banner. I know
it seems faulty to only write to all of you about the “sweet stuff” but really,
my blog is riddled with sour, I’m just always able to overcome it and write
about what I’ve learned and why all the ugly stuff was worth it. I'm not totally clear on why all this is "worth it" yet.
Quickly, I’ll explain my process of writing these monthly
posts:
I have a daily journal which I try (and lately
have failed) to write in about the big things that happened that day.
At the end of the month, I go through all the
days of the month and I highlight the events that still stick out to me as most
important.
I try to put all these highlights into pretty
little categories (ie. AmeriCorps, Visiting Home for Christmas, etc).
And then I write that month’s post.
Two BIG, IMPORTANT steps have been frequently missing from
my process. Number 1, because I’m so busy and don’t take the time to actually
write about my days. And Number 2, because sometimes there are gaps in my
journal I feel discouraged by…and sometimes because there is not-so-happy stuff
that I immediately re-live when I read about it. I don’t want to have to make
up my days…nor do I want to thrust myself back into the heat of the moment of
them (considering their nature lately).
I feel, now, by telling you – the abyss of the internet and
the few readers who still may be interested in this poorly orchestrated blog—I will
become a bit more accountable for sucking it up and doing what I say I’m going
to do. I need to forget for 5 seconds that this blog isn’t a chore, it’s a goal
I implemented to help me remain positive…and to remain a writer even after all
the college essays and poems were no longer required. Yes, this blog is meant
to update you…because Lord knows we
probably don’t live in the same place anymore with all of my mobility the past
year and a half…but mostly, this blog is for me. I love words. I love writing, thinking, reflecting, and being
positive. So why not give myself the gift of this project? It always does me
more good than harm. Perhaps it does the same for you.
I hope to crank out my August highlights (eek, that was a
long time ago) within the next 7 days. Feel free to harass me if I don’t follow
through.
I'm angry. I don't ever get angry. But I've been angry more in this stupid month of September than I have any other time in my life. It's even worse than AmeriCorps frustrations...believe it or not.
It is the first day of Fall. I should be frolicking in a pumpkin patch...but instead I'm still showing the house to potential roommates. I should be getting paid for this...but instead I'm going to have to pay more rent to make the final empty room more desirable.
I'm miserable and frustrated and have been totally screwed over.
Today was extra strange for a span of about 5 minutes.
The five minutes all started when...
I went to the staff bathroom at North High School after Drop-In hours ended at Mi Casa. As I was in the bathroom for what didn't seem like that much time, the lights went out on me. Shockingly enough, my first emotions wasn't fear... My first emotion was embarrassment. What if someone had walked into the bathroom right then to find some weirdo going potty in the dark!? (Yes, I am 23. And yes, I did say "going potty"). I was and could have been that weirdo.
As soon as the lights went out, I naturally started flailing my arms and legs around wildly. But no, that didn't work. It took me exiting the stall and walking all the way over to the entrance in order to turn the lights back on. Who only puts a light sensor at the entrance to a bathroom?? There's absolutely no way that I am the only person who has ever had this experience...(I hope).
So that was weird, right?
Well it gets weirder.
As I'm walking to my car just having this traumatizing pitch black restroom experience, this group of girls start yelling at me to get my attention. They kept hollering "Girl! Girl with the backpack! Girl with the boots! Lady with the pony tail! Lady! Girl with the turquoise backpack!" and other vague poor-attention-grabbing identifiers. I realized as I was walking away that they are likely some of my students I have in my drop-in program. I started to feel bad for ignoring them...but then I realized THEY DON'T KNOW MY NAME YET! Rude.
Life wouldn't be life if there weren't a few bumps in the road.
And here's my bump:
My adventure partner/boyfriend/best friend is moving back to Long Island, NY to take care of his family. It is decisions like these that make me so grateful to have such a selfless and loving person in my life. But it is also these decisions that test my patience, support, and love. I have been struggling to keep on a happy face with the stresses of searching for new roommates, purchasing home supplies, coming down with a cold, three jobs, and figuring out how to participate in a (successful) long distance relationship.
It has been about 8 days since I received this news and so far, here's what I got: Sometimes I get really sad, I'm not looking forward to cooking for myself or running errands alone, and I am significantly more susceptible to tears during somewhat emotional parts of TV shows. Mostly, though, I'm grateful. I have three wonderful jobs I can focus on, a handful of friends to reconnect with in Colorado, and a really awesome place to go visit now...
When I started my AmeriCorps year, I was told to "expect the unexpected" and to always be "FEMA Flexible". I thought that because I was more in control of my life this year that these cheesy phrases would not be as applicable...clearly the universe is now having a nice little laugh...
ANYWAY, this is going to be another fun new adventure, not exactly what I had planned, but when is it ever? Until the next bump, I'll be riding this one :)
I just got the call about the After School Facilitator as I was walking to work today. I did a few fist pumps in the air as I was on the phone and I was giddy my entire shift. I felt like dancin'.
Thank you again to everyone that helped brainstorm the idea and contributed to my Video of Recommendation. It may just be pure chance, but I got the first job I applied for using that video. In the off chance that it helped, I recommend you try it too :) If nothing else, it's kind of fun to reconnect with old friends :)
Sometimes, written word just isn't quite enough to seal the deal for a first interview.
A few days ago, I contacted a LOT of people (some of you!) that I know from my various college extra curricular activities and past work experiences. I asked everyone to follow this simple prompt:
Tell my future boss why they should hire me.
The results were awesome, heart-warming, inspirational, and forever appreciated. Here is what I turned all those responses into:
I have an interview with the first company that I submitted this "Video of Recommendation" to on Friday. I am beyond ecstatic.
Thank you Claire, Ethan, Jess S., Jessica, Kylie, and Sam for contributing your kind words and helping make this interview HAPPEN!! :)
If this job doesn't work out, though I'm REALLY hoping it does, please feel free to contribute to my little (and ridiculously meaningful) project. Feel free to email any "videos of recommendation" to me at shannon.conmy@gmail.com. Thank you all for your unending support.
Disclaimer: A lot of this information is
repeated, though in more general terms, but definitely still repeated. Nearly
every day of the beginning of July, as most of you know, I updated the whole
web-universe about my trek, smiles, and troubles of moving to Colorado.
Another disclaimer: I usually write in my
journal every single day…but I have two and a half days of empty pages…which is
really depressing. It’s the first time this has ever happened. I guess that
just proves how pooped I was at the end of every day…I guess…
4th of July
The 4th of July this year was
about the best it could possibly be. I ran the 20th annual Lake
Forest Firecracker 5k with my dad and brother, beat my fastest 5k time by over
a minute, saw a bunch of high school friends after my race, AND met a couple of
Doug’s closest friends from Long Island who now live in (or happened to be
visiting) New Port Beach, CA. We watched some of the World Cup game, consumed
mimosas, and played soccer, football, and Frisbee on a huge field all day. It
was the most exhausting and entertaining day.
World Cup Soccer
Since Doug flew into San Diego on the day of
the US vs. Germany game (July 1st), I made a whole day out of it. I
went down to SD again and bugged (my forever #plusone) Emma. Emma, her
roommates, and I all headed to the Pacific Beach Bar and Grill to watch the
heartbreaking yet very exciting US vs. Germany game. For those of you who
didn’t watch this game...essentially USA was on the verge of losing 2-0 (which
was more or less expected) when all of a sudden we got a goal. Time, of course,
ran out…but that glimmer of hope…that chance they could tie it up and go into
extra time nearly had my heart jumping out of my chest. Great game.
Emma and me in America gear after the USA vs. Germany game.
One of my and Doug’s first days in Denver, we
made (what we now consider) a huge mistake in taking a break from productivity
to watch the Germany vs. Brazil game. A game that ends in 7-1 is NOT a fun game
to watch…especially when you’re rooting for the underdog, the way way WAY
underdog in this instance…
For the final Germany vs. Argentina game,
Doug and I bolted over to Tennyson’s Tap, the dive bar on the corner,
immediately after throwing all of our belongings into our newly rented house.
Because I apparently struggle with translating time zones, Doug and I showed up
to the bar an entire hour before the game even started (oopsies). Lucky for us,
the two owners were there and were happily welcoming us to the neighborhood
with Irish coffees, local beer and whiskey tasters, and a mouthful of their
“Green Fairy”—their new Absinth drink. We chose (wrong again) to root for the
underdog. The game was impeccable though…and it’s hard to be upset with such a
gorgeous German goal that close to the end. Watching the game in Tennyson’s Tap
was certainly my best decision since moving here.
The Long Drive to Colorado…
…was gorgeous and intermittently terrifying.
The first day of the trek, we were in the middle of a summer storm for about 4
of the 12 driving hours. But when it cleared up, man oh man, everything was
breath-taking. Below are some pictures from the drive out. I’ll spare the small
details of the trip since they can be seen in earlier posts, but if you haven’t
read them yet, there were a few funny stories to be told.
The storm we couldn't avoid driving into...
The unavoidable storm, mid-experience.
The gorgeous sunset in Grand Junction, CO.
A big ol' rock.
View from San Rafael Swell in Utah.
Doug and I at another view point in Colorado
View point panorama.
Let the Interviews Begin
Back in May when Doug, Alex, and I more
legitimately decided to make Denver a reality, I began applying for “marketing
jobs” here. I heard back from nearly all of them (exciting!) but of course
wasn’t able to set up their in-person only interviews until I arrived in the
area. I reconnected with all of the companies and 4/5 of them were still hiring
and offered to give me an interview. I finally had the chance to put on my
fancy pants (in this case—a professional dress) and practice my interview
skills. As many of you may have remembered from the post, Today’s Epiphany,
these interviews really did only serve the purpose of practice. The three
companies I interviewed with before my little epiphany all advanced me to the
second of their three round interview process (which I proceeded to cancel because
I knew I’d be wasting their time)…and the fourth company was the company that
(I feel) I totally embarrassed myself at. Luckily, though, if it weren’t for
that last interview and the advice that came along with it, I would probably
still be jobless, bored, spending too much money on coffee, and sending in a
dozen resumes a day. When I told the interviewer what I wanted (after I
apologized for wasting both of our time), he told me to get a job in the
service industry, network with the customers, volunteer, and THEN see if you
can get an in in the nonprofit world. So far, the first three are a part of my
life…let’s hope the last comes true soon, too!
A (double) rainbow on one of the many Denver to Fort Collins commutes.
Here’s a cool story. Two days after my
epiphany and awkward interview, I decided to play to my strengths. As some of
you know, I was the marketing intern at the relatively new coffee shop in my
college town, San Luis Obispo, called Coastal Peaks Coffee. I had the pleasure
of working with Dean Mignola of Mignola Marketing and soaked up tons of small
coffee business marketing knowledge. With this knowledge, I found a local
coffee shop that I thought would benefit most from some social media marketing.
I studied the business all day, made a marketing plan, a chart showing their
weaknesses in the online community, and called it a day. The next day, I walked
in there with my resume and marketing plan in hand. I told them where the holes
were, what I could do to fix them, and proceeded to have an impromptu interview
to be a barista as well. I got a call later that day welcoming me to the
Downpours Coffee family and a promise that the marketing stuff will be
implemented in the near future. Boo-yah. I’ve been there almost three weeks
now…and it rocks.
Doug’s Birthday Dinner
Doug’s lovely mother asked where we were going
for Doug’s birthday, called ahead, and took care of the bill in advance. It was
very sweet. We ended up at a place called Enzio’s, an Italian restaurant in
Fort Collins, CO, that also had gluten-free options (happy day!). We ate
delicious food, split a bottle of wine, and I ordered a gluten-free chocolate
torte for dessert. I thought I died and went to heaven. The three of us sat
there for nearly 3 hours talking about who knows what, laughing, and getting
excited for moving into our home for the next year the very next day! I love
those boys. I definitely chose some winners.
The “New” House
Our house was a fixer-upper for the landlord
and we are the first people to rent at this location since its series of
renovations. This means that the dust and crud of the contractors from the
previous 3 months had been piling up. We made a deal with our landlord that we
would clean the entire house for money off next month’s rent. This might have
been a good deal? But maybe not. All I know is that each of us spent about 6
hours a piece (at least) vacuuming the carpets and blinds, sweeping out
cupboards, dusting the floorboards, wiping down the walls, and windex-ing every
single surface…just to get the first layer of dust off.
My parents drove out to Denver only one week
after we moved into our house! They brought two beds, two dressers, two
bookshelves, a couch, coffee table, kitchen table, chairs, and a desk. They
furnished our entire home with just one U-Haul truck and they had a chance to
see where I get to spend the next 12 months of my life :)
The Gluten Escape Bakery
One of my first days in Denver, I emailed a
few 100% gluten-free business owners. I think I mentioned a few months back in
this post – [post here] – I would love to have my own gluten free bakery. Only
one business owner, Kathy from The Gluten Escape Bakery in Denver, got back to
me. I had the chance to sit down with this woman for an hour and just picked
her brain about everything. How long did it take to create the business? How
much time does she spend at the bakery? How many food allergies does she attend
to? What type of gluten free flours does she use? Etc etc etc. It was awesome.
It also is causing me to re-think my gluten-free bakery plan a bit…
The Simple Serendipities
This month more than other months, lots of
awesome stuff happened. This post is already long and I’m still leaving out a
bunch of cool stuff. Here are just a few of the incredible small details.
Oatmeal. The first night Alex, Doug, and I
were all in our house together, we laid on the floor looking up adorable videos
of teacup pigs. We decided if we get one, we will name him Oatmeal. Daww.
Voice Lessons with Shannon. I made business
cards, a Facebook page, and advertised a bit on Denver Craigslist for giving
voice lessons. I heard from someone but it turned into nothing…but the last day
of July I got a phone call from a voice lesson company for an interview. Check
out www.facebook.com/voicelessonsbyshannonto see how that turned out…
Family Dinner. I made a delicious is gluten
free margarita pizza on the night of July 21, 2014. This was the first night
Doug, Alex, and I sat at our kitchen table at the same time and shared a meal.
It made me really happy :)
Mini Prank War. Doug smashed a Nutella
covered pancake on my face the night we made breakfast for dinner. Don’t worry;
I retaliated the very next morning. Since I had work at 7am that day and Doug
didn’t until the afternoon, I put a little bit of peanut butter on the only
inside door handle of his room. As I was walking home from work that day, I
received this text message: “You little punk…” The way he tells it, when he
woke up and opened his door, he was so disgusted he pulled his hand off without
opening it…which means he had to grip the peanut butter smeared handle twice
before even escaping his room. We called
a truce immediately—I so won.
New Friends. I have a super awesome co-worker
that took me around our little neighborhood on foot the other day. By the end
of the night, her husband, Doug, and Alex met up with us at Berkeley Untapped
and then Hops and Pie. What a wonderful evening.
Maxwell Falls Hike. Doug and I went on a
beautiful hike. It ALMOST rained on us…but somehow we got lucky and it didn’t.
Look how beautiful! :) Oh, and we made a new blog called Tour de Plank. Go us.
Team Leaders in Denver. Erin and Hazel passed
through Denver on their drive out to Milwaukee. Boy, are we in a good spot for
people to visit on road trips! Ah, it was so incredible to have company :)
