BFFs in Boston

Alright...Q&A time. Are you ready? I'm ready. It's a gorgeous day here in Boston and the good feelings are gushing out of every pore.

First up, a bunch of questions from Amy at That Fresh Feeling...

What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Definitely hanging out with Nathan or baking of some sort. I also knit and I claim to sew although I haven't done much of the latter in a few years. I also really love Farmer's Markets with fierce passion and exploring new cities (when it isn't cold out!).

What is one item that you have that you cannot live without?

Let's see...my electric toothbrush? I love it so much. It makes my teeth always feel like I just came back from the dentist. Oh, and my straightener and my Vineyard Vines lazy pants. So, um, I bombed that one thing business. Let's stick with the toothbrush. I really want a fancy rechargeable one, but for now my rinky dink grocery store one will have to do.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?

Hmm...one thing again. You're bleeding me, Amy. I'm hoping that many things are readily apparent about me, so I'll share something that people may not notice, but would be great if they knew. I am not shy and I love engaging with groups of people, but I'm really an introvert. It upsets me to no end when people classify introverts as shy, quiet people. It's simply not true. I don't think I would ever be described as shy or quiet, BUT I do need to have time alone to recharge after being around groups of people. I sort of feel as if I'm still recharging from constantly being around and "on" around people for four years of college. It's great. My energy definitely comes from being alone. That said, I have trained myself to pick up energy from crowds that I am trying to engage in some way. Public speaking is my thing, y'all. I love presentations. I love being in charge of groups.

If you could do anything in this world, what would it be?

This one was easy. I would live in a cute house down the street from a Farmer's Market, have 4 babies, eat a completely whole foods diet and scrap/scrounge my way to a gorgeous house. My fantasy involves a garage with many cans of paint. Or, I would like to run a food co-op or own a bed and breakfast. Mostly though I want the cute house and the ability to play and bake all day long.

What is your favorite song and why?

Wow. I have favorites in so many categories. Let's see. My favorite workout song is Don't Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston because it makes me smile no matter what, I was listening to it when I completed my first 10-minute mile (yes, I am the slowest runner EVER) and it was played over and over and over again during Ladies of the Lake 2007 which was an annual girls getaway college so it reminds me of some of my favorite people and all the laughing we did. My favorite hymn is Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing and while I love the lyrics, I also love how sticky the tune is. A Mighty Fortress is right up there too, although that song makes me cry. My favorite recent release is Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band because it sums up the South so nicely that I played it over and over and over again and told Nathan I wanted to move Home. Yes, capital H, Home. And, I would be remiss if I didn't add in I Feel Home by O.A.R. because no song takes me immediately back to the wonders of my college days. Somehow that one song instantly recalls the Triple Sombrero Fiesta, teddy bear passes, crush parties, ditching studying to get coffee in Ramsey and sitting around Bruegger's with the girls from my sorority. I'm pretty sure I didn't listen to that song during any of these events, but O.A.R. hits the nail on the head in that one. Love it.

Alright, Alicia, my friend in real life who has a secret blog squirreled away somewhere asks:

What's one thing you want to tell everyone that no one has ever asked you?

It really irks me when people say "If you don't like the weather, wait and a few hours and it will change" OR " is the only place where if you don't like the weather you can wait a few hours and it will change." Listen, y'all, the weather changes kind of a lot for everybody. Yes, winter weather changes do certainly happen more in NC than in, say, Boston--BUT it doesn't mean they don't happen. For instance, today it is 60 degrees here and then tomorrow it will snow. There. That is cold, hard proof that you shouldn't say Blahblahblah is the only place where this happens. I know--it's a cute thing to say. I've even said it before. And maybe the weather doesn't change too much when you aren't relatively near an ocean. I wouldn't know. God willing, I will never live more than 5 hours away from an ocean. Living inland is one of the most depressing things I've ever considered. Nathan thinks this is because I always need an escape plan. Anyway, even in Eastern Europe, y'all, the weather FLUCTUATED. So, um, that's what I want to tell you. I hate that statement. Please feel free to disregard my feelings. It's really not that big of a deal, but it is the first thing that came to mind. I don't know why.

Anonymous (btw--who are you???) want to know:

How is the NY job/apartment search going?

Thank you for inquiring, Anonymous. I would say it's going really well. We're actually going back up tomorrow to look at more apartments. The one we looked at before is taking about 1,500 weeks to process our application and we're now thinking Manhattan may be the ticket anyway. Also, the job search is going great. Hopefully I'll be able to share more about that at a future date.

Which college did you go to?

The great University of North Carolina at Asheville. Everyone up here, and I mean EVERYONE, thinks I went to UNC Chapel Hill. I let it slide. Apparently it's a hard concept. My boss actually once asked me how trying it was to go to college four hours away from the main campus. Um, we're a separate school with a different focus. Anyway, I loved it. I have lots of school pride, but I had a rough first year. ROUGH. I met some great people, joined a fabulous sorority and was deeply involved in a number of student orgs. I went there freshman year to be a drama major and stayed in the drama department for three sort of terrible semesters. I can't blame it all on the drama department though. Nathan and I had a rough time for a while (Yes, we did somehow end up at the same college after high school. It wasn't planned. Trust me.) and, like all freshmen, I went through lots of relationship changes with my friends. Unlike all freshmen, I also had a TERRIBLE roommate situation my first semester. Needless to say, the police had to get involved. Anyway, I emerged stronger and I have a very interesting relationship with my alma mater, I think. I made one of my best, best, best friends there, but our relationship really only began to really deepen senior year. I have a lot of pride for the things I did, but I think I got to know some staff members too well and unfortunately lost a great deal of respect for them in the process. I am still quite close to a number of the faculty though and I think they are stand-up people. So, um, how's that for a long answer?

What is your current job title and what job are you trying for in NYC?

I currently am a receptionist, but I, thankfully, have more responsibilities than answering the phone. I also work with accounting and give primary admin support to two people. In NYC, I decided I would try for anything that sounded interesting. I have a good amount of event planning experience for my college internship and I also have a good amount of experience in food and clothing retail, so I was sticking to those four categories: admin, events, food and clothing retail. We'll see what happens!

Does the job search there seem frustrating because of the economy?

You know, I'm going to tell you honestly: No. Not really at all. I think job searches are frustrating and there are certainly less jobs out there, but I haven't been focusing on it. New York has definitely been hit hard in the past year, but I'm trying not to focus on that. Instead, I'm focusing on the fact that people always quit or move away or vacate jobs for some reason or another and I have a really solid resume, I think. Fortunately, I'm not pigeon-holed into one area or field, but I also have experience from working a highly-respected and demanding company and I have lots of internship experience. One thing that I continue to be amazed by the power of the network. People talk a lot about networking, but seeing it in action is amazing. The people at my current company have really helped me out a lot in that respect. Most everyone here has some New York connection and people are so willing to help out other people. Sometimes, I am amazed at how juvenille adults act in an office setting, but at other times I am just humbled and amazed by people's willingness to do kind things for each other with no expectations except that you would help them out if you could. It's beautiful. So, I don't have a job yet, but so far the search has been as great as a job search can be.

Barefoot in the Park asks:

What's your favorite place in NC?

Well, I can't pick one, so let's go with my favorite places.

I love Lake Junaluska, NC. My family vacationed here when I was younger and the most pivotal summer of my life so far was spent there.

Waterrock Knob off the Blue Ridge Parkway is another of my favorite places. The first summer I lived at the LJ (see above), we would go watch the sunset and play Frisbee a few times a week. Usually, it's pretty cloudy, but when the clouds lift, it is indescribably beautiful.

In Raleigh, Cameron Village and Fred Fletcher Park hold big pieces of my heart. I have so many great memories in both places.

I'm also quite fond of the Fort Fisher Beach because that's where Nathan and I would always go when we took beach day trips.

If you had one day where you could be anywhere and not have an agenda, where would you go and how would you spend it?

My first thought is that I would head to France, but that seems a bit silly for one day, doesn't it? Although I do love walking around France. The best part is definitely lunch. Give me a baguette with dijon, brie, lettuce and tomato any day and I'm a happy camper. Bonus if it is lavender mustard. Mmm. Okay, thinking about this sandwich made me realize that maybe it's not silly to go back for a day. I would take in a musee of some sort (preferably archaeological) and definitely eat a croissant at some point. Then, I would somehow make it to Point Sublime to watch the sunset. Watching the sunset disappear behind the canyon is one of my most treasured memories. Even better, by the time we made it up there, it was so dim that we couldn't take pictures. It's just a memory for Nathan, my in-laws and me. I'm glad we got to share that together. That said, I think I'd like to see it again.

Laura asked how the job search was going, but also asked:

When are you moving?

Soon. That's the best answer I have. We have house guests until March 16, but every day after that is fair game. Hopefully by the end of next week I will be able to name a day. We're waiting to hear about a few things.

So, this was great, y'all. Thanks for all the questions!