I'm Back (And Photobooth is Being a Jerk!)!!

Hello, hello! I'm sooo glad to be back! Back to blogging, back to Cville, back to my gym! Thank you so much for all your advice regarding nutrition during my travels and for your kind words about my grandma. You'll be glad to know that she is doing really well. Besides some poor circulation in her legs that causes her legs to swell (I can't even begin to imagine going through that!), she's a real go-getter!

I tried about 4 times this morning to record a video for you all because I figured that would be quicker than typing everything out, but Photobooth wasn't having it! It would only record between 10 seconds and 2 minutes, even though it said it was recording the entire time. Grr! So I figure I would have been done typing this by now had I just gone that route.

I actually got back into Charlottesville on Sunday, but I've been quite busy with a Loft store meeting, working, trying to catch up on reading blogs, getting my butt back to my gym and making sure I kick it good each day, and interviews! I will get to more about the interviews in a bit, but first--Syracuse!

Visiting my grandma was a lot of fun. Granted, I got a little crabby not being in my routine and not having internet, but we got to do a lot! I'm not used to being so go, go, go! Monday we drove all day and didn't get in until around 7. Tuesday we went to Finger Lakes Casino & Horse Races. So much fun! But I'm bad at gambling aka playing slots. And none of my horses won (or got "Show")--my luck was better the last time we visited, 4 years ago! Wednesday we visited some other family members, Thursday we went to another casino--Turning Stone--and Friday we went to Carousel mall--all 7 or 8 stories of it--and did some shopping. I'm sure there were other things that we did, but my sense of time is so completely off right now.

While I was up in New York, I did make sure to get to the gym every day (there was a Gold's in Liverpool), but unfortunately I wasn't able to go twice a day. I felt guilty taking so much time away from my grandma and my family. In addition, nutrition was HARD! As soon as we got in, my grandma kept asking about things I could/did eat.

"Can you eat tomatoes? They're fresh!" 

"No, Grandma..."

"Do you eat strawberries? I have a nice loaf of fresh bread..."

"Sorry, Grandma. My diet is really strict and I can't have that." 

 I just felt so bad saying no all the time. Grandmas always want you to eat and want to make sure that you're getting your proper nutrition (though not proper for a figure competitor). After a while, it was just easier to say yes, so I did. BAD Liz! But you can't blame me for wanting to be a good grand-daughter, right??

So now, I'm trying to make up for lost time and nutrition. I'm making sure to go all out at the gym this week. Higher reps, more reps. More intense cardio. NO CARBS at all this week, period! It's working. I'm feeling good and my energy is high for now. Luckily, since I found out the show was a week later than previously mentioned, I am not freaking out as much. That's not to say that I'm not freaking out and stressing, because I totally am. Totally.

So now, about those interviews--Tuesday on the way to the casino, I was checking my email on my phone and had an email from one of the companies I applied to for a position as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative. They wanted a phone interview with me--yay! I had the interview on Monday... I hate phone interviews! They're terrible! It's so hard for me to gather my thoughts, I don't feel like I'm actually talking to someone, I stumble over my words, and no matter what, I just don't feel like I'm saying the right things. I didn't bomb it, but I wish I would have done better/been less nervous. That being said, I got the email yesterday saying I wasn't going further in the interview process. BUT THAT'S OKAY. Because...

Sunday at our Loft store meeting, I was supposed to talk to the girls as their credit coach and my managers kept saying afterward how well of a job I did. Then they mentioned that they want to promote me to sales lead sooner than they planned (which was August). So today I have a phone interview with the manager of another store--I'm not nervous at all about this interview because this job comes natural to me. I've known that I've wanted this promotion for some time now and I think it will be a great opportunity to continue to grow my experience and sales/retail skills. I already know how to do most of the things the position requires anyway, just from observing for so long--I've been with the company for 2 1/2 years! So that change is going to happen soon! I'll be good to go before my competition--yay!

In addition to that, I had an interview with a new restaurant opening downtown that's going to have a sky bar (rooftop bar). What you should know about downtown Charlottesville--this area is a pedestrian-friendly mall with a lot of local businesses. All the restaurants are, for the most part, higher-end. People go to dinner to enjoy it--meaning they take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. These places are pricey. They are fine dining. And they are where there is money to be made. I met on Monday with the hiring manager and the executive chef--they seemed very eager to include me in their new venture and although I initially applied to be a host and/or server, they suggested being a cocktail server. I am in love with this idea! The chef even said I definitely have the personality for it. :) Yay! I was initially hesitant to serve because of the competition--I'm not awake at 2am!!--but they are not opening until after my competition (literally the week after), so I don't have any schedule conflicts, phew!

So I think I'm going to welcome both of these opportunities and take a few months to a year to figure out what the heck I really want to do. Grad school is an option. So is some sort of full-time job. But I need to figure out what I want that job to be. What do I love? Or at least what would I not mind doing? Right now, I'm just clueless. As most 21 year-old recent college grads are/should be. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the only reason I ended up in Environmental Science is because I started in engineering, and after 3 semesters I decided that wasn't for me... But with all the science credits, another science major seemed like the best option and my mom refused to let me major in something classified as a liberal arts degree. So I'm going to take these opportunities and this time to figure that out. What do I want to do? Where do I want to be? Where do I want to go? All questions that I don't think I have to rush to figure out.

Lastly, today is Wednesday, or better yet: What I Love Wednesday! Check back later today for a Love List! And I hope you find some things today that you LOVE!