An Everygirl Inspired

For almost one year now, Danielle Moss' and Alaina Kaczmarski's The Everygirl has been one of my daily reads. I love getting the daily emails seeing what features they have come up with, from food to fitness, from staying on a budget to budget friendly home and fashion items, but probably my favorites are their Everygirl features about a women who have "done it all" in their line of work, fancied up their home, or started a successful business. These women answer honest questions about the struggles they have encountered on their way to success and the amount of effort and determination it has taken them to get to where they are today (and I always love a good story!).

Along with fabulous photos and beautiful typography, the Everygirls always ask women advice they would give to their 23-year-old selves, and since that is me right now I love to hear what they have to say.

I was beyond excited when Danielle and Alaina asked their readers to share even the smallest bit of something that The Everygirl has inspired them to do in the last year. Of course, I could not let this question go unanswered, so I emailed, and magically, yesterday morning, I got an email saying that my paragraph was featured. I have to say, I was a bit over the moon! I mean, me, on The Everygirl! I was so humbled to have my little bit featured.

But the more I read, the more I was inspired by what all these other women from all over the country and even a few countries throughout the world were inspired to do. Reading their stories got me even more inspired, and got me thinking: even though there are so many of us out there was so many different passions, our main goal is almost the same. We all want to be doing something in our lives that brings us great joy and success, and not just monetarily. It doesn't matter how long it takes us, but eventually we all want to get there (and I have faith that we all will).

So pop on over to read The Everygirl feature and see mine as well as the many other women who have been inspired to be their own Everygirl!

images via

A bit more about me

Andrea from Blone Ambitions and Cathy from Cathy Trails recently both gave me blog awards! Super sweet of both of them and I love answering questions (and give you a little more insight about me!).

7 Facts about Me:

1. I am a teacher and darn proud of it!
2. The piano is one of my favorite releases and passions I have, and though I took a summer break, I cannot wait to get back to practicing again!
3. I.love.chocolate! But you probably knew that didn't you?
4. I also love baking and wish that sweets were "free" food, meaning they wouldn't be bad for you at all and I could live on them!
5. I'm kind of disorganized, but trying to get it more and more together!
6. I have a new addiction to sweet potato fries and avocados (sometimes together!)
7. I love country music and will sing it as loud and proud as I can!
8. And sometimes when I listen to country music, I go into a Southern accent. I've never been to the South, we have no relatives there, yet I still think that it would be cool to speak with one. 
9. I think that looking good and feeling good go hand in hand, so I tend to smile a lot :)
10. I love to run, especially with my sister and I'm trying to get back to playing tennis.
11. I sometimes watch trashy reality tv like Bachelor Pad, Love in the Wild, and Real Housewives when it's online (we don't have cable or satellite). I also love cooking shows like Giada, Barefoot Contessa and The Chew! 

Andrea's Questions for me:

one: what was the most recent thing you bought online? Well, this is a tough one since I don't really do much online shopping. But J.Crew was having a sale! so my sisters and I each got the Jackie Pull Over and we got a little monogram for good measure! two: if you could meet one famous individual who would it be? Oh gosh, that's a tough one. Probably Josh Groban. I love playing his tunes on the piano, plus I think he's just hysterical! three: do you prefer snow/cold or beach for a vacation? Again, tough!! I love the beach and my family has such a fun time there, but I love vacationing in snow. There are so many fun things to do, like skating, skiing and drinking endless cups of cocoa. So I'd probably say snow! four: do you have a pet? what kind? what is their name? (sorry I know that is 3!) No, I don't. My family had a cat, Kitty was her name, and we all loved her a lot. Hopefully in the future I'd love a dog or a cat! five: if you could change jobs to anything else, what would you be? I absolutely love teaching, and that is definitely the best choice I could make for myself at the moment, but if I had to change careers my dream job would be a combo of professional knitter and a Broadway pianist. I think it would be so fun to play in shows night after night and hum along to the best tunes there are! six: tap or sparkling water? Sparkling! seven: what was the first car that you owned? Yet to own my own car, but the first car that I shared was a '96 Toyota Avalon. It was a great car! eight: what is your favorite pizza topping or type of pizza? Barbeque Chicken! nine: what kind of camera do you take most of your pictures? (Nikon, iphone, etc) I just have a point and shoot Sony Cybershot. Though I know it's not a DSLR, I think it's pretty good for where I am right now in my life just starting out. And maybe someday I'll splurge for the big guy! (and I don't have an iPhone or a Smart phone. If I did I'd probably be addicted to it! Instagram is so cool!) ten: what is your favorite reality TV show? The Bachelor/The Bachelorette! eleven: where is the farthest from home you have ever traveled? In high school I was so fortunate to travel to Germany and Prague for a choir tour. It was an absolutely gorgeous trip and I had so much fun while I was there. I'd love to go back and revisit some of the beautiful churches and castles we went to and see some new sights that I didn't get to see the first time. But again, that's way in the future!
Cathy's questions for me:

1. Would you rather have super strength or super intelligence?

Probably super intelligence because I would love to help people as much as possible, and you need a lot of intelligence for that, and strength takes a little intelligence too, am I right?

2. What is one possession you cannot live without? 

Oh gosh, that's a tough one. I would probably have to say my watch. I don't know, in my family, everybody wears a watch and it just reminds me that no matter how rushed I feel, I will always have a little more time. 

3. What is the most touching movie you have ever seen? 

I absolutely love The Ultimate Gift, if you've never seen it find it and rent it! I also find The Holiday really touching. and sweet. and perfect. and I want a love story like it!

4. Are you an old soul or a new soul?

Old soul for sure 

5. What is your biggest accomplishment?

Wow, tough question! I would say that I achieved a double major in four years and still managed to have honors afterwards. I also got a job within six months of being out of school, and in this economy, I feel proud to say that I did that!

5. Why did you start blogging? 

I wanted to try something new and try to embrace a little more creativity in my life. I've been blogging about a year and a half now, and still love it! I'm a lot busier now than when I first started, but it is still just as fun to take time and connect with others!

6. Who do you think is the sexiest female or male celebrity alive? 

I'll go for male and say....Ryan Gosling. I mean, really have you looked at him?! Also, is Prince Harry an option?

7. Do you believe true love can last forever? 

Yes, absolutely, no question. 

8. What's a quote that you live by everyday? 

"We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough." Helen Keller

9. If you could give a person only one piece of advice, what would it be? 

With support of family, faith and friends, you can achieve anything. 

10. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

I'm from the Chicago area, and I'm sticking to it. I love Chicago! Though I hear London would be pretty cool too!

11. What is your favorite meal? 

Risotto! with lots of fresh vegetables, especially Ina Garten's recipe. Delicious!

Enough writing? Sorry guys I know I talk a lot, but hopefully now you know a little bit more about lil ol me!

I got a blogger award!

So one of my bloggy buddies, Jess from Avant-Garde Living, who has been keeping up with my blog for awhile now and (and writes awesome comments too!), got a One Lovely Blog Award. Yay for Jess! (She's got an awesome blog, so you all should go check it out too!). Anyway, she linked me for an award too, and I was so psyched! I love finding buds in the blogging community and I've loved reading and learning about Jess, so I'm happy to accept this "award" and share a little info with all of you. So thanks again, Jess!

RULES:

   

•    Link back to the person who gave you this award
   

•    Complete the form below
   

•    Share 7 random things about yourself
   

•    Award 15 bloggers this award and notify them of the award



QUESTIONS:



Name your favorite colour: Is it weird to say it changes all the time? It does! Right now, I'm loving orange. Such a fantastic pop to everything!

Name your favorite song: Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts

Name your favorite dessert: Cake! I also love whoopie pies! and a cup of coffee to go with it

Black or white: Can't go wrong with either one

Your biggest fear: That bad things will happen to those I love most.

Best feature: Probably my positivity (at least I think so) and I'm always willing to listen to anyone at any time.

Everyday attitude: Smile! Embrace the day, no matter what happens and try to make the best out of the cards you're dealt. I'm really a glass half-full girl. 

What is perfection: People still think that exists? Maybe in scenery, but not in people. 

Guilty pleasure: The Bachelor/The Bachelorette...and risotto!


7 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT MYSELF:

• I didn't really talk till about age 6. Now you can't ever shut me up!
• I used to not know a thing about dressing well. Seriously. My family tells me that I used to look kind of matronly. Thankfully, I think I've changed that!
• I'm left handed...and most people are still surprised. Shout out to all the lefties everywhere! (and I do have legible, pretty decent writing, for all those who doubt that lefties can have good writing)
• In the past two years I've been told that I've developed both a Central Illinois twang and a heavy Chicago accent. Personally, I don't think I have much of either! (ok, maybe I have a little bit of that Chicago accent.)
• If I could live on one food forever, it would be honey nut cheerios and milk. It's always refreshing to me!
• I'm caught between wanting to be a city girl and a country girl (although I'll most likely stay a city girl). Is there a happy medium?

• Thankfully, caffeine doesn't affect me (make me go crazy or stay up too late) like some people, except give me a boost. Coffee, Diet Coke, chocolate...no problems at all!

And now I'm going to give a shout out to 15 ladies whose blogs I love (I know they're all too busy, so no need to re-post, but I thought I'd show you all love anyway!). Be sure to stop by and read all the good things they've got. They're all lovely!

The Rest is Still Unwritten...

Cornflake Dreams

Long Distance Loving

Sequins and Stripes

Delighted Momma

The Short and Sweet of It

Henning Love
Live Creating Yourself
apartment 34
Sacramento Street
Breakfast at Toast
Avant-Garde Living
Turquoise and Teale
ten scenic drive

Thanks again to Jess for giving me the shout out. Again, I hope you didn't mind learning more random stuff about 'lil ol' me! I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! I've been enjoying Corn Fests and late summer heat. Now everyone savor these weekends, they're going by too fast!


~Susan

A few new (and unusual) things...

So I was having writer's block today. I couldn't think of anything to write about, so I decided I would let someone who knows me best talk about me (also, she's a journalism major, so she actually knows how to write! She's way better than me!). Anyway, here's a few words from my sister Ellen:


Susan constantly quotes tv shows. she uses the same ones over and over again  to the point that i know exactly when she's gonna come in with a line. a couple of her standby's come from "Sex and the City" and "Arthur".

Susan on a normal day

Susan is TERRIBLE at giving stuff away. i have no problem tossing stupid junk gifts that people have given  me as far back as 5th grade and clothes that have gone completely out of style, but Susan is far too overcome with guilt to do so. Some things she just CANNOT let go of include a beyond tacky flamingo picture frame and a super matronly, mid calf length printed skirt she bought her freshman year of high school.

Coffee, chocolate (Oreos, M&M's), peanut butter, Wheat Thins and lemon San Pelegrino. not necessarily in that order.

You can tell anything Susan is thinking just by looking at her. a long time ago i started calling this her "dough face" because it just molds to her thoughts. as a result of this, she is a horrible liar. when she lies, she slightly lifts one of her eyebrows and makes this face that's like, "uhhh, no, i would never do that. duh."

Loungewear is a non-entity for Susan. she does not own a single pair of sweatpants. not one. maybe one pair of yoga pants and a pair of leggings or two (only to be worn to the gym or under tops or skirts of a questionably acceptable length), but that is all. i have never once seen her spend a day bumming around in her pajamas or even an oversized sweatshirt. Maybe it's because i only wear anything with a zipper when going out to dinner and in other extreme scenarios, but the fact that i have never seen her so much as roaming about the house in a pair of flannels on a frigid winters day is just not normal.

Susan talks in musical terms to people who know nothing about music. telling me what "time" and measure a song is played in, as well as identifying various types of scales that are used is routine procedure. She also has perfect pitch. i can yell for her to come downstairs and she can tell me what key i was in.


So maybe this is too much info! I'm "normal" too, I swear, but like all of us, I do have my quirks! After she wrote this, I had to laugh and take it with a grain of salt. I joked and I was like, "So what's the positive stuff?" She said that this is all positive, so I guess that's good then! 


I hope you enjoyed learning a little more interesting things about me today. Is there anything new I should know about you all?


~Susan