Show and Tell Tuesday | When I Grow Up

Linking up with Andrea for another edition of Show and Tell Tuesday! Growing up while most people wanted to be a teacher, or a doctor, or something like that... I wanted to do one thing...

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Own a Hallmark Store | My first job outside of babysitting was at Lair's Hallmark in Columbus, Ohio. This was my job all through high school and on Christmas/Summer break in college. I have always loved to send and receive cards, but working in Hallmark gave me even more of a love for writing cards. I used to say that one day I'd own a Hallmark - but that idea as changed a little. I am very interested in opening a store that sells cards, invitations and stationery. I also hope to sell gifts - think candles, planners, jewelry, home items and anything that can be monogrammed (embroidered or vinyl). While this is not currently a reality based on the fact that we are only going to live in Florida for a few more years, I would love to do this when we move to Virginia! I'll keep my fingers crossed that I can do this one day!

Working at a Hotel | I went to Virginia Tech for college and majored in Hospitality and Tourism Management. While there are a lot of different career paths you can choose I decided to focus my attention or working in Hotels/Resorts. I was lucky enough to land a job in Palm Desert, California right out of college and have been working for the same Hospitality Company since 2007. I have been lucky to advance my career and move across the country and back with a great company. When I worked in Palm Desert I was first a Bench Manager which is a 12-month program where I worked as an Assistant Front Desk Manager, Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, and Assistant Housekeeping Manager. I also spent a year working as a Food & Beverage Manager. I then moved to West Palm Beach, Florida to open a new resort and while I was there I was in charge of the Front Office. My next move was to Hilton Head, South Carolina where I focused on Front Office for a year and then moved back to Housekeeping Management. My final move was to Fort Lauderdale where I worked for 2 years as the Guest Relations Manager and am now the Resort Experience Manager.

I would be lying if I said that I knew I wanted to work in a hotel since I was a child... but I had a pretty solid idea when I started at Virginia Tech and I have had a great career following this dream since I graduated. While I don't think that I will continue to do this forever, it is definitely something I enjoy doing and who can complain about working in the fabulous location where everyone wants to vacation?!

I can't wait to see what everyone else wanted to be when they grow up... and am looking forward to the future Show and Tell Tuesday Link-Ups!

Friday Favorites - Ikea Edition

I have been reading a few different blogs over the past year, and these are part of the reason that I decided to start blogging. I love that each of the blogs I follow provide a little bit of something that I try to bring into my everyday life. There are tons of different link-ups that take place on Fridays and after thinking about it for a while I have decided to link-up with Andrea - Momfessionals, Erika - A Little Bit of Everything Blog, and Narci - Grace and Love Blog for Friday Favorites!

 

 

The first of my Friday Favorites is going to focus on a store that I only grew to love in the past year - Ikea. There is an Ikea store that is less than 5 minutes from my house. I can always find something that I want, and sometimes exactly what I need for my home. Jonathan even joins me sometimes, but only really enjoys the food that they serve. Here are a few of my favorite Ikea products that I have around the house.

Photo via Ikea

Photo via Ikea

I love my Ingathorp Dining Table, which is extendable with 1 extra leaf. The table can seat 4-6 when it is not extended, and up to 8 when it is. It is awesome in our dining room and looks great with the Liatorp Sideboard. While they are not a set, they definitely coordinate and look like they were designed to go together. There are many other items I want in the Liatorp collection, but this is my first piece. Here you will find mine decorated for Christmas!

For at least 6 months I was interested in the Raskog Utility Cart, but had absolutely no reason to purchase it. However, after I received the Silhouette Cameo for an early Christmas gift from Jonathan, and a ton of accessories and supplies, I bought the cart as a place to store everything. It works well, and tucks away in our office area. Its perfect, I love the color, and it is very inexpensive.

Photo via Ikea

Photo via Ikea

My most recent purchase, that I made yesterday in fact, were the Kassett Boxes. I keep all of my cards that I receive in photo boxes on the bookshelves in the office area of our house. Unfortunately those that I had been using were full, and I couldn't find any additional that matched since they were about 4 years old. These boxes are sold in a 2/pack for only $4.99. I bought three packs, but am only needing to use 4 right now. The two extra boxes will be stored until I need them, so that I don't run into any issues with finding matching boxes in the future.

Photo via Ikea

I often search Pinterest for Projects using Ikea Products, and have found an awesome closet storage solution using this Kallax Shelving Unit. I have not yet purchased it since I need to work on completing a few projects first. Stay tuned for an update on this in the upcoming weeks!

It looks like I only buy white pieces from Ikea, that is something I didn't realize until I wanted to show you all of my Ikea favorites. I hope that you all have a great weekend and don't forget to link-up and share your favorite things!