Tag Archives: proud

Jul6

Dear College Self,

Posted on by
Standard
Dear College Self,

Hey everyone and happy Thursday! As a fairly recent college grad (Winter of 2016, baby!), I find myself missing my Alma Mater constantly. Cuyahoga Community College, AKA Tri-C, is where I obtained my Associate of Arts and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful teachers that I encountered who helped me achieve graduating Magna Cum Laude (woo!). And the students weren’t so bad, either! I am always playing around with the idea of going back to school because I loved it so much but there are definitely some things that I would do differently this time around if I go back for my Associate of Science in the future – like the following:

Dear College Self,

First, let me repeat for the millionth time that there is no shame in waiting to go to school like I did. Thanks to my two year hiatus after high school, I was able to build up my bank account while climbing the corporate ladder at my job. I also realized after a four year stint at the same place that working in the mall for the rest of my life definitely isn’t for me (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)!

After feeling unbearably stuck in life and at work, I decided to take a huge leap of faith and started classes at Tri-C as well as creating lifewithlilred. And you know what? College wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! And by “wasn’t as bad”, I mean it really wasn’t bad at all. Being in a classroom, whether it be in real life or online, was definitely a change of pace but it was a welcomed one. Using my brain to solve adult problems felt so good after years of monotony and a zest for learning, which was nonexistent in high school, seemed to appear over night. Like I said, it was an exciting change of pace!

Despite an overwhelmingly amazing college experience, there are always things that you wish you would have done differently. Starting college a little later in the game made me hesitant to try new things on campus. Different clubs, events, and programs were constantly going on throughout the week and I never made one cameo appearance at any of them. The sad thing is, is that Tri-C is a place for people of literally all ages (from 16 to 90!), and my discomfort in my situation never allowed me to fully embrace what a unique community that Tri-C is. This is definitely something that needs to change when I eventually go back for my Associate of Science and I am committed to becoming more involved during my next go around.

And, of course, this is the generic “what I wish I did differently response” but I really do wish that my college self would have studied just a little bit harder. Not really knowing about graduating with honors until the literal day of graduation was a mistake on my part. How does someone not know about the world of Cum Laude if they’re in college? Lol, I’m not sure. Probably because even when I started classes at Tri-C, I wasn’t focused on the end goal and that was another major mistake. Had I known that I was devastatingly close to graduating Summa Cum Laude, I would have pushed and applied myself way harder to achieve that honor. But hey, there’s always next time – right?!

Although there are things that I wish I could redo about my college experience, I still graduated with flying colors and finally took an interest in becoming a more educated and well rounded individual. That makes me incredibly proud of my college self and I’m looking forward to applying an even more studious and adventurous spirit to college life if I go back to school again.

graduationpic1graduate2

What advice would you give to your college self? What would your advice be to college students right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar18

Reader Map Update

Posted on by
Standard
Reader Map Update

Hiiii everyone and happy weekend! So yesterday I was hanging out and listening to a little I’m From Barcelona and their song “Collection Of Stamps” came on. This song, a little ditty that gives an ode to friends and locations world wide reminded me that it’s been a while since I posted an updated reader map picture. So first, take a listen. And then, take a look!

(As always, I have no rights to this song. I just like it a lot.)

mapp.jpeg

I started making my reader map once I had a little over forty countries reading me with the pure intention of keeping track of them all. But now, with over one hundred and seventy different countries that are hip to lifewithlilred, this map serves as so much more than a location tracker. This little project that I began gives me such an immense feeling of pride every time I look at it – which is frequently, considering it’s located in my bedroom!

To know that the page that little old me started two and a half years ago is reaching locations that I never even knew existed completely blows my mind. This map has also made me SO much better at the geography questions on Jeopardy, which is a really nice added bonus! As soon as “Collection Of Stamps” came on, it made me think of all of my wonderful readers, friends, and followers in the blogging community and I just knew that I had to send a shout out to them in an Updated Reader Map post.

Thank you all so, so much for stopping by my page. If it’s as a one time reader or a loyal follower, I appreciate it far more than you know. Many well wishes and a ton of love to each and every one of you!

What country on my reader map would you like to visit some day? Where are you located? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb16

Fix Your Skin Expert Roundup

Posted on by
Standard
Fix Your Skin Expert Roundup

Heyy guys and happy Thursday! So a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by my friends at Fix Your Skin to give some advice in their 2017 Expert Roundup. I have to say, I was completely flattered to have been one out of the 200 dermatologists, makeup artists, bloggers, and skin care experts that were chosen to participate. Not only flattered but SO FREAKING EXCITED!! What an honor!

Skin care has been something that is extremely important to me since I was a teenager. My complexion has always been a feature of mine that I take a lot of pride in so I have always wanted to maintain peaches and cream perfection since I entered high school. Teenage skin made me nervous. Breakouts, acne, blackheads, whiteheads, pimples – whatever name you have for problem skin, I was scared.

The fear of having high school being even shittier if acne was a problem motivated me to create a regime and find products that worked for me. Through trial and error, I was able to find cleansers, moisturizers, serums, and creams that helped to enhance my skin’s beauty, some of which I still use to this day. And, I hate to jinx myself now, but at twenty-two years old I have never had a pimple in my life!

When I tell people my “never had a pimple” fun fact, I always feel very lucky, especially since all of my life and to this day, I constantly commit the biggest skin care no no: I sleep in my makeup!! But, you know what? That’s okay. If sleeping with makeup on is my one bugaboo after close to ten years of diligently caring for my skin, I’d say that I’m doing alright!

Believe me, my high school years were still shit despite a fresh face but I am so thankful that acne was not a problem that was added onto my pile of stress that came from an abundance of mental health issues. I graduated high school, then, when I was eighteen, I began to work at The Body Shop as one of their assistant managers and that just took my always growing knowledge and passion for skin care to a whole other level.

Working at The Body Shop will always remain one of my favorite retail jobs that I have ever worked. I reveled in being able to assist my customers with their skin care needs and create custom regimens to help solve their problems and boost their confidence. It really was a joy and I loved being able to swap skin care stories and secrets with everyone that walked into my store.

I was hungry to learn about all of the products that The Body Shop as well as our competitors offered to provide customers with the best answers to their questions and I was consistently complimented on my expertise. It felt good to be praised for something that I learned, which rarely happened during my high school career and even after I quit working at TBS, I still would always drop skin care knowledge on my mom, sister, friends, and randoms on Facebook when they needed advice.

When lifewithlilred was born in 2014, I knew that product reviews had to be something that was included on my page. I loved being able to steer my readers in the direction of products that I loved while helping them avoid the ones that were ehh…not so much! And you know, I guess this rambling little story about the past ten years of my skin care experimentation is a roundabout way of getting at that I am really freaking proud of myself to have been chosen by Fix Your Skin to be a part of a roundup of people that they considered experts in skin care.

I may not be working in a skin care based field anymore but I do have a blurb on a website dedicated to helping people with their skin care needs. Check it out and be sure to take a look at the full article for more advice:

blurb

I want to thank Fix Your Skin again for including little old me in their Expert Roundup because it means much more than people probably realize! What are some of your skin care tips and tricks? What is one of your most loved skin care products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec15

Graduation Day!

Posted on by
Standard
Graduation Day!

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Today is my big day! At six o’clock this evening, I will be walking across the stage at Cleveland State University to receive my Associate of Arts degree from Cuyahoga Community College. I AM SO EXCITED!! For exactly two years, I have worked my little ass off to obtain my degree and I am so proud of myself for finally achieving it with a killer grade point average to boot!

I have taken many wonderful classes and I have taken some that were complete shit. I have had some amazing professors but I’ve also had a few that have sucked on ice. However, I would not change my college experience for a thing. I did things my way, accomplished my degree on my time, and gained a plethora of new knowledge and skills that I never dreamed of having before.

Upon completion of school, I plan on dedicating my time from January to June completing my work for my job with the National Core Indicators. Then, I will begin looking for work in a group home or day program setting. I will then look forward to traveling around Summit County in Ohio to continue my work distributing the Adult Consumer Survey for those with mental and physical disabilities for the year 2017.

I have big plans for work but I also want to travel. I want to make time for me, myself, and I – and my family, friends, and boyfriend of course! After a year or so, I plan on going back to Tri-C to obtain my Associate of Science so that I can have a double associates degree. I am so excited and proud about how bright my future looks and I look forward to sharing all of the details with you guys every step of the way!

Hurray for my Graduation Day! Pictures will be up at some point this weekend of me looking snazzy in my cap and gown so please be on the look out! Until then, what was the mascot or nickname for your college or high school? How did you answer the question “what do you want to be when you grow up”? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Weldon Carpenter: A New Friend

Posted on by
Standard
Weldon Carpenter: A New Friend

Hey everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful, relaxing weekend. This past Thursday, I had to venture out to the Tri-C campus in Parma, Ohio for an extra credit lecture. Because I’m literally never in Parma since I don’t attend that campus, I decided to make a post on my Facebook to let my friends in the area know that I will be there for the afternoon in case anyone wanted to meet up afterwards. My friend, Danielle, replied and we decided to meet up at the bar that she works at in Lakewood which was about fifteen minutes away.

Because Danielle’s work didn’t open until four, we started at a bar that was down the street called The Patio. Danielle was treating me to twenty-first birthday drinks even though it’s over a year late so that’s what made me justify drinking at the bar at three in the afternoon! About halfway through our time at The Patio, an older gentleman walked into the bar and within ten minutes he came up to us and asked if we liked Playhouse Square (the beautiful theater in Cleveland).

Being an avid lover of the theater, of course I replied with an enthusiastic “YES”. This sent who I now know was Weldon Carpenter off to his car to retrieve a photo album and a surprise treat. While Weldon was at his car, the bartender explained to us that he was a historian and photographed Playhouse Square and the surrounding theaters since their openings. She also told us that he used to work as the personal chef to the one and only Miss Judy Garland.

Just as the bartender was finishing up her briefing on Weldon, he came walking in with a thick photo album and two teddy bears for me and Danielle. He told us that he has over one hundred and fifty little stuffed animals that he keeps handy just to make people smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a stuffie sitting on the bar that he must have gifted to the bartender when we weren’t looking. “Aren’t they beautiful?” he asked as Danielle and I held our new bears on our laps. And they really were. The beauty lied in the gesture and the bear he picked for me couldn’t have been any more perfect considering it was sporting a black t-shirt!

After we settled in with our drinks and teddies, we began to look through Weldon’s album, page by page. With every picture of each theater, there was a story or memory that went along with it and I was just mesmerized. To watch him smile and speak enthusiastically about the memories that he loved so much was something that was really special to me. None of my grandparents are alive so I haven’t conversed with someone in that age range in quite some time. Speaking with Weldon felt good and safe. It made me want to curl up in a blanket and hear more.

With every page turned, Weldon insisted on either one of us taking whichever photo we liked. “Don’t worry, I have plenty of copies and I give them all away for free”. His gentle prodding led to both of us picking out a photo that we loved and you could tell how pleased he was that we did. This man genuinely loved sharing what he felt was beautiful – and it was.

After we finished looking at Weldon’s photo album and listened to a few stories about how he met Judy Garland at his friend Mae West’s party we unfortunately had to part ways. Danielle had to be at work so we had to head down the street to the bar for a night of serving for her and more drinking for me. But all evening, I was still enraptured by the kind stranger who we spent a half hour with in the bar. The man who bore gifts and treats for complete strangers and left them feeling like they had just met their guardian angel or long lost friend.

When I got home, I Googled Weldon and found so many articles boasting that he was one of Lakewood’s local legends. Pages full of articles telling tales of theaters, photos, and stories similar to the one that I just told you. I felt proud. I felt proud that the city that he seemed to love so much loved him back. I felt proud that he was sharing his beautiful spirit and stories with the world. I felt proud that I just met him.

Will I ever see Weldon again? Maybe, if I head up to Lakewood around three or so, I’ll find him at The Patio enjoying a glass of red wine that he will be diluting with shaved ice. Maybe I’ll see him sharing a photo or a stuffed bear with another person at the bar. But until then, I’m so happy to consider Weldon Carpenter as A New Friend.

Feb8

Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! This past week, my Special Olympic ice skaters competed in the winter games and it was totally awesome. The events took place on Wednesday and Thursday and they were single handedly some of the best days of my life. On Wednesday my sister, Kristen, joined me at the competition and the banquet that followed later in the evening. It was so nice to have her keeping me company and all of my skaters and their families just loved her! The days of the competitions were long but they were so worth it, so let’s discuss:

Wednesday’s competitions were the races for the speed skaters and then the figure skaters would compete in their skills and compulsorary events. On Thursday, the figure skaters would perform their music routines. Wednesday started out much too early for my liking because I had to get up, get ready, pick Kristen up, and then make the twenty minute drive to the rink so I could prepare my skaters for the events an hour or so beforehand. I felt like a zombie but god knows I looked fabulous! 😉

Once we arrived at the rink, my tiredness was a thing of the past because seeing all of the athletes and their families was so energizing! Everyone was so excited and I couldn’t wait to soak up all of the positivity and happiness that everyone was exuding. It was so much fun to make my rounds to all of the athletes upon our arrival and introduce my sister to all of my friends. I was so touched by the warm greetings I got from all of my skaters and their families. I think the athletes were more excited about Kristen being there than me though because they got a brand new person to show off to!

The events started promptly at ten with the speed skaters on the hockey rink and the figure skaters on the practice rink. I had athletes competing on both rinks so I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I had skaters to give pep talks to, athletes to cheer for, and competitors that I had to track down that were going to be competing next. I didn’t mind the fast pace though and thanks to my time management skills, I was able to watch almost all of the skaters that are in my group compete.

Saying that I was proud of all of the athletes was a severe understatement and before I knew it, the events were over for the day. After all of the events were complete, we made our way to the hockey rink for the award ceremony. It was so special to be able to watch the athletes and my students receiving their medals on the podium. I loved seeing the big smiles, surprised faces, and arms raised in victory of all of the competitors. One of my students, Rick, ran to his family after he received his medals and went in for a big hug from his aunt. During the hug he kept saying “I’m so happy, I’m so happy” and I started bawling my eyes out! I was so proud of everyone and being able to see them celebrate and know that they did a fantastic job was the cherry on top of a perfect morning.

After the award ceremony, Kristen and I stuck around for a little bit while everyone had lunch and then we rolled out. Kristen treated me to lunch and then we went back to her apartment to rest and watch Netflix until the banquet in the evening. The banquet for the Special Olympics winter games was held at the Clarion Hotel. There was going to be speeches, dinner, and some good old fashioned tom foolery.

Kristen and I got to the hotel around six and made it right in the nick of time because shortly after we got there it was time to eat. Dinner was served buffet style followed by a huge piece of chocolate cake. Once everyone finished eating, there was a bit of a lull so we could all chat and digest while the dance floor got cleared off. Before we knew it, the dance floor was cleared, a DJ was playing, and disco lights were flashing. That’s when the real fun began!

As soon as the music started playing, Kristen and I ran to the dance floor with our friends so we could get our groove on. We were all dancing and singing along to songs from Grease and the Top 40 hits. My sister and I had such a blast dancing the night away. We were on the dance floor for over an hour and by the time we left, everyone was still dancing and jumping around! Clearly, all of the athletes have far more energy than I! Take a look at some of my pictures from the banquet:

^^^ I love us!!!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million more times, I am so unbelievably proud of all of my students and the athletes who competed at the Special Olympics winter games. I’m so thankful for all of my new friends and I’m so happy that my sister got to share in the fun with us. It has been such a privilege to be able to coach such a talented group of athletes and I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything! Coach Sarah loves you guys! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition! The winter games were a great success and I’m so grateful that I could be a part of it. What is your favorite winter sport? What sports did you used to compete in or are competing in now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec21

Monday Update: NCI Training Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: NCI Training Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday!! This past Thursday I had my training for the National Core Indicators (NCI) research project in association with the Ohio Board of Developmental Disabilities at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio…What a mouthful! I had the honor of being one of fifty out of over five hundred selected to take part in this opportunity and I was so happy to be there – even though I had to get up at 4:15 in the morning to begin my day! Let’s discuss, but first take a look at some of the responsibilities that my new job will hold by watching some or all of this video:

My day began early on Thursday morning and didn’t stop until I got home at roughly 7:30 in the evening. After I finished getting myself ready for the day, I packed some snacks, made some coffee, and then hit the road. I live in Akron, Ohio and my drive to Columbus took a little over two hours. Luckily, I began my drive early enough to account for traffic because the rush hour traffic was insane! I had to be at The Ohio State University’s McCampbell Hall by 8:30 to begin checking in and because of my early start I made it right on time.

When I got to our designated room number, I was a bit taken aback by the fact that I was easily the youngest person there. Everyone was at least thirty or older and as I learned throughout the day, all of them had some type of job in the field of service for people with developmental disabilities. Other members of the research project had children with some type of special needs and there were also some fantastic self advocates taking part in the day as well. My parents were so impressed when I told them this and I have to say, I was quite impressed with myself, too!

Our day began at 9:00 sharp and we were introduced to the responsibilities we would have as members of the NCI research project. It’s going to be our job to interview people with developmental disabilities to make sure that through the Ohio Board of Developmental Disabilities they’re receiving the best care possible. It’s also going to be our duty to report anything suspicious to make sure that there is no negligence or abuse going on.

Throughout the day we watched and analyzed the video I posted above, learned how to report possible cases of abuse, and listened to speakers such as the head of the Nisonger Center at OSU who is assisting with this project, department heads at the Ohio Board of Developmental Disabilities, and the people in charge of the NCI project. It was so cool to be able to ask questions and interact with people who are in such high esteem in the world of developmental disabilities.

My training went on until five in the afternoon and I learned so much. We went over the survey that we’ll be completing in extensive detail and I feel confident in my ability to do it well. I have a folder full of paper with the slides of the Powerpoints that we were viewing too so I can look over them whenever I need. My mom read some of them with me too because she’s a developmental pediatrician and is always hungry for more knowledge!

My day was so jam packed with information that I couldn’t even begin to cover it all in one post. All of the speakers did a great job of holding my interest because it definitely would have been easy to zone out during the day! I am so happy to take part in such an important project and I can’t wait to begin conducting my interviews throughout the next few months!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: NCI Training Edition! How was everyone’s weekend? What are your plans for the holidays? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec7

Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I had a sub par weekend due to some unfortunate family falling outs BUT I did have an awesome Saturday morning! I coach figure skating for the Special Olympics and at the Lock 3 skating rink in downtown Akron a winter fest was held through the Summit Developmental Disabilities Board. I had such a blast with my skaters and their families and my mom joined us as well which made the outing even better! Let’s discuss:

Lock 3, as pictured in my featured image photo, is a fantastic landmark in Akron. There are concerts there during the summer and a lot of great winter activities as the weather gets colder. It was a frigid morning on Saturday but when my mom and I arrived at the rink, I was happy to see a lot of my skaters already there chatting, skating, and tying up their skates.

I was excited for my mom to meet everyone and I was also pretty pumped to have some Sarah skating time, too. When I’m coaching, I rarely have time on the ice to do any of my old jumps or spins so it felt SO good to be able to break out some of the tricks up my sleeve, even though my skates are dull as dish water…They need sharpened so bad! After some time to myself on the rink, more of my skaters showed up, so I got off to assist in tying up skates, helping with stretches, and introducing my mom!

After everyone was geared up and ready to go, we all got on the ice together along with the members of the community who were there. I was under the impression that my skaters were going to be able to perform their routines that they’ve been working on as their showcase for the morning, but I was in for a pleasant surprise once the ice was cleared and my skaters began to line up.

I got off the ice and put my blade guards on then took my spot by the side of the rink to watch the show. But because the event was thrown together pretty last minute, it turns out that my skaters were just going to have the ice to themselves for five or so minutes to show off a little. I then got called over from my spot by my students and the organizers of the event because they wanted me to join the skaters on the ice!

I haven’t been on the ice to “perform” in years and it felt great to share the rink with such wonderful skaters. All of my students got to share some of their moves with the crowd as I skated back and forth between them to check up on them, offer words of encouragement, or give suggestions. The exhibition was a hit, and the Akron Beacon Journal was even there taking pictures! All of my skaters did so well with their laps, spins, and gliding and I was so proud.

After our five minutes of fame, the doors to the rink opened and the community members were able to join us. I got off of the rink and was greeted by the crowd who was so kind and a big hug from my mom. She told me that “every second spent on skating was worth it to watch you just now” and it warmed my bitter and cold heart.

I spent a little more time on the ice with my students and then my mom and I hit the road. I didn’t exactly want to go but it was SO cold and my mom didn’t dress accordingly! The winter fest was a huge success and it was one of the best times I’ve had in ages. I was so happy that my mom, my skaters and their families, and the community was able to share in such a special event!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition! I hope all of you had a great weekend! Do you have something similar to Lock 3 in your neck of the woods? Who has gone ice skating this winter? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May17

Honey, I’m Home!

Posted on by
Standard
Honey, I’m Home!

Hello, hello everyone! I have returned safe and sound to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio after my weekend getaway to Madison, Wisconsin – and let me just say…it’s SO good to be back! My brother, Peter graduated this weekend from the University of Wisconsin with a PhD in Chemical Engineering (so proud!), so my family packed up the car and made the nine hour trip up to Madison for the ceremony. I’m going to post a few pictures tonight to give you a little sneak peak for the usual Monday Update tomorrow, where I’ll discuss the trip in detail! I mainly just wanted to let all of my lovelies know that I’ve made it home in one piece and that I will talk to all of you very soon!

IMG_3468[1]IMG_3380[1]

^^^ Mwahaha, there’s the graduate himself – swagged out to the max! Love you, Peter! 😉 And there’s my sleeping beauty sister, Kristen getting her snooze on! 😉

There’s going to be a bunch of fun stories, pictures, and my graduation fashion choices to discuss tomorrow, so get ready for it and keep it posted with yours truly! How was everyone’s weekend? Did any of you have a weekend getaway trip? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah