First days of work!

Last week, Katie started her first day at Heery International and together we wrote a post on her blog about "First day" traditions. Today, I'm reposting that blog with my own "First day" of work pics. Enjoy ;-)

"First day" traditions- originally appeared on Katie's blog last week:

The glorious legacy began 22 years ago at a McAlpin's register. Whitney was in line with mom and grandma Peggy when she spied a red Rainbow-Brite umbrella. The purchase would inform her fashion, and sense of humor, for years to come. While the umbrella was memorable, the purpose of the trip was Back-to-School shopping, and resulted in many outfits of Spumoni, Osh-Kosh-Be-Gosh, and Khaki-cuteness. After this successful and fun day, Peggy declared it a tradition, topped only by Derby Day.

In the next two and three years, respectively, Lindsey and Katie received their prestigious invitation to join The Event. It didn't stop there. Luckily our family was blessed with seven granddaughters, each of whom was initiated into the yearly retail ritual before the first day of school.

The first stop was always McAlpins, as Aunt Susan worked there and could scout the newest styles and deals. As youngsters, we were easy to please, however, as we matured so did our personal styles.

Whitney:
Princess and the Pea Complex- no itchy fabrics like wool, no tight turtle necks, and no sleeve rolling (although she did tight roll her pants in middle school-ha!). In high school, she was a Total Bitch. Nothing pleased her. She refused to try anything on unless it was brown or black. She had that flannel-grunge-thing going for her, or against her. Later on, she improved. She added reds and pink to her repertoire. And she started to take advice from her fashion forward family.

Lindsey:
Lindsey liked it all, the shopping and the clothes. Consistently classic, she liked stripes, solids, denim and khaki. She despised Whitney's inevitable rummage through her closet to find the newest (unworn) addition to her wardrobe, stealing her thunder and wearing it first. But she did get a nice superiority boost by bitching Whitney out ALL the way to school.

Katie:
At an early age, like 3(!), Katie had developed her own style. She didn't want the gray pea coat that mom picked out and bought, she wanted the purple one. Distraught by the pain of betraying the purple coat, she burst into tears when modeling it for great-grandmother Sara Newt. (Sara Newt remedied said situation by demanding that mom exchange the coat for the appropriate color. More to come on "The Spoiling of the Grandchildren" by Sara Newt in a coming post.) From then on, Katie was not afraid to voice her opinion on fashion choices. As a result, Katie could be found in the best wears, with her eclectic-before-the-trend style, which gave her that "unapproachable look."

With our shiny new wardrobes in closet, we would spend an hour, minimum, getting ready for The First Day. We chose the outfits based on majority votes, men excluded, followed by hair styling, shoe picking, and later, bad make-up application. We were ready by 6:30 am when Aunt Robin would pick us up and drive us to the end of the lane to wait for the bus. There we were, seven groggy, yet beautiful and dressed to the nines, granddaughters huddled together at the end of VanDeren Lane. At the butt-crack of dawn, we waited. Aunt Robin got out her camera, and snapped the first picture. Beginning to dismantle, Robin would flail, "Megan had her eyes closed!" Rolling our eyes and making snide comments we always had to take at least five photos before she was satisfied. :-)

We never escaped the dreaded "First Day of School" picture, even when we went to college at UK. There she was, with her camera, waiting eagerly for us to drop by Funkhouser Building (where she worked) and where she would take at least five photos.

And so, this post is dedicated to all of the wonderful women who enabled our addiction to shopping, and saying cheese. Here is my "First Day of Work" picture, complete with new outfit and new haircut, highlighted by a classic vogue pose. My "Day Two" pic illustrates my new Disney look- with name tag, company ID, and Mickey trading pin! Also, I'm wearing the cutest new navy, patent leather open-toed shoes, which unfortunately are not very visible. Perhaps I will devote a future post to the shoes ;-)

First day of work- Vogue Style

Second day of work and covered in Disney!

Yet another pretty meal

I'm starting to feel a little like Rachel Ray, but we've been trying so many new recipes that I just can't help myself. I have to post the pictures. Tonight for dinner we had Grilled Shrimp Tacos, compliments of Real Simple magazine. It's light, refreshing, and flavorful thanks to the sour cream sauce made with mayo, milk, and cumin. Calories= 500.

Me Employed, You Envious

In case you haven't heard, I'm employed...well sorta. I am now a marketing intern at G&G advertising. I landed this gig as a direct result of my "unique" portfolio. I'm not sure what was meant by that comment, but I'll take it. :-) Let's start at the beginning.

When Whitney and I first moved to Orlando, I set out to find a creative position in advertising. Major obstacle: I had zero experience in advertising. I vaguely remember working to obtain this thing...it indicates a sound knowledge base and ability to perform. What is that thing called again? Oh, right. A degree. In English, no less. I knew it would come to me. I hoped that all those years spent amassing writings and an impressive library (or so I'm told) would in some way benefit me in my career search. And it did. I compiled a sample of works, from travel writing to blog posts, that demonstrated my range as a writer, called it a portfolio, and bam! Oh no, no, no. We need an Emeril style, over-the-top, emphatic BAM!!! Much better. That was all it took to find the entry level career of my dreams. Well, that and a willingness to work for free. Who needs money when you have an awesome sugar momma?!

So, now I go to work every day, excited to learn the inner workings of G&G advertising. Once I get over the "Hey, I'm new here and you all scare me," acclimation phase, I think I will love working for the Gs. Here's a video of the office ambiance...aren't you jealous?

Installment Two: Diet a la Whitney

Started the day off right with yummy pancakes and blackberry syrup. Usually, I'm a maple syrup kinda gal, but Matt found this blackberry goodness at the local farmer's market. It's so heavenly.

Now, you'd think that meal would eat up all my calories for the day, but luckily it was only 586, leaving plenty of room for the salad recipe Katie and I discovered in the new issue of Domino magazine. Super simple, the salad consists of 2 pears (sauteed in olive oil), mixed greens, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. We added some pecans and freshly grated parmesan to make it even more fabulous. Mmm. 

Dessert and Exercise

Mmm. Peaches and brown sugar. The first step to a healthy balanced lifestyle... a la Whitney. 

Surprisingly, this dish (one large peach, 2 tsp. brown sugar, cinnamon, and cool whip) only contains 115 calories. It's all part of my new fitness regimine... 30 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week, and a 1500 calorie diet. Results to follow. 

Oh, and my sister, Katie, has joined us in paradise. She will be staying with us for 6 months while she works as an intern for Heery International. I'm sure our hijinx will end up as posts eventually!

Katie, and her cute new hairstyle.