Snack Ideas for the Office

Happy Thursday beauties! I’m so excited to announce to you all that I’ve accepted a job as a research assistant for a non-profit here in Kansas City! Many of you have been following my little career updates over the last year and know how hard the job market is for recent grads. Obviously, this is a big victory for me and I feel so blessed and relieved to finally start my career.

Healthy Eating at Work

One of the first things I think about when it comes to being in an office all day is what am I going to eat? Often times, you’re too busy to go out and get something but a bag of chips doesn’t sound excite you. Even worse, you fidget at work all the time and need to keep your hands busy and out of the Hershey’s Kisses bag in your desk drawer. I’m a serial fidgeter and have all of the above problems! Here are my go-to snacks for days spent in the office.

• La Croix and Dried Fruit- The flavored fizzy water is one of my favorite things to drink! Depending on the flavor you get, find a dried fruit to complement it. Cranberries are a great dried fruit to snack on! I also love dried pineapple and banana, however they’re both high in calories. Gotta watch that waistline!
• Cheese and Pretzel Thins- Baby Bell cheese and the big bags of pretzel things you find at Target are a great snack for the mid-day munchies. If you get tired of the cheese, try a low-fat hummus!
• Cucumber Slices and Spices- Cucumbers are basically water and can be made tasty by adding a bit of kick to them! Sprinkle lemon pepper and garlic onto thin slices of cucumber for a low-cal snack.

Get excited for work snacking because it just got a lot more interesting! Leave a comment with your favorite snacks to enjoy at work!

Juggling the Work/Life Balance

With my recent graduation and getting my first job, I have a lot on my plate. I get to work from home most days and I’m really enjoying it! However, with an active social life and a blog to keep up with, it can be a bit much to manage. After a few days on the job, I’m starting to get the hang of how to manage the work/life balance appropriately. I’m sharing with you some of things I’ve learned so far.

1. Schedule. I have an addiction to planners and agendas. I love the Kate Spade and Lilly Pulitzer kind! The fact of the matter is, though they’re cute, you need to actually use them! I’m learning to utilize the space in my agenda properly (including the ‘notes’ section). Go me!
2. Caffeine Intake. For pete’s sake, do not guzzle down a gallon of coffee before 9 am. I like to set my coffee pot’s program to keep it warm for 3 hours after I brewed it. Drinking a big pot of coffee helps throughout the day. I get burned out if I drink it all at once. I’m getting into tea because I hear it can be great for you (but nothing beats coffee!)
3. Have a Routine. We all get into a routine after a few days of starting something new. Having this routine makes a world of difference to me and my body. We’re both prepared for what lies ahead and can look forward to each day knowing what is likely to happen. Trust me, if you stick to a routine you’ll feel amazing!
4. Get up Early. I hate mornings with a passion but I find that the earlier I’m awake, the more things I can get done. I’m not someone who will wake up at 6:30 just because she can, I prefer to sleep in. If you have a job situation similar to mine, you’ll value being able to get up around 8am and eating a slow breakfast while drinking some OJ.

Tell me your tips on how you juggle work/life in a comment below!

Livin’ La Vida Liz

It’s Friday! Congrats, you made it through the week! As I get older, I realize how important a few days off are. Life is just draining at times. I’ve been commuting up to Fairfax, VA 3 times a week for my new job and between my chronic case of road rage and the money I spend on gas I’m just so ready for weekends.

Speaking of my new job, I’m absolutely loving it! I have great bosses and coworkers. Last night, a few of us went to an Irish pub to hang out and get to know each other. A few of us will be working remotely soon so having good relationships with everyone is key to getting things done. I definitely enjoyed getting to know people in an informal setting. I mentioned it in another post, but I’m the only girl that was selected to be on this contract. It’s turned out better than I thought it would. All of the guys are really great and are fun to be around.

I’m also really thrilled to say that I got my first pay check! It’s such an amazing feeling being able to earn your own money and rely on yourself and not someone else to take care of you. What’s even more exciting is that I’m going to start saving money for my future! My contract is up in November and I really would like to move to either Northern Virginia or somewhere in Florida. Since I would be getting my own apartment, I’d need to buy pretty furniture so I’m really excited about saving for that!

The biggest excitement of all right now, is my graduation next weekend! I have my Lilly Pulitzer dress all ready to go and fabulous shoes to go with it! The family and I will be headed down to Virginia Beach for a few days of celebration and beach time. Here’s hoping we have good weather! As a graduation present, my parents are buying me a really nice camera so I can have great pictures of the biggest day of my life and I’ll be able to share them with you! I guarantee I’ll be crying when I walk across the stage to accept my diploma. All these memories will just come rushing back of the greatest time in my life. I’m starting to tear up already. Lord help me.

Enjoy your weekend beautiful people! I’m off to finish some work and then go to the gym!

P.S. My top is from Banana Republic, sunglasses are from Aldo, Blazer is Ann Taylor, and red skirt is from Kenar.

Working Girl Inspiration

Good morning lovelies! Here’s a little Thursday inspiration to get you through the day! I woke up and was looking at my Pinterest and pinned a few things that inspired me. You can find more on my board “The Working Girl’s Life” if you like what you see. I love my life as a professional woman and am so empowered by it! However, I don’t think being a professional should mean I can’t live with a little color in my life. No matter what position I’ll hold in my lifetime, you’ll still find me rocking pink and sparkles!

Enjoy your day! It’s almost Friday! Keep working hard being all that you were designed to be. The best is yet to come in our beautiful lives. We are tres magnifique!

What I Keep at the Office

Rejoice pretty people, it’s Friday! We’ve all been working hard (or hardly working) this week and it’s time for a break. Living near Washington, D.C. means that we need it more than everyone else. We truly are the city that never sleeps. We’re also the city that knows way too much about happy hours and not enough about how important it is that our livers function properly. That’s another post though.

I mentioned in another post that I got my first “big girl” job. I started about two weeks ago and have been going through some introductory meetings several times a week with my new team members- all of whom are guys. I’m the only girl to be hired on for this project. Many of you might run away at the idea of this but trust me, that would be a mistake! There’s a lot of power I have because of my unique position. Ok, maybe not. However, there are some advantages such as playing a leadership role when no one else is sure who should. Or being the only female voice, thus automatically getting more attention. Like I said, it isn’t a bad position to be in!

With everything in life, you need to be a little prepared though. I have a few #bosslady necessities that you’ll always find me with at the office or in a meeting. Let’s start with my red lipstick because it’s becoming my persona. Nars Cruella lip pencil is something I don’t leave home without anymore. It’s dramatic and eye catching! In a city that’s all business, this beautiful red fits the bill of being a business savvy Washingtonian.

My next must-have are heels. Ballet flats don’t command the attention of anyone. Heels, on the other hand, are quite attention grabbing. I work with men whom are all taller than I am, the heels really level the playing field for me. Plus, my legs look great! #winning

I feel like this next one goes without saying, but my grande vanilla iced latte will always be near by. I need energy to keep up with my team members. They’re smart, witty, and have commutes that are far shorter than mine. The coffee stays with me to cling to in my most desperate hour, which usually comes around 2:30 when I’m ready for a siesta.

Being the grown-up I am I always carry with me an agenda/planner. Little things I need to remember for certain dates always seem to come up in discussions. With my hot pink pen, I write down the details of events, projects, and the occasional happy hour.

Finally, I rock my reading glasses. Ladies, never underestimate the visual power of such a tool. Glasses suggest so much about a person’s intellect. I’d wear them more often if they didn’t get in the way of my Audrey Hepburn-style sunglasses.

I’m always adding to and updating my must-have list. Aren’t we all? I’m always falling in love with something new. During the winter months, my must-have was a heating pad so I wouldn’t be cold. I may be keeping it on the list if this new office proves to be chilly!

Enjoy your weekend!