It's Denver Time

Gah, I must get more regular with the blogging thing. How do people do it every couple of weeks? They must be getting paid ;) 

So I thought I'd write about Denver and what it's been like so far. I've decided I quite like this city. The thing is I didn't actually choose it. As a recap, I moved here to get a women's business accelerator startup off the ground. The cofounders and friends of mine had decided Denver would be a great place to base the company so I hopped a moving truck and headed over. Would I have chosen Denver had I been given the choice? Mmm probably not. Had I thought I was done with snow after having lived in tropical and desert climates for almost 6 years after Michigan? Mmm yes I did. But the good news is, I actually love it!! Denver is the coolest place. Even though it is a decent sized city, it almost has a small town feel. The business networking here is dare I say, fun! People know each other and love to work together. It's quite enjoyable. This amazing environment has done wonders to foster our program as its going just swimmingly :) 

So many people here are outdoorsy and it's so so enjoyable. Everyone wants to be outside whether that's skiing in the mountains, playing volleyball in Wash park, mountain biking, rock climbing, the other day I went to a Crawfish boil, good times, and the list goes on. I just love it. Get this- For Easter,  (I'm a "Creaster = I try to go to church on Christmas and Easter even though most churches I find to be questionable) rather than going to your typical church and listening to crying babies, observing gossip and pretentious looks etc, we went to a magical place called Red Rocks. It's a natural amphitheater built into the red rock of the mountains. We were 8,000ish feet up and enjoyed a choir and Easter service as the sun rose. So so cool. While I wasn't very impressed with the preacher, overall it was an awesome experience. Did I mention I love being outdoors? 

Red Rocks offers a slew of other fun activities to enjoy as well, from many concerts to the movie series that they project and everyone brings blankets and snacks <3 . Denver in general has a sweet music scene, as well as sports games. Even better, people always seem to get the hookup from their work so tickets are often discounted or free! 

In other news, I'm going on a mini vacay to St Pete and Bonita Springs Florida in a couple days. I was always envious of those people who seemingly always had time off and funds to go visit friends around the US. Now I get to be one of them! Bahahaha. My Auntie Amy lives in Bonita Springs, and then two friends who I met in Costa Rica ended up in St Pete so it will be the most lovely visit. One thing I will say, while Denver's winters are relatively mild compared to Michigan/ the Midwest, I am most excited for some fun in the sun and ocean time :) 

Oh let's end with talking about career things. I just want to put out there that when I first moved back to the US, I will fully admit I didn't quite know what to do with myself. Didn't know what I wanted to do, where my skill set lied, etc. And right now I just feel so peachy keen about where I've landed. I truly think it's just part of being in your 20s, which of course at the time, you don't realize. Now that I'm 28 (eek!) and nearing that 30 mark, life seems more stable and I like it. Good lord I sound old haha. So for those of you who are still in that stage, just know that things will quiet down and you will figure it out. Looking back I wish I had had someone to tell me that. Don't worry!! Just keep pushing yourself until you figure out something that makes you happy!! 

Those are my words of wisdom. Also I have come to the conclusion that pesto and siracha taste good on everything. 

<3 T 

Christmas

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. You should be reading that in your head to the tune of Nsync's version of the song of course ;-) Such a lovely album. 

Thought I'd write out some holiday thoughts today to get my brain going before moving on to work items. How was everyone's holiday? Mine has been fun. Snowy. I'm currently in Michigan visiting. My mother lives in Lapeer Michigan, and my dad in Bay City, equally snowy at this point I believe. Last year I didn't make it back for the holidays, but I'm here this year and I do believe I have forgotten how to drive in snow. I've gotten stuck twice so far, once just trying to get out of my dad's drive way, and the second in the driveway next to my friends Chelsee and Mike's new house, pulled into the neighbor's by mistake who had chosen not to address the inches of snowfall in his driveway. Good times. I remember now what to do and what not to. And it's all good practice though because even though I'm excited to get back to the valley of the sun to thaw out, in a few short weeks I'll be driving a Uhaul 13 hours from Phoenix to Denver. (Eek am I seriously doing that? ha). 

Let's do family updates. My dad. He's a bachelor these days but branching out and becoming more and more social. I'm proud of him. Similar to many men of his generation, work was how he identified as a person, and was subsequently where he socialized. After the crash that was General Motors and all the older guys 2 years away from their pension got let go, he was able to bounce back and now works for Dow Corning. No it is not the white collar executive position he was used to. He now drives a fork lift and wears coveralls moving chemicals. One 'oops' could cost the company millions of dollars. He tells me he has learned more ways to use the word 'F*ck' from his colleagues than he ever knew possible. He enjoys it though and has begun climbing the ranks. I think this sort of work has changed him in a good way. He has now made effort to meet new people outside of work including his clock collectors' club which I find pretty cool. A friend from his club let us borrow one of his cars while I am in town. We went to pick it up and that was just a quality stop in itself. Dan, the friend, lives in a house built in the early 1900s. His house is fullllll of cool things from the 1890s and 1900s. It was. So. Cool. His furniture, decorations, even his toaster. I told him he lived in a treasure box. He said he usually gets 'museum.' It was all I could do not to whip out my iphone 4 and start snapping pics in every room. When he started showing off his original phonographs (and playing music for us!!) I couldn't resist however and took 2 pics :D What a joy. He said if I ever moved back to Bay City he'd sell me his house full of treasures. I said Ok maybe ;) 

My mom is doing well too. Similar to my dad, and likely others in her generation, she is also going through a work transition of sorts. After spending 20 some odd years being a stay at home mother, it has been a challenge for her to figure out the career path I think, just as it is for the rest of us I suppose. Currently she is doing medical transcription from home, but is starting to dabble with house flipping. She and her guy just bought the first one and are now doing work on it. I told her she should start watching the house flipping couple on HGTV Flip or Flop. She said her tv time goes to Netflix series Orange is the New Black, but that she will try to check it out. She like me, has never been a fan of long winters and I guess this winter has made records this year. Parts of her town have been going 8-9 days without electricity. The poor girl had been on a generator for 3 days but is thankfully back up and running. Last night she pulled up on her ipad (My mom is now more technically advanced than I am as the only tablet I own is a Nook) and showed me a photo of the parking lot of my high school. It was full, as in 20-30 large trucks, that would go pick up utility workers that had been shipped in to help, every morning from their prospective hotels and then take them to the power lines to continue fixing. Good lord. Nothing like this happened when I lived here thankfully. Hopefully it's a one time thing. Once my youngest brother graduates high school I would not put it past her to yank her guy to warmer pastures. 

Speaking of the youngest, Jonathan, much to my delight, has now joined the high school swim team. Swimming was by far my favorite sport as a kid, and possibly still is actually. One second of tooting one's own horn: I was recruited from my private grade school to come join the high school swim team a year early. I swam for points as an 8th grader under the table and was the first to ever have done so. Jonathan was asking about my days as a swimmer, once I told him this and that I had been a record holder, I apparently gained new respect. We are now discussing technique and form :) My goodness he is built. He works out diligently ever day which I love. He has this pull up thing that goes in doorways that you can use either under hand or over hand. I don't even know how many he can do but here is my tally. Underhand- 2. Overhand- 0. Think I'll stick to barre class. It's funny, it's still hard for me to grasp that he is this big hairy teenager. When he was born I was 12, a 7th grader. I was very much a part of raising him through my teen age years. He's still this little tike that I used to chase and tickle to death in my head, but in reality he is now going to home coming dances and listens to music that sounds like yelling to me. Geez. At least we have swimming in common though lol. 

I have a second brother who lives in South Carolina who unfortunately didn't it make it back this year for Christmas. We are not close I'll be honest, but he seems to be doing well. He is raising two children who are now 3 and 1. They are beautiful children and sharp cookies. Ella talks up a storm on Skype and Lucas makes fun sounds. My mom is enjoying these beginning grandmother years. 

And finally Schmanse (Nancy) my sister is for the first time since college, living back in Michigan. She had gone to NYU for school and then stayed another 3 years after. She heads up the Detroit division of a nonprofit called Girls who Code. They teach and empower young girls to get excited about math and science since our society sells stupid T shirts to little girls that say things like I'm too cute for homework. Blah what garbage. It's interesting how we both ended up in this field as I have recently found myself in women and girls empowerment sector myself. Fun to chat about, and talk about different funding entities etc. She seems to like Detroit alright, but very much misses NY. Girls who Code has a location in San Francisco. I think Schmanse would be happier there and our fingers are crossed that she can eventually transfer. I guess recently they were also discussing moving her to Chi, which also would be an upgrade. We shall see we shall see. 

Alright time to work. Hope everyone is enjoying the season. xoxo T 

The Horizon is Changing

Oh my goodness, I finally did it yesterday, and by that I mean left Yelp. As some of you know by now, I have accepted a new position as head of fundraising for a nonprofit called Think Global Institute. (Whooo!!!!!).  Another big change, I am moving to Denver early January. Whoa. Even as I write this I can hardly believe it's happening. Did I really just leave Yelp yesterday? Am I seriously moving to a state that has snow? Holy crap. 

It's a little bitter sweet. I've been here in Phoenix for 2 years now and so many people here have become like family to me. So many. It's hard to believe that I've only got a couple more months. Although, as of yesterday, our nonprofit officially partnered with ASU so it does appear that there will be some back and forth, which means visits are in order :)

Yelp. Oh Yelp. Yelp was a great run, grew some thick skin (did I mention thick?) during all those cold calls, learned a lot about marketing, and consequently a lot about small businesses and many industries. It was weird leaving yesterday. I was grateful to them for what I've learned, but so, so ready to move on. Talking to (irritable) business owners day in and day out who may or may not have ever run a business before, oh the conversations I've had. Some good, but many frustrating. I am ready for more intelligent conversations and to be working towards a more meaningful goal. Advertising is certainly part of being in business, but our mission at the nonprofit means so much more to me. A shout out to the Yelp kitchen that kept me fed over many lunches. Boca burgers, black bean burgers, every kind of deli meat and cheese, a variety of red bull, my fave. Just kidding, red bull is gross and I'm a (wannabe) health nut. 

If you're interested in reading about my career growth and striving to push the needle forward, read on ;) 

For the last 2 years I've struggled I guess is the best word for it, with trying to figure out what I was meant to do. When I moved to Costa Rica for 3 years after college, I'll be honest. I got really, really lucky. I moved without a plan. I knew I would land on my feet, but I had no idea how. I was lucky to find a job that I adored. It was flexible on my time, my position wasn't limited and by that I mean that while I mainly sold luxury, custom designed (by yours truly) vacations to clients, I also got to give input on website improvements, training methods, our home grown CRM, and more. Oh and I got to travel all the time in a country that I adored for its outdoor activities and pura vida lifestyle, as well as to other countries around the world. 

When I moved to Phoenix, I did the same thing. I moved without a set plan and just figured I'd land on my feet again. Well, I landed on my feet, but I have had career dissonance for some time now. Maybe that is part of being in your 20s. Figuring out what you're good at. What interests you. What stimulates you. What you can see yourself doing for a lifetime.  

It all started a few months into living in Phoenix. I had this idea that I was interested in marketing and started surfing the web for ideas. I came across a listing that needed marketing/PR help for his business consulting. I applied and soon got my feet wet. Over time I grew and eventually went on to work at Yelp. Meanwhile, I kept in touch with the business consultant who became a good friend. Then one day he told me he was starting a nonprofit. A nonprofit that coaches women entrepreneurs around the world. I began working with him and his partner in my free time. It kept me sane from my days at Yelp. It was fulfilling and stimulating, something I desperately needed. I worked as a volunteer because I believed in what we were doing. Imagine my surprise (and delight) and we began to discuss my employment.

There is (career) joy in my heart again. I haven't felt this since Costa Rica and it's amazing. And it doesn't stop there. The nonprofit is a startup. The founders have been working hard over the past year to put everything together, all the while coaching women business owners in all corners of the world. We have been live for a couple months now. It's a very exciting time. Check out our new shiny website: http://thinkglobalinstitute.org/

I think being a part of a startup would probably scare alot of people, but I find it thrilling. Our mission is to empower women in business around the world. To stir economic and social growth. We are building from the ground up, developing models, processes, ideas. I don't know that I could think of another position that I would rather do. 

My role is head of fundraising, working with businesses and foundations to secure funding for our programs. To be clear, TGI is a business accelerator, an incubator. We run 16 week programs with the women and find ways to expand their businesses, structure business models etc. Our first cohort will be mid-February 2014 in Denver. We will also be running a program in Phoenix next year sponsored by ASU. Current international regions of focus are Asia and Latin America, specific locations still pending. (Yay Latin America!! Hello translating opportunity)  

I want to make a specific shout out to the volleyball community here in Phoenix, who in particular has truly been like a family to me, you are such a wonderful group of people. I hope you will keep in touch and come visit. Let's play in the snow! 

And don't forget I'm not moving until January, which means there is plenty of time to hug it out :) 

Karaoke - It's the real deal

So I'm at this coffee shop that I found on Yelp (imagine that). It's kind of awesome. The guys working here are older and were somewhat cantankerous when I was checking out. Turns out they're ol softies that love to sing. I'm absolutely loving it. Their voices are smooth, and the one is just plain soulful. There's about 6 people here, and they totally talked me into doing karaoke. Now I've done this twice in my life with my love miss Chelsee back in Michigan, although I'm not sure it counts because everyone in the bar, including ourselves, were pretty inebriated, and by inebriated I mean trashed. Tonight the only beverage I've had was a vanilla soy late (and well made might I add). My song of choice was When I was your man by Bruno Mars. Love that song. They tell me I did pretty well for a newb and that I should do it more. I have a hunch it might just be because I'm the "youngin" here and we all know how much the old folk enjoy having young whipper snappers (sp?) around ;) 

So I'm looking at this blog and I seem to be posting few and far between. I'm realizing I never gave an update about my old job, which was technology sales. To give you some insight, companies like HP, IBM etc would hire the company I worked for to set sales appointments for them, and then they paid $800-$1000 for the appointment. Sounds good in theory. The reality was the company was poorly managed and I got the heck out of dodge. Fast forward a few months- I am now happily working at Yelp. World of loud music, life size gongs, sporadic catch phrase and more. I do love it there. It kind of reminds me of my job in CR for the fact I can work throughout my day on my own, and yet run around taking beaks as needed, with the understanding that the flexibility comes with a strong work performance. 

I actually just called my mom a few days ago with a work update. Like any sales job, there is always a learning period for the first few months. I was calling to tell her I finally feel like I know what I was doing now. It's a great feeling to go into work feeling confident and like you're about to kick the world's a**.  :D 

This one's gonna be a shortie. Karaoke is closing up shop and it's time to head out. Night kids

New Year's Resolutions, Cliche I Know

Back to blogging my friends. This Sunday I find myself wanting to organize my thoughts on my "New Year's resolutions." I've never really been one to have new year's resolutions, but the more I look back on my last year, the more I realize I'd like to make some changes. And there's a lot of them. I'll list them below, maybe you can relate- 

Blog more. I haven't blogged in ages, but I love doing it! Sometimes I just feel like time gets away from me. No wait. It always gets away from me. Maybe being more punctual should be on this list ;) 

Do more social activities that don't involve going to the bar. (Dont' misunderstand, I'm not going to stop going to the bar, just add more social activities to the mix :D )

     Some of these may include: a scuba dive club (yes they exist in the desert), Toastmasters, volunteering for the AMA (American Marketing Association), and some other cool marketing groups that I have recently discovered on linkedin

Go to church. Can anyone recommend a good nondenominational option? I used to go to this amazing church called Mars Hill when I lived in Grand Rapids, Mi. I was so lucky to get to listen to Rob Bell  a pastor who actually travels the nation speaking and relates the bible to every day life. If I could find a place to go to similar to the experience I had there, I would be there every Sunday. 

Reach out to my family more. Living in Costa Rica and now Arizona which are both miles away, it's easy to fall out of contact and not know how things are going in their everyday lives. As I get older, I realize I need to make this more of a priority and be proactive. Especially with one of my brothers. You may not know this because I don't talk about it often because to be honest, I'm embarrassed of the situation, but I actually have a brother who is 22 who has a young two year old baby girl Ella, and his girlfriend is now pregnant with their second. Their financial situation is not the best, nor is his work history. In the past years I have shied away from contact because most interaction when he was in Michigan ended in turmoil. To be frank, he's troubled and has brought alot of grief to my family. However as I get older, I've decided that I need to be the adult and reach out to him, try to be a good influence. Maybe that's what he needs. Of course it helps that he lives in another state and I can reach out from a safe distance. Either way, time to put on the big girl pants.

I could list a bunch more, but then the list would be unrealistically long and wouldn't happen. These are the ones I can commit to. Anyone else have some of these as resolutions? 

Flagstaff is Cool

So we went to Flagstaff this weekend.  It was my first A/B Volleyball tournament which was pretty exciting.  No, we did not win the gold, but we didn't get killed either :) From starting to play 6 months ago I will say I've come a long way. I'm sure alot of my Phoenix friends will attest to that haha. It was a great day, we had a minor interruption with some rain, but it quickly cleared up and we got to finish the tourney.  Great play by all, I love volleyball and our community! 

You know what else is cool? Flagstaff, land of pine trees, snowboarding in the winter, and hippies is just 2ish hours away.  AZ is so diverse that way. So many cool places to visit within driving distance or at least a quick flight away.  On our way up there, my Michigan friend Ashley asked me (who had been there before), Theresa, does Flagstaff remind you of Michigan at all? My response was, hmm, I guess, it is alot greener up here isn't it...  

As the weekend went on, the vibe I was getting from Flagstaff did start to remind me of Michigan. Some friends were discussing Flagstaff and another girlfriend Serina said, yeah, Flagstaff is alright, as long as you like snow and drinking, otherwise there isn't much else to do. And then I thought to myself, ah yes, that's why it reminds me of Michigan, ha. 

All jokes aside, it's a cool little town, lots of hole in the wall places to eat, and older buildings which are a love of mine. For example I adore houses with built ins like bookshelves, drawers, heck, I even love the wall paper. (Don't judge me!)  The house where alot of the players stayed was a 6 bedroom house rental. I loved it! I'm a total house explorer.  The bathroom even had a laundry chute.  If I stay in Phoenix through the years, I would love to buy a house like that, although I'm not sure they exist here, seems most homes are pretty new in Phoenix. Maybe I will just have to have one custom built with my built in bookshelves :)

Here is my advice to those who have not been - (Or am I the last to have finally made it up there lol) Flagstaff is cold! Even in the summer. It actually seems to go back and forth. On the tourney day it started out warm, low 80s, but then it rained and the temperature got down to the 50s.  My Costa Ricafied turned Phoenician self was freeeezing. Next time I shall bring multiple layers, a blanket (Yes a blanket. I was sooo jealous of those who had come prepared) and some corduroy Rocket Dog boots that I recently purchased on sale even though it's 110 degrees right now in Phoenix :D

Oh Did You Know?

That my car now has sweat and sand stain on the driver's seat? ick lol. I can't decide if I should be divulging this somewhat self compromising fact, but I guess it's too late now isn't it :) Which brings me to my real plight. I need a new car!! 

Besides the fact that my volleyball antics seem to be ruining my driver's seat fabric interior, I have been driving a 2000 Toyota Echo since my college days, and unfortunately it has taken a beating over the years. That, and let's be real, I'm 26, (lol I almost wrote I have 26 years, yay, still thinking a bit in Spanish) and I think it's about time for an upgrade. I finally feel somewhat adultish, and in about 6-8 months, I expect to be in a (much awaited) position to be able to make that purchase. 

Now, on to what to buy. I seem to gravitate towards yellow (ish) colors for the past couple years, although reason tells me I might want to avoid bright colors since they probably get more attention from those people we call cops? Or is that just red? How does the color thing work. Or maybe it's just an old wives tale and I can just pick whatever color I want.  The funny thing is, for the longest time, my favorite color was purple.  Now all I want to buy is yellow. Yellow shoes, yellow clothes, I want a yellow kitchen someday, etc.  Do favorite colors change normally? 

Next requirement. I want it to have good gas economy or to use the trending buzz word, for it to be 'green.'  While of course I enjoy the savings that my little Toyota offers, I also just feel compelled to take responsibility for my footprint on the environment. I have always been a big recycler, ask my mom, when I was a kid, I wouldn't say I was obsessed, but I was definitely more concerned/aware than my peers. I just feel if we have the ability to take control and do better, we should. 

The last thing is not so much a need, but more of a want. I like the idea of having a vehicle that has four wheel drive/more space for going on outdoor adventures. Maybe something like the Toyota Fortuner? Don't call me out on this in case it's like the worse gas economy ever or something. I have really not done any homework, just briefly done a google image search. What do I mean by outdoor adventures you ask? Oh you know, hiking, camping,  maybe fishing/hunting? I'm not really a huge fisher, but I'm OK as long as I have a beer in my hand :) Hunting - don't know a thing about it. I just like the idea of living off the land. Pretty sure I could handle it though. Other activities would be mountain biking and off-roading. We used to go off-roading in the rainforest in Costa Rica and picnicking. I would love to do that sort of thing maybe up north in Fossil Creek/Strawberry.  (Joiners?) The thing is, I never drove during those off-roading adventures, although perhaps it's time I learn.  

Oh oh, one more thing. To lease or to buy. Which is better these days? Anyone care to offer insight and your experiences?