Weekly Wrap Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...

MONDAY: I started the week off without a post.

TUESDAY: I didn't linked up with Amber for Hey, It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I shared a recent time that I had it all.

THURSDAY: I reviewed how I'm doing with my word of the year.

FRIDAY: I finished the week by tracking the progress of my new year's resolution.


Have you entered the Fun in the Sun Summer Giveaway yet? You can win $450!!

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!!

Friendly Resolution- June

I'm not big on New Year Resolution, because let's be honest, most of us rarely stick to them. This year, I decided that every month, I would make the point to connect with two friends that I haven't seen recently (at least 3 months).

How did my resolution turn out for June?

L- I haven't seen her since her birthday back in December! She has two little ones, crazy work schedule, building a house and getting ready to move- she is one busy lady!! I saw her at our friend K's wedding (I see K on a pretty regular basis) and knew I would be sitting with her at dinner. We spent a couple of hours together... it was great to see her and catch up! Once she is settled in her new house, I will have the chance to see her more. Of course I also K at her wedding, and I discovered that she and I had a mutual friend, A. A and I were friends back in University and lost touch. It was a surprise to see her at the wedding, but we had a great chat and have reconnected via social media.

A, J & P-I saw all 3 of them at the beginning of March (time frame for this goal is 3 months, so this just squeezes into the time frame), at P's surprise birthday party. A & J were having a bonfire at their place and i was invited. It was such a relaxed night, just hanging out outside, enjoying the fire, roasting marshmallows, sharing stories and laughing. It was perfect.

K & J- two friends I met through work in Huron County. I had dinner with both of them back in February (the time frame for this goal is 3 months, and it's been longer that 3 months, so it counts), and even went to the Royal Wood concert with K, but I haven't seen or spoken to either of them since. We went out for dinner and had a great time!! I love these two ladies and I was so happy to spend time with them. 

I definitely met my goal of at least 2 friends, but I connected with a lot fewer people than I have been in the past months. I'm still happy that I was able to stay on track and meet my goal. June was a bit of a weird month...work took me out of town a couple of times (I did get to know some colleagues from our local offices), I had more than usual family/political daughter things to attend too, and I went through...a situation, which resulted in me having more than usual "me" time.

All in all, pretty happy that I was able to stay on track with this goal! Looking forward to connecting with more friends in July!!

If you haven't already, there is still time to enter the Fun in the Sun Summer Giveaway!!

January // February // March // April // May

2015 Word Of The Year- Update

It's hard to believe that 2015 is more than half over! A lot has happened during the first 6 months of 2015 and there is still so much more that can happen. I am looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring my way.

Back in January, I shared my word for the year, which is Happy. Since we are half way through the year, I thought it would provide a little update on how I am doing with my word. 

2014 was, for the most part, an unhappy year for me. My break up with 2014 was a long time coming and I really wanted 2015 to be better...to be happy...hence my word of the year choice. 

January, February and the first 2-ish weeks of March were not happy or good ones. I tried very, very, very hard to stay away from the negative and toxic...to focus on happy. I had to make a real effort. It was tough. Some days, I would just list things that made me happy- no matter how small- in an attempt to live my word of 2015. 

My unhappiness was 100% due to my work situation. I was overworked and burnt out, which everyone knew but didn't care or would do anything about. I was injured and had a doctors note, but that wasn't good enough. I was working for an organization that had a horrible culture. Things were falling apart, the reputation was getting worse by the day, no one was taking us seriously, less and less people wanted to work with us, there was divide in what was once a team mentality, there were clear favourites and purposely excluding of others...it was just awful. 

My supervisor was the most miserable person I have ever encountered and she pushed her misery on everyone in the organization. No one liked her. She was unfriendly and very difficult to work with- employees AND community partners thought this. She was a bully and constantly harassed me.

A blessing in disguise...everything changed and my happiness was back as quick as you can snap your fingers.

I was able to get out and very quickly found a new place to work. It's a much bigger organization and a step up from what I was doing. I am valued, respected, supported and welcomed into a great team environment. It is the complete opposite from where I came...the cultural, the values, the level of professionalism...everything is the opposite- and in a good way!!

Another source of happiness are my friends. I have made the point and effort to connect with friends, especially ones that I have not seen in awhile. I value my friends and appreciate the time we get to spend together. Being with my friends is a great source of happiness for me. I can just be me...I don't have to worry about anything, I can be imperfect. My friends don't judge. They love unconditionally and support selflessly.

A took some time to spend with someone who meant a great deal to me. While the end result was a lot of heartache and hurt- for both of us- being with this person brought me a lot of happiness. I was reminded of what could be and how the simplest, smallest things can mean the most. It's the small gestures and moments that I will cherish.

I was able to spend time in the places I consider home, go back to my roots and relish those one of a kind experiences with family.

Volunteering has been something I enjoyed but hadn't had the time to do. I was able to start volunteering again and was reminded how fulfilling it is to work on something bigger than me and to give back to the community.

Around mid-March, I truly began to feel happy. I had realized how forced and insincere my happiness had been at the beginning of 2015. A weight has been lifted...I was able to go back to my happy self, live a happy life and truly experience happy.

I Had It All...For A Moment In Time

We always hear about wanting it all...having it all... Some say it's possible, some say it's impossible. Some say you can have two out of three, and you have to settle for what's most important. 

I always imagined that I would have it all. As time went on, I thought I would never have it all. As time went on more, I thought I would eventually have it all- but never at the same time. I don't know what I think any more.

Life has certainly had it's up and downs, it's curve balls and home runs. I have survived it all. 

As I struggle with my current situation, I realized yesterday that I DID  have it all- at least for a moment in time. 

Everything I ever wanted, I had and all at the same time. As I write this, I no longer have it all...it fell apart almost as quickly as it all came together. 

But I did have it all and I am thankful for that. 

I had a job that I love, that challenged me and made me feel fulfilled.

I had employment with an organization that aligns with my personal beliefs and values, an organization that had morals and standards, that treats employees with respect and values them.

I had friends who kept me company, celebrated life events with me, included me in times of fun, shared laughter and who offered support and encouragement.

I had family where we recognized our roots and beginnings, bonded over what made us unique, upheld tradition, lead by exampled and shared pride- we were proud of each other and our accomplishments.

I had the nice things in life...a place to call home, a place to run off too, a place to vacation, a car, bills taken care of, clothes, shoes...all of life's luxuries. There was nothing I wanted that I didn't have.

I had someone to share with, create moments, care about, hold, just be.

I was happy. I recognized I was happy. I lived in the happiness. 

I no longer have it all...but I had it all. For as brief as it was, I was blessed. I am thankful.

It was more than most.

Even if I never have it all again...at least I did. 

The Young Professional- Questions To Ask During An Interview

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had the opportunity to celebrate with one of my oldest friends (I've known her for over 20 years!!) as she married her best friend. It was a lovely and fun event. So happy for her!!

Monday means another Young Professional post! Last week, we talked about how to prepare for an interview, including coming up with questions to ask during an interview. This week, I thought I would share some questions to consider asking during the interview. 

Most interviews end with the interviewer(s) asking "Do you have any questions for me/us?" You should always answer this with yes. Not only is this a chance for you to learn more about the job and the company, but by asking questions, you are showing that you are engaged, and interested, in learning more.

You do not want to ask too many questions during this part of the interview (you should be asking questions throughout the interview process) and a good rule is to ask 2-3 questions. I like to prepare 4-5 questions, so that if my questions gets answered during the interview, I still have more questions to ask.

Here is my 'go to' list of questions that I have asked during an interview:

• How was this position created? In the first 3 months of 2015, I interviewed for 8 different positions and 5 of them were brand new positions. Some of the reasons for how the position was created were great ("We want to be more proactive in our community involvement"), some more standard ("We finally got funding to create this position") and some were red flags ("We had a similar position, but the person is going on maternity leave. Instead of filling her position, we decided to create a new position." What this actually meant was, "You'll be doing the same amount of work as her, but you'll be in a junior position so we don't have to pay you as much.")
• How long has the position been vacant? Generally, the longer a position has been vacant, the harder it will be to transition into; there will likely be a back log of work and usually a number of 'messy' situations. I had once interviewed for a position that had been vacant for almost 2 years; they were struggling to find someone with the right skill set, which told me they were looking for someone very specific.
• Why did the person in this position leave? This can be asked in conjunction with the above question or as a stand alone question. Finding out why a person left can be good ("They moved up in the company") or bad ("The last 3 people in the position didn't make it through probation." I've actually had this said to me and it was a red flag...why weren't they making it through? Were the targets that unrealistic? Are you that difficult to work for?)
• What are the short and long term goals of the team/company/department? Again, this just provides insight into the job and can help you determine if it's the right fit for you. This questions also shows that you are interested in the work they are doing.
• How can I help achieve the goals? This is a follow up question to the one above. This shows you are interested in how you personally- not the position- can contribute to the success of the organization.
• How does this position work with others within the organization? Another insight question. A lot of times during interviews, you learn a lot about the position on a stand alone basis but not how the role plays into a bigger picture. I once interviewed for a coordinator position but when I asked this question, it came out that on top of coordinating my own events, I would essentially be an administrative assistant to other departments.
• Who will I be reporting to? On more than one occasion, I did not met the person I would report to during the interview process. I also had a position where the person I would be reporting to was not in the office a lot and had no interest in me.//not a good situation. Plus, it's important to meet the person you report to prior to accepting a position; it needs to be someone you can see yourself working with.
• Who else will I be working with? Another insight question. In my current job, the interviewer disclosed who my immediate supervisor would be and the four other senior positions-and their teams- I would be working closely with.
• Do you have any concerns that I might not be the right fit for this position? It gives you an opportunity to address something that might not have come across during the interview and to provide clarity on why you are a good fit for the position. Or it can confirm to you that you are actually not a good fit. I once applied for a marketing position and when I asked this question, they were concerned I wouldn't be able to close a sale, which not only lead to me asking about sales quotas (which I felt was too high), but made me realize that "marketing" was code for "sales", which I didn't want to do. Another time, it came up that they were concerned I was too nice and that sales people (who are known to be push) would walk all over me. I was able to talk about how I used to be an insurance broker and can handle my own (I did get offered the job, FYI).
• Would you like me to expand on or provide clarity around any of the questions that I answered? This is a good question to ask, because it allows you the chance to make sure you answered their questions and that they got the information they needed.
• What is the main quality you are looking for in an ideal candidate? A lot of these qualities are listed in the job posting. This is a good question to ask, just to confirm that what is listed in the posting is actually what they are looking for and you can make sure you are qualified.
• What does a typical year look like for this position? A lot of people ask about 'typical day' but asking about what year looks like puts a twist on this predictable (and not a good) question. It also makes it seem like this is an original question and not something you found by googling "what to ask during a job interview. On top of that, a lot of jobs don't have a "typical day" or the answer doesn't provide a lot of insight ("Typical day consists of replying to emails, meeting with clients and completing contracts"). Getting a yearly view provides not only a better picture of what types of tasks the job entails, but also things like high and low times, major events ("We have booths at 4 trade shows a year") and aspects of your job that you might only do once a year (April is spent preparing files for our annual audit, it's all hands on deck so we have a 'black out' policy for employees taking time off during this month and you can expect to work longer days").
• What does success in the first 90 days of this position look like? This is my favourite question to ask and I always ask it. It's not a standard ask, which takes interviewers by surprise. The answer to this question can tell you what will be expected during your probation period and you can judge if it's realistic for you. It also makes them think and it provides great insight into the role (and sometimes company) which can help you decide if you're really interested. I was once interviewed by 4 different people at the same time and they actually had an argument in front of me about the answer; they were all on different pages and one even felt that anothers expectation was not realistic for a 90 day time frame. This not only provided insight into the position and expectations, but I had the opportunity to observe them and how they handled conflict.

There is no such thing as a bad question, but it's a good thing to always ask questions. When I am the interviewer, if I don't have candidates asking me questions, it shows me that they are not fully interested in the position or organization and that they couldn't be bothered to prepare a question or two to ask me, which makes me wonder how serious or committed they are to working with me. 

Next week, will be another post about interviewing, specifically what to bring with you. 

Looking for more? Check out The Young Professional Tag.

Sunday Reading & Coffee

I always felt reading the Sunday newspaper and drinking coffee was a very grown up thing to do and something I should  be doing, so I did. While I no longer have a newspaper subscription, I still feel that a great Sunday includes coffee and reading.

With this concept, I decided each week- on Sunday- to share some of my favourite articles from the past week. So grab a cup of coffee (or your beverage of choice) and enjoy!

In honour of a long time friends wedding, which was yesterday, 41 Thoughts You Have Watching “Say Yes To The Dress”.

Healthy living, including healthy eating is so important. Fat, Salt and Sugar: A New Guide to Guilt-Free Snacking provides some new insight.

Pitch Perfect is one of my favourite movies, so I was happy to hear that This ‘Pitch Perfect 3′ News Is Aca-Awesome. Plus, I have to share Movies 9 Things You Never Knew About ‘Pitch Perfect’.

I love summer and these Best Scented Candles For Your Beach House are making me miss the beach.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Weekly Wrap Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...

MONDAY: I started the week off with the Young Professional series and interview prep. 

TUESDAY: I didn't linked up with Amber for Hey, It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I went into the archives for campfire cookies.

THURSDAY: I had no post.

FRIDAY: I finished the week by sharing some of my favourite things.


Hope everyone has a great Saturday!!

Fave 5: Edition 2

1. Oh Canada:

Muskoka...in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in Canada.

2. Good Read:

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.

3. Make Up Must:

e.o.s. Lip Balm in Coconut Milk. Keeps my lips smooth and hydrated, plus smells (and tastes) good too!

4. Art Appreciation/Top Artist:

Aluminism creator and artist Baxo. Love how unique his work is. Visit his website to learn more about this art form and to see more of his work.

5. Jam

Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon...this song makes me want to get up and dance.

Have you entered the Fun in the Sun Summer Giveaway yet? One lucky winner will be getting $450!

Edition 1

From The Archives: Campfire Cookies

Happy Wednesday!! It's always fun to go into the archives and be reminded of things I have posted about in the past. I realize I haven't gone into the archives in a few months, so I thought I would do so today. 

So, what do we have from the archives? Campfire Cookies!! 

 

These cookies are not only delicious, but they are super easy to make!! 

The recipe can be found here. Enjoy!

The Young Professional- Interview Prep

May ended up being a bit of a crazy month for me, so I took an unplanned blog hiatus. I've been back blogging for a week or two, but I held off on any new The Young Professional posts; I wanted to start fresh in June. So, here we are. 

Recap: The Young Professional is a weekly (every Monday) blog series here on Dreams and Colour. We have covered job searching, resumes and cover letter writing. All posts can be found under The Young Professional tag.

Today, we are talking about interviews and how to prepare for them. 

 

It's so exciting to get a phone call (or email) asking you to come in and interview for a position. All of your hard work and energy spent looking for and applying to jobs is starting to pay off when people want to meet you. It's motivating to get interviews. Interviews can also be daunting. It can be intimidating to go in and meet someone new and have to sell yourself as to why you are perfect for the position. Being prepared can help calm your nerves when you are in the actual interview. 

What should you do pre-interview to prepare?

• Ask who you are meeting with. Get the name of the person interviewing you and look them up on LinkedIn. See if you can find any common ground; mutual friends, same alma mater or former employer. If you can find a connection with someone, it will make you feel more comfortable. Also, don't be afraid to bring up the connection. A few months ago, I interviewed with someone I met almost 3 years ago at Brock Homecoming. I mentioned this and aspects of our meeting to jog his memory. He went from all business to friendly, which helped me relax.
• Know where you are going. Going somewhere you've never been before can be stressful, add this to the already stressful pending interview situation and things have the potential to not be good. Google map your interview location and, if possible, take a drive to the place. It will give you a chance to figure out where you are going, find parking, etc. You might think you don't need to do this because you have GPS, but do it anyway. The morning of an interview, my GPS turned on and then died when I put the address in. Did I start to panic? Of course. But I knew the general area of where the interview was and I also remembered the google map directions, so I got there ok and on time.
• Get a phone number. You never know what might happen to prevent you from getting to your interview. I had my car break down on the way to an interview for my current job (I called a taxi and got there with 3 minutes to spare). If I was going to be late, I would have called to give them a heads up- which is just the considerate thing to do, FYI. Another time, I knew where the interview was, as I had been on that street many time, but I hadn't been in a while. I'm driving down the street, I could see the building, and the train track you used to be able to drive over is now blocked by a fence. Thank goodness I had a phone number! I was able to call them and explain the situation and they were able to give me directions on how to get to their building.
• Watch Dragons Den or Shark Tank. People on these shows are not only there to sell their products or ideas to investors, but also themselves. Watch a few episodes and study how people sell themselves, take note and apply them to yourself and interview skills. The Dragons/Sharks, also ask interview questions; these are great questions for your to practice answering. (I wish I could take credit for thinking of this tip...but it actually came from a friend I had lunch with the day before I had an interview).
• Visit the website of the company you are interviewing with. This is so important. This is your crash course on the company. Take a look at their history/about page and make note of some key information that you can memorize. In my current job, I was able to mention who founded the organization and why. In a previous interview, I was able to mention that the company I was applying to had been bought out by a different company less than a year ago. Other times, I was able to comment on awards the company had won, charitable work they do, new products they were getting ready to launch and different divisions of the company. There will be a lot of information on the website, look at it all and pick two or three key things you think you will be able to naturally bring up during your interview.
• Review the job posting. Look it over before you go. Be reminded of the position you are applying for, the skills they are looking for, and how you and your experience would be an added benefit to the company.
• Prepare questions. There is always an opportunity at the end of an interview to ask questions...ASK QUESTIONS!! This shows you are interested in learning about the position and organization, and finding out if both are a good fit for you. I like to prepare four or five questions, knowing that I will only ask two or three of the questions. I always prepare more in case my questions get answered during the interview. Next week, I'll be sharing some questions to ask during an interview, so I'm not going to go into them right now.

 

Preparing for the interview will help you feel more confident and calm. It will help you focus and put your best foot forward. Even though interviews can be scary or intimidating, remember they saw something in you that they liked...they WANT to meet you. You are setting out to impress them, but they need to impress you too.

Weekly Wrap Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...

MONDAY: I started the week with a fantastic giveaway, which you can still enter.

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey, It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I shared a song that I cannot get out of my head. 

THURSDAY: I revealed my blog crushes.

FRIDAY: I finished the week by announcing an Instagram Loop Giveaway (which you should enter, if you haven't already).


Hope everyone has a great Saturday!!

Instagram Loop Giveaway

I started this week off with Fun in the Sun Summer Giveaway, where one lucky person will win $450! If you haven't entered yet, you can do so here. So why not end the week with another giveaway?

 

I have teamed up with some fantastic ladies for an Instagram Loop giveaway starting tonight at 7pm EST. This is a fantastic prize package and I wish I was eligible to win. Details will be posted on my Instagram account tonight, including how to enter, so make sure you check that out. 

Hope everyone has a great Friday and GOOD LUCK with both of these giveaways!!

I Just Crush A Lot: Blogger Editon

I have A LOT of crushes in my life; man, music, girl, hockey, style...the categories are endless. Today I thought I would share my Blog Crushes. So, here they are in no particular order:

Sarah from Journeys of the Zoo is my original blog crush. She is so incredibly awesome AND a fellow Canadian! I love that she dedicates a good portion of her blog to promoting Canada, Canadians, and Canadian bloggers. She talks a lot about her family and travels, but the best part of her blog- and Sarah in general- is her humour! Justine from Sleepy Single Girl is one of my blog best friends. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love and adore this girl!! She is also a new mom to the sweetest, cutest little boy, Noah. She is taking a little bit of a blog break to focus on Noah, but she has tons of content to read while she's on hiatus. Her and C have the cutest love story, their wedding was beautiful, she chronicled her pregnancy, talks about life as a football wife, book and beauty reviews...and so much more. Justine is honestly the best.  Another blogger on a bit of a hiatus, Jennifer from Southern Living Preppy Style was one of the very first blogs that I started to follow. She has the two most adorable little girls...too cute for words! Jennifer shares the adventures of her family, Florida living and great Spy It & Buy It posts. I love her style and it's really fun to watch her girls' grow up. In my opinion, Amber form Airing My Dirty Laundry is one of the funniest bloggers out there. Her daughter, Natalie, is entertaining beyond words (but I'm glad she's not my daughter) and Amber shares her son, Tommy's journey with ADHD and Aspergers. Amber is also a Military Spouse and talks about the challenges she faces when her husband is deployed. It might seem like serious stuff, but Amber injects humour into all situations. Caitlin, from Southern Curls & Pearls, has the best style- both fashion and decorating! Lots of fashion on this blog, with glimpses into the life of this Carolina girl. It's been fun tracking the decorating progress of her apartment and I really enjoy learning about her favourite products. I've been introduced to so many things through this blog.  Kathleen, from Carrie Bradshaw Lied, is another blog that I have been following forever. Another blogger with fantastic fashion sense and impeccable decorating skills. I love her Friday' 5 posts, where she shares 5 things from the past week; anything from a pretty scene to a favourite product, from a type of clothing to something sweet her husband did for her, from something she experienced to a wishlist item. Kathleen also shares delicious recipes, SoCal living and fabulous DIYs. This blog is a must read.

You've Never Heard Of Her Favourite Band

Happy Wednesday!! For those of you living in Canada, remember that today is Camp Day at Tim Hortons. For everyone else, don't forget to enter the Fun in the Sun Summer Giveaway, where you can win $450 cash!

Today I thought I would share a song that I just cannot get out of my head...

Wild Child by Kenny Chesney

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Hey, It's Ok

To be sad that the New York Rangers playoff run has come to an end. 

That I am loving my new job and co-workers!! It's so refreshing to work for an organization that has their act together, that is so professional and is working towards a bigger picture. 

To have discovered cookies and cream popcorn, from Chapters. It is too delicious. And addicting. I might never buy another container. 

That my baby sister turned 20 on the weekend!! That's so crazy to me! I am so proud of her and all that she has accomplished the past 20 years. She is an amazing, well round person. I couldn't ask for a better sister or best friend. Even thought she's still not allowed in my room...haha. 

To be co-hosting Fun in the Sun Summer Giveaway! The lucky winner will receive $450 cash! You can enter here.

Fun In The Sun Summer Giveaway

Happy Monday everyone!! Is there a better way to start off your week and the month of June than with a giveaway? I don't think so!

The Young Professional Series will return next Monday. In the mean time, enter this giveaway. GOOD LUCK!!

Angel from Sew Crafty Angel asked a few of her 
bloggy friends to join together to bring you the 

Fun In The Sun Summer Giveaway 

Happy Summer everyone

You could win $450 in Paypal Cash 

So get your entry in!

Your Hostesses

Sew Crafty Angel
Cuddlebug Cuties
God's Growing Garden
Katherines Corner
Nap-Time Creations
Joyful Homemaking
I Dig Pinterest
Craft Dictator
Natalie Loves Beauty
Heidi's Wanderings
hoopla palooza
My Hill St Haven
bumblebreeblog
Eclectic Red Barn
I Choose Joy!
Dreams and Colour
Mama's High Strung

Sponsors
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Giveaway starts May 31st@ 11:59pm and ends June 30,2015 @ 11:59pm

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