Working Life

While Nick is transitioning out of his job, I am still in the process of transitioning into my new one. Insidetrack is a ten year-old company with a sole purpose of supporting college students in their quest for higher education. Insidetrack has contracts with dozens of colleges around the nation. Each college is assigned a "team" of coaches from Insidetrack. Each team is dedicated to increasing the level of support and, ultimately, retention of students at the school. My team is Westwood College. We tend to think that we are the best team in the company ;). We are a group of diverse individuals--all very friendly and fun-loving. Westwood is supposedly one of the most difficult schools to coach for because we encounter a lot of students in dire circumstances--including homelessness, unemployment and domestic violence. During my first week of work, I was told that I should consider my placement with Westwood as an honor, as the student population faces many adversities and I was placed with Westwood because the Insidetrack knew I could handle the position.
I have over 70 students on my roster. I make 50+ calls a day and aim for at least 9 student meetings per day (via phone, ranging in time from 5 to 30 minutes). So far it's been going great. I have so much support from my direct manager and the rest of my team. It is obvious to me that Insidetrack strives very hard to keep their employees happy. So far, we've had several morale-boosting events, including paid frozen yogurt, an hour of laser tag, ice cream, bagels, and weekly 30-minute "rejuvies"-- usually on a Wednesday afternoon, consisting of anything from charades to walking along the waterfront.
Have I mentioned my view?! We work on the 8th floor of the 1st World Trade Center building, facing the waterfront. We have clear views of Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood. But it's going to get even better: come November, we are moving two blocks over to the Bank of America building (ironic, no?) and will be working on the SIXTEENTH floor! I'll be sure to post pictures of my view when the time comes, but until then, here is the view from my desk right now...

See that tall building out the window? That's where we're moving.
I believe we'll have the second-highest floor in the building. 

Due to the poor quality, it's very difficult to see Mt. St. Helens in the first picture and Mt. Hood in the second one. But trust me, I can see them from my desk!!!

There are SO many food carts and fun little eateries around here that it's been very difficult sticking to my budget! My coworker Kristen (who coincidentally started with Insidetrack/Westwood on the same day as me and is already super good at her job as coach) introduced me to a foodcart that sells "Dutch Waffle Tacos." I opted to go a little crazy for once and got the S'mores waffle taco, which included Nutella and Marshmallow Fluff! It tasted so good that I was oohing and ahhing the whole way back. What a treat! Now I want to recreate it at home.

  If I told you that it tasted 10 times better than it looks, would you believe me? I'm craving one just looking at this! 

Flower Children

There's a pretty funny story to go along with these pictures... They were taken about an hour after the shooting spree/tournament (seen in the videos below). We had just packed up the guns and were ready to head out when one of the guys was lagging behind because he decided to pick some flowers for his lovely lady. Once we were on the road, the guys in the back seat (Mike, Joe and Rod) decided that the flowers should be split among the three of them so that all of them could get "points" from their ladies. Then they realized that once split among the three of them, each of their bouquets was pretty skimpy. Thus, they made Mike Jr. (the driver) pull over once they got close to home so they could supplement their collections.

Look how happy they are with their bouquets!

Opportunity Beckons!

Well, the decision has been made to move to Eugene in October! Katie will be staying up in Portland to put some time in at work while I try my hand at Commercial Real Estate down in the "Promised Land," as Matt would say. I can't wait!

Sometimes it seems like things line up for a reason. A hefty work bonus due in about a week provides the stability needed to take on this venture, and a random Saturday-off provides the necessary time to take the Real Estate Exam. I'll have a couple weeks of good, solid review time.

Only 6% to go! At this rate, I should be finishing the coursework by tomorrow night.

All Time Shotgun Shootout Championship Part 2

All Time Shotgun Shootout Championship, 2011

Last weekend we went to Eugene for my cousin's wedding! It was a "rip snortin' good time." We also managed to get in a day of shooting! Part 1 of the video is below (part 2 coming soon).

I'll post more content about our trip after work!

A Visit from our California Friends (Tour Guide, part 2)

I'm finally getting around to a post, but there's good reason for it! First and foremost, my good friends Todd and Caitlin came up from California to spend a few days with us recently. We had a great time hiking up to Multnomah Falls, visiting the Saturday Market, touring our favorite pubs and restaurants, and just catching up from a good six months' worth of distance.

Multnomah Falls always presents great photo opportunities and--despite its diminished water flow with the warm weather--it remains one of my favorite nature preserves.

At first, we didn't think we were going to hike to the top. I'm glad we did, as it provided Todd and Caitlin with a glimpse of what the Northwest has to offer in terms of natural beauty.

I can't get enough of slow-motion water photos, so I included several of them in the blog this time. This stream is located about 1/2 mile from the parking lot and is very peaceful. Last time we went, we saw someone meditating on a large, flat rock. Seems like the right place!

Although their stay was short, it was great to show Todd and Caitlin our neck of the woods. It can be difficult, at times, to be separated from friends via long distances, but I'd say we made the most of our couple of days together. Caitlin loves the North West and has been trying to convince Todd to move up here, but I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon.. Why? Because Todd is in the process of buying his first house!!! So happy for them...

The other reason I haven't posted lately is because I have begun my Real Estate Broker's coursework!!! I am currently 32% done with the prelicensing and am anxious to get started. The bank is going through a lot of changes right now--branch closures, layoffs, terminations, and really impossible schedule modifications--so that definitely fuels the desire to get out. However, I'm happy to say that I am finally running TO something more than from something--a promising career in commercial real estate. Lots of change.

This is a major transition for Katie as she has successfully obtained her first career-track job! I am so proud of her! Her efforts are really paying off. Now that a great job has materialized for her, she has been able to put some of her many skills to use. She is going to love it and I am confident she will have a positive impact on her students.

Toby is going through some transition, too, as he is home alone for several hours each day. Poor pup. I'm sure he'll find something to do with his abundance of alone-time:

Well, today is Danny's birthday celebration and I've been glued to the computer for the majority of the afternoon. I think it is time to step away and spend the early evening with Katie and Toby before we go out :)

Week 1

I apologize for the lack of pictures lately! Nick and I have been so busy that we've gotten far behind on blog posts.
Today marks my first official weekend as a working woman! It has been a very long week of training. Although it's interesting and our trainer makes it fun, it's still very draining. I am becoming an expert on coaching lingo and the specific framework I'll be using to keeping students motivated and goal-oriented. If you need some coaching, I'd be happy to practice on you. :P
Nick has also been busy lately with work (as usual) and his latest endeavor: studying for his Real Estate license. Uncle Mike and Cousin Matt have been big supporters of Nick taking this step, as they are both in that industry as well. So far he's really excited about it and spends every spare minute studying on the computer. Needless to say, I haven't seen much of his this week.
While Nick was at work today, Toby and I took a stroll to the local Farmer's market. This dog gets more attention than adorable children. Actually, he also gets a lot of attention from adorable children--and from many other people, too. I sat with him and watched a singer on stage and Toby got pets and massages and scratches and love galore from about 15 different people (and a few other pups, too). I suppose this makes up for his daily "abandonment" as I go back to work.
Tonight we are going to celebrate Cousin Danny's birthday with a drink or two (or maybe a pup crawl?). Nick's parents are coming up on Friday for Cousin Katie's wedding next Saturday. We are excited to finally show them our little nest and the surrounding area, as this will be their first visit to Portland!
Nick promised that he'd share a post sometime today, too--so stay tuned...

Want to read my thesis?

Several people have asked me for the link to my thesis and I've been trying to figure out the best way for others to access it... Finding it on the ERIC database is next to impossible for anyone who is not a student, so instead I have uploaded it to Google Documents. If you follow this link, it will bring you right to my thesis! Remember, it's a whopping 46 pages so there is no obligation to read it--let alone finish it!
READ KATIE'S THESIS!