1. Con a friend into spending several hours of her night helping you move i.e. putting together a bathroom shelf.

2. Feed her, and yourself, mini-eggs, nacho chips and pepsi for dinner.

3. Spend approximately 1.5 hours putting together a shelf that looks like this:

If you think that shelf looks a little crooked, well, you’d be right. Luckily all we had to do was give the legs a little kick to straighten it up. Guess that’s what happens when you spend $30 on a flimsy shelf at Walmart. They aren’t known for their quality products after all.

On another note, moving has been making me feel a bit sad and nostalgic lately. I mean, technically, I’m moving out of mine and Eric’s first “real home” that we shared. We lived together here for 12 months, which is the longest we’d ever lived together and also the longest we’d been in one place since living with our parents. It was a real defining year in our relationship and I find that moving - and leaving this place behind - makes me feel a bit emotional and sad.

I learned to run - and fell in love with running - in the neighbourhoods around this apartment. Me and Eric celebrated two Thanksgivings here. We “raised” Webster here (yes, he’s our son, who wants to know?). I started this blog - probably one of the best things I did in the last 1.5 years - sitting in the exact same room I sat in when I typed up this blog post you’re reading right now.

While I’m incredibly excited for the next part of my life, I’m also incredibly sad about the part that is ending. And even though my new apartment is in a much better location for me, is much cheaper and is just an all-around better fit for me and Webster the one that I’m in now will always be mine and Eric’s first real home together, and when you’ve lived somewhere for 1.5 years at such a changing point in your life, it’s hard to say goodbye to all the memories that have been made.

Have you ever felt overly sad or nostalgic about moving out of somewhere? Why?

PS: A new Examiner article is up on the importance of putting safety first when you’re running. Check it out here.

Ya, ya, I know, I know. Live in the moment. Blah, blah, blah.

But would life be any fun if we didn’t have anything to look forward to? I don’t think so.

Here’s a few things that I’m currently counting down to…

{Source}

10 sleeps until Eric gets here.

33 sleeps until I write my last final exam and finish off my undergraduate degree.

46 sleeps until the Europe trip!

214 sleeps until the Portland Marathon. (Which I finally officially registered for. Read about it here.)

What are you counting down to?

Weekends are for getting things done and for kick-ass workouts.

On Saturday I woke up to beautiful sunshine in Kamloops. It was so nice outside! I spent some time do-daing around my apartment before finally dragging my butt out for a run. I had debated about going Sunday instead and I’m so glad I did it on Saturday as Sunday was not so beautiful and sunny here.

I wanted to do a long run but I hadn’t ran more then 6 miles since my 16-miler a few weeks ago. I settled for an 8 mile run with 5.5 of those miles in the trails.

Kenna Cartwright Park is my absolutely favourite place to run in Kamloops! I’m going to be sad when I move to my new apartment that isn’t a hop, skip and a jump away from these gorgeous trails.

I truly do believe in the importance of buying local food and I do try to as much as possible. In a week, when I need to stock up on fresh produce again, I will go to the local grocery store and this summer I will hit up the Farmer’s Market every weekend.

But on Sunday, I needed a lot of food, I needed to get it all in one place and I needed it to not cost me an insane amount of money. At any other grocery store all this food probably would have been at least $200, if not more. I’m really pleased with the amount of stuff I got for $172!

So, tell me, what are your weekends for and what did you do this weekend? And where do you buy your groceries? Do you try to buy local food or do you just get it wherever is cheapest?

Gail, is a financial analysis/hard-ass who comes to their homes, assesses how they’re living, and puts them on a strict cash budget. She separates their weekly budget into these little food cans and basically when the can is out of money for the week, their out of money for that one thing.

So, if the gas can runs out, guess their walkin until next week.

That’s Gail, and those are the cans she always uses, except obviously they usually say things like “Gas”, “Entertainment”, “Groceries” etc. on them.

{Source - also some really good budgetting advice here}

And, of course, they have to put a certain amount of money - as much as they can really - towards their ever-growing debt each month.

I’ve always found this a fascinating way to budget. I mean, it’s simple, if the money in the can runs out, your money is done for the week End of story.

But, for someone who makes a different amount of money each month (me!) that’s hard. Depending on how much freelance work I pick up in any given month my income can vary by as much as hundreds of dollars. So it’s hard to budget an exact amount for groceries, gas etc.

For now, I’m tracking my income and expenses in a spreadsheet that my mom created for me. It’s working out really well and I see that I don’t really spend a ton of money on things that aren’t necessary. I never shop for things like clothing. I think if anything, I could cut down on my “miscellaneous” expenses -  a starbucks coffee here, a dinner out there etc.

Another thing that I’m finding it difficult to plan for/deal with is unexpected expenses. For example, just the other day I had to take Webster in for his annual shots. I wasn’t anticipating them or the $120 cost. It’s not that I didn’t have the money to pay for them, it just kind of threw me for a loop, you know?

So, tell me, do you budget? And, if so, how do you go about doing it?

Because I go to school, work, freelance, blah blah I decided to double-rent for the month of March so I’d have an entire month to slowly move. Plus, my Dad, brother and Eric are coming down around the middle-end of March to help me move the big stuff, like my bed.

Side note: Eric will be STAYING until we leave for our trip as he has five weeks of school starting March 22!! Yay! I can’t wait to live with him for a bit, again.

Anyways, the place that I’m moving to is much, much, MUCH smaller then my current apartment. My current apartment is a 2-bedroom and it’s a corner unit so it’s quite bit. I think they said it’s around 900 sq feet.

Well, my new place is a basement suite in the corner of a house not even the whole basement, and it’s about 500 sq feet. Max. It’s also a 1-bedroom with a bedroom so small it will barely fit my queen bed, nightstand and dresser.

Ah, the sacrifices we make when it comes to money. Also, the place I’m in now really is too big for just me and Webster. And, you know, there’s that whole technicality where I’m cough*notsupposedtohavepetsinmyapartmentthatI’minnow*cough. Webster is welcome in the new place

Because of this I really need to downsize on my stuff. I will be sending quite a bit of furniture back home with my Dad to go into storage, but I also need to figure out some space-savers when it comes to stuff that I’m keeping.

Last weekend I bought a DVD case at Walmart to put all of our DVD’s in because, you know, DVD cases take up a lot of unnecessary room. Well after sitting cross-legged for 1.5 hours sorting and alphabetizing our DVD’s that project was done.

Side note: sitting cross-legged for a long period of time is not easy. My hips and lower back ached afterwards. I am 90 years old.

I also sorted out my towel and sheet closet last night and threw away some really old and ratty towels that I had. I saw somewhere online (can’t remember where now) that rolling your towels takes less room and it totally does! I managed to fit all of my towels in these two baskets, which I also think looks pretty good.

I think my biggest dilemna will be my shoes. Right now I just kind of throw all my shoes and boots into the bottom of my hall closet. But, you see, at this new place there is no hall closet. So what am I going to do with them?

Look at the disaster.

Hall Closet:

Bedroom closet:

Hanging out by the door:

I think there are two or three pairs of shoes in my car too… Oopsie!

See how much help I need? I am what you’d call “messy-organized”. Walk into my apartment and it will look immaculate and neat. Just don’t open any drawers or closets! Ya, well, in this new place there AREN’T very many drawers and closets to hide my messy side.

So, what’s your best tip when it comes to storing stuff in neat and inconspicuous places? And have you ever had to move and majorly downsize? Tell me about it!

I didn’t know that.

I have to admit, I did grow up hearing a lot of American stereotypes: rude, arrogant, demanding etc. But, after “meeting” so many Americans through blogs - some who I now consider my close friends - I have to say those stereotypes don’t ring true to me at all.

You can’t judge an entire country by the attitudes of a few. Trust me, there are some REAL rude Canadians out there. I’ve met them.

Now that I think of it, when we were in Germany people were always kind of leery of us at first and then our hosts would say that we are from Canada and they warmed up to us right away.

It’s really unfortunate that it has come to that, though. I’m super proud to be Canadian and I could never imagine how it would feel to hide where I’m from because people would judge me because of that.

On that note, speaking of backpacks, should me and Eric take backpacks to Europe or suitcases? We are flying on Easyjet 3-4 times and taking a train all throughout Italy.

My friend sent me this article about that and I think the backpack looks HUGE and I’m not sure if we need something that big since we’re only going for three weeks!

Backpack or suitcase? (And, if backpack, where can we buy them for relatively cheap?)

And, if you’re American, have you ever said you were Canadian (or wanted to) when traveling internationally? Why or why not?

I saw a line on Ms. Career Girl the other day that was very interesting.

Nicole Crimaldi, the writer and editor of Ms. Career Girl said:

Lack of focus in applications is (in my opinion) the #1 problem with recent grads.

This intrigued me, so I emailed Nicole and asked her a few questions about the importance of focusing your career search. Here’s what she had to say:

1. What do you mean when you say that students should “focus” their job search?

First, let me say that Mrs. Career Girl is hosting a “senior series” during spring semester of senior year. I am mentoring five rock star college seniors who are looking to land their first job. I also have a sister who is a senior in college, and get tons of emails each week from college seniors all asking the same types of questions.

When I re-do resumes I always notice one thing: the students don’t know what they want to do after graduation and it’s so obvious. If I were a recruiter and saw this type of resume, I’d probably throw it away.

2. Why do you say that? In this economy shouldn’t they try to get any job they can?

If you’ve ever been a part of sorority recruitment, or any other extracurricular activity, you know that half of why someone is picked is because they WANT to be there so badly. If someone is optimistic, excited, and putting their effort into that activity you’d rather pick them than someone who was openly trying out for soccer, cheerleading AND chess time at the same time.

The same applies to job searches. Even if you’ve had a variety of internship experiences you need to find one common thread that shows how that experience applies to that particular job.

3. How should they go about focusing their search?

Your job search is more like a sales campaign. You are selling yourself. A good sales person knows their target market and crafts their sales campaign around it. You must find out what your prospect (in this case, the company you are applying to) values and needs, and design your resume and cover letter around it.

Note: I’m not saying you should embellish anything on your resume! Rather, reposition.

For example, if you are applying for a position as a marketing coordinator and you’ve had an internship in newspaper journalism, sports marketing, and a job as a sales associate at a retail store you need to dig a layer deeper and figure out why what you did there helps your prospect. Upon a first glance those 3 internships are completely different and unrelated. This is fine, as long as the experience you gained there matches what they are looking for.

Believe me, employers don’t want to waste a ton of time sifting through resumes. When they find someone who is genuinely interested AND a great fit- they will want to interview you.

This process can be exhausting if you are applying to 5 different types of roles. My recommendation is picking two types of positions (for example, PR and sales) and building your sales materials (resume/cv) around those roles. In this case you’d have two different resume and cv’s. And beyond that, each cv sould be crafted for the specific position and company you are applying to.

4. What if they have no idea what they want to do?

Well, understandably, this is the common problem! That is fine, but the potential employers don’t need to know that. Whatever you are applying for, do so with passion and intention. The truth is, no first job is perfect. Most people in our generation don’t stay at their first job for long. This is all part of the process. Pick a few things that seem interesting and realistic and go from there.

If you need additional help in narrowing your focus, get in touch with me. I’m currently putting together material to help break through this very common problem.

5. If they focus their job search and have no luck after a few months then should they widen their search again?

Sure, it’s no problem to add a 3rd or 4th type of role to your campaign. Again, just make sure you spend the time crafting your materials around that industry, company and role.

My guess is that if you aren’t having any luck getting interviews, you are depending on huge job boards rather than warm leads from networking, or you are applying for positions that are totally unrealistic with your experience level. Or you need to get in touch with a job staging coach like me who can give you the facelift you need to get interviews.

6. What is your #1 tip for a new college graduate searching for a job?

Start early, but don’t apply early. In other words, network with real people way before you start applying to jobs. Here’s what I would do.

• Start with friends or family. Email or call them and let them know you are looking for an entry level job in x or y (don’t say in whatever because they don’t have time for this). If they can’t help you, ask if they have friends/family who can help.
• Grow your Twitter presence and get in front of people who are in your areas of interest. Chat with them, provide value to them online. Once you get to know them, consider emailing them and maybe even asking them to lunch/coffee down the road.
• Email your favorite authors, bloggers, industry leaders in your field and tell them why you love their work. Then relate their work back to starting out as a young professional. Most of these people will be more than happy to help you and tell you their story if you position yourself correctly. You’ll find that most of these successful people got where they are with the help of others, and are willing to return the favor.
• Seek mentors!

Thanks so much, Nicole!

I know a lot of readers have already gone through the process of finding your first job post-graduation, so tell me, what is your NUMBER ONE tip for new college graduates who are job searching?

**************

I am so sad the Olympics are over. I’ve absolutely loved watching them for the past 17 days.

I know a lot of people hate the “I Believe” song (I actually really like it) but you can’t argue with this line:

“I believe in the power that comes from a world brought together as one.”

To me, the Olympics are one of the biggest symbols of peace. Sure, it’s all about competition, but it’s also about sportsmanship and teamwork.

Speaking of competition, what a game yesterday!

I remember where I was eight years ago when the men’s Canadian hockey team won gold at Salt Lake City. I had just finished my own hockey tournament in Hudson Hope, B.C. and a whole bunch of us were crowded around this teeny tiny TV in the arena lobby watching Canada and the USA play the gold medal game.

We erupted in cheers when Canada won the gold.

Yesterday, in the same situation but eight years later, I was in a local pub with the lovely Meghan, slugging back caesars and surrounded by people in red and white jerseys watching the USA and Canada play the gold medal game.

I’ll never forget the moment that Crosby scored the winning goal and the entire pub exploded.

I have always been incredibly proud to be a Canadian. But the last two weeks, well, it’s hard to describe in words how I’ve felt watching the Olympics happening in my country and my province.

The goosebumps I had when I saw fellow Canadians cheering, dressed head-to-toe in red, waving our flag and breaking out at random moments singing our national anthem.

The tears that welled up when I watched Joannie Rochette skate, when Jon Montgomery took his infamous walk through Whistler, when Alex Bilodeau brought home the first gold, when the Canadian Women’s hockey team won their third gold medal in a row and when Sidney Crosby scored that O/T goal.

The anger I felt when international media bashed our athletes for celebrating and “underage” drinking (the drinking age in Canada is 19 - and 18 in some provinces), called the event the worst olympics ever and got mad about the weather (which is obviously so out of our control).

 The spotlight isn’t on Canada very often. We have a very small population compared to other countries of this size and we’re very often grouped into a category with our neighbours to the south.

We broke world records these last two weeks. With 14 gold medals, Canadian athletes brought home more gold medals then any other country has at the Winter Olympics ever.

Right now, we’re in the spotlight. And you know what? We deserve it.

I am remarkably proud of all the Canadian athletes that competed over the last two weeks on behalf of our country and, as always, I am so, so, SO proud to be a Canadian.

We were meant for this.

PS: How freaking beautiful is this province I live in and grew up in? You’re all welcome to come visit anytime

You want to show the apartment on Sunday afternoon? Don’t you realize that conflicts with the gold medal hockey game? You’re bad Canadians.

Love, Amber

**

Dear Apple,

Please stop teasing me and sending me packages that are NOT my macbook. Twice now I’ve gone to FedEx thinking it was my laptop and it wasn’t. Couldn’t you have just sent all the software WITH the macbook?

Please send the macbook soon.

Love, Amber

**

Dear Team Canada Women’s,

You rock. Thanks for getting us another gold medal last night.

Love, Amber

**

Dear Team Canada Men’s,

Please take note from the women. Don’t lose tonight. I mean it.

Love, Amber

**

Dear March 20,

Please get here sooner. I miss Eric a lot already.

Love, Amber

**

Dear Boxes,

Please pack yourselves. Thanks.

Love, Amber

**

Dear Shins,

Please stop hurting. I really miss running pain-free.

Love, Amber

**

Dear Blog-readers,

Have a fabulous weekend. I <3 you all lots and lots.

Love, Amber

**

What would your letter say?

1. On that last note, my laptop IS in Kamloops but is currently being held hostage by FedEx. I will be procuring it today. Can’t wait!!!

2. F ya, Team Canada. F ya. Not only did we clean up with medals in the last couple days but our men’s hockey team KILLED Russia last night.

Watch out USA, we’re coming for you in the gold medal game

3. Exactly two months from today Eric and I will be jetting off to Europe! I have a feeling it’s going to sneak up on us real fast. Which kind of makes me nervous because I have a lot to do before then.

What are your three things this Thursday?