Friday, August 12, 2016

The Internship

August 12th, 2016
Today, I finished my summer marketing internship at FreshLime in Lehi, Utah. FreshLime is a marketing automation company service-relation small businesses throughout the nation and internationally. My responsibilities included strategic planning for social media accounts, creating graphic designs for social and publication use, writing content for the company blog, and much more! 

One of the best parts of this internship was the two other interns I got to work with. We were loud, chatty, and typical twenty-something girls. Frequently, we had Bachelorette recaps, SLAB Pizza runs, and distractions pertaining to graphics, boys, or videos. We were also the handlers of all FreshLime's social media accounts which brought out many snapchat filters, FreshLime Faces, and learning a ton more about social media. 

These two girls have taught me so much in the past two and half months. They've taught me the rewards of being adventurous, finding the positive in every situation, and how to step further out of my comfort zone. Their optimism, acceptance, and love for life was contagious. They kept me looking forward to going to work and helped me relieve some stressful days. 

I'm grateful for our amazing boss and teacher. Her positive outlook and enthusiasm for life, marketing, and enjoying the little moments was felt despite the distance from Hawaii. She was always so willing to answer any questions, provide a real-world experience, and allowed us to creativity liberty with our work. 

Everyone I have met and everything I have learned has made this summer so enjoyable and so worthwhile. This experience has been a blessing and true learning opportunity that I couldn't think of a better way to spend my summer. I'm truly thankful and happy for the summer I've had, the people I've met, and the things I've learned. 

Thank you FreshLime. 





Thursday, August 11, 2016

New Hair Transformation

August 11th, 2016
This week I changed my hair in celebration of the new school year, new roommates, and new adventures. I found my inspiration on Pinterest and have been anxious to have it done; even though I love being a dark burrnette. Thank you Christina & your wonderful skills!

Below you'll find my inspiration and my hair transformation.

Pinterest Inspiration

STEP 1 

BEFORE: Auburn hair with an obvious red tint. 
AFTER: Neutral Medium Chocolate hair with a few golden/auburn tints. 

STEP 2 

BEFORE: Neutral Medium Brown with auburn/golden tints. 
MIDDLE: Dark hair being processed.  
AFTER: Dark base, caramel balayage treatment, cut, and curled. 

Cosplay Creation -- IN PROGRESS

Ever heard of Cosplay?
It is a combination of "costume" and "play." People typically cosplay their favorite characters from TV shows, movies, video games, and/or books. These cosplays are displayed in conventions dedicated to celebrating nerds, geeks, and fans alike -- basically anything like Comic Con. 

I was first introduced to the world of cosplay a couple years ago by my friend, Tracie, when I attended my first convention "Anime Banzai" representing classic anime characters from the 90's, Sailor Moon. Thanks to Tracie's magically sewing skills and finding killer steals, we were able to create three main characters: Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Mini Moon. We actually ended up winning an award on our costume during a contest they have during the convention. 

Last year, my life had become insanely busy so I didn't have time to help Tracie with the creation of their cosplays, based off of Five Nights at Freddy's, but I still attended the convention taking pictures, enjoying the time together, and embracing our nerdiness. 

This year, Tracie and I are trying new things with our cosplay for this year's convention. We are creating costumes based on a very popular video game, Starcraft. I'll be going as Nova and Tracie will be going as Master Nova. It has been an adventure creating all the foam armor and props to accurately represent those characters. 

Here is our progress -- I'm pretty proud. 

Our inspiration: Nova from StarCraft.  
Nova's Gun!

My light-up body suit! 

The start of my breast plate 

Shoulder pads!

The start of my boots. 
Isn't my friend, like, amazingly talented?! I can't wait to see how this cosplay turns out and to see everyone's excitement over our version of Nova.

Stay tuned for more progress and a huge shout out to +tracie wamsley

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Last-Minute Bear Lake

August 5 - 6th, 2016
With a week of back and forth decision-making behind me, I left Friday afternoon to go and have a quick get-a-way with some old high school friends near Bear Lake. The plan was to leave around 1 to head up to Garden City but plans were exact or expressed clearly so it was the definition of a spontaneous adventure.

We went shooting at Lee Kay's shooting range on Friday before heading up north to start the camping adventure. 


Casey was getting creative with his dinner by eating a hot dog with a baked potato bun.


The gang after a long, hot, FUN day playing at Bear Lake, Utah. 


We traded in the boat to take turns blasting through the water on this Sea-Doo. Fun doesn't even begin to cover it.