And Then There Was Boathouse

My Alumni Reunion was this weekend- can you believe it?! ALUMNI. Mixed in with the conversations of fond memories and gossip, I was prepared for the questions of, "what are you doing now?" To my surprise, I was way more confident explaining my situation than I had thought. 

"Still looking... interviewed at this place...met really awesome people...FutureM... The perfect job waiting is for me." When the conversation was taken to the next level of intimacy, I was asked to describe that perfect place. I answered with three things:

The people, opportunity for growth, and the quality of work.

(Fade into the day before)

My interview at Boathouse Group went so well. I met with five amazing people- two Account Managers, a woman in HR, one of the co-founders, and a good friend. Everyone I met with was inspiring. They were passionate about what they do, spoke so highly of Boathouse, and attributed it all to the people that work there. With this company, there are no titles on businesses cards, no cubicles and no separate departments; everyone is on the same team. I mean, even the CFO met with me- how cool is that?!

I left the interview so pleased. Not only with myself but with Boathouse Group. No matter the outcome, Friday was another experience where I learned a little more about myself and the amazing opportunities that are out there. Big and glamorous in the city, or small and passionate in Waltham, MA- Boathouse Group has caught my attention.

So Many Activies!

...a phrase my beautiful friend Alicia would often squeal out.

Speaking of Alicia and the girls of K2... if there was one thing that could bring us together it was food. It didn't matter if there was an exam the next day or 8 pages left of our typical 12 pager, if you tempted us with a good meal, we would be there! Luxe Burger was our not-so-guilty pleasure during school and I returned there a few days ago with my boyfriend and mom, thanks to Groupon. I got my usual turkey burger with sauteed onions and guacamole, Dave got something ridiculously spicy (probably so I wouldn't pick at it) and my mom got the Thanksgiving burger. The food was fab and although the company wasn't the same, it was still just as great.

The rest of the weekend (which includes Thursday because I'm still unemployed) was an awesome one. Gessenia and I kicked off Thursday night at Centro, a martini bar in East Greenwich where we stuck it through the less-than-okay service for some of the best martinis ever. Hers was an Oatmeal Cookie and mine was a Butterfinger (which we decided was okay because we went to the gym before). We played catch up for the next couple of hours, talking about where we were on our job search and how her informational interview at RACEPOINT GROUP went!! (read previous blog) We laughed at my emotional state and attempted to figure out the reasoning behind some of the songs being played in the background. Anyone overhearing our conversation was given free entertainment for the night.

Friday was the annual Blessing of the Fleet, an event that everyone and their mom attends. It was a great time under the beer tent except this year there was less elbow room than ever before. As soon as all of our tokens had been exchanged for beer, or in my case, pinot grigio, we headed over to the Coast Guard House where we spent the rest of the night.

After a 4 hour nap and a 7 hour work day at the golf course, I met up with my friend Alicia to drive to Acton, MA for our friend Kelly's graduation party. It was sooooo good to be with some of my K2 girls again and thanks to BBM, Facebook, and mobile uploads it was like we were all together again dancing to Gold Dust.

Us waving "hi" to our missing 3

Missing Six Pieces of Me

...and some days are just harder than others... the song Give Me Everything by Pitbull and Neyo came on the radio tonight while I was on my way home. Granted, I have heard that song at least a thousand times since I've graduated, but for some reason tonight it stung a little more than usual.

I'm giving my answer to the job offer tomorrow and I can't help but wish that Kelly, Brittany, Lauren, Sena, Meg and Alicia were all here. If we were back at school we'd all be sitting around the kitchen table of K2- some sitting on each others lap, some drinking red wine, others eating dinner and one designated person would be playing songs on YouTube. I'd tell them all what I was going through and they'd each give me their best advice. I know we would ultimately come up with the same decision I've already made on my own but I would give anything to be back there with them. right. now.

The First Step

I sat by my pool today and talked about life with my girlfriend in between complaints about the heat. We were taking in the 102 degree weather while letting out our usual stresses, triumphs and inspirations. Its been almost 20 days since I walked across the stage at Bryant University- for her, the University of Rhode Island and we are now both back home and settling into our usual routine. Every moment we've spent together since our "big day", we've attempted to nail down an answer to the text we simultaneously sent to each other on May 22nd:

(401): Now what?!

Did we solve the mystery today? Hardly. However, this blog was the result. We have big dreams and are more than determined to make them a reality. "Looking for a full-time job is a full-time job in itself" and we are willing to put in the hours.

With that said, we also know how to make the most of what could potentially be our last Rhode Island summer and will not leave out those details on our journey with a #GraduateSwagg.