As you may know, I am the marketing manager for Reeve Union, the student Union at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I am also a 2006 alum from the Department of Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising.

Although I've had some pretty amazing jobs in my career, I'd have to say that this position is by far a diamond in the rough - and I love diamonds.
I run a small marketing department that consists of two marketing assistants, four graphic designers and three social media interns. I also work closely with two web developers to ensure our web site is always looking fresh, clean and up-to-date.

Not many people can say that they actually do what they were taught in college on a daily basis. On any given day you'll find me writing ad copy, editing press releases and articles, proofing posters, shooting videos and planning major community events. It's crazy and chaotic but I love it and it's exactly what I went to school for.

My student employees are a huge part of what makes my job so enjoyable. From playing in the local orchestra to winning national running championships, my students are diverse, intelligent and extremely talented.
 
This morning I met with one of my social media interns as he wanted to interview me for an alumni blog he is helping out with in the Journalism Department. He texted me later asking for some pictures of me that he could post to the blog. Apparently I didn't have a million other things to do because my marketing assistant and I grabbed some random things in my office and had a little fun. I also included photos of some of my students.

Check them out and give me a shout if you ever want to talk about social media, marketing, Reeve Union or the like. Cheers!

On Saturday, Feb. 20, something horrible happened that rocked a community to its core. Four local high school girls were in a car accident that caused one of them, Natalie Bolin, to lose her life. You never realize how small and connected our world is until something like this happens.

I was driving home from Appleton on Saturday night when I noticed police lights on the side of the highway. Only one officer was at the site but traffic had slowed down considerably. I said a quick prayer: "Dear God please let everyone be okay". I took a mental inventory of where my family members were supposed to be and called my husband to let him know I was running late due to traffic.

Fast forward to Sunday morning: Rob and I struggled to get the girls to church on time and squeezed through the doors to sink into our pew in the back of the church. The sermon topic was on death and how lucky we are to have eternal life after our time on earth has ended. My thoughts started drifting to people in my life who have passed away. I think about little Dylan Tritt who was called Home just two weeks prior.

Monday morning: I stop by my mom's office on the way to work and my dad is there (he works third shift and stops by to say Hi before he goes home to bed). They both start telling me about a friend of theirs who's daughter died in a car accident on Saturday night. I told them I saw the accident shortly after it happened. My heart sank as I pictured the hitch from the trailer sticking straight up in the air and wished I would've prayed harder.

Monday afternoon: I joined Natalie's facebook page before I had to meet a colleague about some advertising opportunities. The colleague told me that her daughter was a classmate of Natalie's and described how overwhelmingly sad the memorial service was on Sunday evening. It's amazing how a community pulls together to support the families and each other.

Tuesday morning: I finally found some time to pull up Natalie's facebook and couldn't believe the posts on her wall. I scrolled through some of the photo albums and although my heart was warmed by her smile my eyes burned with tears. An hour later I was meeting with another co-worker and Jeff Schneider from the YMCA about the Oshkosh Dragonboat Race & Festival. Inevitably the meeting ended in a conversation about the accident and Jeff told us that the other girls are recovering. What a relief! My co-worker has a daughter on the children's swim team and was amazed at how well the swim coach explained the situation to the young children on Monday night.

Although I didn't personally know Natalie, the last couple days have taught me that she was a remarkable young girl with a big heart. Her active role in the community impacted several thousand people in Oshkosh - both directly and indirectly. 

As a new mother, I love to learn from other moms who can offer support and advice. I would like to dedicate this post to Mrs. Bolin for being a true supermom. Although Natlie's time on this earth was short, it certainly didn't go unnoticed. Her accomplishments and work ethic were a direct result of how she was raised and I admire you for that.

My family and I will continue to pray for you, your daughters and the other families affected by this tragedy.

Although the NYC Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is over, it won't be long before we see runway-inspired pieces hit the racks (Please click for your reading and listening pleasure). 
The Kardashian - BeBe line is one that I am particularly interested in. Not only are the clothes more affordable than about 90 percent of the Fashion Week selection but also because they are extremely wearable. From fitted blazers to fun rompers, each piece represents a unique style that incorporates sexy, bohemian and edgy looks.

Hello Kate! This is Earth, are you there? Do you really think I can just blow $150 on a leather pencil skirt? Please, my current lifestyle does not allow for that. Here's the truth: I stay up-to-date on fashion trends with Twitter, magazines and Web sites and then go to stores where I know I can afford their clothes and just copy the looks. Bam!
I know it's not the same but the point is it works for me. Who cares if I spend $200 or $50 on a outfit if I feel comfortable and confident when I go out in public?
Another added bonus is I won't be as upset when I get spit up on or when my two-year-old decides to give me some love after she just finger-painted with her yogurt. I guess my definition of glamour is different these days!

Easy mornings are hard to come by these days. But today, today was different. I was on the road at 7:47 a.m., the breeze from the heater blowing through my hair and Lady Gaga blasting through the speakers. 


Although nothing spectacular happened this morning I couldn't help but to reflect why I was in such a great mood.  Ah yes, this morning was easy.  I didn't hit the snooze button ten times, the girls were up and dressed by 7:00 a.m., the dog didn't run away and Rob and I seemed to glide through our routine without stepping on each others toes.  We even had a good laugh when Sam told Rob he was "one good deputy" for wiping the milk off her face.


It doesn't take many bad mornings for you to realize that something's gotta give. So, last night I recorded the Bachelor and spent time preparing for this morning. It felt so good to know that I had everything ready to go when I needed to walk out the door. 


I know we'll have days where it's going to be tough but until then, I'm sticking with my new routine and hoping for the best.

Since I announced to the world that I would be training for a half marathon, I thought the least I could do is update you on how the training is going: H-A-R-D!

I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty tough. The actual running isn't hard because you gradually work yourself into long distances but finding the time to commit to the run is the difficult part.

On a regular training week I spend the shorter runs in Albee on my lunch hour and when I have to do a longer run I'll usually do those on the treadmill at home. The weather has been pretty bitter lately otherwise I would run outside, too.  Once or twice a week I also incorporate a 30 minute cross-training exercise like Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred or Crunch Fitness Burn & Firm Pilates.

Some days I dread working out and wish I could just plop myself in front of the TV and watch The Office until my eyeballs melt out of their sockets. But then I remember how good it makes me feel and I just do it.

Stay tuned for further training developments. Until then, it's status quo.

Tonight I did something I would have never done two years ago: I left the house at 10:00 p.m. (by myself), went to an event (by myself), sat down at a table (by myself) and thoroughly enjoyed hip hop slam poet Gabriela Garcia Medina (by myself).

I really don't even care if the event was Titan Nights and I was surrounded by people who were all at least five to ten years younger than me. I didn't have to talk to anyone, entertain, explain, describe or impress. In my world, that's luxury.

This is definitely not something I do on a regular basis, I can assure you of that. However, I am very fortunate to work in an environment that lends me a cultural and diverse outlet so I can attend these events if I so choose. So tonight, I did.

Gabriela was really great. She is easy to listen to, extremely entertaining and brutally honest. In between her readings some students put together a fashion show with clothes from Old Navy, Maurice's and Gap. One of the ladies wore this super-cute black and white striped dress with a bright pink scarf that I may just buy this weekend.

All in all it was a great night and I even got to top it off with a couple glasses of Moscato. Speaking of which, two is all I can handle these days.
I'm off to bed. Peace, I'm out.

You know when you have those extremely weird dreams that are so outlandish you immediately dismiss them when you wake up because there is no way you could ever explain it to someone? Well, I had one of those dreams last night but I think I'm going to take a shot at describing it because I think some people might find it very interesting.

Before I begin, I'd like to preface this with the fact that I watch Good Morning America every day and if you watched it this past Saturday they ran a segment (Will we forget Haiti?) that focused on when natural disasters occur, people only act when children are involved i.e. Early 90's famine in Africa, Dafur and now Haiti.

So, you can imagine the video footage they were rolling during this segment. Completely disturbing. They even placed a disclaimer stating if you had children you probably shouldn't watch due to the graphic images.

This is my dream:
I was in a field and hundreds of planes were flying by. All of the sudden people started parachuting out of the planes and were forming messages in the sky that said, "Help!". Then, all of the sudden, babies started falling from the sky to the ground and everyone around me was running toward them and picking them up to take them to hospitals. I started running toward them too but could never get to one quick enough to catch. I was screaming and all I could do is watch these babies fall to the ground with a horrifying thud.

Then I woke up.

Pretty crazy, huh? I normally don't tell people my dreams because they're so personal but this was just too much to hold in. The media has me completely worked up about everything going on that I can't get it out of my mind.

A political cartoonist could go nuts about interpreting this.

Maybe it's just me and my wild imagination but it's the same thing that happened to me when I read A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (amazing by the way). You see stuff like this and immediately put you and your family in their shoes.

Humanity is both beautiful and scary.

The Oshkosh Dragonboat Race & Festival is still nine months away but I've been thinking about the next event since September 26, 2009. I watched You Got Mail this afternoon and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) is totally right. Good business means you need to "Go to the mattresses."


Every day I research new ways to market events and programs for UW Oshkosh but this event has me stumped. It should be a no-brainer: free family fun, local music, great food and Dragonboat racing - all of which takes place on a beautiful fall day near the Fox River in Oshkosh.

As marketing manager for Reeve Memorial Union at UW Oshkosh, part of my job responsibilities is to successfully market several community events that the university takes part in. The Oshkosh YMCA and UW Oshkosh are partners in the Oshkosh Dragonboat Race & Festival. Each year members from both organizations get together, plan the event and work their tails off the day of the event.

Because of the economy over the last couple of years it's been pretty tough getting community members to commit to a sponsorship or even participate in the races.

I'm looking to social media to help me take my marketing to the next level. I need engagement, conversation, education and visuals. You can't get that anywhere else. Trust me, I've looked.

I hope my "battle" for recognition in the community comes out with the dragons on top. Students and future "strong kids" need the funding and I'll do whatever I can to help raise money for these organizations.

Today was the day - my annual performance review with my boss. I spent most of this week looking back at my accomplishments of 2009 and created a list of goals I want to achieve for 2010.

As I went through this process I couldn't help but think about where I started out. My first real job was with Weidert Group in Appleton, WI.

If I ever was a fly on the wall, it was here (and I couldn't have chosen a cooler place to land). I believe I lobbied for that job for a good couple of months before a conversation broke. Greg gave me a break and hired me fresh out of college. I could not believe that I was working at a real marketing firm right out of school! The location was beautiful, the people were amazing and I even had my own "office".

During my time, I was a sponge - soaked up as much information as I could and didn't speak up very much.

Despite the fact that I was young, inexperienced and a coward during many meetings, I compensated by taking mental notes of key people I interacted with on a daily basis. My master plan was to pull out things that I had learned and one day wow the pants off of someone...anyone.

Maybe today's my day.

Here's what I recall:

Greg is smart, bold and taught me KISS: "Keep It Simple Stupid".

Lisa Cruz is quick on her feet, connected to everyone and taught me to dress like the next level up.

Sara Baumgart is organized, thorough and taught me how to be an extreme planner.

Tiffany Neiderwerfer is cautious, considerate of her clients and taught me to go with my gut.

Without knowing it at the time, Weidert was preparing me for what was to come: my career. My stay was brief but the lessons learned were invaluable. Today I keep it simple, stay connected, dress like the next level up and go with my gut.

Thank you so much for taking a chance on me and giving me the memories of my first "real job".

P.S. My review went great!

I have to get this off my chest. I just got off the phone with my friend and we were discussing Haiti and how indescribably horrible the situation is over there. The children. Oh my goodness, the children that are living on the streets. No one. No parents, home, food, clothes - nothing.

I can't even type these words without tears welling up in my eyes. How lucky am I to have a house and family?

What if my family were in this situation? I think about my daughters - specifically Sam - and how she is accustomed to a certain way of life. How would she survive in that situation? I know, most of those children don't. But some do. Those are the children we see on TV when the voice over tells us they need money and bare necessities.

I cannot bear to think of a child not being able to get tucked in at night or kissed on the forehead when they wake up in the morning.

I promise to help, donate, and do whatever I can. In the meantime, I'm sending all my love to Haiti.