Counting our blessings

Today I am so thankful to be in South Carolina. Our lives have changed significantly and I am thankful for every single change. Day by day, we settle into our new lives here and we see glimpses of "normal" after the last two years of transition. People are still in awe of our story and frankly, I am just beginning to understand why the typical reaction is "Wow!" We have obviously had some super-hero power keeping us going, some inexplicable strength, and, in hindsight, I must admit a smidge of insanity. We doubted along the way when we would succeed but we knew it would happen eventually. Now, we can't believe we got here so quickly...that we are really here. Very thankful, indeed.

Converse Thus Far

Converse's new School of the Arts brings together three departments. Communication was needed to give each department a voice under the one umbrella. This roll-fold brochure creates a highly visible recruiting tool whether it arrives by mail at a prospective student's home or is personally handed to them at an event.

The new Converse viewbook (overview booklet) was led by a focus group I developed with current students to determine what attracted them to Converse when they were college shopping. The result is a college viewbook that focuses on stories, a series of student profiles that touch on different aspects of Converse. Design and production involved interviews and photo sessions with profiled students. I then edited the interviews and paired each student with the corresponding information that the student best illustrated.

The theme for the upcoming reunion was born from the success of our photo booth at the 2012 reunion.  I took the shot of alumnae in the booth and then used actual photos from the booth archive that were made during our event. This is the "Save the Date" postcard that had a magnet reminder adhered to the back. My research of past reunion promotions showed a failure to promote the FUN factor so my goal has been to infuse fun in every reunion reference.

I incorporated the Converse Valkyries mascot into a logo I created for TAPP (Touching Alumnae Peer-to-Peer) for a calling campaign that involved alumnae reaching out to classmates to contribute to the annual fund. This will be a yearly event we are calling "Annual FUN." 

I made a collection of "medals" to award to our TAPPers. We increased alumnae giving by almost 300 gifts.

9 Keys to Business & Career Success

There's so much of this article by Inc. that speaks to me..."tasks should only take as long as they need to take,"..."successful people are naturally drawn to successful people,"..."the extra mile is a lonely place,"..."you're never too good to roll up your sleeves,"..."embrace every failure," and, most especially, "the more you volunteer, the more you get to act!" 9 Keys to Business & Career Success

Freshman Move-In Day!

Converse faculty and staff pitched in to help the Class of 2016 move in on campus. I loved being a part of this fun tradition. Connecting to the students reminded me why I felt called to work in higher education. I witnessed the day their lives will change forever! I hope that in some small (or large!) way I can improve the quality or comfort of their new world. Through my previous work with government officials, non-profits, and highly-visible organizations, I have recognized my talent to be a kind ambassador during times of transition. I'm well-schooled in the art of hospitality (etiquette school, beginning at age 7) but it comes natural to me and I truly enjoy it. I see this trait reflected in the way I work on publications—I want to smooth the way to communicate with the reader as beautifully and efficiently as possible.

Holding up the walls of the Williams residence hall on move-in day!

Converse College Move-In Slide Show

Gush

I've been meaning to post this but my scanner was packed. Here's evidence of one of the proudest moments in my life...the moment I opened this letter from Highlights' CEO, Kent Johnson.

Highlights Hello!

Highlights just launched it's new baby magazine, Highlights Hello. I worked on the logo and prototype just before my departure—so much fun! Congratulations Highlights!

August 1 will mark six months officially in SC. My goals for this move were very simple: be where I want to be and make a difference in the SC Upstate. As simple as it is to say in those few words, no discussion of this change in my life has been simple. Friends, family—even strangers—ask for more. Many simply don't understand why or how I would walk away from my life for a life unknown. I think not wanting to wait to live my dream is a good "why" but the "how" has alluded me, I'll admit. I don't know where I get the courage to face what can be either a little or a major daily battle. Every single part of my life has changed. I've rushed through some of the adjustments, such as getting my SC driver's license on day one even though it was a bad hair day. Other changes have paralyzed me, such as not seeing my SC family any more often than I did when I lived in PA.

The expectations I had for my life here cannot fairly be judged since we are very much in limbo with my husband still in PA to sell the house. Knowing that the house may be on the market for years is defeating. We knew we would be challenged so none of the difficulties are surprising. I've learned so much from this process and that's the surprising part. I'm much braver than I thought I was and I'm more talented, too. I've never appreciated my skills. I've always thought I was "good" at my work because I'm so devoted to what I do. But, I've never considered myself exceptional. I doubt any of us recognize our true worth. The process of selling myself during the job search and then adjusting to a new career and work environment has made it necessary for me to evaluate and reevaluate my skills. How do I fit in? How can I make the difference that is so important to me? How do I work around (or drive through) obstacles?

I've come to appreciate there are some things I am really very good at (and we know math isn't one of those things). You know, I just said that because I couldn't stand not to self-depreciate myself. I'm actually quite good at some aspects of math, such as set and spatial theory. I visualize every problem so don't ask me to just think about something, because I will start to draw it or write it. But I do think, and I think well, and because I think spatially, I see the forest and the trees. I'm savvy on the computer but still want a straight edge and x-acto blade in my drawer. I measure in picas, not inches, which means I'm creative and careful.

My experiences are unique and valuable. I might know how to do something well now because I already made the mistakes. All that workaholic-throw-myself-into-everything time is paying off.

Why I Moved to SC

A friend of mine died Thursday. He was one of those people you hope you can be more like; you admire him just for who he is, not for any block-buster event. I can't even say I knew him that well but I spent time with him on projects for church and served with him on the vestry. We always spoke. When he would ask how I was doing, I was honest and told him, good or bad, and you know there aren't that many people in the world you can do that with. Lee died of a stroke while on an anniversary trip with his wife fishing in Alaska. There was no warning.

Lee's wife wrote: "Lee had the best 7 days, he kayaked, we hiked on a glacier, he caught the first fish that morning right before it happened. He had a brain bleed and it would not have mattered where we were. I am grateful we were together having a much anticipated holiday and he was in my arms when he died."

So, seriously, what a way to go. Maybe God said, "This guy is pretty special so as a gift to him, I'm going to take him like this...Death Package #1." Yes, my mind works that way sometimes. Lee's death has shaken me and the world has lost such a good man. Maybe God said, "This guy is REALLY special and he has done so much good, he filled his dance card early. Time to come home." There I go again, writing God's script.

I have a friend who is going strong at 101, one of my neighbors is in his 90s and still mows his yard and takes a walk every morning. Yet another neighbor lost her son in his 30s and a schoolmate of mine died just after graduation. When an eldery person dies, society seems better able to accept it. We hear people console each other by saying, "They lived a good long life." Bullshit.

In my book it doesn't matter how long you lived but what you did with those years. I know that sounds like some inspirational quote that we all "like" on Facebook but it is how I am trying to live my life. I don't do well with death, not that anyone does, but I seem to be more deeply affected than most. So I don't want to waste a minute. I very clearly understand my days are numbered. It's not that I am afraid, it's that I have a lot to do to fill my dance card. So, if you are still in the numbers who do not understand why I wanted to move to SC. If you have attributed my actions to a mid-life crisis or "there must be something she's not telling us," here it is: I simply want to live my life the best way I can.

My 101-year-old friend lived a life of self-imposed imprisonment and poverty because she did not value her own needs. In contrast, my neighbor's son married and had two children while fighting brain cancer. My Dad had a dream to retire to Asheville. He died in an accident when he was 65. In contrast, my Mom postponed cancer surgery so that she could finish her quest to visit all 50 United States. Why would I choose to wait to fulfill a dream? Every time I hear someone say what they want to do when they retire, I cringe. There isn't always a "later." And that's why I am here in SC. That's why I wanted a job making a difference. That's why I over-commit. That's why I always say yes. That's why I am exhausted most of the time. It's really pretty simple.

Greenville continues to excel

Greenville makes another top ten list! No surprise. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2012/real_estate/1204/gallery.US-Cities/9.html

Teaching at Furman

It was very exciting to be back at my alma mater to co-teach a class on writing and illustrating for children. I believe the class was held in the same room where I took Philosophy, one of my favorite classes Freshman year.

Me and Tim Davis at Furman University.

Update from February 12, 2013: Me with Tim Davis and Melinda Brown Long (below, right). Our teaching trio appeared at Furman's beautiful Herring Center for Continuing Education.

One Year

A year ago today my husband and I decided to relocate to SC. We have been asked hundreds of times since "Why?" It's not that we were unhappy and we could have easily kept the status quo. The simplest answer is that we realized we didn't want to wait to live our lives the way we wanted. My job search was long and difficult. I learned something new with each step of my search...new job-hunting skills and new revelations about myself. Many months of hard work helped me understand how all my skills could work together and I began to identify ideal positions. I learned enough to be confident when the wrong job came along and more so when I received an offer from the right one.

New Job!

I started my new job at Converse College today! This blog will now shift focus to record my move to SC.