Don't say I didn't warn you!

I knew i would neglect my posting duties most likely sooner rather than later, thus the warning on the first post.

It has been a wild and wonderful past couple of weeks for me.
My mom came into town April 10-12th to help get me ready for my big move that weekend. I have to say, she is awesome! Everything would not have gone as smoothly if she didn't come and get my butt in gear! In between packing and cleaning we found time to eat some fabulous Mexican and celebrate Neil's 30th birthday on the 11th. She also helped me sneak over to Neil's new house (which wasn't quite finished yet) and put together the gifts i bought him which included a hammock for the back yard and a golf caddy to hold all of his golf paraphernalia. That night we met up with him and his family at Brennan's (after a little champagne at the house, of course!) and had an amazing night of fantastic food, superb wine, and the best company anyone could ask for! As i mentioned earlier my move was cake thanks not only to my mom but also to the movers that we ended up hiring. Moving is hell and I HIGHLY recommend movers. It may seem like a lot of money but at the end of the day, it's worth it.... especially to this scrawny girl!The next week of unpacking was exhausting but somehow I managed to get everything put in its place (big thanks to Neil for hanging anything and everything I asked).






As if the whole moving experience wasn't enough chaos, last week I found tickets to tallahassee for $150 roundtrip if i flew last Saturday to Monday. Since it was one of my old roommates' last weekends before graduation I booked it before I even had a chance to think twice. FYI it is nearly impossible to fly into Tallahassee for anything below $450... now you know why I couldn't refuse! I hadn't been back to tally in almost 2 years and I was shocked by some of the HUGE changes that have taken place. Giant dorms are sprouting up all over campus along with a new biology building, and a new chemistry building. In fact, there were so many changes I don't think I even noticed them all. Ben and I spent the weekend reliving the old glory days when we lived together and catching up with old friends. It was a perfect weekend, despite the fact that I had to wake up at 4 am central time to make it home Monday morning! Yikes! It took a week but i think today i might finally be back to normal, lol!







Things haven't slowed down yet! Neil moved into his house this past weekend and things have been crazy busy! Once life slows down I'll take some nice pictures of the house but this update alone has worn me out. I will try and be more prompt, I promise! In the meantime y'all take care!

Something to consider

I read this article earlier today and I couldn't help but compare myself and my sister. I have to say it rings pretty true in my family and in my close friends' families and it's just all around pretty interesting stuff.

Jobs & Birth Order
Oldest, Middle, Youngest: Who's More Successful?
By KATE LORENZ, CAREERBUILDER.COM EDITOR

Blame it on social class, education -- even luck, but according to Dalton Conley, New York University professor of sociology and public policy, inequality begins at home. In his book 'The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why,' Conley says that 75 percent of the income inequality between individuals in the United States occurs between siblings in the same families. He points to the diverse fortunes of Bill and Roger Clinton, and Jimmy and Billy Carter as examples.

Research shows that first-borns (and onlys) lead the pack in terms of educational attainment, occupational prestige, income and net worth. Conversely middle children in large families tend to fare the worst. (Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!)

"A child's position in the family impacts his personality, his behavior, his learning and ultimately his earning power," states Michael Grose, author of 'Why First-Born Rule the World and Last-borns Want to Change It.' "Most people have an intuitive knowledge that birth order somehow has an impact on development, but they underestimate how far-reaching and just how significant that impact really is."

Conley concedes that birth order is significant in shaping individual success, but only for children of large families -- four or more siblings -- and in families where finances and parental time are constrained. (In wealthy families, like the Bushes and Kennedys, it has less effect.)

Here's a look at what impact your birth order may have on you:

First-Borns: More conscientious, ambitious and aggressive than their younger siblings, first-borns are over-represented at Harvard and Yale as well as disciplines requiring higher education such as medicine, engineering or law. Every astronaut to go into space has been either the oldest child in his or her family or the eldest boy. And throughout history -- even when large families were the norm -- more than half of all Nobel Prize winners and U.S. presidents have been first-born.

Famous eldest children include: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, J.K. Rowling and Winston Churchill. And macho movie stars are First-Born, too, including Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and all the actors who have played James Bond.

Middles: Middle children are more easy going and peer-oriented. Since they can get lost in the shuffle of their own families, they learn to build bridges to other sources of support and therefore tend to have excellent people skills. Middle children often take on the role of mediator and peacemaker.

Famous middle children include: Bill Gates, J.F.K., Madonna and Princess Diana.

Youngest: The youngest child tends to be the most creative and can be very charming -- even manipulative. Because they often identify with the underdog, they tend to champion egalitarian causes. (Youngest siblings were the earliest backers of the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment.)

Successful in journalism, advertising, sales and the arts, famous youngest children include Cameron Diaz, Jim Carrey, Drew Carey, Rosie O'Donnell, Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal.

Only Children: Only children have similar characteristics to first-borns and are frequently burdened with high parental expectations. Research shows they are more confident, articulate and likely to use their imagination than other children. They also expect a lot from others, hate criticism, can be inflexible and are likely to be perfectionists. Well-known only children include Rudy Guiliani, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Alan Greenspan, Tiger Woods, tennis' teen queen Maria Sharapova and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Twins: Because they hold equal status and are treated so similarly, twins turn out similarly in most cases. Consider advice columnists "Dear Abby" and "Ann Landers" (Abigail and Esther Friedman), and Harold and Bernard Shapiro, who became presidents of Princeton University and Canada's McGill University respectively.

Dr. Frank Sulloway, a behavioral scientist and visiting professor at the Institute of Personality and Social Research at University of California, Berkeley and author of the book, 'Born To Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics and Creative Lives,' says first-borns are more similar in personality to first-borns in other families than they are to their own younger siblings. He adds that youngest children are often more similar to the youngest child in another family than his or her own elder siblings. He says this is because the family is not as much a "shared environment" as a set of niches that provide siblings with different outlooks.
Conley agrees, but stresses that these are just general trends -- and that the whole birth-order theory can be turned on its head depending on the child's personality, the age gap between siblings and the family circumstances each child experiences during his or her formative years.

A little experimentation never hurt nobody!

It's no secret that I get around. Hey now! Put that scolding finger away and sit back in your chair. I know what you're thinking, and don't worry there's no lectures or doctor visit required! What I mean is that in the last 23 years I have lived in no less than 10 different places, gone to over half a dozen different schools, and met hundreds of amazing and unique people along the way. With so many people I love and care so much for spread so far across the country (and the world), blogging seems like the perfect way to keep everyone updated on my life (especially when I'm not doing such a great job of keeping in touch, perish the thought!).


First things first, a few things need to be said. Consider this a "disclaimer" section of sorts. First of all, although I have every intention of keeping this thing up I'm going to go ahead and say that there will be times where I will slack off. Don't act surprised, I know you're the same way. Second, although i once proclaimed myself to be a "grammar Nazi", having a pretty fast paced job that requires quick, concise communication has turned me into a changed,lackadaisical woman. Chances are I will quite often misspell words, leave out commas, use slang or just plain make up my own words. Honestly, life is too short so take this as not just a warning but a preemptive apology as well. You're welcome! Lastly, intertwined with my own experiences will often be little tidbits that i find interesting whether they be articles, website, videos, or just funny jokes. What can I say, my parents taught me to share rather well and passing things along is something I just love to do. Feel free to ignore these items if you want, I just can't help myself!


I suppose since it has been a while since I have spoken to some of you a quick summary update is in order. I went to high school in Battle Creek, Michigan where my dad was a squadron commander of the air national guard and a Delta pilot. After high school, I applied various places most of which were out of state since I had no real ties to or affinity whatsoever for Michigan. After picking out my dorm at the University of Texas (hook 'em!), I made the wise and impulsive decision to attend Florida State (Go 'Noles!) instead. I had the time of my life in college! I can't even begin to sum up my experience there in just a few sentences, it was phenomenal. By the way, that doesn't mean that i appeared on any girls gone wild DVDs or anything like that! (You wouldn't believe how often people ask such questions after you tell them you went to FSU) I actually behaved myself, worked my butt off, and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Economics in May 2006. After that I achieved my lifelong goal of getting a scholarship to law school (University of Houston)... and then decided to quit while i was ahead after 3 days of what i considered a giant waste of my time and effort. No offense to any lawyers, law students, or aspiring law students but the place wasn't for me. I loved Houston and didn't want to leave so i decided to get a job. I got probably the luckiest I ever have thanks to a recruiter and landed an awesome job at a start up energy company. I was originally hired on as a marketing analyst selling our oil and gas but was promoted to risk management analyst less than a year later. I now help hedge our production through options, futures, and swaps and I couldn't imagine a more exciting job! I have a wonderful job, a great apartment, and the best friends anyone could ask for in one of the coolest (and most underrated) cities I have ever been to! I am truly blessed and thank GOD for everything and everyone in my life! Yes, that means you!


Looks like this this has gotten to be longer than I anticipated for a first entry. I guess that's about it for now. Please, please, please comment on anything your little heart desires! After all, communication was the whole purpose of this baby.



Peace, love, and cowboy boots!

Jenn