This is just the beginning...: 15/25 List

It's off. Lean In is postage-paid on its way to Mexico, heading for the lovely Miss Amanda Schmitz. I got an email this morning from USPS that it has left the LA post office sorting center, should only be a few days now. Mailing Lean In was Thing #10 on my List. Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In, has received incredible acclaim for her book on "women in the workplace." She's also garnered lots of criticism. While I'm not sure I agree with every word in her book, her ideas are important. The idea of Thing #10 is that this book becomes a continuing gift of inspiration to women around the world. I've read it, signed a page in the back and mailed it to Amanda. Her task is to read it, sign it and mail it to a woman she knows that will benefit from reading it. This is what I wrote on the inside cover, not just to Amanda, but to all who will read it:

"Beautiful Friend,

This book is for you because you are going to change the world. It’s a big task, I know, but if anyone can do it, it’s you. Sheryl shares her story and proposes some thought-provoking ideas about what it means to be a working woman. I don’t know if she’s right about everything, but I know she’s right about one thing: If the world is really going to change for the better, women need to lead the charge.

Enjoy this book, make it your own. Make notes, highlight phrases, dog-ear the corners and most of all, let it inspire you. Then when you’ve loved this book as much as you can, sign your name proudly and pass it along to a friend, a woman, who you know is changing the world too.

Love,

Kate"

I'll admit, the rest of my 15 Things list has suffered. It's never actually grown to 15 things and the items that actually are on the list, well, I haven't been great at following through. But it's a new year so maybe now is the best time to try again. Life has settled down some, it's more stable, I've gotten a routine, and a full-time job. I've been working in the Study Abroad office at Gonzaga for almost a month now. It's crazy to think that it's been that long because I do NOT feel like I've been there that long already, but time flies. I have so much to learn, but so far, I love it.

Since apparently one job just isn't enough, I also took a part-time job at the women's clothing store Title Nine. I was not planning on it, but they called last week and I decided to accept. I had my first day yesterday and I think it's going to be really fun, something totally different than I've ever done before, but fun.

Things with Connor are great. His mom and sister were in town a last weekend and we had dinner. His sister is a junior in high school and thinking about coming to Gonzaga so they did some things on campus. Connor and I are heading to Seattle in a couple weeks for to see The Head and the Heart in concert. SO excited. It was my Christmas present from him, he knows me well.

Here's some photos to catch up:

I went to visit Julie just after Thanksgiving.

The Kemp family Christmas:

It was great to see all of these girls while I was home, it's been a long time since we were all together.

Clockwise from the bottom: Me, Laura, Tashah, Micah, Ashlee.
By the end of June, 3 out of 5 of us will be married. Crazy!
Mine and Ashlee's are fake ;)

Connor and I at his house for Thanksgiving.

My Christmas present from Connor. He's amazing at origami so he made the band, The Head and the Heart, out of paper and hid the concert tickets inside.

It's incredible.

Necessities of the new job: