Having a Great Boss

This summer I had the pleasure of working with some really great staff at NKU in the New Student and Parent Programs Office. I have truly found that the people in this office genuinely care about NKU and its students. Working for them has helped me grow as a person since they are not only great bosses, but also great mentors.

I wanted to show my appreciation for all of their hard work. Here is a gift that you can adapt to use for your boss or a co-worker that you appreciate.

Supplies:

Container: tumbler, coffee mug, desk organizer

Various Office Supplies: I went with pens and post it notes. Other ideas: rubber band ball, paper clips, binder clips, labels, etc.

Candy:It's a bonus if you know their favorite type

A handwritten note of thanks

Notecards

I made this note cards and wrote a personal message on each one to stick in the cups. I trimmed two different colors of card stock to the sizes I wanted. Using a circle punch, I cut the apples out from a piece of patterned paper. I then inked around the edges of the smaller card stock and the circle before putting it all together.

This gift is super simple, useful, and a great way to show your appreciation for someone you work with. Give this gift just because, or adapt it for a special occasion like a promotion, beginning of the school year for a teacher, or welcoming someone new to your office.

Orientation

The Last Orientation

Last Thursday and Friday was our last 2-day orientation of the summer and I am finally getting my pictures uploaded! This summer as an orientation leader has been very busy and tiring, but also rewarding. If you ever have the chance to become an orientation leader at your school I highly recommend it. Not only did I get to meet and work with amazing students and staff, it reminded me of why I fell in love with NKU in the first place.

To all of the freshmen that I got to meet, I can't wait to see you on campus soon! Getting to know you guys is the best part of this job. I am going to be so proud to see you get involved as you grow and find your place here at NKU.

This whole experience wouldn't have been the same without all of the people I met and become friends with so I have a few people I need to thank:

Small Group Partner Chanell

Chanell, it has been such an honor to work so closely with you this summer! I couldn't have picked a better small group partner and I am proud of all the work we did together. You are one of the coolest people I know and I admire your individuality and confidence. I can't wait to see all of the amazing things you do at NKU this year! Classic Peg for life!!!

Roommate Erin

You are the best roommate ever! I am so thankful that our paths crossed at NKU because you are the kindest person that I know. I will miss watching Food Network Star with you, the way you turn the sound down on the TV when you get scared, and waking up in the middle of the night talking to you. Thank you for being such an amazing roommate! Missing you already!

The Orientation Leaders

All of the other orientation leaders added fun to every part of this summer. While they aren't all in this picture, I am thankful for the opportunity to work with all of them. It has been great to have the opportunity to get to know people on campus that I might not have hung out with before. This group of leaders has definitely made its mark on NKU and the freshmen class!

Sally Hansen Nail Stickers Tutorial

For my birthday my sorority Big, Mollie, gifted me with a set of Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail stickers. This was my first time using them and I couldn't wait to try them out. The set includes 16 nail stickers, a nail file, and cuticle stick for about nine dollars at drugstores. (Sorry for the picture quality, these were all taken with my phone.) I had Mollie teach me how to apply them since I am a little challenged when it comes to doing my own nails.

How to apply:

• Start with clean nails and choose the strip that best fits the shape of your nail.
• Tear off the end of the strip and peel off the back so that the sticky part is exposed.
• Line up the edge of the strip with your cuticle and cover your nail with the sticker.

• Using the nail file, smooth the sticker across your nail. Then crease the extra part of the strip across the end of your nail.

• Trim the excess part of the sticker. We found the best way was to use the cuticle stick included to gently tear the sticker along the crease you made.

The finished product:

After Mollie taught me, I tried to apply one of the stickers by myself and it was pretty easy. There are 16 stickers in a pack so you have extras in case you mess one up or need a touch up.I've had them on for about three days and so far they still look pretty good.

I have received a lot of compliments on them and was pleasantly surprised that people actually think that it is painted on. I love the polka dot design, but they also have animal prints, lace, plain colors, and more.

I would definitely use these again for everyday wear or a special event like a sorority formal when I don't want to spend a lot of money to get my nails professionally done. If you are like me, painting your nails with the left hand just isn't pretty so this is a nice alternative. Because the stickers don't match up perfectly with your nail shape, I would suggest getting a regular manicure for interviews, pictures, etc. when you want a perfectly polished look. 

School Spirit

This post will be pretty short because I am exhausted! The orientation office had a super busy day. This morning we gave tours to high school students that are interested in coming to NKU. Then we got the chance to take part in a photo shoot on campus for the NKU Admissions office. Finally, we put on an orientation for transfer and non-traditional students and set up for tomorrow's orientation.

Amidst all of these events we even found time to have a little fun with the Victor E. Viking costume. Victor is actually in a contest right now for the best mascot in our new Atlantic Sun division. You can vote for him here: VOTE! 

Orientation leaders definitely know how to have fun!

Even though it was a busy day, it is great to be able to have a job that allows us to share our love for NKU. One of the best parts of our job is getting to tell high school students and incoming freshmen about how awesome our school is. I can't believe my time as an orientation leader is almost over and school starts in less than a month. However, it will be awesome to show my school spirit by supporting our Division 1 sports teams this fall for the first time!



(Friends) Getting Engaged!

My roommate for the summer, Erin, just got engaged last week at Disney World! Just look at that proposal picture! Dean did a great job of surprising her and the call I recieved after it happened was priceless. I couldn't wait for her to get home and tell me all the amazing details. I knew I wanted to decorate the room and surprise her when she got back so I rushed to Hobby Lobby. Erin came home to white streamers everywhere with big plastic diamond rings (below) I found in the "Princess Party" section. I thought they were perfect for the occasion!

As an engagement gift I also got Erin a wedding magazine and picture frame that said "Fairy tales do come true"  for her proposal picture. This was the first time I'd actually bought an engagement present so I wasn't sure what to look for. I thought it would be a good idea to keep a few ideas ready for future engagements and here are a few of my favorites:

 A decorated journal to store all of their wedding ideas in! This one can be bought from ThePurple Table on Esty for $9.00 or it would be an easy DIY project.

Engagement gift bag for the bride! This idea comes from formalfringe.com and is filled with wedding themed books, magazines, and a DVD. A bag full of spa items could also be an option to help the bride and groom relax throughout the wedding planning process.

I also love these personalized hangers that can be found all over Etsy. This one is from DivineDays and is $26.00. This is perfect for those pictures of the wedding dress.

 It is definitely a sign that you are growing up when it seems like everyone in your Facebook feed is getting engaged. Now I won't have to mindlessly wonder around Hobby Lobby trying to figure out the perfect gift the next time a friend gets engaged! Best wishes to Erin and Dean as they start their life together :)

Free Events!

Who doesn't love free events? The summer orientation leaders were gifted with free tickets for a suite at the roller derby yesterday! Naturally, we were curious to see what actually happens at a roller derby having only seen them in movies. I talked my orientation small group partner, Chanell, into going with me so that we could mark this event off of our bucket list.

We definitely felt like V.I.P. in our super cool suite! Not only did it include comfy seats, there is a mini-fridge, T.V., bar area, and personal bathroom. Here we are checking it out:

Thankfully the event program included a guide to the basics of roller derby or I would have been completely lost! Each team has a "jammer" that tries to break through the other team during a "jam". After the jammer breaks through, they can score points for each subsequent time they pass the other team. There are different types of blocks the teams can use but I wasn't advanced enough to learn those. Oh, and of course this is all on skates! This would definitely not be the sport for me because I am an awful skater! One of the most entertaining parts for the orientation leaders was learning all the nicknames of the girls. You can imagine the fun they had cheering for "Spank You Very Much" and others humorous nicknames.  

With summer coming to a close this was a great opportunity to mark something off our bucket list for free! If you want to mark "attending a roller derby" off your bucket list or learn more about it check out the Black-N-Bluegrass Roller Girls.