10 Things I learned as a Reggie

Today my 2.5 year stint as a registrar comes to a close. After I graduated college, I applied for several jobs that had nothing to do with each other. I had made the decision early on that any whim I got, I would take a step forward of some sort. So I did. I sent the email. I filled out the application. I did the interview. And all the while, I knew that the first offer I got, I would take it. And let me just say that the offer I got wasn’t the internship in Maui or the teaching job in Dallas. It was to work full-time at Pine Cove as a registrar! I didn’t even know such a position existed until I was applying for it.

When the call came, I knew instantly that that would be the next chapter of my life. I was a bit weary in taking the “desk job,” in the fact that I wasn’t sure that I could sit down for that many hours in a day?! But little did I know that this desk job would be the absolute perfect fit for this season of life. It’s so easy to look back and see God’s hand in it. He knew that if I was going to have a “desk job” then it would be one in “the party department.” And He knew that I would learn so much in this position, even if I resisted sometimes. And He knew that I would get to work with all girls, that while very different from me, became some of my closest friends. I have LOVED my time in this chapter and certainly some tears have (and I’m sure will be again) shed over the close of this season.

It’s been interesting to look back on this time and recall all the parties, the laughs, the mistakes, the successes, and everything in between. And all the times that I just simply had to take a lap outside or play with a ball because I couldn’t sit still any more. And the times when I was uncharacteristically focused and task-driven. With this said, here is a list of the top 10 things I learned as a Reggie…

10. People can tell when you’re smiling over the phone.

9. My personality tricked my own personality into being efficient and on top of things. For my entire life I have exceeded in procrastination. Coming into a real, non-college job, I quickly realized the importance of not procrastinating because I knew that a lot of people were counting on me. My personality tricked me in that I knew I had to do things right away because I knew that if I didn’t I would completely forget about them, thus, neglecting my job. In an unprecedented turn of events, I became shockingly on top of things. This trick also worked in the area of efficiency. Since my brain will wander at the slightest distraction, I never wanted to stay on one task for too long, for fear that the monotony would just be too much. As a result, my brain would naturally come up with the most time-efficient way to do things so that I could bounce around from task to task. Hahaha this has been the funniest lesson to me! But also so valuable.

8. Balloons and streamers make any job better, more fun, and more welcoming.

7. I have learned to appreciate routine. Shock of all shocks! And I have learned that you can still be spontaneous in the midst of routine—you just may have to get a little creative.

6. The average person found in the human race does not read. I didn’t say they can’t read, I am saying they choose NOT to read. Too many times to say, I had a phone conversation where I had to explain something that he/she simply did not read; but instead they freaked out, hurriedly dialed the phone, and impulsively called us (I always imagined this to look something like a Tasmanian devil scene). The conversations would end with said person saying, “Oh, I guess I just should have read that! Oops!” No matter how many times this exact scenario went down, I was surprised every time! (And for the record, I never minded that they called us, but I just always thought it was so funny/strange that they would call us before they would read what’s on their screen)

5. Orange means pink and green means blue.

4. I saw how every company has “behind the scenes” people. I guess I just never really put much thought into it because I have never had a “behind the scenes” role before. It was hard at first, to adjust to this, but it was a really cool season. It has been a season of learning the mindset of “the better I do my job, the better I equip the people on the front lines. And I want to equip them well.” Additionally, I saw all the other “behind the scenes” people like the accountants and marketing peeps, etc. You just don’t realize how much goes into making things happen until you’re on this side of things. It was such a cool picture of the body of Christ working together—everyone having different skills and different knowledge that are all different, but all equally important.

3. Bathroom stall prayers can make all the difference. The handicapped stall in the bathroom was often my prayer room. Hahaha and when I say this I mean that I would just go stand against the wall and pray for an attitude change, pray for patience, pray for focus, diligence, etc. And then there was the time that I went in there and told God that I was ready to take the role at the Woods. And that I didn’t know if staying in Tyler meant that I would be here for a while or still just temporary. Or if I would meet my husband in Tyler. Or if I would end up ever going to grad school. I told him that I didn’t know and I felt scared, but that I trusted him. And then I walked out of there and accepted the Woods position. Those prayers sometimes made all the difference in the world.

2. Credit cards. Every American Express card begins with 3, Visa with 4, Mastercard with 5, and Discover with 6.

1. The people you work with are your family. There have been so many times when I would come into work and just spill my guts to the handful of girls/women that I work with every day. When you work with all girls, something happens. You all become one team, which I think is normal in a lot of work situations, ya know, to be a team, but it’s deeper than that when it’s all girls. You truly learn to love each other like sisters. These women have impacted me in so many ways, talked through life decisions with me, and shared 1 million laughs. This is, undoubtedly, what I will miss the most.

Thanks for the memories.  :)  That's all folks!

Denver Adventures

This past weekend, Kyndell and I waved goodbye to the piney woods of East Texas and bounded for the Rocky Mountains in Denver! We went to visit one of our besties, Diana! The whole weekend was a total blast and full of fun adventures, LOTS of laughing, and an absurd amount of pillowtalk.

We started the trip off with the best nachos I’ve ever had at Diana’s favorite restaurant. We sat on a patio with, of course, a sweet view of the mountains. I loved that this view was consistent the whole trip—no matter where we were, you could always spot the mountains. And it was 75 and sunny the whole time. Best. The rest of that night, we just sat on Diana’s couch and chatted life until our eyes wouldn’t cooperate anymore.

The next day, we shopped with reckless abandon, as there is nowhere to shop in Tyler. Kyndell’s 5 dresses later, we finished our time in downtown Denver. I love the downtown area in this city because it’s big, but it’s not crowded. And it’s a bustling city, but it’s clean. It was awesome!

The next day, we went to the Palm Sunday service at D’s church and then went on a mountainous adventure at Echo Lake! This was my favorite part of the trip. On our way there, we stopped at an outdoor amphitheater, which happened to be…incredible. By night, it’s the host of many concerts, but by day, it’s everyone’s personal workout venue. The hike was so pretty and full of unforeseen obstacles! We slid and sunk in the snow on numerous occasions, and by sunk, I do mean up to my hip at one point!

After our adventure, we went to BeauJoes (Translation: best pizza place ever), which included yumyum pizza, drinks in mason jars, and a killer view of the mountains in an adorably quaint town.

The trip, all in all, was so fun and refreshing. And there were a few great takeaways from the trip, but one seems to stand out above the rest. And I don’t mean Kyndell’s 5 dresses (which by the way, are super gorg!)…

I AM TRYING OUT FOR THE AMAZING RACE.

Seriously.

Somewhere between the concert venue and arriving at the lake, I got a text telling me that The Amazing Race was holding a casting call in Tyler and that “I had to apply.” WHAT? In Tyler, TX?? APRIL FOOL’S? I freaked out and started going on and on about how this is a life dream, would be the greatest adventure, etc. Meanwhile, Kyndell listens to me drone on and then volunteers as tribute…wait, I mean my partner.

So, from there it was off! We agreed to be partners, which launched us into non-stop brainstorming about our video, what skills we need to learn, what they look for in competitors, and, of course, “training.” IE: yesterday on our way to dinner with friends, we had a contest in the car to see who could hold their breath the longest. Training is round-the-clock until we get a “no” or at least until it’s clear that we didn’t get a “yes.”

You don’t know if you don’t try, right? If I can win blackout Bingo, then I feel like I can win almost anything, right? Flawless logic.  At the very worst, we will have a killer awesome video from this stage in life and always laughingly look back and say, “remember that time we tried out for a reality show?” At the very best, we will go on the adventure of a lifetime. Stay tuned, I’ll post our video when it’s done!