No regrets

I've received a few emails from people asking how to do better with accomplishing their goals for the year. Most people are already on track and making improvements from last year, but dwelling on the little things they've done wrong. 

It's easy to get discouraged when you focus on the negative or mistakes you've made. I'm definitely guilty of that and have to make a conscious effort to make note of the positive things I'm doing.

Everything happens for a reason and I don't think we should ever regret anything that once made you smile. It made you happy then and helped you grow into the person you are today. 

Have a wonderful Sunday! <3

My year of being 21

With my 22nd birthday rapidly approaching (Monday), I've been thinking about how being 21 has been. It's the year that people can't wait to get to when they're approaching it, and wish they could stay once they've reached it. And I must say, being 21 has been G R E A T :)

I'm excited to celebrate my birthday this weekend (last weekend being 21) with friends and even more excited to see what being 22 brings! <3

Kate Spade {mondrian style}

I've been browsing the web for some birthday gift ideas (for my birthday and other friends born in January). And of course, I stopped by Kate Spade's website and found something pretty sweet.

I love love love the Mondrian pattern that they have in the "New Arrivals" section. The scarf, sweater, bag and skirt are so cute!

Why {Caroline} loves ATL

Caroline

Caroline at the Georgia Dome

My favorite spot in Atlanta is the Georgia Dome. Some of the most defining moments of my life were in that stadium. I grew up attending Falcons games with my parents, and I go to the Passion Conference in the dome every year. This past October I got to dance at half-time during a Falcons game with the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders (hence the pom poms)!

Why do you love ATL:

I love Atlanta because it is a city with a little bit of everything. In the heart of Atlanta there is a thriving metropolis mixed with old-time southern tradition and history. We have modern technology, business, and innovative movements in the entertainment industry. The Hartsfield-Jackson airport makes Atlanta a huge international business hub. 

On the other hand, you'll find old southern charm in our history with the civil war, Coca-cola, the civil rights movement, the Varsity, Turner Field, the Appalachian Mountains, and beautiful plantations and farms right outside the city.

Visit Caroline's blog

FOREVER {WE} LOVE ATLANTA 

For the chance to be featured on RCSOATL, send an email including {your name, your favorite spot in Atlanta, why you love our city, and a photo of you in Atlanta} to rcsoatl@gmail.com -

 Open to all ages!

ATL job opportunity {sensible sitters}

You may remember me blogging about an awesome Atlanta-based company, Sensible Sitters, before - well they're recruiting again! I'm sharing this incredible opportunity with all of the qualified people I know. Babysitting has been my favorite type of work -- it's fun and rewarding. Check out this message below to see how you can apply!

Are you searching for a flexible job with great pay and love working with kids? Well, Sensible Sitters Atlanta is currently hiring qualified babysitters! 

 My name is Liberty Cogen and I am the Office Manager of Sensible Sitters Atlanta. We are Atlanta's premier on-call babysitting service. We also have offices in Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Hampton's, and Palm Beach. The best part of being a Sensible Sitter is that you get to build your sitting schedule around your personal schedule! It's truly ideal for current college students and part-time employees looking for flexible work. We receive requests for all different types of jobs and at all different times of day. Some are standing, which means they happen at the same time every week, and some are pick-up jobs, just a one-time deal. Weekdays, weeknights, weekends, travel and overnight jobs are all included in the requests we receive. Full and part-time summer jobs will become available in the months to come as well.

All of our sitter applicants must undergo a reference check and background check after their interview before coming on board. They must also become CPR certified within one month of being hired. Sensible Sitters will provide you with a list of courses in Atlanta where you can achieve this.  

After your background and reference checks have cleared, you will begin to receive job postings via email. Each posting will list where in Atlanta the job is located, how many children they have and what ages they are, and the date and time of the job. If you are available for or want any of the jobs posted, you respond back to the job post via email as quickly as possible. Jobs are given to sitters on a first come, first served basis. Based on your response and your compatibility with the listed families, we will give you jobs that you have requested. 

Once you have been confirmed for the job, you will receive a formal invitation via email stating the exact details of the job, where and when. I recommend having a smart-phone so that you can check your email throughout the day, as sometimes more than one job post will be emailed in a day.

The best part of being a Sensible Sitter is that you get to build your sitting schedule around your personal schedule! If there are any jobs listed that you are unavailable for, you do not have to respond!

We do request that our sitters come on board with the intent of working at least 6 hours a week, roughly two 3-hour jobs. If you feel that you cannot currently make this kind of commitment, please do not apply. Families must pay sitters for a minimum of three hours for each sitting session. After the three hour minimum you are paid for every quarter-hour after that you are present.

Sitters are not paid directly by the families. You are hired by Sensible Sitters as an independent contractor, which means that taxes will not be taken out of your payments. After each sitting session you will use our online invoicing system to bill your families for the time you worked for them. Each week you will send in your invoice and be paid by direct deposit in to the account you provide us. We DO NOT use W-2 forms, but rather 1099 forms which you will receive prior to tax time.

Sensible Sitters is truly a wonderful community of sitters devoted to the families that we work with. Our number one goal is to have fun and to inspire the children we care for. 

Sensible Sitters is seeking the most engaged and motivated individuals to work with our clientele. I became a Sensible Sitter in Manhattan in 2009 and have made bonds with families and sitters that will last a lifetime. I love this company!

Learn more about us at www.sensiblesitters.com.

To apply for Sensible Sitters, you must meet the following requirements:

1. Be a current college student or a college graduate.

2. Have a valid driver's license and personal car.
3. Have three checkable references, 2 of which must be childcare related.
4. Be willing to be background checked and become CPR certified.

Please email me to receive an application, atl@sensiblesittersinc.com. 

Thank you and I look forward to building a wonderful team of Sensible Sitters!

<3

Last first day of college & one week mark!

Cake from my job when I was accepted into
Georgia Tech my senior year of high school!

Sorry for being nostalgic, but today is my LAST first day of college/school! It's sooooo unreal. I'm sure most people can relate to how quickly the time goes by. I'll probably take a cheesy picture today and Instagram it then send it to my parents :)

Heading to campus for my last first day!

It feels like I just graduated from high school, and my college graduation is right around the corner!

Locker strip in high school my senior year

------------------

On another note, we're officially one week into 2013: How are those "Must-Do's" coming? 

Here's an update on mine:

• The book is 80% complete, very exciting!
• I've made 15 phone calls already this year, more than I made all of last year...seriously.
• Still on track for graduation
• I've blogged every day this year so far
• I've put on tennis shoes and done a little work out twice - woo!
• Starting to plan out the trips to NYC, Miami and California

AND, my birthday is in one week exactly, EEK! :)

Returning back to school to-do's

My last semester of college starts tomorrow -- oh. my. gosh.

It still hasn't hit me that I'm really really graduating in May and that this is really really my final semester of undergrad classes, but I know it will seem real once I'm walking around campus tomorrow!

Winter Break was a serious vacation...I didn't do too much of anything. I'm happy that I took a much needed break, but today will be dedicated to getting some serious things done. I've talked to friends about what they have to do before we return back to school tomorrow and 

compiled a list -- good luck this semester! 

1. Learn your class and/or work schedule - It always takes me a few days to learn a new schedule, so I usually write it down in a few different places (post-its, my agenda, and on my iPhone). I always feel like a freshman again on the first day of class...lost.

2. Clean up your dorm/apartment - It's not the first thing I want to do after returning from break, but having a clean living space makes getting ready for school so much easier.

3. Organize your backpack/school bag - Clean out the old papers and materials from last semester!

4. Purchase books & school supplies - If you have books to order, do that! If you need more paper, pencils, computer programs, etc., plan ahead and be ready for class.

5. Laundry - Do it.

6. Plan outfits - Before you start living in Nike shorts, big t-shirts, leggings, boots and tennis shoes, you may want to plan out a few cute outfits for the first week & show what you got over break :)

7. Check and respond to emails - I can't go for long without checking and responding to emails, but I know some people don't respond for weeks. If that's you, go through your inbox before school starts and make sure you haven't missed anything too crucial!

8. Set goals for the semester - Similar to must-do's and realistic goals, plan the type of academic & personal success you want to have this semester. 

9. Set your alarm clocks - Back to waking up on time and actually taking your alarm clock seriously...ha!

10. Get to class!

Why {Shaday} loves ATL

Shaday

"Born in the heart of Atlanta at Grady Memorial Hospital and obtaining my undergrad from Georgia Tech, I've been a resident of this city pretty much my entire life. Needless to say, I have enjoyed every bit of it. Atlanta is a host to many different cultures and its diversity makes this city appealing for anyone."

Why do you love ATL:

"Personally, I love the abundance musical concerts, fashion shows, sports event and networking/career opportunities that Atlanta has to offer.   

Outside of various shopping malls and workout gyms, my favorite place in Atlanta is the Phillips Arena, Home of the Atlanta Hawks! Attending basketball games is always a blast! 

If you're ever considering a city to visit or move to, chose Atlanta and come experience the loving southern hospitality."

FOREVER {WE} LOVE ATLANTA 

For the chance to be featured on RCSOATL, send an email including {your name, your favorite spot in Atlanta, why you love our city, and a photo of you in Atlanta} to rcsoatl@gmail.com -

 Open to all ages!

Forever I love {deux lux bags}

I stumbled upon this site - Deux Lux - and I love just about everything on their site! I spent almost an hour browsing through their bags and accessories. If you like color, classic looks, sparkles and unique products, you'll soon be obsessed too. I'm sharing my 3 favorites, but definitely browse and let me know which product you like best!

Felix Weekender - I LOVE this bag! I'm hoping I get it for my birthday (Jan. 14) *hint hint* or I'll end up purchasing it really soon! The leather and sparkles combo is the best. It's perfect for the minimum of three trips I'll be taking this year :)

Skipper Beach Duffel - Some are lucky enough to travel to the beach year round (I wish!) And this bag is perfect. They have so many cute duffels to choose from, but I really liked these colors.

Heidi Girl Zip Wallet - I'm pretty picky about the wallets I use, and I love how deux lux has so many different wallets to choose from!

<3

The perks of being a student {discounts}

With just a few days left of Winter Break, I can no longer pretend that I'll get to stay home and watch Bravo TV forever...sad. But a new semester is always exciting --  clean slate, new grades, new professors, new schedule, and other "newness." I'm sharing one of the perks of being a college student -- receiving a student discount. 

Nothing makes me happier than getting my total decreased when I'm at the register somewhere just by flashing my BuzzCard (that's what we call student ID's at Georgia Tech). Start saving if you haven't been! 

**Remember that every individual location has the right to acknowledge the student discount or not, so ask before they ring you up!**

Don't give up in 2013

It's the 2nd day of the year. Which means you may or may not have already forgotten about your 2013 goals/must do-s/resolutions, right? It's okay. Start over and make it happen. Trying to change old habits or develop new ones is always difficult at first, but it's mostly mental. If you believe you can be different, you'll be able to take the steps toward change.

I love motivational/inspirational quotations because they remind me that success is possible.

One of my goals was to expand RCSOATL by getting more involved in the community and with positve initiatives - especially those started by young people. I've already received several emails this year from college students with great projects/initiatives/companies who will be featured in upcoming posts. And I'm definitely interested in hearing from more.

If you are or you know a college student doing something great, impact the success of the project by allowing RCSOATL spread the word.

Still in denial that school starts back on Monday, eek!

<3

happy 2013!

Happy New Year!

I'm so blessed that I was able to bring in 2013 with some of my favorite people and in my favorite city (Atlanta). It was a beautiful and fun night! I'm already busy working on my "Must Do's" and "Goals" for the year. 

It's been pretty rainy here so I've just been catching up with friends and family and taking it easy before I swing into full gear tomorrow. School starts back so soon -- enjoy the final days of break and go into this year with a positive mindset!! <3