Meet Bruce!

Cats. Dogs.  Bearded Dragon. Turtles. Hamster. Chickens.

Those are all the pets that my family has had so far. Needless to say … silence is a luxury in our household. But now that I’m away at school year round, it can get pretty lonely going from a house filled with loving animals to nothing. So I got a beautiful bunny! Today marks the second month of being with this little guy and just like any pair, we’ve had our ups and downs.

I love that guy so much so why not dedicate an entire category so everyone can read about our life together?! I’ve never had a bunny before now so it’s definitely an experience but I wouldn’t change at thing.

Picking a name for him was probably the hardest thing so far. After being told by the pet store that my bunbun is a boy I spent a week thinking about the perfect name that fits him. After the many polls taken (thanks friends!) I decided on Bruce- Flynn, but we’d just call him Bruce.

Owning a bunny means annual check ups and the vet’s office clarified that it’s really a SHE! Fun fact about rabbits? At a young age the gender can be REALLY hard to tell. So Bailey it was….until we had a bunny play date and my eyes definitely saw parts that a girl bunbun shouldn’t have. Imagine the shock!

Finally! Some evidence to really tell us what the gender of the bun is! My mind was spinning from going back and forth between names. The name and the gender didn’t even matter because the minute he came up to his cage to meet me in the pet store, I was hooked.

The past two months with this (now 4 month old) bunny has been an absolutely  life changing experience. And I’m looking forward to many more situations and adventures with that little guy!

Have you had any weird or funny pet name stories? Share them in a comment below!

That time I….. Went to Ludington!

So some people have their traditional family vacations for the Fourth of July. Not Mine. My family relaxes at home and it was usually just our immediate family. So after being invited on a cheap, yet fun vacation by a friend… I decided to go!

Four hours from my safety net of comfort came Ludington State Park on the Pines campground. I’ve slept in a tent before (Susan G. Komen 3day walk) but I’ve never “camped”.  This was a 4 night camping experience that was more fun than I realized.

Our group of friends consisted of about 15 people on two adjoining sites but we were invited by my friend’s family. Whoa! Her family and family friends are insanely welcoming! First night there were invited to walk over to the beach to play  sand volleyball and watch the sun set over the beautiful Lake Michigan, pulled up chairs and sat by the bonfire, played Euchre, and chatted.

The next few days were filled with sun burns from being outside too long, playing in the current of the water and letting the cool waves hit our bodies. Our group even tracked our butts up the 1 1/2 mile long path to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse. And what’s a vacation without dessert?! We tried the amazing ice cream of he House of flavors. My favorites were the red velvet and the orange pineapple but they had over 30 different delicious flavors!

The night time was were a lot of the fun happened.

Work and other everyday activities can be a pain sometimes so getting away and spending 4 nights with friends was good and well needed. The nights got significant chillier than our usual Ypsi summer nights but that didn’t make our activities die down! Euchre was definitely a camp site favorite for us but we sat by the fire and even went through the sand dunes to watch the stars.

As odd as it sounds, the sand dunes were one of my favorite parts of the trip. The walk to get there was a work out. Going up and down huge sand hills?! Whew! But once we were there, the stars at night illuminated the sky and the moon was absolutely gorgeous over the lake. During the day? It was just as peaceful. Other people came in spurts but the sand was nice and cool on your skin while the sun’s rays hit just right. And the view of the sunset was stunning!

Fourth of July had so much support! Many of us were decked out in our favorite American gear or showing our love any way we could. Sitting on the beach watching the firework show was a great was to relax after a day of moving. 

Overall? The vacation was much needed and I loved the memories that I created and the people I was surrounded by.

The only downside is that I lost my prescription glasses but a lovely camper turned them in and they’ll be mailed soon!

 

All the photos are credited to Effie Yanos!

Back in Action!

So after some time of not posting anything….. I’m getting back into the blogging universe! I’ve targeted most of my past posts toward school work or public relations in general but I’m ready for something a bit more different.

These posts will now be centered on my life! Of course I’ll include PR stuff but I want to have fun writing about so much more! From PR, to my new bunny, and anything else that happens in my life. I love writing so why not write about what I know and have experienced?

I hope you all have fun on this  journey of mine and share some ideas of what you want me to write about!

 

Learning in Progress…

While reading the book “Share This”, I have learned one specific thing recently… I need to keep learning.

A section in “The Future of PR Education” brings up lifelong learning. Richard Bailey, the author of the section, writes about allowing non-students the chance to take courses, having publishers make their work more accessible, renewing membership with professional development organizations, and even giving back to the society or company.

When I read about all of that, I got SO excited. I’m very new in the field and I have a lot to learn. I’ve taken some classes and learned some things, but I really need to learn more and build my brand.

I just found out about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and I’m highly interested in them. My hope is that I can take the courses over the summer at home and come back to school in the fall with a greater knowledge of what I want to do and how to do it. I’m very open to suggestions if anyone has specific one in mind.

I would also be interested in finding a webinar (free is always better) to learn and even going to a conventions. Our PRSSA chapter, like many, always has a learning  or network opportunity planned so that would be another option.

As a cheap college student, I feel as though the best way for me to learn is to just jump right in and learn. One HUGE goal I have in mind is to continue to build my brand. I would like to fix my resume, my LinkedIn profile, and even other platforms. By doing this, I am not only building my brand, but I am also learning about each platform and how to use it correctly.

If you have your own goals for learning or stories to share, just comment and keep the conversation going.

Skilling Up For The Future

We must be the “master of HTML coding, easily film and edit a hit viral video, develop a (basic) Facebook app, intimately understand the editorial agenda of the FT, feel at ease discussing marketing ROI with a CEO”… and all before lunch.

Share This: The Social Media Handbook For PR Professionals has a very interesting chapter that focuses on skills needed to stay in the business in the future PR world. With all of the new “requirements” it’s hard to keep up. In case you were feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. That perfect PR professional apparently does not exist. Whew!

Although that person doesn’t exist, it isn’t a bad thing to strive for that level just before perfection. The author of the chapter, Daljit Bhurji, has shared his Y-Shaped PR Professional structure with areas for PR professionals to cover.

Storytelling-

In order to be successful, we must be able to tell a story. But not just any story. We need to be able to create campaigns that connect the audience. We need to know so much about our company/product/etc., that is hard to not be immersed in conversation and engaging. One of the best parts is that not only do we have to be so involved in the story, but finding different avenues is also key. A PR professional must be able to use the marketing, advertising, digital disciplines, etc. One trick ponies shouldn’t exist in our community.

Creating Content-

Content has to be one of the most important aspects of this industry and that’s getting increasingly difficult. With Twitter and character limits, we need to be concise yet still express a captivating line that reaches many and even leaves room for more to be added. It can definitely be a hard task, but it can be done.

While still in the content aspect, we could wear many hats, the photographer, writers, videographer, editor, designers, and even that figurative and literal host that engages everyone but stay out of the spot light.

Technology-

The industry is getting really personal and taking over lives. The real-time aspect increases the pressure to always be connected and never ever let go. A good part to that is the time management and monitoring tools. They are life savers. Not only must we need to be always “on” but we also have to know the back-end of things. Knowing how one thing affects another is a key aspect to gaining knowledge and fixing what’s wrong.

Even though the perfect PR professional doesn’t exist, we need to be pretty darn close.