So scared of getting older, I'm only good at being young...

Quote of the Week.

beccachristensen — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:38:00 +0000

A true friend prods you to personal growth,

stretches you to your full potential,

And most amazingly of all,

celebrates your successes as if they were your own.

– Richard Exley

This quote is dedicated to Mer & Kate – love you girls.

NFL Picks.

beccachristensen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:51:00 +0000

Ok so last week was a rough week for me in the pickems (I blame this on consulting my Dad…ha ha!)… Here to hoping this weeks will be better.

Week 6 Picks.
Jac (v. STL)
Wash (v. KC)
Cinci (v. Houston)
Min (v. Bal)
GB (v. Det)
Pit (v. Cle)
Car (v. TB)
NYG (v. NO)
Sea (v. Ari)
Phi (v. Oak)
NYJ (v. Buf)
NE (v. Ten)
Chi (v. ATL)
Den (v. SD)

As always…talk some smack to me if you please. : ] It’s a sad week for me since I’m not getting to cheer my own team on but hopefully my Colts will enjoy the ‘bye’ week and come back strong in week 7 to face St Louis.

You asked, I deliver.

beccachristensen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Several of you have left me comments or sent me e-mails stating your curiosity about the Kindle and how I’m liking it. Finally, as promised, I’m sitting down to write a ‘review’. This will be a casual review, sort of like a chat over coffee.

Things I love about the Kindle:

- Not having to find time to go to the book store. With my crazy life it sometimes took me a week or two just to have time to go to Borders and BUY my next book club book. Now it’s delivered wirelessly in seconds. I love that.

- For us on-the-go gals (or guys) who travel for work (or pleasure) – it’s really amazing to tote all your books in something that weighs less than half a pound and takes up almost no room. I like to tote my bible study book, bible, book club book, and sometimes 1 or 2 others everywhere I go! So for me, that is excellent.

- It’s simple. There aren’t tons of buttons to figure out – it’s so simple a child or those that were born before the ‘technology era’ can easily find there way around it.

Things I don’t love about the Kindle:

- It doesn’t save you much money. The books may (or may not) be a little cheaper but it would take years to really save much money (considering you pay $300 for the Kindle itself). So from a thrifty perspective this one doesn’t really work.

- It would be way easier in touch screen form. The little toggle is similar to those on blackberrys and can be a little annoying.

- The highlight feature! I’m such a highlight nazi. : ] Love it.

My thoughts are that if you’re not someone who travels it’s probably not the best use of your money. It’s still a little pricey (it’s working it’s way down) and it doesn’t save you much on books. So, if you’re going to sit at home and read you might as well start collecting a real live library.

BUT if you travel and you don’t mind paying a little extra for the convenience of the light weight and space saver of a Kindle v. a portable library – well then look no further!

If you have other specific questions shoot them my direction via comment or e-mail and I’ll do my best to answer. But I am one happy customer thus far.

Love,

Wise Words.

beccachristensen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Wise words from my bible study reading this week:

‘We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death’. – wild goose chase

Truely living requires that there is risk in our day to day lives. That we don’t always play it safe.

Love,
B

Work Life.

beccachristensen — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

So thanks to my randomly appearing Marie Claire subscription I’m able to bring you a few interesting insights from the November issue. This caught my eye because I’m the opposite of the title which reads, ‘How Shy Girls Win at Work’. So for those of you who are more ears, less mouth here are some ways that you can make your presence felt and not be overpowered by your louder, chattier coworkers.

- Perfect your vocal pitch. Don’t end your ideas or pitches in question format, a nature inclination for many shy ladies. ’So, I had an idea of next week’s client presentation?’ is no long accepted ladies. Be firm, be aggressive. If you need to, practice your delivery.

- Stick with numbers, not adjectives. To avoid the struggle of introverts and their adversity to bragging, numbers can help you shine! Use numbers to help you promote yourself without having to sound braggy, just be honest about your success. Own it.

Solicit feedback immediately. As the article puts it, ‘this approach puts the onus on your manager to help you succeed’. Ask them what would have made your pitch better? Plus, in my experience (and Marie Claire mentioned this as well) – bosses like this!

Invest in some bold accessories. Yay! I love when getting ahead at work is related to fashion and more specifically accessories. Marie Claire writer Marina Khidekel puts it these words, ‘your appearance speaks volumes before you even say a word, and you need for it to say that you mean business’. She also suggests your ‘rock one standout piece’. Ie: a chunky necklace, a bright pair of shoes, and patterned belt or headband.

While ‘shy’ has NEVER been used to describe me, especially in a work environment I do appreciate that all 20-something girls should be getting ahead in their careers by getting the credit they deserve. So I wanted to post these tips for any of you out there who may need them. I have such wonderful, successful readers and I want to see each of you get ahead as I know you deserve too! So get after it.

Love,

Makeup Mondays Return.

beccachristensen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Thanks to one, Kate Sperlik for this lovely -

From Self Magazine we get this makeup advice:

Surprise! Contact lens solution can help hold eyeshadow in place, because most contain sodium chloride (aka salt). The mineral causes powdered makeup to retain moisture so pigment lasts longer, says Diana Manzanares, a makeup artist in New York City. Dab three drops of solution on each lid, let dry for five seconds, then add color.

I’m always a fan of household items with multi-uses. I will be trying this one out myself!

Magic Crib.

beccachristensen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:10:00 +0000

My Daddy loves Cribs. He loves the cool things people do with their homes. He’s in Nashville, TN this weekend coaching our Colts to what I hope will be our 5th win of the season with the rest of my family (sadly, minus me and Bres) cheering him on. So todays entry makes me think of him because I want to share with you all some faboosh pictures of Christina Aguilera’s crib featured in the October In Style. It’s over-the-top-plush but I’m completely amused by it.

Enjoy.

Love,

Quote of the Week.

beccachristensen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:07:00 +0000

‘It’s my way or the lame way’ – Spencer Pratt

In honor of the return of the Hills to MTV. Hello Season 6. : ]

Videographer: Brett Culp.

beccachristensen — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:44:00 +0000

I recently met Brett Culp a videographer who’s works for rock stars, celebs, pro athletes, etc. Some of his former clients include Howie from the Backstreet Boys, Marshall Faulk (NFL athlete), Tom Clancy (author), and GMs of the NY Giants & the Tampa Bay Bucs. So where did I run into this talented man? My church! While taking a class to be a small group leader for bible studies at my church I was introduced to him by my coach Paige.

More that his impressive list of clients and beautiful videos on his website was that he was a great, down to earth family guy just trying to help out the church. It was fun meeting him and hearing about his career. What a fun job! I don’t think I’ll be hiring him as he works on wedding with budgets over 300K! But, if I happen to marry a rock star or a pro football player maybe I’ll be able to reconsider.

Love,

Money talk.

beccachristensen — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:12:00 +0000

Ok as you all are well aware I’m taking a Dave Ramsey class so money is going to be on my mind for another oh, 16 weeks or so. So we will be talking about it. It seems from my last few posts that most of you are experiencing similar situations to what me and my friends are. Therefore, you have some interest in getting ahead financially as well. So, hopefully you’ll enjoy this journey with me and if not – well, bare with me because there will be other posts as well.

Here are the lies we’re going to quit telling ourselves:

- ‘if I just made more money…’ This lie has gotten the best of all of us at some point in our young adult lives. If we just made more money we’d …save more, give more, invest more. Let’s get real right now and say that as we’ve made more we have….SPENT more. That’s the truth right? When we made nothing we spent less than we do now. In college we spent more than in high school and when we graduated college we spent more than in college. As we make more we spend more. Most of us, sadly do not do any of the other things in a larger dose. We continue to tell ourselves that when we make more we will…that cycle needs to be broken.

- ‘I just need to get married’ Have you all used or heard this one? Then my husband (or wife) can take care of the money. Or ‘then we’ll have 2 incomes’. With 2 incomes come other 2′s. 2 cars. 2 student loans. 2 credit card debts. If we don’t get our finances right while there’s 1, it will only be that much harder when there’s 2. Remember that. Math rarely gets easier when the numbers get bigger people.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I know the number one lie that 20-somethings tell themselves. Dave Ramsey addresses it but I’m going to venture out on a limb and say this really is the main lie that we as young and possibly singles buy into…

‘but I DESERVE it’ if this is a lie that you tell yourself: stop. Right now. Because if you didn’t earn the money to PAY for it, than you don’t deserve it. Sorry. I know you work hard. I know that your life sucks at times. I know that you’re busting it. I know that it looks great on you. But if you can’t afford it then quit telling yourself you deserve it. I’ve watched countless friends justify cars, tvs, apartments, homes, vacations, clothes, you name it. Don’t be one of them. If you can’t afford it then don’t tell yourself you deserve it…earn it so you can enjoy and pay for it only 1 time, in cash.

Getting ahead financially is hard. There is no get rich quick scheme that will solve all your problems. Even those who win the lottery are often back out pumping gas a few years later because if we don’t learn about money when we have little we still won’t understand it when we have lots. Principles of money have to be learned, they do not show up when your paychecks hit a certain level.

If were going to get down and dirty with budgeting we’ve got to start by cutting the crap. We make what we make, we are what we are, and we don’t deserve it until we’ve earned it. Those are the cold, hard facts.

The one and only ‘debt’ that is allowed in the Dave Ramsey lifestyle is a mortgage (1…not 2). So if the bank owns your car, then remember that you don’t. And if the bank owns your wardrobe through credit card debt, than guess what – it’s not yours. If this is the case than you neither earned them nor ‘deserve’ them.

If you feel depressed now than you’re probably in a good place to start redoing your habits with me. It’s time to buckle down and take control because ‘you have to gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you’.

Let’s get it girls.

Love,