During my first few business trips when I started my full-time position at IBM, I forgot numerous important items which led me to create a very thorough packing list for all my badass professional women out there.
Another tip: Try on your work outfits before you head out. Make sure that the items you’re bringing go together, fit comfortably, and don’t have any unknown rips or tears.
Reading has always been a very important part of my life. Here are some of my favorite books I read in 2017 when I wasn’t finishing up my degree at TCU and starting my full-time job at IBM.
If you don’t have an interest in aerospace and space travel, you will after reading this book. I have not seen the movie, but decided to try out the book. You’ll take more time to read about Elon Musk’s SpaceXand corner every aerospace engineer you meet to ask him more about just how plausible human space travel to Mars is. Weir puts his intense amount of knowledge on the material in layman-speak so we can all go to bed feeling like an astronaut.
The Devil in the White CityAside from being from Chicago, I chose this read to follow more of serial killer H. H. Holmes – A character depicted in a recent season of American Horror Story. Before reading this book, I had no idea how significant the 1893 World Fair is to Chicago’s history or what a landscape architect was. Or just how risky and far-fetched erecting the world’s first ferris wheel was. Plus Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights to the book and is teaming up with Martin Scorsese to recreate this pivotal moment in Chicago’s history.
Like The Martian, I have not seen the movie, but would sooner re-read the book. This book is uplifting and devastating at the same time. I would love to meet Jeannette Walls in person. In her memoir, she shares her nightmarishly nomadic upbringing that did not prevent her or her siblings from going on to do great things. The intelligence and resilience of each of the Walls kids is nothing short of inspiring and impressive.
R.I.P. to the beautiful Carrie Fisher – who wrote this witty and honest semi-autobiographical novel describing the trials and tribulations of the movie industry, drug addiction, and her rehab experience. Her narrative – while sometimes sad – was my favorite part. Fisher held nothing back in this book and you’ll find that you and Carrie have much more in common than you thought. One of my favorite quotes: “I shot through my twenties like a luminous thread through a dark needle, blazing toward my destination: Nowhere.”
This book was beautiful and powerful. Marra introduces you to several interconnected characters living in different times in Russia. I learned a lot about how seriously propaganda was taken under Lenin and peaked in to the glamorous life of Miss Siberia. The message of the book is compelling and each storyline was equal parts tragic and lovely.
Life. Changing.
Here are a few of the most savory barbecue spreads I’ve indulged in over the past year.
I’ll start with my favorite spot in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas.
TIP: Put the BBQ sauce in your mac n cheese. Or everything. You’ll thank me later.
Located in Deep Ellum in Dallas. Plan ahead and go when there won’t be a line. If you don’t like planning ahead, I don’t recommend arriving ravenous because the anticipation of waiting in line might kill you. As a big fan of coleslaw (this is not something I like to openly advertise), I was a little disappointed in theirs, but I got through it by eating an uncomfortable amount of the mac ‘n cheese.
This dog saved my life. I say this sincerely. Even though the 5AM wake up calls and indoor accidents put some strain on our relationship early on, I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to foster and love this dog. On a “I love dogs, therefore I need a dog” whim I contacted Ninja Rescue, a foster pet group in Fort Worth. The moment I saw the post about George I knew he was for me. I don’t know if love at first sight will become a reality for me in terms of a human, but I sure fell in love with this dog.
If you have even the slightest interest in fostering a dog, I encourage to stop thinking of potential issues and go bring a warm pup in to your home. You won’t regret it.
For my senior year spring break, I decided that I had spent enough weeklong vacations from school partaking in stereotypical college spring break activities and go spread some radical love with my college ministry.
With nearly 100 of my TCU & Christ Chapel Bible Church peers, I flew to Belize on what happened to be the inaugural Southwest flight to Belize at the Denver airport – which meant we were treated to Belizean treats and dancing before we even left the U.S.
Every morning and night I ate and prayed with wonderful humans. Every night we were invited to hang out on the pier to stare out at the ocean and sing about our Savior.
Have you come to the end of yourself? Do you thirst from a drink from the well? Jesus is calling.
When I travelled to Belize, it is an understatement to say that I was at the end of myself. I had been through a hellish 6 months and brought to what I thought was the end of myself. Life brought me to my knees and left me looking back wondering how things had gotten so bad – And why? It was during this time on the pier that I looked up. In awe at the stars and God’s ability to plant these Christ-following people in my life, I surrendered my heart to the Creator of all things. Give it to God. I don’t know if I’d ever cried such happy tears, especially under the circumstances I found myself in.
During the day, I was at the mercy of a school full of children who at some points literally drug me around their recess area. I got to ask them if they knew how much Jesus loved them and hear their unanimous “Yes!!!!!” before yelling more and running off. I spent some days away from the children digging irrigation trenches for the Feed-A-Child farm and trying to memorize scripture to distract myself from how much I was sweating. Time of my life.
At the end of the week before sunset, I walked into the ocean to declare my love and commitment to Jesus by getting baptized in front of the whole trip cohort. It was surreal and I felt a weight lifted from me when I came up for air. God is SO GOOD.
Coming soon!
Title inspired by the name of our ridiculously affordable Airbnb in Oia Village – “The Dream.” They were not messing around. These are the very views that Odysseus once looked out at, nostalgic for his home.
My first day was met with unfortunate weather that also excited me – Winds had brought in Egyptian dust over the sea to coat each of us while we ventured out for gyros.
The second day brought clear skies and a need for speed. With just $20, we rented ATVs for 24 hours. For easily 8 hours, we sped around the island – up empty cliff side roads, across miles of beautiful beaches, and through Grecian neighborhoods. Only once did we need to stop and fill up for gas and it was with great reluctance that we head back to park them for the night at our place.
The people on this island were nothing short of wonderful. At every turn I was delighted. The food, the architecture, the views… I was in heaven. Especially when I stumbled upon this bookstore without knowing it’s tourist significance – Atlantis Books. I am a huge bookworm and had just had the quintessential book lover’s experience in Amsterdam where I picked up a book at our hotel’s “take a book, leave a book” shelf and happened to choose what I later found out is a famous novel by renowned Czech author, Milan Kundera.
Alone and without cell service, I successfully took a last minute flight to Lisbon, took a cab to the city center, got on a bus to Lagos, arrived in Lagos, figured out where my friends were staying despite lack of address and a very rough language barrier. By the time I arrived to our tiny oceanside Airbnb, I felt like I’d waged a war across the Portugal to get there — And it ended up being well worth it!
My parents would be so proud of me – I managed to stay up until the sunrise at Barceloneta Beach. Not a difficult thing to do when the clubs that line the beach stay open until 6AM. It was beautiful even on no sleep and hanging out with strangers. If there is one thing that makes me annoyingly introspective, it is any sunset or sunrise – And this one did me in.
Morocco marked my first trip away from my new home of Barcelona – Which actually sat above the Moroccan embassy. We were given firm no’s to snapping photos of the policemen, drank lots of Turkish tea, and found ourselves at the mercy of our tour guide hiking up the Atlas Mountains in flip flops.
The Riad we stayed at in Marrakech was easily one of the most beautiful hotels I stayed at while abroad for the price of a hostel. The owners were genuinely friendly and wanted to accommodate us in any way they could.
We had a guide walk us through the markets where we each bought sandals, spices, and photo ops with monkeys. Nighttime was spent with red wine, lamb, and couscous.
My favorite day was spent venturing outside of the city to cruise around on a camel and unknowingly hire a hike guide who ended up essentially tossing each of us up the Atlas Mountains while the call to prayer sounded. So. Cool. Even though my flip flops did little to support my feet and I slipped up & down the mountain the most of our group, it was a perfect day abroad. I was uncomfortable, a little scared, inconveniently unathletic, and loving every single minute.
crypto lauren 