Dear Mom and Dad,

I am starting my Christmas List. It's practically November, so this is acceptable. If anyone else reading this wants to chip in, too, I won't tell you no.

I want this. A raincoat. From Target.

But hey, if you're looking for a classier option, there's always The Brand. Here and here.

And while I may have a lot of boots, this one has a heel! For reasons of looking classy. Also, tall. Taller.

A long, multi-strand fake pearl necklace. Because my roommate last year had one from her grandma that I loved to borrow, but that roommate is now in Utah. And it looks classy.

From here and here.

Bulky knit eternity scarf. For being both warm and fashionable.

 Forever21, Target, Forever 21, Target

Also, I have been just itching for these for quite some time. This one is also a double-whammy-- shoes for Lauren, and shoes for the shoeless. For awhile I really wanted the gray, but then I realized that I would probably actually wear the red with more things... Weird, right? Size 7.

COWBOY BOOTS. So that I can listen to my country music and feel legit. And look legit.

Madden Girl

Madden Girl

MIA

MIA

Laredo

Laredo

Dingo

And I won't say no to gift cards. Target, WalMart, iTunes....

Or a car. I also will not say no to a car.

or this pretty little blue lady.

(Source)

Faces and Feet

Welcome to Virginia in the Fall.

Last Friday night Colin and I went out with some friends of ours. We had to go all the way to Staunton just to bowl-- It's over an hour away!

Meet our co-couple for the night! Introducing K-Bouche and P-Nasty.

Colin does that foot thing.

K-Bouche Candid.

P-Nasty's also got the fancy foot.

I'm not very good at this game. I was losing.

I really like my bowling shoes. They're trendy.

I don't know what's happening here and my face is weird, but check out my cute shirt!

Winning bowling stance right there.

My Mainstream Tunes

I really like this song because I'm mainstream like that. Also it reminds me of The Lion King. Sometimes I'll just be sitting around with Colin and will request that he play "that Lion King Fun song."

But up until approximately seven minutes ago I didn't even KNOW how cool the music video was! Check it out. It's just really legit. I mean... it has a Civil War reenactment-type-thing. That kind of epitomizes legit-ness. I know. The proper word there would have been (and still is) "legitimacy," but if I had written, "That kind of epitomizes legitimacy," the tone of the sentence and of this post would have been altered. So. It epitomizes legit-ness. See for yourself:

Hello, Kind Stranger

As a member of the Knight Crew, I work at the call center. It's not quite the hassle of telemarketing, because we fund-raise rather than market.
One thing we like to say is that in addition to fund-raising, we really are friend-raising!

Today, I friend-raised.

To be honest, some days are better than others. Some days I get a stack of people to call and a whole lot of disconnected numbers, not homes, and people hanging up right after they hear, "Hi, my name is Lauren and I'm calling from Southern Virginia University-"

It's a bummer.

But I have to say, some of my favorite calls have been with people who felt they were too financially unstable to make a monetary donation. There was a kindly man who I caught on the phone just as he was getting to bed before an early morning work shift. And another man who, despite being between jobs, agreed to let us send him an empty pledge form for when things got better. And someone else who couldn't donate, but told me that he'd had a similar job and that I was doing great. A woman who worked at another university and whose son was now attending a different college, but gave us what she could, anyway. A spunky young lady who gave happily and freely. A young man now attending a different university, but who had fond memories of Southern Virginia, and decided he could spare a bit of his tight college budget.

There are definitely highlights. And if you get just a few of them, they keep you happy through the hang ups.

Mind your manners

Things I will never due to telephone solicitors:

1. Hang up on them
2. Hang up on them
3. Be rude
4. Hang up on them

Seriously.
Be candid.
Be NICE.
Be honest.

The people on the other end of the phone are people.
(Sure, there are machines, but that's not what I'm talking about.)
They understand if times are tough.
If you're unemployed and have three kids in college, they know what that means.

Just listen patiently.
Respond honestly.
Give your caller the opportunity to respond to you-- let them offer their sympathies, express their condolences, or show their enthusiasm if you're able to give.

Maybe you are inconvenienced for two minutes.

They're doing this for HOURS.

I really do enjoy my job. Sometimes I get to talk to really nice, sincere, well-intentioned people.
Sometimes people are a little bratty or rude.
But honestly?
I hate when people hang up on me the most.
Because then they're not even giving me a chance to explain myself. Or to show that I'm human, too.

And be heard.

I've been doing this speaking thing for a bit of time. I've seen state champs. I've competed and I've coached and I've learned a thing or two. And you know who impresses me with his words? This guy.

Want to know the secret? Conviction.
When you truly believe what you are saying-- when you know that what you are sharing is true-- it has so much power. Everyone else in the room can feel it, too.

Rant.

I just got my first paycheck.

I mean, I've had jobs before. I worked for four weeks and got $1200 at the end of it all. I tutored and made like $15/week.
But this was for 15 hrs/wk of work at just above minimum wage.

And it was exciting.

But I just spent over a third of it on food. And it makes me so upset. Food is expensive and grocery shopping is stressful.

And in making dinner for two, a quarter of my brand new block of cheese was suddenly gone. And I just lost it. Food is expensive. It adds up. And then it disappears so quickly.

And I hate it.