Jeff's Pesto Chicken Pizza

When I was interning at George Mason in Farifax, VA one of my students Jeff made me and the other interns a delicious dinner. We had Pesto Chicken Pizza. Pesto is one of my favorite summer foods, as my parents always make it from our garden. This pizza recipe is perfect for nights where you don't want take-out but don't necessarily have time to cook from scratch.

Ingredients:

1 package Pillsbury Pizza Crust
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (brushed on pizza crust)
1/2 Package Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup Pesto
1 large Chicken Breast (grilled and diced)

Start by grilling one large chicken breast about 3 1/2 minutes on each side. Brush on pesto sauce and then dice chicken into bite size pieces and put aside. Roll out pizza crust and brush with olive oil, followed by the cheese, pesto, and topped off with chicken. Bake in a 375* oven for about 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Serves 4. Best with a side salad :)

the little things

I just finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, which I would highly recommend! Iloved her approach of taking on a few small projects each month to make her life happier so that when times got tough she had a solid foundation. Today I was cleaning out our files and inside one was an excerpt from the book 14,000 things to be happy about... it made me smile in the middle of a long day. I've been keeping a gratitude journal for a while now but I think that sharing the little things in life that make us smile is so important and is what I hope to do with this blog. In the last year I have really started to appreciate the little things in life and not be so stressed out all the time.

A few of the things that made me smile this weekend include:
-Celebrating AC's birthday at Cellar on Greene- who doesn't love to close out a work week with colleagues, friends, and a glass of Chardonnay
-Celebrating my friend Candice becoming a licensed psychologist! Cantina 76, The Big Ugly, and Art Bar provided us with quite a fun night!
-Cleaning my apartment from top to bottom! My parents visit next week and with being out of town for the last month, it desperately needed it
- 27 Dresses was on TV. Story of my life and I love it.
-Tonight I am going to have dinner with college friends, Alex & Carey which is always fun

An advisor in college used to always send us a QOTD, which at the time drove me crazy because it filled my inbox but now I have become a huge quote person and this one makes me smile- Happy Saturday!

what this world needs is a new kind of army- the army of the kind. cleveland amory

#1 in 52 of 52

In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving” by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. The couple who was the inspiration behind another of my favorite movies, The Blind Side. The book starts with a quote from Anne Frank that really gets at the heart and sense of commitment to compassion that the Tuohys have, “No one has ever become poor by giving”. The Tuohys came from humble beginnings to live the American dream. They still have held on to their simple roots and rather than focusing on “philanthropy- we aren’t the fancy types” to The Popcorn Theory which they describe as “not being able to help everyone but you can try to help the hot ones who pop up right in front of your face.” It is about noticing others, their potential and value, which I love. Rather than focusing on how much they helped Michael they focus on how much Michael helped their family and faith. The Tuohys say “Life is about doing small things with great love" and I can't think of a better motto to live by.

An Ode to 2011

I’ve never been one for journaling or scrapbooking so I am hoping this can serve the function of both. Let me quickly recap 2011 before becoming better about documenting 2012 and beyond.

2011 was a great year for so many reasons, but I will name just a few:
-I graduated with my Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs in May! Yay M.Ed.
-I rediscovered running. Many 5Ks, community races, and miles on the treadmill. The best was probably Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston (1:02) which was the farthest race I have ever run. (Here's to hoping this March I break 1 hour!) 13 road races in 2011!
-I GOT A JOB! A real one, one that allows me to pay bills, enter races, buy ingredients to try to cook tasty meals, and visit friends. Not only that, but it is my dream job at that allowed me to stay in South Carolina.
-I was able to watch my little sister graduate under the oaks at my alma mater, Elon University. Talk about special.
-CHICAGO. I was able to travel to meet up with my parents in a city that I have been dying to visit for years. It did not disappoint. Pizza- yum.
-I was able to be a part of some of my best friend’s weddings. Such special days to see my best buds find their true loves. Also discovered Pinterest which has allowed me to pretend that I am even remotely close to wedding planning.
-Teaching University 101. The opportunity to guide 22 incoming USC students was one of the most meaningful experiences I have ever had. I was blessed with an amazing class and learned as much from them as they did from me.
-YOGA. Changed my life for the better. After being told to try it a million times, I finally caved and I'm so glad I did.
-Reunions near and far. From beach weekends, trips home to Shrewsbury, visitors to Columbia, going to Elon Homecoming, and ASCA & ACPA conferences, I was able to reconnect with many of the people that mean the most to me.

2011, you were great but 2012 is already looking good!

Summer Training: Week One

Where do I begin...This past week has been crazy, logging over 70 hours in the office, but so much fun! Summer training for the Patriot Leaders began on Monday so we are busy bees from at least 6am to 9pm everyday. Retreat was on Tuesday and Wednesday and words really can't describe the experience. It was physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. We did a high ropes course (which is one of my biggest fears), listened to everyone share deeply personal stories around the campfire (again words can't describe this experience), learned about the FISH! philosophy, build bikes for the Boys and Girls Club, worked on team-building activities and learned more about Mason and orientation. This week we met with quite a few campus stakeholders (Specific Colleges, Admissions, The Freshman Center, etc.), which was especially helpful for me to grasp a better understanding of the campus culture and services. It has been a great learning experience to watch the Head Team members put summer training together, as corny as it sounds I can truly see student development theory playing out before my eyes. Our mornings are mostly spent in meetings then we all have lunch together in one of the student centers which has been great to learn more about where the PLs are coming from while living the dream of life with a meal plan. In the afternoons we work on our specific projects and program pieces. This past week we had quite a few song and dance practices, to learn their alma mater Patriot Pride and the orientation rendition to Tik Tok, needless to say both are humorous. Speaking of laughs, every night from 6-8 we have skit practice. Skits are a critical part of orientation at Mason and it is the job of the interns to make sure they run smoothly. While every day has a schedule, no two days have been the same. The new environment here is amazing. I absolutely love the students I work with! They are so much fun, have high skill-sets, and are the most diverse group I have ever worked with. The ProStaff clicks as well. We already hangout outside the office and while at work the laughter and jokes do not stop. One of our supervisors Katie graduated from HESA a few years ago so it's been nice to have her perspective and understanding of where I'm coming from. On Friday the other intern Katie (from Elon) and I met up with our supervisor Katie and her friend in Georgetown to see SATC2, which was so cute! We also decided that we need to find boyfriends in Georgetown because it may be my new favorite place. Saturday we went shopping at Tyson's corner and then had a relaxing night in. Yesterday Katie invited us to her pool and we had time to chat about South Carolina so that was refreshing. Today we will most likely hangout with one of our other supervisors, Cal, who started the same day as us and has really clicked with us. We've also been really good about running or going to the gym everyday which has been great to get back into. I'm so grateful that I have other grad students here to share my experience with and can't wait to get back to Cola to hear about all of my friends' adventures! Looking forward to what the next week will bring!

Orientation...A Day in the Life

I am quickly discovering that to work in Orientation one must wear many hats. Every day has been exciting but very different. I have already had the chance to meet quite a few campus partners who I am looking forward to working with this summer. Also, one of my supervisors included me in a development meeting with Ikea last week which was so interesting. Ikea will be donating over $15,000 worth of merchandise to the program and decorating the display residence hall rooms during Orientation sessions. I was fascinated to learn about the whole process. I have also been working a lot to plan Family Programs during Orientation as well as helping the Head Team girls with their projects, mainly preparing for retreat and summer training. Today the Patriot Leaders arrived which was very exciting! Katie and I had been learning their names and hearing stories about them all week. They are an energetic bunch that are all beyond passionate about Mason and providing incoming students and their families a welcoming visit and transition to college life. Katie and I facilitated a namegame and team-building activity before dinner with the PLs. We can already tell that it is going to be an entertaining bunch! Some of the students have already gotten very deep with the stories that they have shared, which is so wonderful to be a part of. We leave for a staff-wide retreat tomorrow to Maryland. I'm excited to be able to spend so much time with the PLs, Head Team, and ProStaff to increase the family feel even more, but I'm also nervous about the second high ropes course of the week as heights are not really my thing (I'm sure there will be plenty of challenge and support), also we're meeting at 5:30 am so it's bedtime for me!

Welcome to Mason :)

So much has happened in the last week, I don't know where to begin! I moved to Fairfax, Virginia last weekend (which is the cutest town ever) and started my internship in the Office of Orientation and Family Programs (OFPS) at George Mason. Mason is an amazing place and I'm even more excited for this summer than I already was. OFPS is going to be a great place to work-my supervisors seem like a lot of fun and will definitely help me develop as a young professional. This week has been a lot of meetings, 1:1s, getting to know the office and campus culture, learning about the projects I'll be working on this summer, staff bonding over team building ropes course retreats, personal story sharing, and family dinners. I'm realizing more and more everyday that student affairs is my passion. Mason is an up and coming school with a lot of new construction and traditions developing daily- definitely an exciting time to work in student affairs here! Mason has an absolutely beautiful campus and my roommates and I are taking advantage of the paths to go running every night and are planning on signing up for a few races this summer. The students here are some of the most energetic, passionate, and diverse that I have ever seen. I know we will have a lot of laughs this summer. It feels like my co-intern (twintern as we have been called) Katie from UGA and I have known each other for ever- it's nice having a fellow Elon alum here. Our other roommate also named Katie is in my program at USC which is nice to have a piece of HESA with me here. On Friday we all took the Metro into the city and went to the Nats game. I love summertime and nothing says summer quite like a baseball game, fireworks, cold drink just minutes from the monuments! On Saturday we brainstormed team-building activities, made door decks for the Patriot Leaders, went to Target, and then cooked dinner for the Head Team girls- who are hysterical. This weekend we also set up our apartment and relaxed getting to know each other. Sunday my Dad and sister stopped in for lunch on their drive back to New Jersey which was a nice surprise! The Patriot Leaders all moved into our building tonight so I'm excited for training to begin tomorrow!