Moving Peaces - Page 14 of 46 - Moving Pieces. Moving Places. Moving Peacefully.

Writing Cover Letters is My Hobby

November 12, 2014December 9, 2014Samantha Gratton

Oh, how I miss writing fun blog posts and articles. I barely manage to tweet these days without feeling bad for not working on a cover letter instead. Do you know how difficult it is to re-write the same cover letter 50 times within six months? Because I do.

In case you were wondering where all my writing energy has gone lately, that’s where to look. My contract position is ending next week, therefore I am all about the job search. Still. So what do these cover letters say? Oh, you know–that I would love to work there and that I have experience and that I would be a great fit. There’s a bit of resume talk thrown around from time to time, but usually just on accident. Despite all of my many hours of cover letter writing experience, it’s still pretty difficult to muster up the energy and pour my heart into a one-page summary of why a company should pick me out of the masses.

If I were to write an utterly honest cover letter, it would go a little more like this…

Dear Hiring Manager,

Hey! Thanks for posting this job that looks interesting. How many of these letters have you received so far? I’m just curious. Am I number 152 or 291? I’ll be honest and say that I do indeed want this job, but then again, I’m guessing all of the other people who have written you say that, too. I promise you I’m telling you the truth though, and that I actually want to work here. I won’t add an emoticon because that’s unprofessional, but know that I am smiling and am really excited about working here. Yay!

My friend told me about your office and it sounds really neat. I’m not sure how much to let on that I’ve found just about every employee on Linkedin at this point and even found a couple of blog posts from former employees about working here (don’t worry, all good things). This internet searching ability is really an art and could even be an asset to your team. I know that sounds creepy though, so maybe I’ll just instead talk about how it seems like you are doing such great things in the community, because that’s important to me, too.

This third paragraph is usually the same paragraph that I copy and paste into all of my applications. I know, that doesn’t sound very personal, but being number 291 doesn’t seem personal either. I can’t figure out how to tell about my experience much better than all of this stuff about my background in communications, project management and event planning. It seems like a direct match to your job description, so please make the connection. Otherwise I can add, “which is what I would do at your company” to the end of every sentence if that is helpful, but sometimes it feels silly and redundant instead.

I’m going to end this letter now for two reasons: 1. The job description you posted was only a paragraph long so I don’t know what else to say. 2. I hear your cover letter should only be a page long and we’re pushing it here, despite the fact that the font size is 11.5 and the margins are already way slimmer than most. Please call me because I sincerely want to work here and would be an excellent fit for the role. If only you could see me as more than just a cover letter, then I think you would agree. Feel free to contact me at anytime because I will be refreshing my email and checking my phone every five minutes until then.

Sincerely,

Samantha

p.s. I’m a rock star. Not the flaky musician kind of rock star, but the awesome motivated kind. Hire me!

Anybody with me? Got any cover letter wisdom or stories you care to share?

Moving Part 5: Follow Through

November 8, 2014September 28, 2014Samantha Gratton

It’s been awhile since the last post on the moving process due to the 31 days project in October, but I’ve still got a few more steps to talk about. After our move from Iowa to North Carolina essentially on a whim, we got a lot of questions on what all went into the process and love hearing about the moving experiences of others. If you’re new to the series and feel like starting at the beginning, here’s Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Part 5: Follow through

The divide between steps four and five marks the difference between dreaming and doing. If you are going to move, then this requires actually moving before claiming a new home or state of residence. Granted, this can take months or even years, depending on the circumstances.

This part can be exhausting and stressful. It requires a lot of decisions, details and money. There are all sorts of tips and tricks you try to implement as you stuff boxes, pack the truck and drive off toward your new home.

To make it happen, we were constantly burning the midnight oil as we tried to finish up our obligations, make lasting memories and gain closure, all while seriously preparing to move halfway across the country.

To keep your sanity, here’s what I would recommend doing in the biggest stage of them all:

Make a list – there will be far too many details to keep straight and this will help you sleep a little better at night
Reduce your haul – have a garage sale, donate items or have your friends over to pass along anything you no longer need
Say goodbye – we invited everyone we knew to come over for one last barbeque at our house the day before we moved…some might find that crazy but it gave us some closure
Set a date – it has to happen and you will need a date to start sorting through the details of the moving truck and places to stay as you transition
Don’t rush into a housing decision – there are so many decisions to make and you might not be ready to finalize the place you want to live for the next several years, especially from afar. Consider short-term housing, a storage unit or extra trips beforehand to visit the area and confirm the right place to go.
Plan for leeway – the schedule might get thrown or your stress level might require a few extra take-out meals and chocolate so try to budget in as much extra time and money you can to alleviate some stress when something inevitably comes up

Interim

November 7, 2014November 7, 2014Samantha Gratton

Everything is interim. Everything is a path or a preparation for the next thing, and we never know what the next thing is. Life is like that, of course, twisty and surprising.
– Shauna Niequist in Cold Tangerines

Often we hold onto this idea of stability and longevity. We (or maybe it’s just me) like making a plan. What’s the three-year, five-year and ten-year plan? As if we have any real control over it.

Don’t misunderstand, I think goals and dreams are wonderful things to have. But sometimes we clutch onto them so fiercely. When something goes awry or changes the course, we get flustered. We react in fear or fight. We cry out in the night and wonder what went wrong. The plan, the perfect plan, is no more.

But everything is interim. There is no such thing as stability or control. Whatever it is, it may be for the next few days or the next few years. My life seems like it is in total interim right now, and I can’t say that I always love that feeling. Sometimes I want to know every detail and then plan minute-by-minute what’s next but that is just not how life goes. We’re instead being challenged and tested in order to be best prepared for what is to come.

Embrace the interim. Because there is a God who has all the plans. We just have to trust in Him.

….

This week I am co-hosting a link-up with Susannah from Simple Moments Stick. Please check out her blog when you get the chance and feel free to link-up your post about faith and fellowship!

A Little Q&A

November 5, 2014September 29, 2015Samantha Gratton

So, I have mentioned how I am really trying to do things with this blog. Sure, I want to have more followers and readers and whatnot. I want to write to a bigger audience about things that matter and make a difference, but also just make connections with readers. I definitely want to continue to improve my writing skills as writing is something I love to do. I’ve found that one thing that often gets overlooked with blogging is the community in the blogging world. People share with each other and get to be friends without ever meeting face-to-face. That sounds a little weird and creepy at first, but there is some real community happening. Although I will always promote community within your neighborhoods and cities first, I think having an online community is awesome. The internet gets a bad reputation for all of the negative things that people say and do online, but there really are some amazing people doing great things online, too.

Recently, I was nominated by a few blogs (Vicki & Livi, Broken with Remedy, Shelby Clarke Blog, The Aussie Osborns, Polka Dots & Pampers) to answer a few questions as a part of the Liebster Award. I didn’t even know what hit me so I did a little online searching to find out that “liebster” is a German word and basically is a sweet little compliment/sentiment. So, with this I have been challenged to answer a few questions and then nominate some more bloggers. Without further ado…

1. How did you decide on the title of your blog?

When we were first really considering moving out-of-state I knew I was ready to write again. I had gone almost a year without blogging consistently are dearly missed it. Moving Peaces was a little bit of a play on words at first but then I grew to really like everything it encompassed. We moved from Iowa to North Carolina and still face some of the outcomes of that, but we are always moving from one thing to the next in life. As that happens though, we’re called to live in peace. Moving Peaces covers what is often a juxtaposition between the stress and busy that comes from moving (in a literal or figurative sense) with the calm and contentment that accompanies peace.
2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?

Honesty. I’m the kind of person who calls it like it is. There’s a lot of fluff I can write that might be fun and interesting but the core of who I am, what I’m learning, what I’m struggling with and what I value most will be what you read.
3. What’s your favorite pastime other than blogging?

Too many to count. I really do love writing and often have a few side projects going. I love to bike, read, play music with my husband and spend time with people. Currently though, with the job search in full force I often joke that writing cover letters is my hobby.

4. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

Blogging really helps me to put words to some of the things I’m learning, and hopefully allows others to learn from my own stories and experiences.Writing it down for an audience forces me to really understand what I am thinking through in order to articulate it for someone else.
5. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you most like to try yourself? (What is a post you have liked written by the person who nominated you?)

Okay ladies, you all came at me at once…Vicki & Livi are giving a few date night ideas. Heather is growing a little baby bump, which is not something I’m ready to try but very cute to see. Shelby is growing the cutest little succulent garden. Neive gets creative with cooking, including these delicious sounding chocolate coconut cookies. And Natalie is putting together a fall capsule wardrobe with some cute pieces.
6. Where does your blog inspiration come from?

Usually conversations I’m having with people and generally life stories of others.
7. What is one country in the world you would like to visit? Why?

All of the countries. Okay, fine. I do love traveling when possible and am definitely hoping to take a trip out of the country with the hubby in the near future. Top of the list right now is Argentina. I’ve never been to South America nor have I gotten much use out of my high school Spanish classes yet. I should probably revisit some of the language, but naively I like to think it will all come to me once I am surrounded by Spanish speakers. Mostly, I’m excited for an opportunity to take a trip with my husband, see some of the gorgeous surroundings and get a glimpse at another culture.
8. If you have children, what are their names? If not, what are your favorite boy & girl names?

No children in this house yet. Favorite names? I feel like we’re playing MASH on the playground. I’ll be honest, I have a ridiculously long list (literally) of names that I like. I generally like names that are a bit older sounding and many of them seem to have the letter “L” in them for whatever reason.
9. A long lost relative leaves you a large sum of money. What do you do with it?

I think that will not actually ever happen so I try to not plan ahead too much for such an occasion, but I would definitely do a combination of saving it and traveling with it.
10. In your opinion, what is the best blog post you’ve written so far? (Include the link!)

That’s an interesting question. I don’t really have one in particular that I like the most or think is the best. Each month it seems to change. Most recently, I’ve really enjoyed writing a series about Finding Self over the month of October and among those posts I wrote about Being Enough, which is something I constantly have to remind myself and work through.
11. What is your favorite food?

Seldom does a day go by without eating some chocolate.
With that, I’d like to nominate the following bloggers to answer these same questions and then to nominate some bloggers they’d like to hear from: Emily at Staving Off Disaster, Anne at Lifelong Summers, Emily at Choosing To, Elizabeth at best. day. ever., Savannah at Savvy Darling, Raewyn at Warrior Queen, Martha Kate at Seasons with the Strattons, Natalie at A Tiny Traveler, and whoever else feels like going for it!

Nifty Thrifty: Green Jacket

November 3, 2014November 2, 2014Samantha Gratton

We are full force into the fall season these days, which I am loving. The trees look amazing, the pumpkin flavored food tastes delicious and the chilly air mixed in with the warm sun feels wonderful. Did you catch that? I love fall!

As with every season, there are a few key items that seem to get the most amount of wear. For me, this green jacket has been an item of choice this fall.

So when I found this jacket for $4.59 at a local GCF, I knew I had to snag it. Originally from Gap, it’s been a great piece to layer with one of my many favorite scarves.

Pair it with some jeans and boots (look familiar?) and you’re good to go. Those jeans? Yep, those were thrifted too. But today we’re just talking about the green jacket.

Since moving to North Carolina, we appreciate soaking up all of the lovely fall moments a little longer as fall seems to last from September to December. To some that may seem typical, but in colder areas of the country, fall sometimes only lasts about a month before it gets cold again.

As much as I love thrifting, it has its challenges. Finding decent clothes for guys, especially tall and skinny (good-looking) guys is one of them. But I keep my eye out when I possible and some spots are better than others. On our trip to Portland this past spring, we knew we were in the midst of some awesome thrifting.

The hubby found this green sweater jacket, originally from Banana Republic, for $18 and wears it every chance he gets.

Added bonus? Now we can ~~accidentally~~ match in our thrifted green jackets.

Thursday Three

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014Samantha Gratton

Hey there Thursday. It’s been a week, hasn’t it? The leaves on the trees are really starting to pop around here, which I LOVE but the dark mornings and dark evenings are not my favorite. Let’s look back on the week and all of its lessons, shall we?

1. A weekend away can do a world of good. I know the plan was 31 days of blogging, but over the weekend I was just all out losing steam. It’s been a packed month and none of my guest posts came through for the weekend. I thought about blogging but realized I wasn’t going to provide any depth and it would instead just be me checking off another thing on the long list. I love blogging and writing and all the things, but I’ll be real, I’m ready for this month of blogging to be over so we can go back to our regular scheduled programming.

2. Time with friends is so important. In the busy of life, it’s easy to cut friends out. We all have obligations and can only do so much in a day. But I need keep reminding myself that being over-committed shouldn’t mean that my relationships are what get cut out of my schedule. You need your friends and your friends need you.

3. And then I found five dollars… literally. I am that person who is always picking up pennies and dimes left behind in the street, but this weekend I found a $5 laying around outside in the dark for the second time this year (weird, I know). I think my point is, we don’t always know what we will find in life, it might be a pretty average penny or it might be a not-so-common $5. Either way, we have to keep an eye out and be ready for whatever it may be. How’s that for some Thursday night vague wisdom?

There Will Be Days

October 29, 2014Samantha Gratton

There will be days when life seems to make sense. You feel like you know who you are, what is most important to you and what your best talents and skills are. Those days are sweet days with a certain ease to it. Your confidence is restored and you have a clarity of mind.

There will also be days when everything you thought you knew goes awry. You flounder about trying to understand why you feel the way you do and wonder what your purpose is in the world. There’s a difficulty and sometimes pain that comes with these days. It can lead to discovery or it can lead to doubt. Self-worth is questioned and positivity is often lost.

You will face both types of days. When you hit one of those days hard, it might seem unfathomable that things will swing back around in the other direction at some point. When that happens, we need to cling to the truths. We need to prepare for both days and acknowledge that they will happen as they are part of life. But then we need to keep moving forward.

This post is a part of the Finding Self series for the 31 Days of blogging in October.
To see the all posts in this series, check out the Finding Self page.

Challenges Defined

October 28, 2014October 28, 2014Samantha Gratton

We all face challenges. Can I start by saying that? I don’t care what you say, the person next to you definitely faces challenges too, no matter how seamless they make life look. Okay, glad we cleared the air there.

One of my challenges has been food. Some of you know about my story of sickness our first few years of marriage. The short of it? I found myself throwing up multiple nights a week with no clear explanation why. After months of doctors and specialists and prescriptions, things hadn’t improved. I changed diets and pressed for more tests until they finally removed my gallbladder. Things didn’t end after surgery as I still found myself quite sick, but on slightly fewer occasions. When I wasn’t throwing up, I felt like I might. I was told I had food allergies but had a long way to go before I found what foods I could actually eat and how to navigate restaurants and grocery stores. I have a long list of allergies to varying degrees, but at the top of the list are garlic and onions.

So that’s the story. It’s why I can’t eat sauces or dressings. Why I have to call ahead when we go out to eat or why I have to coordinate with the caterer directly for weddings and special occasions. It’s why my food inevitably looks different than yours when we share a meal together. It’s why I stopped caring about cooking or complex meals. It’s why I sometimes feel left out in social settings.

When I was in high school I remember seeing the challenges of someone else, which were visible and noticeable to everyone and wishing my challenge was something more easily identified. Now I can’t get through a meal without at least explaining part of the story, regardless of how much I try to skirt around it. For a little while, it felt like that was my story. It was taking over my life in so many ways as I fought through the sickness for answers and relief.

But that’s not the whole story, just an element. It’s something I still have to face on a regular basis. I still get sick (although far less often), and I still have to navigate through menus and ingredient listings. As soon as I can, I try to change the subject. I’m not my sickness or allergy or challenge.

It has shaped me and changed me. It has made me so grateful for the things I can eat (like chocolate) and more aware of the difficulties that one issue can cause in many other facets of life. But it does not define me.

So whatever your challenge is, realize what it truly amounts to. It might be huge, and I am not trying to minimize it necessarily. When this sickness first hit, it seemed like I would never go a week again without feeling sick (and specialists told me as much). What I’m saying is, your challenge might be huge but it doesn’t have to overtake you. You are so much more than the challenges you are facing.

This post is a part of the Finding Self series for the 31 Days of blogging in October.
To see the all posts in this series, check out the Finding Self page.

Say Sorry

October 24, 2014October 24, 2014Samantha Gratton

Sometimes, we have to say sorry.

An apology might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you consider the topic “Finding Self” but I still think it’s important. We live in this culture that says to be you and stand up for yourself. I don’t disagree, but I think we can take it too far.

There are times when I can get too caught up with what I’m doing or thinking. I have this plan for how life should look, not just for me but for everyone around me. I start going on these tangents on how life should go and where people haven’t quite learned what they should have by now. I plow ahead with these thoughts and opinions, at times silently thinking I’m in the clear. I expect graces from people when I’ve been busy or having a bad day but then don’t always offer them when I should for others.

Do I do things intentionally to hurt people? No. But sometimes in my fog of thoughts and feelings I don’t act or react the way I should. Finding self doesn’t mean that I’m always right or that it’s all about how great I am. Finding self means I have to recognize the areas where I’ve failed and let people down. I may be coming into my own in some ways and ready to do amazing things, but I also have things in my life that I’m not proud of and downfalls that aren’t pretty. Realizing that side of self isn’t as flattering or as fun, but it’s often just as significant and something to learn how to handle.

Instead of pressing on ahead like that thing I said or did never happened, it’s worth it to go back and find out what it takes to make it right. Saying sorry requires humility and admitting your shortcomings to someone. Being truly sorry means you are owning up to wrongful thoughts/actions that you’d rather just ignore.

This post is a part of the Finding Self series for the 31 Days of blogging in October.
To see the all posts in this series, check out the Finding Self page.

Thursday Three

October 23, 2014December 9, 2014Samantha Gratton

Longest short week ever. That’s what this has been. Following the women’s event, there hasn’t been too much excitement around here.

1. Lock the doors and turn off all the lights. That’s about all I have wanted to do this week. But alas, there has been much to catch up on as many things have been neglected in the past several weeks between the event and other miscellaneous things. So, back to the job search and freelance work and errands around town we go.

2. Do you ever get a chill in the morning and just feel cold all day long? Well, I feel that way about being tired this week. I can’t seem to shake it no matter how early I intend to go to bed or how much I sit on the couch. I just feel a bit run down and likely need to take a night off officially. Unfortunately #1 and #2 seem to conflict a bit. There’s so much I need to do, yet so much I need to stop doing and haven’t been able to figure out which one trumps the other.

3. It is not Christmas time yet. Like it or not, that is not the season we are in right now. A visit to the mall will suggest otherwise, but it simply isn’t true. I think we do that in our own lives though, try to rush into one season or stay stuck in another. It’s worth embracing and living in the season we are currently in, regardless of if it is a good one, a hard one, a slow one or a fast one. Because seasons will come and go, so it’s worth taking the time to consider what this season is really means.