7 Best Pieces of Advice From My Dad

June 15, 2017Leave a comment

Last month, I wrote a blog post about the best pieces of advice I’ve received from my mom for Mother’s Day. And since Father’s Day is right around the corner, I decided to dedicate this post to the one & only, JoeJaws.

My dad is by far one of the strongest, most intelligent & truly amazing people I know. He has a very deep understanding of life & his family is consistently his first priority, over everything. He’s hard-working & easy-going at the same time–his favorite place in the world is probably on our boat, beer in hand. He’d always have these nuggets of wisdom for my sister & me growing up, and it’s only recently that I’ve truly appreciated them. Here are some of my favorites.

JoeJaws, the man, the myth, the legend.

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15 Things College Grads Wish They Knew Before Getting to the “Real World”

May 15, 2017July 28, 20177 Comments

The night of my college graduation, I found myself sobbing to my dad in a parking garage. Despite the tears running down my face, I had been extremely happy all day–graduation was by far one of my favorite college memories. But after I had changed out of my cap & gown, opened all my graduation gifts and put away my diploma, the overwhelming reality hit me like a ton of bricks: I’m not in college anymore & the real world is right around the corner.

Graduating from college is pretty f*cking terrifying. Yes, it’s extremely happy and exciting, but there is this staggering realization that your life is suddenly a clean slate. Up until this point, you’ve had school to dictate your routine, yet now you’re being thrust into the unknown (literally) and have to make sense of it. And that’s really scary.

My transition from college to “the real world” has been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster of self discovery. I can’t even begin to describe it other than you’ll understand it once you actually do it. But that idea got me thinking–what’s something I wish I knew at graduation that would have made my life a little easier? What advice do I wish someone had told me when I was embarking on this crazy new chapter?

So I started asking my friends. And we started reflecting on our real world experiences and had some great conversations. Such good conversations that I wanted to share it with all you recent college grads out there. You’ll get a mix of everything–the good, the bad, the ugly & the beautiful. It’s just honest advice of what the real world is actually like. Hopefully it’ll dissuade your fears a little bit or maybe it’ll make you more excited for what lies head. Whatever you’re feeling, just try to enjoy the ride. I promise, life doesn’t end after graduation–a lot of new things are just beginning.

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7 Best Pieces of Advice From My Mom

May 11, 2017May 11, 20174 Comments

Although I can’t remember the exact moment, sometime during my adult-ish life, I realized something important: my mother is always right. I’m sure she’s been waiting to hear this for 24 years, especially after I put her through the bratty teenage stage, but when your mother says “you’ll understand where I’m coming from someday” (usually in the midst of an argument), she’s right. We will all understand where she’s coming from someday because she. is. always. right.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I wanted to dedicate a post to the lovely Karen, with all her words of wisdom that I’ve heard countless times growing up. Simple phrases that I’ve taken to heart & have found myself often repeating to others when they need advice. I’m blessed to have one of the most wonderful moms in the entire world (who also happens to be Ampersand’s biggest fan ;)) So Happy Mother’s Day, mamma! This one’s for you.