Reflecting the Adventure Bug: Part Uno

I spent a good portion of this morning reading some of my blog posts from 2010. I love that about blogging! I can see where I was this time last year: my dreams, my passions and my accomplishments. I had almost forgotten about my Adventure Bug bucket lists I had made, and I thought I should revisit them to review everything I did in 2011.

2011 was an adventurous year for me. It is amazing all I was able to do, and I am so thankful for the opportunities I was given. I did not complete everything off my bucket list of course, but I crossed off a few.

Seattle: The Coffee Capitol of the World
My first adventure of the year was going to Seattle to represent my student organization at the National Assembly. It was a life-changing venture. It was my first solo flight, my first National event to attend and my first time on the West coast.

I met so many wonderful people in PRSSA, Public Relations Student Society of America. Because of that trip, I made lasting connections with people across the States and jumpstarted my passion for PRSSA. Now, I am vp of our university's Chapter, and I am loving every minute of it.

My favorite moments from Seattle were:

1. Realizing we took pictures in the WRONG Starbucks thinking it was the original.
2. Seeing the fun coffee sights with Robbie and Katie.
3. Watching the new PRSSA committee get elected!

Pittsburgh: The City with a Front Door
My next adventure was driving across the country to Pittsburgh, Pa. with the beau to visit our lovely friends Jay and Amber. This was an awesome way to spend my Spring Break. It was my first true road trip, my first time in the New England area and my first real adventure with the beau.

We drove all 14 hours through the night and arrived early in the morning. It was great to see our friends and how they were living in a community. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. The city itself was so fun and historic. I loved everything about it!

My favorite moments of Pittsburgh were:

1. Driving through the "front door" of Pittsburgh. It took my breath away.
2. Exploring an awesome used book store.
3. Watching Jay and Travis build a giant snow man in March.

Quito: Te extraño mucho
My biggest adventure of the year was spending four weeks in Quito, Ecuador, studying Spanish. It truly was an adventure of a lifetime, and I miss it so much. It was my first time in South America, first time traveling abroad without my parents or longer than one week, and my first time traveling with my university.

Traveling to Ecuador was a different experience for me because every other trip abroad had been with my church, so it was definitely different traveling with college students. Occasionally, I got annoyed with being a "tourist" because I just wanted to emerge myself. However, I made friends that I would have never expected and made memories that will last a lifetime.

My favorite moments in Quito were:

1. The weekend spent on the beach in Puerto Lopez. It was so unexpectedly wonderful.
2. Sliding down the side of Cotopaxi, the largest active volcano in the world.
3. Watching movies and eating pizza with my three roomies and host mom instead of going to the party because one of them twisted her ankle.
4. Discovering a tiny coffee shop called El Ristretto.
5. Visiting the art museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin called "La Capilla del Hombre."

There were so many other wonderful moments on all of these adventures, and I took other small ventures on the way to Kansas City and St. Louis. Even though I got to experience many new adventures, they only deepened my adventure bug, so I am excited to see where 2012 takes me!

Happy New Year,

Beth

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Coffee Tour of Olympia, WA

I unexpectedly got stuck in Seattle for an extra day.

Thankfully, Robbie and Katie let me stay with them,

and I got an extra "coffee tour" of Olympia, Washington's capitol city.

First, we got our morning coffee at Olympia Coffee Roasting Company next to Robbie's job, Espresso Parts.

Olympia had a unique set up with a beautiful espresso machine, a La Marzocco.

The baristas were super sweet, and made me some yummy coffee on the Clover.

LOVE this door handle! 

Then we hopped on over to Espresso Parts.

This was a sight for a coffee nerd like me.

Coffee gadgets in every corner.

It was like a warehouse, but a lot smaller than I ever imagined.

I definitely feel like I am a cooler Barista now that I have seen where they make all the coffee making machines.

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The Coffee Capitol of the World

Seattle, WA, also known as the "Coffee Capitol of the World". 

It is also the place where Starbucks was founded in 1971.

As you know I visited, a "fake original" Starbucks, first.

Of course, being in Seattle, I visited EVERY coffee place I could.

I was in coffee heaven. :)

The first place (besides a Starbucks) I visited was Victrola.

Robbie, my former coffee manager, took me on my coffee tour.

It was a lovely little shop.

I ordered a cappuccino and a homemade coffee truffle. 

YUM!

It was scrumptious.

A little background on the coffee shop, it was founded in 2000.

The name comes from the popular phonograph during the 1920's.

The really emphasized this theme with a 1920's jazz feel in the overall atmosphere of the shop. 

I also could not resist this fair trade coffee bar from Theo Chocolate Factory.

First off, it had a cat on it.

I LOVE kitty cats.

Second, it reminded me of good'ole Springfield's Askinosie Chocolate Company.

Then I headed straight over to the infamous Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

It was smaller than Victrola,

but had a very distinct, clean feel.

The Baristas knew Robbie, so we chatted for awhile.

They were super nice.

We both got an espresso,

and I got some Burundi beans (on the house).

Thanks, Stumptown!

Last and probably least, I did go to the "original Starbucks"

because you have to as a tourist in Seattle.

However, I was not impressed. 

The coffee was worse than the coffee served at my conference,

and the shop was small and had no chairs.

What is the point of a coffee shop if you can't cozy up in a chair?

Overall, Seattle's coffee scene was everything I anticipated.

Great shops mixed in with 1,000 Starbucks.

I am glad I have been to the "Coffee Capitol of the World"! 

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Reflecting on PRSSA National Assembly 2011

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Last week was a blur. Coming back from Seattle had me hitting the ground running leaving little time for blogging, which makes me sad because I have so many exciting things to share with you lovely people. :)

First of all, I was absolutely honored to represent my Missouri State Chapter at PRSSA National Assembly 2011 in Seattle, WA. As you all probably know, I was a bit apprehensive going to a National PRSSA event for the first time on my own with no context for the event, riding in an airplane for the first time on my own, and being with some of the top PR students in the nation.

All of my fears and worries were unneeded. I had a fabulous time as you can tell by all my photos. I want to really share and process this amazing opportunity with you all. Bear with me as I still am experiencing jet lag and sleep deprivation.

I do not know how to describe the instant connection I seemed to make with people there. Making friends seemed effortless. We all had many things in common: we are passionate about PR, love PRSSA, and want to succeed in our education and careers. And PR people LOVE people!

Friday was incredible. A lot of it was simply talking to other PRSSA members and seeing how they do things differently. I asked everyone "How do you set up your eboard?" "How do you organize your firm?", etc. Often conferences can be so jammed packed with important speakers, it leaves little time to engage with your peers at the conference. This was not the case at National Assembly.

People were oozing at the seams with ideas, and it was contagious to be around such passionate people.

Some ideas I have for my Chapter include:

1. Having a fundraiser expo on campus charging businesses to be there, 
2. Going to more National activities, 
3. Having a social media calendar to give our Chapter a specific voice,
4. Creating committees to support the e-board instead of having specific chairs,
5. Establish lasting connections with our supporting PRSA chapter by possibly having a Professional Advisor.

The one item I took away from the entire experience is being a part of the election process. Watching my peers run for office, voting for them, and then see them become our new National Committee was priceless. I feel comfortable contacting any one of them about my Chapter because I established a personal relationship with many of them at Assembly.

As great as Seattle was, coming back to Springfield was harder than I anticipated. This past week it is almost as if I have experienced reverse culture shock. After being surrounded by such passionate PR people, it is difficult to come back to a diverse group of people and try to explain my experience and my ideas. Everyone has a listening ear, but some experiences have no words to describe them.

And jet lag doesn't help. :)

But I am feeling more like myself again, and ready to tackle the end of the semester!

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Sleepless in Seattle Literally

Wow,

this Seattle trip has truly been an adventure with little sleep.

I thought I would share as overview of my trip with you guys, 

and I will share more details of what I learned later this week.

To start off with, I successfully rode in an air plane alone for the first time.

It was scary,

but I am awesome. ;)

I had a great time with my roommate, Veronica, from Austin, Texas at St. Edward's University, and we hung out with her Texas friends and their roommates as well.

Friday started with a open forum with different Chapters.

I gained so much from this time just asking how other people do their PRSSA Chapters. I even got an very viable solution to a problem in our Chapter from a National Committee member.

Then we had some leadership sessions.

I especially appreciated the session on how Chapters can get involved at the National level.

That afternoon was free.

It was filled with exploring Pike Place Market, eating good food, and of course going to the wrong Starbucks.

That night we had a networking function with Edelman, a large PR firm.

Later, we went to dinner at the Fox Sports Bar

and went to bed early.

Saturday was all about National Assembly.

We started at 7: 45 am and ended at 5: 30 pm with only an hour break for lunch.

It definitely hailed over lunch.

It was all worth it to vote the 2011-2012 PRSSA National Committee:

That night I visited some coffee shops with Robbie and Katie, my youth minister and his wife at my church back home. It was so good to see them and drink coffee other than Starbucks.

The morning involved a speaker from Microsoft, Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Communications, saying good bye to last year's National Committee, and getting pumped for National Conference in Orlando, Florida.

I am so excited about National Conference this year,

and I hope to convince other people in my chapter to be as well!

It was a great weekend.

It was incredibly refreshing to be surrounded by people as passionate as PR and school as I am.

I will not easily forget all the wonderful people I met in Seattle,

and I can't wait to get to know them more this year.

I loved my adventure in Seattle!!!

I will definitely be catching up on my sleep for a while...

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5 Ghetto Tips on Looking Professional

While I was packing for PRSSA National Assembly in Seattle,

I started to realize lots of little shortcuts I take to make myself appear professional.

Let's face it.

I am a college student.

I am working on developing a professional wardrobe,

but sometimes the cash is just not there.

So I thought I would share 5 of my Ghetto Tips to Looking Professional:

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1. Sharpie Shoeshine:

Do you ever have scuffed black pumps? I am super clumsy, so I have this problem frequently. I should probably buy some shoe shine, but right now I am satisfied with black sharpie. Just color in the scuffed marks with black sharpie, and your shoes will look as good as new. This tip actually came from Dr. Wood in Communication Careers.

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2. Safety Pins Fix Everything:
"Dang it! My button fell off my pants!" Never fear, safety pins fix everything from necklaces to black pants. Just safety pin, your pants together and wear a belt over it. No one will know the difference.

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3. Steamy Shower Straightens Fabric:

If your shirt is wrinkled and no iron or dryer is to be found, a shower will work. Yes, you heard me. I actually heard this tip from my roommate at Assembly, Veronica Adamcik. Hang up your wrinkled article of clothing in the bathroom and let the shower on hot. (Not in the water!) Occasionally, pull the clothing to make it straighter.

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4. Fill Holes in Hose:
This tip is more common, but if you rip your hoes ladies, never fear clear nail polish can fix it in a jiffy. A small tip that can save your life.

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5. Hiding the Melted Mess of a Shirt:
Have you ever ironed anything that wasn't supposed to be ironed? I have. At a Speech and Debate tournament. I freaked about it for a while until I realized my cardigan covered up the crazy mess. No one was the wiser.

Hope these tips help you navigate disasters at professional conferences!

I will keep you updated on the Assembly as well!

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Seattle Adventure in Store

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I have some exciting news:

I am going to SEATTLE!!!

This year, PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) is having their National Assembly in Seattle,  WA.

I am honored to represent my Missouri State chapter as a delegate, this year.

I am so thrilled to have the chance to visit such a coffee saturated place and hang out with lots of PR nerds, like me. :)

I will also get to visit some dear friends Katie & Robbie Britt.

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I will see this view in 12 days!

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Coffee News: Northwest Regional Barista Competition

Apologies for the absence this week. Southwest Missouri has experience a "Snowpocalypse" this week. If you want to see some of my adventures throughout my three days, go here, here, and here.

In Coffee News, last weekend was the Northwest Regional Barista Competition. The Barista competition is the most prestigious competition for Baristas all over the world. It involves making four espressos, cappuccinos, and signature drinks in 15 minutes. There are four tasting judges as well as judges in your face taking notes on waste, tamping techniques, and consistency.

Oh, and you have to talk charismatically and intelligently with the judges about your coffee you are using. No pressure.

With Regional competitions underway, everyone is watching and wondering who will make it to the US Barista Competition (USBC). The Northwest Barista Regional Competition is important because it includes the coffee-driven cities of Seattle and Portland. So the competition is INTENSE!

Robbie Britt at Competition 201. Kudos to Here

The Winners of the Northwest Regional Barista Competition Are:
3rd place: Laila Ghambari (Stumptown)
2nd place: Ryan Wilbur (Stumptown)
1st place: Samuel Purvis (Coava)

And the other finalists were:
Sarah Dooley from Espresso Parts (Olympia).
Robbie Britt from Espresso Parts (Olympia).
Tyler Stevens of Barista (Portland).

Image from last year on Espresso Parts

Robbie Britt (one of the finalists) used to live in Cape Girardeau, MO, and work for my mom's Grace Cafe. He was the first person in the whole world to train me on an espresso machine four or five years ago. I am so stoked he made it into the finals. Now, he works for Espresso Parts in Olympia, WA.

This is a classic "Robbie" look. Photo from Facebook.

He was also my youth minister growing up. So my first coffee mentor and my spiritual mentor made top 6 Baristas in the Northwest Barista Competition! Whohoo!

Kudos here

Also, worth noting, my former co-worker Jon Freihofer competed in the Northwest. He helped me with a lot of my training at The Coffee Ethic. I will keep you posted on how the rest of the competition pans out!

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