Songs to Inspire

Sometimes you need a little bit of mood music to get you going on a particularly tough day or to bring you down from a stressful situation. I definitely have my own list of go-to tunes to get me in the mood – whether I need a little bit of cheering up or to let it all out.

When I need a little motivation:

1. “Feels Like Today” by Rascal Flatts – When I was looking for my first job I pretty much listened to this song every day. It kept me motivated and hopeful that something great was coming!
   
2. “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack – In high school my friends and I used to sing this song all the time! And even now, every time I hear it I can’t help but belt along and feel inspired.
3. “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood – I had a really bad week during my last summer in college: I didn’t have a place to live, I crashed my car and I listened to this song EVERY day.
4. “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts – This song came out when I graduated college. My favorite line: “I hope you never look back, but you never forget all the ones who love you in the place you left.”

When I’ve had a bad day:

1. “Keep Your Head Up” by Andy Grammer – It’s hard not to believe the words of someone who speaks from experience. This guy was literally living on the street when he wrote this song.
2. “Bad Day” by Daniel Powder – This one seems obvious, right? Somehow, it always seems to put me in a better mood when my day – or month – has been less than pleasant.
3. “Look After You” by The Fray –  I had a major Fray obsession in college and still love listening to their “How to Save a Life” album. It has since died down, but this song still gets to me.
4. “Oxford Comma” by Vampire Weekend – Anything by Vampire Weekend can calm me down. They are really chill and have a whole slew of songs perfect for all kinds of moodiness.

When I’m getting ready to go out:

1. “Let’s Get It Started” by The Black Eyed Peas – The entire “Elephunk” album would be blasting when I was getting ready for or on my way to a party, bar, social … you name it. I still love it!
2. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper – In my sorority house we would play music in the upstairs bathroom as we got ready for events and it doesn’t get better than this girly anthem.
3. “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield – Nothing makes me feel like dancing and having a good time like “Jessie’s Girl”! It makes me miss my girls and my good ol’ college days.
4. “Only Girl in the World” by Rihanna – I can’t get enough of belting out Rihanna songs and this is one that I literally scream rather than sing, whether I’m at a bar or in the car.

When I feel like screaming:

1. “Shame for You” by Lily Allen –  I love Lily because she’s bitter, raunchy and bold – she says all the things I feel like saying when I’m really mad, but would never dare utter out loud.
   
2. “Addicted” by Kelly Clarkson – No one does angry ex-girlfriend better than Kelly! And while I don’t have the crazy boy drama (thank goodness) that she usually sings about, it feels good to sing loudly along.
3. “Walk Away” by Christina Aguilera – Here’s another one who’s good at telling off both guys and girls – whoever deserves it. When I wish I could yell at someone, I sing some Xtina songs instead.
4. “Rumour Has It” by Adele – I seriously hope they don’t start playing this song on the radio because I’d be bummed if it got played out and I got tired of singing it on my way home from a bad day.

So, now it’s your turn! What are the songs that inspire you?

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Book Report: “Kitchen Chinese” by Ann Mah

Another Book Club read, this novel was chosen because it was written by a Chi Omega. It was also a welcome departure from the more serious and scientific books that the group had read in the months prior.

It’s about a Chinese-American woman who works as a magazine fact-checker (I can relate to that) who loses her job in New York (thankfully I can’t relate to that) and decides to move to China to live with her sister – who she never really got close to when they were growing up.

Along the way she makes new friends, meets some interesting and very high-profile guys (by Chinese standards at least) and gets a job writing about food.

The book is really light and fun, and while I didn’t relate to the Chinese parts of the book so much, I could relate to some of the interactions with her sister. Overall it was a good read, but maybe one that you borrow from the library rather than pay for at the book store.

Looking Back at 2011

I was inspired by one of my fabulous sorority sisters, Erin Davenport, and her recent blog post about her year in review for 2011. So I decided to come up with my own version of the idea and pick one defining event from each month of last year – it’s a great way to remember, record and reflect upon everything that has happened since this time last year.

January – A Family of Three

We started off 2011 with a new addition to our family: Millie Noel Reinert. If you’ve read my past posts, it’s easy to see that I am head-over-heels in love with my little, long-haired dachshund. Millie was a Christmas present from my husband, Brandon, and from the moment she came into our lives, we have become healthier, happier and wealthier (at least in quality of life) than ever before.

February – Meeting Finley Marie

In December we welcomed a niece, Finley Marie Reinert, to Brandon’s brother and sister-in-law. Due to the busy holiday (and beer) season as well as the fact that they lived in West Palm Beach, it wasn’t until February that we got to meet her for the first time. Seeing her in person was nothing compared to Skype and photos, she is one of the sweetest and happiest babies I’ve ever met.

March – Two Years & Counting

In March, Brandon and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary – it seems like just yesterday when we said “I do.” On our first anniversary we stayed at the Grand Bohemian (where we had our reception). Last year we didn’t plan anything big but we did have dinner at a fondue restaurant, Brandon had never been to one before. Each year keeps getting better, I can’t wait to celebrate three years!

April – Welcome to Wyndham

April brought a big change for me. I left my job of almost four years at a small, local publishing company to go to work for Wyndham – a large, nationwide organization with a more corporate setting. I still work in publishing and continue to do a lot of writing and editing, but I am constantly being challenged in new ways (which is a good thing) and getting tons of social media experience.

May – Phirst Time to Philly

There were a lot of May events that I could have picked to highlight: Brandon and I both turned 27, I started a blog and two of our best friends got married. But our trip to New Jersey/Philadelphia was too good not to mention! On a whim I suggested to Brandon that we visit his hometown and of course he was more than willing … as long as we made it out to a Philadelphia Phillies game.

June – I Added an @ to My Name

Yeah, that’s right, just like I said I’d never join Facebook when I was in college, I had no plans whatsoever of tweeting. That is until social media became a bigger part of my job and I was looking for more ways to spread news about my portfolio and blog. 🙂 So in June I finally bit the bullet and signed up, and I’ll admit I like tweeting and find a lot of great stuff for work (and for fun) through my account.

July – Carpooling to Coral Springs

The summer months were hot as usual so we decided to cool off with some of our buddies in Coral Springs in July. Our friends Ben and Alli invited us on a little road trip to Alli’s sister’s house and of course we were up for the adventure. We brought Millie along but she wasn’t alone – she had Ben and Alli’s dog Bella as well as two other dachshunds in Coral Springs to play with!

August – Revisiting My Alma Mater

After celebrating Bid Day with Chi Omega at UCF, I really started missing my own chapter at USF. So I planned a weekend where I could go visit the Chi Omega house and campus at USF (they have done a lot of renovations around campus since I left) as well as see my good friend Jamie. Being back in Tampa brought back a lot of memories, I hope to get over there more often this year.

September – Weekend in Death Valley

September brought a trip that we had been looking forward to for a while – returning to Clemson for a football game. Along with our friends Ben, Alli and Curtis as well as my sister Lina, Lina’s friend Emily, Brandon’s cousin Troy and Troy’s fiance Sarah we headed to South Carolina for an incredibly fun weekend and a great game against Florida State. (Clemson won, of course!)

October – Traveling Coast to Coast

In October I scratched the first item off of my 30 before 30 list by taking a trip across the country. I had never been to the Pacific Northwest before (or really the West in general) so I was very excited when my work sent me to Seattle for a meeting. I only spent a couple of days in Washington but luckily I was able to see most of the main sights including Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.

November – My Little Millie Turns 1

November brought the beginning of the holiday season but for the Reinerts it also brought Millie’s first birthday! Millie was born on 11/12/10 (although we didn’t bring her home until Jan. 1). We’ve loved every second we spent with Millie so far and look forward to many more years of love and licks from our little girl. She had a great birthday filled with treats and a couple new “big girl” toys.

December – From Beer to Wine

Brandon also had quite a few changes in his career last year. In the spring his company (he worked for a beer distributor) was bought out. As a result, his territory and hours were greatly affected and right before the holidays he was offered a job with a wine distributor basically doing the same thing. He is now off weekends and we are on similar schedules throughout the week. 🙂

2011 was a really great year all around … but we are hoping for an even better 2012! I’ll keep you posted!