In case you haven't noticed when it comes to my style I am simple, classic, and neat. I love timeless pieces in my closet, pieces that never get old and that I can wear daily. I'm also big on personalized pieces; be it a mug with my initials, a notebook with my favorite quote engraved on the cover, or how about a necklace with my initial that I can wear all the time. Thanks to Allie Phillips the owner and designer of Ann Revere Jewelry that initial necklace is in my possession and I'm obsessed. It is seriously the most perfect and cute piece I own, the tiny "j" is smaller than my finger nail and the 16" gold chain is great for everyday wear. She's got a gorgeous collection of jewelry but the initial necklace is my fave; for me it's an everyday wear alone piece but it's great for layering. Allie is a doll and is giving all of my readers 20% off (I love a good discount), just use code "JLS20" at check out!
Traveling In Mykonos
I am pretty sure I shed a tear when I left Mykonos, I cannot wait to go back; the entire experience from start to finish was pure for bliss.
How we got there: We took a ferry (Blue Star and Hellenic are very good) from Athens to Mykonos and it was picturesque; a bit lengthy but well worth it with all of the breath taking views. We left our hotel in Athens early in the morning and took the subway to the port. At the port you'll find ton of street vendors selling morning pastries and coffee which you'll need! Make sure you have your camera ready because the departure is definitely picture worthy. You'll be deep in the ocean for a few hours so we made ourselves comfortable and laid out on the deck alternating between taking in the scenery and napping. We purchased a seat on the ferry which was almost double the price and hardly used our seats (the adults used their seats, us young bucks explored). Do note though there are some points where you will get splashed, the wind gets rough, and you'll try and reenact the scene from Titanic and completely fail!
Where we stayed: Olia Hotel, we hit the jackpot with this hotel, it was literally the most amazing hotel stay I have ever had! Not only were the grounds absolutely stunning the staff was so friendly and attentive and really made us feel like we were staying with family opposed to being hotel guests. Let me try and paint a picture for you: gorgeous white stone, an infinity pool with the ocean as your background, delicious food onsite, and a view to die for…it was something right out of a movie (I have the pictures to prove it)! Most folks tend to stay on the beach when visiting Mykonos but we stayed at the port and I wouldn’t change it for the world, it felt so authentic and not touristy (which I try to avoid). One of the biggest pros here was the hotel was less than a mile away from where we docked, you could see the hotel from the port. I disappointed myself because I failed to arrange pickup (I am amazing at plan, so this hurt my pride) so we walked to the hotel. It didn't seem like it would be much (like I mentioned we could see the hotel) but let me tell you...it was dreadful! Mykonos is full of rocky roads and hills which make dragging luggage nearly impossible. Back to the hotel, it was absolutely freaking perfect and you would be a fool not to stay there, I promise! It would be the perfect location for a wedding too (::cough cough:: Jack?!).
How we got around: The hotel arranged for ATV rentals to be delivered to us, the best thing we could have done…we got to explore on our own and the rentals were $25 for the 2 days! The “adults” weren’t as adventurous and opted for the local bus that was located directly outside our hotel. (Please note there is no schedule, well there is but the driver completely disregards it, ha!) I scored some awesome video and pictures during these rides! However, please note there are no speed limits in Mykonos and you are riding up and down mountainsides which can be pretty scary (especially if your boyfriend is trying to live out some sort of action movie fantasy in his head with you on the back seat). As far as directions "go that way"! Yup, no maps just "go that way" and follow the signs ha!
Where we went: We drove all along the mountainside and went beach hopping; we made it our mission to try every beach possible! My favorites: Paraga Beach and Paradise Beach. Paraga Beach was very chill, very rocky, and very beautiful! It took us quite some time to take in the beauty before hopping in the water. There were tons of rocks; that could either be dangerous or an awesome photo op...in our case it was a dangerous photo op! We all felt a sense of gratitude and freedom while there, surrounded by so much natural beauty. I felt so good that I decided to go topless for the first time in my life (the pina colada probably helped in that decision) and it felt damn good! We stopped for lunch right outside of Paradise Beach and it was okay, nothing special but we got the fuel we needed. Paradise Beach was a PARTY, I walked in and girls started shoving shots down my throat (extremely unexpected). This is a rather flamboyant beach with techno, foam, and thongs (both men and women)! We weren’t really in a party mood so we went on an adventure and found an awesome hidden treasure…a dock to dive off into the ocean. (Pictures and videos below) At night we headed into the city of Mykonos for food, drinks, and shopping; such a charming area. We ended up at a few awesome bars in the city just singing, dancing, laughing, and drinking the night away.
What we ate: Gyros, octopus, and Greek salads. Repeat.
What we wore: Sundresses (bad idea on ATV's), shorts, crop tops and nothing...duh!
I can go on and on about Mykonos but I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story (Mykonos Pictures)
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5 Tips For a Better Resume
about a year ago i wrote a piece on interviewing, now it's time to focus on the resume; because without a good resume there is no interview. over the past few months i have seen more resumes than i would like to admit and yet interviewed maybe a handful of people…that's a pretty shitty ratio. for the record i am like the fairy godmother of good deeds, i want to see everyone make it so i have actually gone back and told folks where their resumes need work. i am also infamous for having resume dates and cleaned up resumes to ensure they get noticed, so it's only fair i share some knowledge. side note i am really annoyed with some of these colleges charging all this damn tuition and not ensuring their students and grads have a killer resume.
- "don't judge a book by its cover" a motto that is very true when it comes to a books and people, not resumes. make sure your resume is not an eye sore, take pride in what goes on that piece of paper because that paper is representing you! make it clean, bold, and uniform. ensure that the colors, font, and spacing is consistent throughout the resume. i have come across resumes where someone probably copied and pasted a bit and some words were one font (times new roman, green, bold, size 11) and two lines later it is completely different (arial, blue, italic, size 8)…that's sloppy and is a reflection of your work. guess what happens after that…nothing, you will not get a call back! make sure to proof read, i get it, resume writing feels like torture and once you get the last word on the page you don't want to see it again. however, if you don't go back and proof read you'll never get past the resume step! here are the most common mistakes:
- typos! spell check people, that red squiggly line is there for a reason. you don't even have to look it up your computer/phone does the work for you…fix it!
- contact information. imagine you had a killer resume and the employer goes to the header (which should be your name and contact information) and dials your number only to find out it's the wrong number or they send you an email to schedule and interview and get a bounce back. proof read!
- grammar. know the difference between "to/too", "than/then", "we're/were" (ps the blue squiggly line under your words is grammar check, use it)! also, make sure you're using the correct tense when speaking about your experience - example: if it was a job you had write in past tense "-ed" and keep it consistent throughout the resume. be sure to remember those pronouns, capitalize "street, avenue, high school, university, etc".
- "short and sweet" first and foremost a one page resume is common knowledge and a rule when submitting a resume, so show that you following directions and keep it on one page! remember you are one of many applicants so the person reviewing your applications just wants to get the point not read your life story (save that for the interview). like most things in life it's quality over quantity so make sure that what you have on that page really showcases your skills and experience. use keywords from the job description listed because; when looking at resumes some employers are literally just scanning to find those key words then they get passed up the ladder for further review. if you don't abide by the rules (one page) when submitting a resume nobody is going to think you'll do so on the job (maybe i'm being a bit dramatic but you get my point!).
- "mix it up" chances are your job history is pretty consistent and you're "excellent" at all of your listed skills; so it can tricky to not sound like a broken record when listing your experience but try not to. a thesaurus will be your best friend here so you can remove the 10 "excellent" and replace with "highly seasoned" and "extensive knowledge"…see what i did there? however while you're mixing it up with your words, make sure to...
- "keep it relevant" while it's absolutely amazing that you know cpr and can lift heavy equipment it has absolutely nothing do with that behind the desk sales job you're applying for! like i mentioned in point 2 a resume needs to be one page so make the most of the space. if you've had 10 jobs before the one your applying for only include those that are most relevant. or if you did absolutely everything at any given job (i've been there) don't have 15 bullet points figure out how to sum it up (challenging, annoying, but worth it). also, make sure your objective is relevant to the position you are applying for (the objective should be altered for every job you apply for). do not have an objective that reads you are eager to learn about the medical field and saving lives if you are applying for a position in hospitality!
- "sell yourself" this is your first and maybe only opportunity to get noticed. it's not necessarily fair but it's a fact so deal with it and make it work! your resume should tell a story about you, your experience, and what you have accomplished. don't just bullet point "i did this, i did that" explain what you did and how it impacted the company. for example "created a weekly sales report that was distributed company wide and increased sales by 25% within the first quarter". bam!
again i know resume writing is comparable to getting a paper cut, it freaking sucks but there is no way around it. even if you know someone who can land you an interview they'll still ask you to bring in your resume...you cannot escape it! your resume is your first step at your dream job, it is the first encounter your future employer has with you...make it count! feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions or need guidance. now work it!