I don’t know of anyone living in Austin who doesn’t love this city. There are always a ton of things to do here. Sometimes, however, you just need to get away. Enter my favorite small town in central Texas: Gruene (pronounced “green”). Just 45 minutes south of Austin and next to New Braunfels, this little gem sits atop a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River and always reminds me of the town in BIG FISH where no one wears shoes. If you have a day or even just an afternoon to break the Austin city limits, here’s a list of cool things in the area: (more…)
Archive for the ‘Raleigh/Triangle Area’ Category
5 Secrets to Slam Dunk Your Career
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged 5 career secrets, be ready for opportunity, best career advice, build a career, build your career, Camden, Camdenliving.com, career, career advice, career growth, career secrets, communicate, communication, compete, find opportunity, great place to work, grow, hired, hiring, how to build a career, how to get promoted, how to grow your career, income, job, job growth, Keith Urban, leader, leadership, management, manager, maximize opportunity, money, peer performance, peers, performance, progress, promotion, rat race, salary, steps to build a career, steps to build your career, steps to get promoted, strategize, strategy, TAA, Trade Association, Triangle Apartment Association, volunteer on April 11, 2013 | 5 Comments »
Your Career – Focus on excellence but don’t forget to communicate your interests. All photos are used courtesy of Robert Register Photography
Keith Urban sings a song called “Days Go By” and I have caught myself with a line from that song on constant loop in my mind: “The interstate’s jammed with gunners like me afraid of coming in last”. We are all competing in the same race but we aren’t equipped the same.
Success will come at different paces and spaces for different people. Some people expect to move up almost instantly while others may be more secure in an unchanging environment. The rest of us wonder about timing, performance and when we should push or even show-off. (more…)
Tips and Tricks that make your life easier with the iPhone 5
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged Blackberry, email, flyover, iPad, iphone, iPhone 5, ipod, quick route, Siri, Tips, tricks on April 10, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Retiring my Blackberry to the iPhone 5 was a difficult decision to make but I love my iPad and my iPod so I thought why not! When I got the iPhone I played with it for days it was my new obsession. Siri is now my new best friend. She can tell you everything , if you want to know the weather, game scores, locations, just about everything you want to know she’s there to answer. Im going to explain some tips and tricks that I learned and hopefully it will help you too!
Quick Route
With quick route finding where you need to go is faster than ever. Click the maps app and Start typing where you want to go then it will automatically show you the closest location near you. It will then drop a pin on the location and give you turn-by-turn directions to your desired location.
Flyover
While in maps you can switch to flyover by tapping the 3D button. This allows you to explore different cities and parts of town from the air all while being able to pan, zoom and rotate around landmarks you want to see.
How to use Siri
Press and hold the Home button, then Siri will ask “What can I help you with?” you can either ask or say something to her or you can press (more…)
Trade out the Pollen for the Sand – Move to the Beach
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged apartments by the beach, apex nc, Beach, beach apartments, black and yellow, California, Camden, cherry trees, coastal apartments, Florida, flowers, jetta, ocean, pollen, sand, spring, summer, Sun, sun tanning, Texas, wiz khalifa on April 10, 2013 | 5 Comments »
Spring is FINALLY here (pardon my pause while I do some somersaults) so in the spirit of the Wiz Khalifa song I’m gonna break it down for you. I drive a Black Jetta. It’s normally, ya know, just black. However, in the blooming stages of Spring, it’s black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow. I abhor the pollen. Yuck.
See that dusting of yellow, powdery awfulness?
I so love Spring but my favorite is actually Sprummer. You know when Spring and Summer are kissing each other. It’s right before the temperatures around here get up to 112 degrees and you breathe in eight pounds of water with every breath because the humidity is so ridiculous. Flowers start to bloom, insects start to buzz around and dive-bomb you, your mind state starts to change and everything just comes back to life. I work at Camden Lake Pine and the flowers here just peeked their heads out and the Cherry Trees…well you have to see for yourself.
Cherry Trees
Cherry Trees at our entrance
Spring is intoxicating but mostly I love it because it’s a promise that Summer is coming and when I think of Summer, I think of the beach. So if you crave to be by the beach all the way to your marrow, Camden has quite a few communities that are located along the West and East Coast. (more…)
Did you look in the mirror today?
Posted in Orange County/Long Beach, Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa Bay Area, Orlando, San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, St. Louis, Corpus Christi, Charlotte, Raleigh/Triangle Area, Southeast Florida, Phoenix Metro Area, DC Metro, San Antonio, tagged shopping, Camden Property Trust, fortune magazine, fashion, career wear, uniforms, professional, ladies wear, mens wear, travel wear, cruise wear, work wear, summer wear, winter wear, fall wear, spring wear, street wear, plus size wear, pettit wear, vintage wear, work uniforms, business uniforms, office uniforms, uniform shops, womens uniforms, mens uniforms, uniform company, business attire, work attire, professional attire, appropriate attire, business professional attire, define attire, interview attire, women interview attire, men interview attire, improve your attire, dressy attire on April 10, 2013 | 1 Comment »
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Alumni Association
Everyone at some point has been told by their mom or school teacher to make better choices in food because of the old but true saying that “You are what you eat”. If we follow this advice we will be taking care of our insides but how about the outside? Are we what we choose to wear? There have been many studies done on the effect clothing has on our perception of others and ourselves.
Research conducted by Northwestern University introduced the term “enclothed cognition” to explain the connection between clothing and how we think. 
People were asked to put on a white lab coat. Half where told that it was a coat a doctor would wear and the other half were told it was an artist coat. What they observed was that the test subjects acted as if they were a doctor, becoming more attentive and smarter because that’s what they perceive a doctor to be. Those wearing the artists’ coats were found to become more creative and carefree. So when you dress the part you start acting the part.
Linda Froiland, an image consultant and personal shopper said that clothing is not only important in affecting your mood but also the impression you are making on other people. Linda said “….. in less than 3 minutes someone has already decided who and what you are. First by your appearance (87%), second your body language (8%), and then your verbal communication (5%). It takes another 20 times meeting that person to change that original perception, so the value in our clothing is profound.” So it’s no wonder if people decide by our appearance who and what we are and by dressing a certain way we act differently, we all should pay close attention to exactly what we wear daily.
So that is why several months ago I was so happy to hear that Camden had chosen a new company to supply us with our Career Wear. Senior Management understands the importance of making a great first impression. And after spending months in search the right styles, fabrics, colors and fit, reading employees suggestions, sending out samples to several test markets, they made their choice. And I for one am thrilled!! The office and maintenance staff at each of the communities throughout the country had a personal fitting scheduled so we could try on the different styles and knew our size before ordering. The selection of blouses and dress shirts come in colors of pale pink, lavender, grey, teal and more. We can choose from several choices of dresses and suits, tailored jackets, slacks and skirts made with great fabrics that are machine washable. The fit is very flattering which is extremely important in looking and feeling professional.
There is no better feeling than knowing that when you walk out the door of your home you are looking your personal best! I know that I smile even more, make eye contact with others and walk with my head held high and shoulders back. What you wear really does affect how you feel and act. So now when I walk into the Leasing Center at Camden Plantation it’s with such confidence and pride that I work for a company that not only listens to and cares about it’s customers but also it’s employees. That is just one of the reasons why Camden Property Trust is ranked in the top 10 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2013!
Surviving Summertime
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged adidas, breathe, clothing, color, consultant, cool foods, curly, game of thrones, geox, hair, hydrated, ipod, itunes, leasing, lightweight, makeup, nike, North Carolina, pool, shoes, songs, south, straight, summer, sweat, water, watermelon, winter on April 8, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Unlike in Game of Thrones, where Winter is always coming, in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is obvious that Summer is coming! As we all woke this morning to a fabulous 65 degrees, it reminded me of what is to come: The humidity, the sweating, the “freshly flat ironed hair gone curly wild mess”, the constant guessing game of “What to wear in order to NOT melt?”. Summer is a beautiful thing, and when you are lying by the pool, tanning, reading, jamming to your IPod summer tunes and relaxing, all of these things dont matter. What about the work hours?
Today, I will fill you in on nifty ways to survive the summertime!
Obviously, the first thing that you need, whether in an office or poolside, is water! Water is super super important. Not only does it keep you hydrated, but it is healthy. If you are like me, and you cant stand the “simple”, “boring” taste, feel free to add drink mix ALL DAY!!
The clothing that you decide to wear to work will also be very important. Try to wear lightweight, bright colored clothing (or just lightweight if you are like me – black clothes ALL THE WAY!). Clothing made from materials that are flowing and thin will help relieve the obvious warmth and sweating. Nobody likes sweat stains on their clothing, so be aware.
As a leasing consultant, we find ourselves walking A LOT. As fellow blogger, Joelle Salviati pointed out in an earlier blog post, we ALL have to deal with sweat and grime throughout the day. No matter what, there is no denying this. The key to this (aside from making sure you have baby powder or some kind of scent-killer in your shoes) is wearing shoes that allow your feet to breathe. Many shoe companies such as Adidas, Nike and Geox are making a lighter more durable shoe that allows the foot to feel air. Try these and see if they help.
Ever heard of “cool foods” (not cool like “yeah!” but cool like “brrrrrrr”)? Well, cool foods are foods that have nutrients that allow the body to feel cooler. Example of such: fruit. Avoid fast foods because they make the body feel “heavier” thus allowing for more sweat.
Large fans and pocket fans also help. If you have an enclosed office space, feel free to set up a fan to blow air into your general direction. Not everyone has the ability to turn the A/C on cold, so use this simple alternative to help you stay cool. If you work on a property or have a job where you spend time outdoors and have direct contact with the heat, try the mini battery operated pocket fans. They are easy to hide and they dont draw much attention if you work in the customer facing field.
Ok, so I hope that our next item is something that everyone already knows about: deodorant. Bring a deodorant spray bottle or stick with you. Keep it in your purse. Keep it in your desk drawer. Please just keep it! Summers are the worst time for body odor. Make sure you keep it under control by taking the occasional “bathroom break”.
If you wear make-up, please take some time to consider the type of make-up you will wear. Make-up with an oil base will melt right off of your face. This can make for a pretty rough situation. Not only are you covered in a clay-like substance, but it is embarassing. No one wants to lose face (seriously) in front of colleagues or customers. Would make for a funny story, but really, when you think about it – not so funny.
Summertime can be a wonderful time. I encourage everyone to enjoy it. Utilizing these tips will help you do so.
I Paid Myself to Move
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged Apartment Living, boxes, house, movers, moving, moving companies, moving services, packing, pets on April 8, 2013 | 1 Comment »
So moving can be a lot of work so why not hire people to do it for you? That’s what I did and my experience, well…
My husband and I were moving from our wonderful Camden apartment to our brand new house. I thought I did enough research and found the right movers and I was wrong. The movers were supposed to show up at 9am on Saturday so we waited and then waited some more. Around 9:30 I decided to call to find out what the hold up was. (more…)
Go From Winter Drab to Spring Fab in 5 Easy steps!
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged accessories, April, aztec, blazer, bubble necklace, Camden, clothing, color, family, fashion, fedora, floral, gap, goodwill, heels, jeans, mycamden.com, pattern, polka dots, scarf, shopping, spring, stripes, sunglasses, target, ulta, walmart on April 6, 2013 | 10 Comments »
April is here which means spring has arrived! Even though the weather may not be reflecting the season, it doesn’t mean your wardrobe can be blooming! Turn your dull winter wardrobe into something worth smiling about by following my favorite spring trends.
IN YOUR FACE…BOOK
Posted in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Dallas, DC Metro, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County/Long Beach, Orlando, Phoenix Metro Area, Raleigh/Triangle Area, San Antonio, San Diego, Southeast Florida, St. Louis, Tampa Bay Area, tagged Camden Living Excellence, communication, explore, facebook, Facebook Login, Facebook Statistics, news feed, people, resources, sites, social media, tool, Twitter, wikepedia on April 4, 2013 | 1 Comment »
