who am i?

  Super excited to be linking up with Jenni over at Story of my Life this month for a blog challenge. It's time to get back on the writing train!   Day 1: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.   Ingredients to Karen Kong: *Faith *My incredible support system -- friends & family *Challenges and barriers *Amazing opportunities   Who am I? *Coffee addict *Sports lover *Restaurant marketeer *Sweet tea gulper *Food enthusiast  

star spangled 'Merica

Ten days of LA palm trees | Can't beat that perfect blue sky
Jana Kramer "Goodbye California"

Oh how I love 'Merica!

 I can't believe that it's already been a week since I returned from LA. (Does anyone else feel as though 2013 is FLYING?) Someone, TAKE. ME. BACK. ALREADY.

A couple months ago, I knew that it was about time that I take a vacation. My destination? Sunny LA to visit my fave, Kendall and Peter to celebrate one of my favorite holidays: 4th of July! Best decision...EVER.

I hopped on that plane, listened to Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA about a million times, and once I landed at LAX, I ran through there to find Kendall & Peter! The whole weekend was incredibly relaxing. I think my brain was so happy and filled with so many endorphins. Limited time with my email inbox is quite beautiful. Who knew?

My weekend in a few snapshots:

Goodbye Washington, DC...

Celebrating 'Merica the right way. Beach + BBQ + Fireworks

LOVING the 'Merica trunks behind us.

Spent Saturday afternoon shopping in Santa Monica.

 Highlight from lunch: Nutella Latte. YES.

What's more American than baseball? Let's go Boston!

We know a lot about baseball...right?

More fireworks after the Red Sox win! These fireworks had my heart. Oh my, gorgeous!

Sunday brunch at Sunny Spot. Two words: RUM. CREME. Still dreaming of this deliciousness.

How could I leave this?



*Sigh* I'm missing LA so much. I want to go back already! What an amazing long weekend. I came home refreshed and so ready to take on the work week!



friends who inspire

Since the start of post-grad life, I've been dipping my toes into a pool called "social life." The last time that I had an inkling of this so-called "social life" was...quite possibly junior or senior year of high school. The last four years have been a wild, non-stop ride. 

I've been spending some of my nights after the "9 - to - 5" job (yes, there's a reason for quotation marks) hanging out with friends. There's even the occasional Sunday Brunch after volunteering at Kid's Quest. Don't you know, the two main ways to my heart are froyo and brunch? It's crazy to think that some of my closest friends, JAKE, have been together since 5th grade. That's a doozy. We've literally seen each other grow up and pass through so many, SO MANY different stages of life. For all those wondering, JAKE stands for Julia, Alice, Karen, and Elaine. Yes -- the acronym is not only necessary...but we are actually known as that. Our boyfriends through the years have found it incredibly amusing. But, they know not to mess with any of us because we are more than friends...we're sisters. Ever heard of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? That's us...but in real life.

And then there's Lesley, whom I've known since freshman year of college. She's now moving to Paris to travel for a couple of months. Crazy, huh? What I love the most about this "social life" is that I get to slow down for a few hours and be present. The phone is off and I am 100% there soaking in all this friend time. LOVE every second of it. I love hearing what everyone has done, are doing, where they're headed, what they're thinking, and so on. 

Being a witness to so many transition phases has been awesome. What I've come to realize is, my friends are so incredibly inspirational! There's no doubt in my mind that they're each headed towards INCREDIBLE things: being a female executive, traveling the world, gaining new experiences, finding a cure for brain diseases, educating the nation about health issues, and the list goes on. I'm so crazy blessed to have each of these women in my life to inspire me. They push me in ways that I could not do so myself. They relay stories to me that I could never experience myself. As cheesy as it may sound, I truly hope that each of us have that circle of people who surround us with support, love, and inspiration. What better way to live?

congratulations graduate.

 "Unless you want to wind up back in your childhood bedroom…Find what you’re good at, passionate about & devour it." -- Darryl Frank

 

It's official. I have graduated. YES -- GRADUATED.

 

The above quote was one of my favorite ones from all 5 of the commencements at American University. Darryl Frank gave one of the best speeches from that weekend at the School of Communications commencement.

 

Graduation was quite surreal and the morning of seemed like an absolute haze. One minute I'm in the car driving to American University and the next thing I know, I'm flipping the tassel on my cap to the other side.

 

A Kong family picture is definitely necessary. {Can't figure out why the photo isn't clear!}

 

Surreal!!

 

So happy that Whit was able to make it to see me walk across the stage!

 

Post graduation photo shoot with Mama Kong!

 

Two weeks has passed since graduation and I'm slowly, SLOWLYYYY adjusting to post-grad life.

 

 



thank you.

Countdown to Graduation: 3 days.

I've been crazy sentimental in the past few days about graduation. To be honest, I'm not sure why. I always knew I would graduate -- that was expected but what I didn't forsee is the finish line. The line that we cross at graduation that marks the next chapter. The reality is, we are all going our separate ways. During my commute to campus and to work the past few weeks, I would catch tears welling up in my eyes because I slowly came to this realization. The past four years have been ridiculous -- good times, bad times, hills and valleys, heartbreak, betrayal, isolation, times of joy, and celebration. The spectrum of emotions, they were all hit at some point. 

I have a lot of people to thank in the past four years. College wasn't about learning -- no way. If anything, college was all about creating these relationships, investing in the lives of others, and being invested in. I didn't necessarily learn in my classes. The life long lessons that I learned were from my peers. They inspired me in unimaginable ways. So, I'd like to say...

Dear ...

Mom and Dad: We didn't always agree on everything and I'm not the easiest person to deal with and I know that. But, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. I don't think I said that enough in the past four years....nor will I ever. You both worked hours on end and put me through college. These four years have been the toughest on us all, but especially the both of you. I could never thank you enough for the opportunities that you've given me and for allowing me to find my own way. You gave me space to make decisions for myself while still being there every step of the way to provide the advice that I needed. I'm going to do the best that I can to make you proud parents.

Whitney: Haha, where do I even begin? Thinking back now, I don't think that I ever imagined our friendship to be where it is today. Everything changed the first night I met you. You've been there through everything and were that shoulder to cry on. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being honest with me. Thank you for keeping me accountable. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for chasing after me and making me open up when something was killing me. Thank you for being the friend that I needed the most in college. I'm so crazy blessed to have you in my life. And, I'm thanking you in advance for the times that you will be there for me in the future. 

Kendall: All that I want to say to you personally is in that card en route to California. You are such an inspiration and a role model to me. Through the caffeine and craze of life, you have continually supported me -- cheering me on from the sideline. You may not know it, but you have influenced many of the decisions that I have made in the last 3 years that I've known you. College wouldn't have been the same without you. I could not be more proud to call you my Big. SERIOUSLY. 

Lesley: How is it that we are here now? Can you believe all that we have been through in the last four years? From meeting in Leonard 5 to now. We've experienced our first internships together, the ridiculous stories, crazy professors, sleepless nights spent on marketing plans, brunch priorities, dreams of the future, study abroad, Snowmageddon, endless amounts of cupcakes, and all things in between. Now -- graduation. I'm so proud of you Lesley and you have been the person who pushes me. The one who has allowed me to dream big. You are headed towards incredible things. I can't wait to see you writing the Editor's Note in Glamour in a few years. 

Kelsey L.: BFFR. One of my greatest regrets in college is not spending more time together. The best thing though is that no matter how much time has passed without seeing one another, when we do grab a 30-minute coffee date, it's as though no time has passed. We pick up right where we started and snark away. You my dear, are so incredibly strong. THE strongest person that I know. I'm so thankful for the mini text messages full of encouragement that have been sent in the past four years. Where would we be if we hadn't met that Thursday night...in front of Kay...while you were on your cellphone...offering me a cookie? I don't even want to think about the possibility of never meeting!

Strong Fam: So much has happened but no matter what, we put it all aside. The tears and the laughter? That's what creates a family.


love always,
Karen

she's my person

I've been following a lot of the #BlogEveryDayinMay posts that are going around the blog-o-sphere recently and am happy to participate now that finals are over!   Today is all about providing a piece of advice to others. ANYTHING.   My advice to each and every person out there: HAVE A PERSON.  

via   Any Grey's Anatomy fans out there? That's right...find your Cristina to your Meredith, your Meredith to your Cristina. Have that friend in your life that you can depend on. Somebody who you can talk to about anything...no judgment. I've been so blessed to have people in my life who are there for me no matter what. One person that immediately pops into my head is Whitney! She's there for the good, she's there for the bad. She's my person!   The thing about life is that jobs and opportunities come and go but what holds us down are good people. You need incredible people in our life to keep you grounded.   So, go out there and find YOUR person.  

the ones who teach

I'm so happy to see that there is a week dedicated to appreciate the teachers out there. These men and women are so incredible and during my years in school, I don't think I really understood just how influential each of them really were. Now that I have finished college, I look back and am amazed at how each of these educators have played a role in molding me to who I am today. Below are just a few teachers that I want to take a moment and thank.

*Mr. Hershey, 2nd Grade: When I went into preview day the week before the first day of school, I was shocked to find out that I was going to have a guy as a teacher. It just wasn't a common thing in elementary schools. But he quickly became one of my favorite teachers. He knew how to make class fun for an easily distractable 2nd grader like myself. What I remember most from 2nd grade was Mr. Hershey teaching us sign language and watching caterpillars turn into butterflies in the classroom.

*Mrs. Corrado, 3rd and 4th Grade: Y'all, there are no words to describe my appreciation for Mrs. Corrado. I think that the fact that I am still in regular contact with her says a lot about the type of person that she is. When I found out that my family was going to move after 4th grade, I was absolutely devastated. Why? Because Mrs. Corrado wouldn't be my 5th grade teacher. But, she was great at comforting my anxiety (yup, anxiety was a regular thing even as a kid for me). She was always supportive of me, no matter what. Prior to the school year ending, she visited my new school and put my fears to rest. See? That just says so much about her character!

*Mrs. Heinbuch, Mr. Dahlin, and Mr. Indovina; Music Instructors: Lord, these three individuals were nothing but supportive of my piano career. They believed in me and presented me with opportunities all the time. I wouldn't be have been the performer that I was without them.

*Mr. Jernigan, AP Calculus: This man made me love Calculus. Yup, you read that correct -- LOVE + CALCULUS. It was probably the toughest class that I had in high school and while in the moment, I loathed every second of it. I spent endless number of nights practicing derivatives, anticipating any potential questions that he could ask. In the end, I understood that he was tough on us because he wanted to see us succeed. I'm sure glad that he did because I got to skip out of Calc at AU. On top of that, after our scores were released, Mr. Jernigan spent his summer vacation making calls to students congratulating them. LOVE IT.

*Mr. Jefferis, Physics: Oh Mr. Jefferis. My absolute favorite teacher of all time. This guy wrote all of my college recommendations. I met Mr. Jefferis on my first day of high school which also happened to be his first day teaching. I started out high school with Mr. Jefferis as a teacher and ended high school with Mr. Jefferis as a teacher as well. He made science FUN...and tolerable. Class was always exciting because of his dynamic personality. But the greatest thing was -- you knew he cared about his students. He spent all his free time helping students with whatever. Hands down, my favorite teacher ever.

I dug out this photo of Mr. Jefferis and I at senior prom. I mean, he has to be a fun guy if he agreed to chaperone a high school dance, right?

These are just a handful of teachers that I want to thank. The list could go on for days. What these teachers all have in common: they INVEST in the lives of their students. They actually really do care about our success! Too often, all of their hard work goes unnoticed because of the snarky attitudes of teenagers. We shouldn't just thank our teachers during this one week, it should be EVERY DAY.

Thank you to all the educators in my life and to those down the road.