Hello World!

For all of you who don’t know, I am Amanda Long, a fashion-obsessed, travel loving, health and exercise nut, basketball fanatic and new blogger.  I decided to start writing a blog as a way to not only document my life and adventures, but also to share my tips, tricks and latest news on all things beauty, fashion and health, because I love and obsess over these things, oh and because I’m at the gym 7 days a week reading fashion and celeb magazines and my brain is oozing with random knowledge (no I’m not bitter ;) ). 

A little about me…

Before I begin my blogging journey, I think it’s important to throw out some key info about me as a person.  I’m a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City with a degree in Fashion Merchandising Management and have a previous degree in Business-Marketing from Arizona State University (Fork ‘em Devils!).  I recently moved home from my Manhattan studio (my lease was up) to Scottsdale, AZ (my hometown since I was 4 years old) to find a job in the fashion world!  It’s been challenging as the industry is pretty cutthroat, but I’ve got a few prospects brewing.  I’d like to stay in Scottsdale, because my family, friends and boyfriend are all here (oh, and did I mention the 355 days of sunshine?!), but Scottsdale doesn’t afford very many fashion opportunities.  That brings me to my next point, boyfriend.  My boyfriend, Matt, and I have been together for 4 years, and he is my soul mate <3. He gets me and understands me like no one else, and I have no doubt that we will be together for many years to come, however, the whole moving-if-I-get-a-job thing throws a wrench in things, as Matt isn’t really in a position to move to a different state.  But love triumphs all right?!?!  So we’ll see how that goes.  Other than that, I’d say that I am a very family-oriented person (love you mom and Steph!), can come across as shy sometimes, I love to try new things, and am generally a happy and energetic person overall (doesn’t it take more energy to be negative than positive?!).  So in a nutshell, that’s me!  Shall I move along?

Now

I’m currently on a plane, listening to my iPod (is it cheesy that I’ve got Britney Spears on?  I mean the new album was pretty sweet.), Columbus, Ohio-bound for my fourth interview for an Assistant Buyer position with Ohio-based Express (well, the technical name is Assistant Merchant, Men’s Sweaters).  I’ve already spoken with HR, my potential boss, Michelle, and my potential boss’s boss, Jamie, over the phone regarding the position, and so far so good, so tomorrow I have meetings with nine, yes, nine people at Express as the last step to determine if I’m a fit for the position and if I like Express and Ohio.  The next song on my iPod is Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off by Joe Nichols…interesting.  This job opportunity is literally a dream job for me, something I’ve wanted since I can remember, so I’ve been prepping, reading GQ to get in on the latest men’s trends, checking in on fashion forecasting sites like Fashion Snoops and Donegar to see what trends they are predicting for Spring 2013 and revisiting my resume and LinkedIn page.  The major question I’ve been asking myself though is, do I want to move away again?  And do I want to live in Ohio?  I’ve never been to Columbus, or any part of Ohio for that matter, and have no idea what to expect, except my iPhone tells me it will be in the 40 degrees range.  It’s a really hard spot to have to choose between a career and relationships/overall happiness.  I know I’d meet people in Columbus, but will they really take the place of my family, friends and boyfriend in Arizona?  I know when I was in New York for 2011 I just wasn’t as happy, because I missed them so much, even though I was working in corporate Burberry and Lacoste and going to a school I loved.  On the other hand, it could only be a year or two in Ohio, and I could deal with that for my dream job right?  But what happens after that?  Being grown up sucks.  We’ve moved onto rap on my iPod, Certified by Glasses Malone and Akon, how old is this song anyway?  Another potential life chapter opens today, only God knows what will happen!  Thanks for coming along for the ride :)

Over the next couple weeks I’ll be adding beauty tutorials, fashion ideas, health tips and more as well as update you on my journey!

Stay tuned…

xo

Amanda