The End of USO Route 75 = I'm back and bloggin'!

Pfew. Well guys, its been a while, and I'm so glad to be back!

ICYMI, I took a bit of a blogging hiatus while I was traveling on-and-off as part of USO Route 75. You can read more about that here.

Anyway, all that's important for you to know is that I'm back with PLENTY of stories to share, a bunch of new project ideas/leads and even more plenty of photos and videos to show you. So, get pumped!

Now, the only question is... where do I begin?

Check back next week!

November Craziness: Spright Research, Georgetown Grad School, USO blogging & more!

Oh hi, it's me again. The blogger who forgets to write on her blog. Sigh. I really hope this once a month posting thing doesn't turn into a routine.

So, guess what? I'll make this post nice a meaty to make up for my lack of posting.

This past month has been a complete blur. While I haven't been writing a ton for Spright this month (a few of my stories that I wrote awhile ago did go up though!), I've been totally swamped with regular work for the USO and schoolwork for my PR/CC grad program at Georgetown.

I'm not going to lie, I'm really happy that I'm finally finished one of my classes, Introduction to Elements, at Georgetown. Don't get me wrong -- it was a wonderful class with a great professor and I learned a lot -- but it was a TON of work to do on top of a full-time job, a freelance gig, another class and having a social and personal life. Grad school is hard!

However, I did learn a lot of really valuable skills that will help me over the next four semesters I have at Georgetown and as I look forward into my future communications career. Oh, and I had a ton of fun making my final communications plan (responding to an imaginary RFP from CVS Health) look pretty using fun tools like Canva.

What can I say? I'm a creative at heart!

In USO land, things have been busier than ever. I had a few awesome stories I have been working on run over the past month -- in particular a story about historic floorboards at USO SeaTac and another story about the USO's Holiday Boxes program. I just love the way both of these stories turned out and look on the new USO site!

    

I also loved a story that published earlier in November on the USO's new site about a young couple -- Isaac and Jillian Strausbaugh -- that is transitioning out of military life. Isaac recently suffered a training injury, so the couple has been forced to leave the military world earlier than expected, which is what lead them to the USO's recent Caregivers Seminar in Tacoma, Washington (I wrote about this in more detail in an earlier blog).

They were an absolute delight to to talk with and I'm so grateful they shared their story with me so I could share it with others via the USO's outlets.

Anyway, as the holidays approach, I'll be sure to be a bit more judicious about updating my blog. I have so much coming down the pipe, it'll be hard to stay so quiet this month!

October = Craziness & 550 Cord Bracelet Stories for the USO

The past two weeks of my life have been a total blur. Between crunching out papers for grad school (which don't get me wrong, I love, but it's so much work!), finding time to push out freelance stories for Spright and doing my actual regular job at the USO, I've barely had a moment to get my bearings.

HA! Barely. Bearings. Bears. Sometimes I make myself laugh.

I think one of the coolest projects I've been up to in USO land has been my 550 cord bracelet story that published with the launch of the brand new USO website last week. (Side note: The new website looks awesome, you should totally go check it out!)

For those who don't know, 550 cord bracelets are simple woven bracelets made from paracord, also known as 550 cord. These bracelets are made with roughly ten feet of cord and can be unwoven and used in survival situations, which makes them pretty popular in the military community. Over the past few years, USO centers overseas have started to offer 550 cord making workshops so troops can make bracelets for themselves and their family and friends back home.

Over the years, the bracelets have come to symbolize a special military connection the wearer has with a service member -- pretty cool, huh? To get a bit more info about 550 cord bracelets and their associated traditions, you should check out my story here.

Oh! And if you want to learn how to make your own 550 cord bracelet, you should watch the video above I made for the USO below and read this special tutorial.

Happy crafting!

That Time I Wrote About the Fit Bottomed Girls For Spright

You know those websites that you stumble upon and just fall in love with? That was Fit Bottomed Girls for me.

The first time I ended up on their site -- probably because of some fitness hashtag I was scrolling through on Twitter -- I was enamored. Here was this website that was completely devoted to everything I was about: staying active, eating in moderation and still enjoying life.

I couldn't believe something like this excited. I told my friends about it. I kept reading. It was like I struck internet gold.

Flash forward a few years from now, and I'm still a FBG follower -- despite the fact that my online-fitness fan girl love has spread to other healthy-in-moderation-type websites. Some things never change...

Why, do you ask, is any of this important?

Well, a few weeks ago I reached out to the FBG team to see if I could e-interview them for a series that I've been working on for Spright, about how fitfluential people are just normal people looking to find balance in life.

And, to my delight, the FBG said yes to my interview request.

I don't want give away too much of my interview with the ladies, but I will say this: it was very grounding for me to hear that all these wonderful, inspired and influential ladies are really just like you and me. Sometimes, its these kind of stories that help me to remember that everyone is really just trying to do and achieve the exact same thing and, at the end of the day, we're all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.

Anyway, here's a snippet of my story about them, which you should totally check out on Spright!

If you’ve been around the fitness internet, you may have encountered a site called Fit Bottomed Girls. Yep, the name is inspired Queen song “Fat Bottomed Girls.” The site, which also features the catchy tagline “Keeping a Lid on the Junk in the Trunk,” was launched by friends Jenn Walters and Erin Whitehead in 2008 in order to provide practical fitness and nutrition advice to real women trying to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Now seven years since its start, the FBG empire has grown to include two sister sites (Fit Bottomed Mamas and Fit Bottomed Eats), a newly published book (The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet), a third member of the FBG core team (contributing editor and writer Kristen Green Seymour), and a tens of thousands of loyal followers and fans. Talk about a busy few years in business!

Despite the FBG brand’s growing popularity, the dedicated trio of Jenn, Erin, and Kristen has managed to find that sweet balance between running a highly successful health and fitness site and achieving their own fitness, eating, and personal goals.

I reached out to Jenn, Erin, and Kristen to hear more about their lives as the Fit Bottomed Girls core team and how they, as everyday women, find the balance between fitness, food, and fun in their lives. Here’s a look at what they had to say:

(Read more!)

#TBT & #ICYMI: My Story is Featured on Jackelyn Ho's Website

So. Big news guys.

I just realized that the lovely Jackelyn Ho posted an article I guest-wrote for her new website a few weeks ago. Silly me, I totally didn't know that she posted it until today. I'd call that the biggest #TBT or #ICYMI, ever, right?!

Anyway, the story behind this guest post is pretty cool. A few months ago, when Jackelyn was revamping her site, she asked me if I could guest write a post for her which would be part of a real-world love stories series she was going to have on her site.

Naturally, I was honored to be asked to contribute and had NO idea waht I was going to write about.

Even though I have a wonderful loving boyfriend (aka, the Mr. Man from all my blog posts), I don't typically write about the complexities of my romantic relationships -- especailly one that is as long and deep as me and Mr. Man's.

However, after a few tries, I think I came up with a wonderful vignette that shows just how deep and selfless our love is.

I don't want to steal traffic from Jackelyn, but here's a sneak peak at the story, which you should totally go and read:

Matt never brings me flowers when he’s supposed to — you know, on birthdays, or anniversaries or things like that. He says that’s when I’ll expect them the most, which, according to him, defeats the purpose of surprising me with flowers. While most girls would hate to have a boyfriend who doesn’t give them flowers when they’re traditionally expected to, honestly, I don’t mind at all. It’s part of the many reasons I love Matt so much, actually.

See, even though Matt doesn’t give me flowers on those red calendar days, somehow, he always manages to give them to me when I need them the most...

Read the full story here!

Behind the Shoot: Shooting Grip the Mat's Bendy Brunch at K Street Urban Farm

Happy Monday and happy July!

A few weeks ago -- actually, more like a month ago now -- I had the awesome opportunity to shoot a Grip the Mat Bendy Brunch at the K Street Urban Farm, which is run by DC Greens.

While I've shot events for Grip the Mat before, I've never shot an event on an urban farm -- let alone a yoga event on an urban farm.

It was a little weird seeing people mozy through their flows between rows of collard greens, but hey, as a photographer, it was a magically wonderful scene to capture!

It's funny, I used to live within walking distance of this part of town and I had no idea that this urban farm even existed or that there were events there and that anyone can come on Sundays to pick the produce and take it home.

Why aren't there more urban farms like this throughout the city?

*** P.S. If you want to see more photos like this, or hear more about Grip the Mat, or what a Bendy Brunch is, check out this post. I've written about Bendy Brunches in more detail before, so I don't want to repeat myself when I can just show you pretty pictures :)

Partying Before Work: Covering Daybreaker's launch in DC for Spright

All the things I read about Daybreaker before going to cover the company's launch in D.C. for Spright left me with a ton of questions.

An event company... that only does early morning events? At nightclubs? During the week? With yoga and no booze? And they're crowded? With people paying to party before 9 A.M.?

Surely, there's catch.

Yet I was wrong. That's really all there is to Daybreaker. There isn't a hidden agenda or catch.

As soon as I entered the venue with my camera, the space was filled with eager Yogis, bending it out with vinyasa lead by Grip the Mat.

After stretching out, people stayed to dance and socialize while enjoying tasty treats and a variety of performers and entertainers.

There were even live musicians thrown into the dance party mix!

Maybe it's the simplicity of a Daybreaker's event that makes it so unique and appealing. Maybe for some people, waking up early, doing yoga, then moving their bodies to dance music and strobe lights while fueling up with coffee and juice is a way to jumpstart their day.

One things for sure, it sure is the total opposite of a typical Wednesday morning.

Want to know more? Check out my full review for Spright.com.

Jetting Around For USO Stories: Part 2, Missouri

Looking back, it seems like forever ago that I was in Missouri shooting stories for the USO. But no matter how long ago it was (or feels like it was) it's certainly a USO trip worth blogging about!

After a wonderful weekend working in NYC back at the end of May, I headed back to DC for a hot sec (literally, less than 20 hours) and jetted off to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for a week of shooting.

The last time I was in Missouri was for the NCAA A-10 Softball Championships back when I was in college, and I didn't really get to see much of the area since I was playing softball, so I was glad to head back to the area to explore a little bit more.

Anyway, after landing in St. Louis, I drove two hours out to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, which is an Army base where a lot of soldiers go through basic training.

During my trip, I shot a number of stories, including a story about long-time volunteer, Henry, and covered the USO's special Caregivers Seminar, which provides support for those taking care of wounded, ill and injured service members. Although all the stories I worked on in Missouri were (and ARE STILL!) important, the highlight of my trip, hands down, was shooting a special video story about Bandit the USO Comfort Dog (sorry Henry!).

Now, I don't want to give too much away (I'll write more about this story when the video is done), but in a nutshell, Bandit is an awesome Great Dane therapy dog who spends his days putting smiles on people's faces. I got to spend a day with him, and let me tell you, it was AWESOME seeing all the big difference just one dog can make in people's lives.

Here's some more snaps from my day of shooting with Bandit and his mom, Kelly.

Although my trip to Missouri was jammed packed, it was really, really awesome. I can't wait to keep working on other USO projects so I can finally push out some of the video stories from my Missouri trip.

Jetting Around For USO Stories: Part 1, NYC

I forgot how much I loved traveling for work. Seeing new places, meeting new people, being out of the office -- it's one of the many things that makes my job at the USO so wonderful.

But until last week, for nearly half of 2015, I hadn't had the opportunity to travel beyond the DC metro area to report a story since 2014. Needless to say, when my boss asked me if I could hit the road for a week to capture stories in NYC and Fort Leonard Wood, MO, I was more than ready to pack my bags and get back into the field.

I started off my marathon work travel week in NYC, where, in addition to capture a video story and writing a blog about OTMD, the adult leg of the USO Operation That's My Dress program, I got to spend time with my friend Tara, who I met playing softball at GW.

In addition to hanging out with her and her fiance on Friday night, the Saturday before I had to work, we wandered around Brooklyn for a bit, which I had never done before.

I even got to introduce Tara to another one of my close friends who lives in NYC during dinner on Saturday evening, which made me really happy.

Sidenote; I'm a big believer that, if my work schedule allows it, I should always try to squeeze in time to grab dinner or a drink with friends, colleagues or acquaintances who live in the area I'm visiting. It really makes work trips seem like much more than a plane trip and another night in a hotel room, savvy?

Anyway, back to the weekend. On Sunday, after a wonderful first half of the weekend with friends, I put on my working shoes on and headed the USO's launch of OTMD, the adult leg of the USO Operation That's My Dress program. Basically OTMD, along with its sister program, provides women in the military and military spouses a special day of pampering and fashion where they get to select and take home a FREE designer gown of their choice. Think Sherri Hill, Ralph Lauren and Ann Taylor -- for FREE! How cool is that?

To give you a better idea of what the program is all about, take a look at the video I shot and put together about the day. It'll put things into perspective.

Anyway, after shooting the video and having a ball at OTMD, I headed back to Penn Station to travel back to Washington, D.C. so I could jump on the next leg of my travel week adventure...

Behind the Scenes of My Spright [solidcore] Story and Shoot

Guys. GUYS. GUYS! New story and photos alert!

Last Friday, when I was stuck at home battling the worst sinus infection of the century (boo!), my fun little piece about DC's [solidcore] -- and its fab CEO/founder Anne Mahlum --  went live on Spright, and I couldn't be happier with the result.

See, I've been wanting to do a story about [solidcore] since the days of Fiterazzi.

Back when I lived near Union Station, I would always walk by the [solidcore] studio near Mass Ave, and would see people popping in and out of the studio drenched in sweat and smiles, and wondered what the workout was all about.

What was that weird machine they used?

Why did everyone say this was the hardest workout ever?

And what was with all the brackets in the branding materials and signage?!?

After a little bit of Googling, and reading about Anne's professional and fitness journey, I knew that the [solidcore] story, and Anne's story, was something that needed to be shared with the larger Spright community.

After getting the go-ahead from my awesome Spright editor, I reached out to the [solidcore] team, set up a time to talk to Anne, take photos of the Cathedral Commons studio and learn about how [solidcore] came to be. I even got to take a class and try out [solidcore] for myself (sidenote, I'm hooked!).

I won't spoil too much of my Spright story here (you should really go read it!), but I thought I would post a little teaser of the piece to spark your interest:

Anne Mahlum knows how to command a room.

As she walks up and down the blue-light-lined walls of a [solidcore] studio near the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, counting down the final few seconds of Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. session with Diplo’s “Express Yourself” blaring through the air, it’s clear to see that the [solidcore] founder and CEO is comfortable with being in charge.

An entrepreneur and athlete at heart, Anne has spent the greater part of the past decade spearheading different ventures with an athletic twist.

Back in 2007, before starting [solidcore], Anne built her leadership and entrepreneurial skills by founding the non-profit organization Back on My Feet, which uses the sport of running to empower homeless people to make lasting changes in their lives.

After five years of working as Back on My Feet’s CEO and helping the organization expand to 11 U.S. cities, the North Dakota native decided, in 2013, to bring a different vision to life and launched [solidcore].

Meet the Brains Behind BaniBands Headbands in My Latest Spright Article!

Oh spring! Full of flowers, sun and ... pollen. Yuck.

This is the first year I've come down with a serious case of the pollen-induced sniffles, and it is NOT fun. Netti pot, here I come!

Anyway, I realized yesterday that I never shared one of my recent Spright articles with you guys. I had been working on this story, featuring the founder of Bani Bands Headbands, since the days of Fiterazzi, but it got put on the backburner with the merger and general life business.

I was a little worried it would never run, but thankfully, the awesome staff at Spright thought it was worth a little attention!

I won't give away too much here, but here's a sneak peak of the story to get you started:

Like many innovators before her, Renee Hanson became a fitness fashion entrepreneur in order to solve a problem.

After years of searching for athletic apparel that to fit her 5’11” frame properly, the veteran and former volleyball player grew tired of the lack of technical garments available for taller women and decided to address the issue herself. In 2008, after beefing up her sewing skills and business plan, Renee created Vertical Athletics, a special athletic apparel line designed exclusively with the taller female athlete in mind.

However, shortly after launching Vertical Athletics, Renee stumbled upon a second athletic apparel problem that would inspire her to create her even more popular headband company, Bani Bands.

...read more here!