[revived post] Thoughts From State

This post is from March 3, 2013 and was originally posted on my old blog, which is now on hiatus. It's BPA State time again, and I figured I'd post this ahead of this year's convention, so that it can serve the purpose it was intended for... especially since the cycle has come around again so that the city is the same as it was in 2012. 
Next week, I'll have a post about last year's SLC - because I definitely have thoughts. AND I'll be in Dallas in about two weeks from today for this year's Texas BPA State Leadership Convention, so expect that post sometime the following week. 

~~~

Howdy loves! 

I've spent the past few days at the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference (more info) in Houston, Texas with one of my best friends, Saira. A teeny bit of background here - I've done BPA since I was a sophomore in high school, and this year, instead of competing at State, I went as a judge. It was SO much fun. I honestly loved every moment, and always have. 

There are always things that I realize at the end of the weekend that I wish I'd known/remembered at the beginning of the trip, so this time, I'm sharing. Here we go! 

• Find the Starbucks (and other places you'll want to go) before you get there. It was pure luck that we found a Starbucks on the first night. Last year (Dallas), we got lost on night 1 and Siri wouldn't work on my phone. As much as "it isn't State until we get lost", try to avoid it. 

• Actually try on the clothes you're bringing. With business clothing, you can't really just mix and match as you see fit while on the trip. It needs to be planned out, because colors need to match and you need the right shoes for your pants. 
• Remember that it will be cold. State is always cold. Always. 
• Right off the bat, buy a gallon of water. It will keep you from having to constantly buy a water bottle and you won't have to drink tap water. 
• Do your research and find out if the hotel will have wifi. Most convention centers/hotel conference rooms don't have it, so if you need it, make other arrangements. 
• Places in business districts close early. This includes restaurants. Know the hours of operation before hand, or you'll end up walking 20 minutes away for Chipolte, because they're the only place open after 6PM. 

• It may be better to NOT stay at the main hotel (ie: the one that most of the competitions are being held at), simply because of the sheer number of people that are there. This could be based on my dislike of elevators, but I can't remember the last time I've stayed at the main hotel. 
• Smile. It gets people to help you. 
• Pack hand lotion. I'm used to warm weather, and any time I'm in the cold, my skin FREAKS OUT and gets super dry. The hotel usually provides lotion, but sensitive skin can have a problem. 
• Backup chargers exist for a reason, but having one does no good unless you actually bring it with you. 
• You won't use the hotel gym. You just won't. Don't bother packing workout clothes. Even if you're someone that goes all the time (I go every MWF, so I can say this), you won't go. Why? Because you have to walk freaking everywhere and that's enough exercise for one day. 

There are also things that I learned through judging this year. I'm including a couple of tips here so that when (not if; it always happens) anyone asks me, I don't have to try to think back. 

• If you're part of a team, YOU NEED TO MATCH. It's seriously a huge pet peeve of mine when the team isn't uniform. I was part of a team for three years, so I understand how frustrating it can be to find things that match, but it doesn't have to be perfect. Two boys and a girl? The boys can wear ties that match each other and match the girl's blouse. Black and white is really easy and looks great. More than one girl on the team? Go shopping together. Girls can wear pants or a skirt, it doesn't really matter, as long as the color scheme is there. It shows that you worked together and actually thought things through. 
• Make sure you're in dress code. BPA guidelines say that (for females) open toed shoes MUST have a heel. While most people won't DQ you, don't take that chance. 
• You're in a professional competition, so make sure that you ARE professional. Keep your hands out of your pockets, don't fiddle with your hair, and don't read from your notecards. 
• If you're doing web site design or something else that involves the internet, and want to show said web site/internet thing in your presentation, either have your own wifi, or take screen shots of each page and stick it in a powerpoint. The judges shouldn't dock you for not having wifi, but seeing the web page will really help. 
• If you're in a team, you'll probably have questions after your presentation. Make sure that everyone answers something, or speaks at least, and don't, under any circumstances, argue with your teammates. I can't stress that enough. Even if they're wrong, add on instead of correcting them. You don't want the judges to think that you can't work as a team. Pretend to like each other, at least. 
• Remember that the goal here is to send the best of the best to Nationals. Bring your A-game, always. 

A couple little secrets here that you shouldn't bank on but should be aware of and use to your advantage: 

• Sometimes, the judges have no idea what you're supposed to be doing. They're learning from you. If you're first, be really good. Explain things, be lively, and for the love all things yummy, please stay on topic. There's no faster way to get last place than to be the "left fielder" of the group. There's always one. 
• Make sure to look over the grading rubric. You can see that in the WSAP, which every advisor has access to. READ IT. The judges grade based on that, especially if they're new to judging or unfamiliar to your event. 
• Going along with that, judges have NO control over technical points. If you turn in a paper that gets graded ahead of time, really spend time on that paper. You need a solid paper to go with a solid presentation. One out of the two will NOT get you to Nationals. The presentation judges don't usually see the paper, and if they do, it's already been scored. 
• I feel that it should go without saying, but make sure you actually turn your paper in. If you don't, well, there's really no point of showing up to the presentation. You won't make it. 
• Definitely give the judges a self-addressed, stamped envelope for comments. Chances are, they won't tell you what you did wrong/how you can improve while you're there, but they WILL give you tips and you should get them before Nationals. If you don't make it to Nationals, at least you'll have a chance for next year.  

That's all I've got for now, but if I think of anything else, I'll do a follow up. 

Are you a BPAer? Let me know! 

Travel Guide: Aransas Princess #208

So the other day, I graduated from college. (I'll stop mentioning that one of these days, but right now, I'm just really excited.) With my grandfather visiting and my childhood best friend coming to town for the weekend, plus the gorgeous weather that South Texas threw at us, we decided to not stay at our house. Lovely friends of ours own several condos, both on Padre Island and in Port Aransas, and they let us stay at the wonderful condo at the Aransas Princess.

I'd like to make a note and say that I had plans to walk in and take pictures... but I left my camera with my mom so that she could use it at graduation (I'm not sure why I didn't just make my friends take it and hand it off to Mom...). Most of these pictures were taken at the end of the stay, so there are a lot of missed opportunities. I'll either edit this post or upload a new one when I get more pictures.

Now, a little background. The Jauers are some of my favorite people, so I'm biased... but trust me on this one. This condo rocks. It rocks so much that I have to gush about it. Also, I have pictures (LOTS of pictures), so you can judge it for yourself... but keep in mind that if you're trying to get the feeling for what the condo is actually like, listen to this while you read.

First of all, let me note that the owners of this condo book through VRBO - #553716 - and when you book this condo, you get THIS condo (no worries of getting switched out for something not as awesome). It's on the second floor, with a wonderful view of the cascading pool, the boardwalk, dunes, and (the best part) the waves. The sun doesn't directly hit the balcony, so you can stay out there all day - watch the day break and dusk fall - without ever having an annoying glare.

I stayed there December 12 - 17, 2014. After the stressful school semester, it was beyond perfect to open both doors facing the balcony (thank heaven for screen doors) and hear the waves crashing all day long. The weather was beautiful, with temperatures in the upper sixties to mid seventies. The cascading pool isn't heated, which meant that no one was in it... even better for the view!

This condo is completely remodeled and feels luxurious. You walk in and instantly realize that pictures don't do it justice. One wall is entirely mirrors, which is always kind of fun. I so often went looking for a full length mirror (which is actually in the master bathroom), but realized that the entire living room/hallway is one. It was great. There's a closet full of beach things - folding chairs, towels, a couple pool noodles... just fun stuff. The hallway going straight leads you into the kitchen, dining space, and living area. Both bedrooms are to the right - the first one (with a queen sized bed and bunkbeds) is off the kitchen, along with a bathroom. The master is off the living area.

Note - those blankets are SO comfortable! There's a basket on the other side with wine corks in it. We might have added a couple to it... (:

The owners keep the condo stocked with coffee supplies, as well as table settings for eight (this is complete table settings. There's more of almost everything). Also, cabinets held paper plates and plastic cups, which we used the first night to avoid doing dishes or running the dishwasher. You can cook in the condo - they have pans, a toaster, and even a pizza tin! We, well, didn't. My favorite pizza place is right down the road, so we got takeout the first night. The rest of the time, we either had leftovers, meals from Snoopy's Pier / Doc's (more about that later), sandwiches, or cheese and pepperoni on crackers. The fridge/freezer has an ice maker (as does the wet bar... I opened it once thinking it was a very tiny dishwasher and was VERY confused. Then I found the real dishwasher... right in front of my face) and filtered water. A pizza box DOES fit in the fridge. Three pizza boxes do too. Just saying. (:

The dining room area has a really nice glass table and adorable chairs. We ate there a couple times... the rest of the meals were consumed on the balcony. (I'm telling you - I spent a lot of time on that balcony!) Actually, that table is where I decorated my grad cap. :D The lights above it dim really nicely. The wet bar separates the kitchen and the dining room, which is pretty fun.

The living room has plenty of sitting room (as well as a fold out couch) and a great coffee table - we played dominos on it. (: The rug is crazy funky and I like it, and the chairs swivel - perfect for looking outside or at the people around you. There is, of course, a nice TV (honestly, though, my parents were the only ones that used it. When it was just the girls, we spent our nights on the balcony).

The master bedroom is gorgeous, with a sliding door to close it off from the living room (in addition to the actual bedroom door). It has its own access to the balcony, and since the shutters on both balcony doors operate individually, you can spend an early morning watching the sun rise while someone sleeps in total darkness. (We did it. It was 7am and I was betting it was around 5am.) The second bedroom has a queen sized bed and bunk beds, and is equally gorgeous. All of the beds are insanely comfortable. I promise, you want to feel this for yourself. It also has a TV (didn't use it) and a cute little desk that I managed not to get a picture of. The master bathroom is great - spacious, two sinks, a separate room for the toilet, and my favorite shower. There's also a closet with space to hang clothes and extra towels and stuff.

one of the few pictures I took right away!

The second bedroom has (like I mentioned before) a queen sized bed and bunk beds. It's really nice - closet, dresser, TV - and a window that looks out the front of the condo to even more beautiful scenery. It also has the wonderful shutters, so no worries on having a window at the front of the condo. For some reason, I don't have pictures of this room - except this one. I really like bunk beds.

I had coffee on the balcony every morning and every night. Once, I took my coffee and walked around the grounds with my girlfriends. The boardwalk has lights and a locked gate, which was really nice for three girls walking around after dark. The beach end of the boardwalk is between mile markers 18 and 19 - so right where you want to be if you're there for Spring Break. The Aransas Princess also has a heated pool and a hot tub that does the bubbly thing (or spa, whatever you want to call it). There are lots of places to sit and hang out, look out at the gulf, and just relax. The complex is staffed 24/7, and everyone I met was really nice and helpful.
Here are some more pictures, just in case you're not absolutely dying to visit already.

view from the room at daybreak | iPhone 5S picture

coffee on the balcony! 

the boardwalk at daybreak

the end of the boardwalk

the heated pool (the hot tub is off to the right)

the long boardwalk through the dunes

view from the balcony at night

my little Christmas tree, snowman, and Islander Grad wreath!

I really didn't want to stop taking pictures of the condo. There are so many of them that happened seconds after I called out, asking someone to please get out of my picture. I'm in one that I know of (MIRRORS!), and my mom is in another.

Even thought the weather got a little cloudy on the last day, it was still gorgeous. I don't think there's a bad time to visit this condo.

BUSINESS WORDS NOW:
If you're interested in this condo or any of the other Isle Be Back condos, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with Lora. Check out the calendar and rates on VRBO. I would recommend this condo and the ones on Padre Island to family and friends in a heartbeat.