"I'm young and I love to be young,I'm free and I love to be free"

It's been forever since I have published a blog post, since July almost. So much has happened to me in  2016, some good and some  bad. I think the number one thing I learned is happiness. Not how to be happy but the importance of knowing what makes you happy. For instance little things that make me happy, like when almond butter is on sale because that shit is expensive. The big things that make me happy, being appreciated at work or home. Little things like an old friend reaching out and talking for hours on the phone (Thanks Evan!). Big things like being able to reconnect with an old friend and going on a trip to Mexico (Thanks Rachel!) I feel that most of my friends would tell you if they had to describe me in three words it would be sarcastic, funny and happy. Sadly 2016 was not a very happy year.

At times I regretted moving to California from my friends and family. I felt alone and sad. At times I hated my job especially losing my summer to working nights. But in 2016 I traveled to Houston, Boston, Potsdam, California, Portland, Connecticut, Arizona, Mexico and of course Canajoharie. I hiked the Grand Canyon with my sisters, ran races with friends, and laughed and laughed. I learned that life is well spent traveling, especially to visit friends or wonders of the world.

I went on dates, some really good and some super bad. I became a California blonde, and lost 17 pounds. I welcomed a new Adams, my niece Ally. I faced hardships with my family being 3000 miles away.

What I'm trying to say is a couple things. Never regret any opportunity you have taken. Make the best of it, even if making friends outside of work is hard. Never let anyone dictate your happiness because it is solely based on you. Don't judge someones life by their social media, reach out to old friends. They need you! Travel, travel, travel!! Life is way to short.

Here's to 2017! More traveling, finding more happiness and maybe someone to share that happiness with. Hey a girl can dream!

"You know I'm always on the night shift, and I can't stand these nights alone"

Woof, its been awhile since I have sat behind my computer to blog. Where do I start? As some of you may have heard from my consistent complaining, this past week was my 3rd week on graveyard shift. And let me tell you, I can't hang as well as I did in college.

The night shift is very interesting. First of all you feel like you are at work twice as much. You are there in the morning and then again at night. You go to work when the sun sets and you try to leave work when the sun rises but you are there until about 10am. You tend to lose track of the days because everything blends together, and you also want to be a person on the weekends. So you power through Saturday with a little bit of sleep so you can have friends. I am alone on nights which makes it kind of hard also, when I come back from my shift my entire staff is ready to start their day together.This can make one feel isolated or forgotten.

But the night shift makes you think, I mean what else are you going to do when all of your friends and family are sleeping while you are demolishing a concrete floor.

Lately I feel all over the place. It could very well be the fact that getting used to this sleep schedule has been a huge adjustment. But also the night shift helps you find out who your real friends are. The people that still invite you to things even though you could be sleeping or might only be able to stop by. The people that know I am available on Saturdays and Sundays and make an effort to make plans. Thank you to those friends. The friends that realize my schedule isn't great but its manageable.

It is hard enough moving to a city that you know no one. Then being put on a shift that you operate at completely different times then everyone around you. So I have to make my weekends count! I can't thank the friends I have met here enough for continuously making an effort to get me to attend things even though I have "designer" bags under my eyes.

Although I complain about the night shift I really do enjoy running my own work and trades. I get to supervise a project and see it come to life. What more could a girl ask for, as I'm covered in concrete slurry and for some reason always manage to get some kind of black shit on my face.

I love construction.

Here's to thanking those friends that look out for you when you don't ask for help. But they know its important to check in on you and make sure you are okay. Also a huge shout out to my bed, we have become huge friends these past 3 weeks.

Now if you don't mind, its Sunday so I'm going to the beach!

Anybody with me?

I can't stop the feeling.....

Justin Timberlake's new song is a happy go lucky hit, although this blog post will be somewhat melancholy. I can't complain about the beautiful California weather and some of the best tasting fruit I have ever had. But as my siblings are hitting life milestones it's hard being so far away.  When I was home I wouldn't even miss a little league game but now I'm missing college graduations, proms, honor society inductions and next month I will have a niece.  It is very hard at times to be 3000 miles from home and plane rides are even farther than my 45 minute flight from DC. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't have any regrets about moving. I am proud of myself for taking such a huge leap across the United States. I'm proud of myself for moving to a place with no family members or college friends. I took on a challenge not just at work but in life. 

But I feel like I have changed a little, and I hate who that person could become. I am a little homesick at times, I'm not afraid to admit it. But I am masking it with a bitter attitude and a couple of drinks. I have never been one to mask my emotions or even be negative. I have always had a smile on my face even when wearing braces.  I believe we have all had these moments in life, you know?  When people say life is a roller coaster, it has it's ups and downs. I think it's important to be able to know when you are in the "down". This way you can work on fixing it. By even just waking up early today and meal prepping for the week I already feel better. 

I think a lot of people use social media to express only the good things that happen in life. I think it's important to realize no matter how perfect someones life looks on Facebook you have no idea what they are going through. My little sister was recently in a car accident and the thought of being so far away from her killed me. Thank god she is fine even though the car was totaled. It takes events like that to make you realize that life could change so fast.

I have to be grateful for the opportunities I have been given and the places I have been able to travel. I am still very young and although I am far from home my family still loves me.  It's time to be happy because life is to short to be upset. 

Here's to being yourself because there is no one better!

Anybody with me?

Work work work work work

Now that I got your attention with the most skipped song on the radio. I decided to give you an update on my thoughts and life in CA.

Keep in mind I haven't even been in CA for a month yet. First of all I love California's weather. Everyday is the perfect temperature not to hot, not to cold. It is hard to be upset when the weather is always on your side. Second of all I love the job I am on. I was promised I would move to California in order to be an assistant superintendent and I was given just that. I have a lot of responsibilities but I am able to spend 90% of my day on site working directly with the subcontractors who our setting the foundation for our building. The combination of the weather and looking forward to going to work is something to be happy about.

However ...

I am constantly being asked if I like California, if I see myself living here for awhile. Unlike people who know where they were born to be living, I don't know where I am set out to live. I hate the part of life where people think about things permanently. I am still pretty young, you can ask the guys on site they think I'm 12. I do not know where I want to end up, and it is still too early to know if I am in love with California. It would be naive of me to tell you that "OMG I LOVE CALIFORNIA I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE". I have been here for 21 days, would you marry someone after knowing them 21 days? If you said yes to that, please message me or email me, we need to talk.

I came out to California for the experience. To say I lived in California, to work for another superintendent who believed in me, and because life is to short to say no to opportunities.

The time difference has been pretty hard with keeping up with my family who live in the boondocks of Upstate NY. But my mom has pushed her bed time back till 10pm on some nights so I can still catch her at my 7pm.

To having dreams but also being a realist.

Anybody with me?

"You could travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast"

When I was a little girl (I mean I still look like I'm 12), my sisters would always run around the house talking about how one day they would pack up everything they had and move to California. "Its perfect Mary", they would tell me. The funny thing is none of us Adams kids have even stepped foot in the state of California. I would always laugh at them because they were so serious about something they knew nothing about.

Well here I am a day away from moving to California. I am laughing at myself. I am 23 years old and never have stepped foot in the state of California. But I am embarking on a journey that will make California my home for at least 2 years. I will be 2,800 miles away from DC and farther from my hometown, the great metropolis of Canajoharie NY.

Not only am I leaving behind the Nations capital,  my home for almost 2 years. I am leaving some of the greatest people I have ever met. I can't bring myself to say goodbye to these wonderful people who have made DC home for me. I try not to cry but thinking of saying goodbye to some people makes my eyes start to water. I have a super soft spot in my heart for two people in particular. The original G's, the beginning squad, I will miss Megan Angelini and Terry Moore so so much. My eyes water thinking about leaving my first site life family.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited for this opportunity. The chance at a new position, a new state, a new project team. It's like becoming a freshman all over again. Some of you are probably thinking, Mary being a freshman was terrible. You're right it wasn't great, but its a chance at a new start! I am in need of a breath of fresh air, it doesn't hurt that its west coast air.

Luckily for me, this is "the time to move". As people are telling me "You have to do this when your young and nothing is holding you back". Well people are right, nothing is holding me to DC.

My emotions are crazy and so is my adrenaline. I am ready to try something new, but just a little sad to have to say "See you later". I will be back for sure DC! Especially for bottomless brunch! Also I'm sure you will still be able to hear me from California. My voice is very loud.

To everyone I have met in DC, THANK YOU. Thank you for weekends in the city, exploring the monuments, bottomless brunches, dance offs, and adventures. Also shout out to Liz Crowley who took me in when I was homeless and made me feel at home!

Don't forget me DC and friends, because I won't forget you.

To putting it all on the line, because what do you have to lose...

Anybody with me?

" I want to scream and shout and let it all out"

I was holding out for a blog post to announce some exciting news. BUT little did I know, life changes and some of those changes are out of your control. I thought I would be heading to Miami but with a change of plans I decided to turn it down. Later I thought I would have an opportunity like no other in California which also fell through the cracks.

Sometimes you work so hard to get away from your problems that you are forced to face them.

The weather in DC right now seems to be a direct correlation with the status of my life. The blizzard is fierce along with my feelings about my job. I have learned some of the best life lessons from this week, along with how important it is to be able to talk to people. If you are delivering news to someone it's important to consider their feelings and their career goals. In general communication is key in construction.

Let's just say I am a bit frustrated this week. Frustrated because college didn't teach me when in my career, I am valuable  enough to stand up for what I want to do. Frustrated because things didn't go my way. Frustrated because I work hard and put a lot of heart in to what I do. Yes this may sound immature and a bit like a pity party. But I full heartedly believe that every twenty something who is trying to figure out the working world feels the same at some point in their career.

Before this blog post sounds like a diary entry from a middle school girl that just got dumped, I understand that things happen for a reason. Some of those things are out of my control. Sometimes things just get under your skin, or rub you the wrong way. I am grateful for all my lessons learned on my current job and will also have many more lessons learned when I start my quality control role.

I will use this weekend to reboot and get my determination and drive back.

Sometimes you just need to scream and shout and let it all out,

Anybody with me?

"Hello.... How are you... "

Yes Adele's new song is pretty baller.

As many of you might know or might not know,  for awhile I was thinking about leaving DC. I had given up on the nations capital for its expensive, fast moving, and overwhelming atmosphere. I got through the honey moon stage and really convinced myself that Washington, D.C. was too much for Mary G. I started visiting my friends and looking into other places to live.

Until....

I realized the life I made myself here is too great to give up. I would have too many regrets if I moved. As many hours I put in with Clark, I wouldn't want to put those hours in somewhere else. I work with some of the best people. My roommate hasn't missed a single speech competition I have been in. My coworker and partner in crime Megan, includes me in so many of her plans and our trailer jam sessions.  My superintendent challenges me everyday and also gives me fresh vegetables from his garden. I know he thinks I'm crazy but at least he thinks I'm funny. I get to solve problems and make people laugh especially the Clark Civil team I work with. I'm sure they think I'm a clown but I show them work can be fun and productive. I get to play on multiple sports teams where I meet really great people. Johanna Hsu, one of my biggest supporters, is going to NYC with  me this coming up weekend to watch me crawl over the NYC marathon finish line. Through Jo I met Roxy who is a hoot!! I spend only a little time with her on Sunday's but it's one of my favorite hours of the weekend.

Although I am far from my family and my closest friends from college. There is something about the places I go that make me feel so welcome and that I belong.

Sometimes you just focus to much on the bad that you forget about all the great things going for you. Like people that love and care about you. The people like Liz Crowley, who messages me to tell me my future with Clark is beyond bright. Little does she know, she was a great role model for me. Or Kyle who reminds me to step back and realize our jobs our truly amazing. I could never forget my first cube mate Nell, her note sits right over my laptop "stay strong".


I don't know about you guys but I am quite a lucky girl. All these people support me and I can only hope I show enough of my appreciation to them.

Also I am a week away from the NYC marathon. I am going to be honest with y'all and myself. My goal is to finish. Please make fun of my time or remind me how much training I should have done. I am very aware of how I dropped the ball. Once I make it through this Houston will be my redemption, to myself and all the haters.


Cheers to an honest post.
This week thank someone who makes your day just a little brighter.

Anybody with me?
MG

Now watch me whip, now watch me nae nae

 So I'm sure you weren't expecting this song choice but you will see why.

This weekend I went to Boston Massachusetts. There's something about catching  up with friends that that makes you think. First of all I had one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. Even though I lost a jacket and spent most of my time dancing in rain boots, I crushed it.

 Although  I am over a year out of college I still feel like I am very new to the real world. Or "adulting" is what I like to call it. When seeing my fellow classmates I can't help but reminisce about all of our crazy times in college. A part of me really misses those times and how close I used to live to my friends. It was almost heartbreaking to have to say "see you soon" or "until next time".

I think it's hard to be in your twenties. You aren't sure where you are is where you want to be. You want to try something new but not because of a "grass is always greener" mentality. You want to make sure you are giving everything a chance before you make a big decision. The scary part is these decisions have to be made by you, which is a lot of responsibility .

I was recently told by my friend Hannah, one of the best analogies. A city is like a relationship you have to test it out and see if you like it. You have to find out what works best for you. This involves finding out what you like and don't like.

The best part about your twenties is you have options. You don't have anything holding you back from trying something new.

One thing I love to do is dance. I don't have to have drinks , just some sick beats and a decent dance floor. I don't care what people think of my dancing and it makes me feel free. I think there are times in your life when you don't feel "free"and you have to do something to change that. The feeling of freedom and having choices is why we live in 'Merica, am I right?  ;)

If you are unhappy, find your solution to set yourself free.

To happiness and a dance floor.
Anybody with me?

P.s. I have won some dance offs in my time.

Something has changed within me, something is not the same...

I never watched Wicked but this song has been stuck in my head all day. I spent the last month pretty sad,stressed out and a bit overwhelmed. To most people this sounds awful and depressing, and most people are right. I stopped working out and training for that marathon. I came home from work everyday to eat dinner and the go to bed so I would wake up for the next day. Life seemed to be that motion of sleep eat work, and then repeat.

But why?

There are two parts of construction. You can work in the office; estimating, budgeting, and purchasing jobs. You can be in the field; actually watching those jobs be built. All I ever wanted to do was to be on site till I realized I knew nothing about being on a job. The first thing I noticed was earlier hours, second thing: everything is time pressing and can impact the schedule, third thing: you make a lot of mistakes. There are a lot of things about construction I don't know. I couldn't get over the fact I didn't know enough. But instead of having confidence in myself I was losing sleep about all the things I had to learn.

How do you get over the fact that you are going to make mistakes? You have a superintendent tell you that you are going to make them your whole life but you better learn from them. Then you own up to your mistakes and find a way to fix them.

The saying "nobody's perfect" is not just a song by Hannah Montana, but something that I needed to stop being so immature about. When you are given a responsibility like managing different subcontractors you can either take the challenge or run and hide. I think I lost my confidence somewhere due to the fact I was so scared to make a mistake.

Here's a lesson to you recent college grads or just anyone in general. Take every task you are given as a challenge. Own it, ask for help, and know that you will make mistakes. Mistakes will help you learn.

I am back to marathon training and doing more after work then just going to bed. I am learning everyday how to deal with new issues and most importantly I have met another person that has played a key role in helping me grow in my career. Megan and I call him Ter-Bear, but don't tell him that. But most importantly if you don't take away anything else from this post, take away this: Terry Moore is the man. With over 30 years of experience compared to my puny one year, I am reminded everyday, I have a lot to learn and there is nothing wrong with that.

To taking on challenges and making mistakes, because chances are you probably don't know everything.

Anybody with me?

Guess who's back back again......

It has been awhile since I decided to write a blog post. For awhile I felt as if blogging wasn't for me anymore, I lost my followers/supporters, and that what I wrote just wasn't interesting anymore. But most importantly I got caught up in a little thing called work. 

Recently I decided I need to change two things about myself.

 1) When someone asks how I am, or how I have been doing; I need to stop responding with busy. Everyone is busy with themselves, work, family, etc. Busy is such an interesting word, it is almost empowering to feel busy. Busy gives someone a sense of worth or importance. Oh sorry I can't go, I have been so busy. Listen people! Everyone is BUSY. It is almost as boring as telling someone "I'm good". 

2) This brings me to another thing I want to work on: keeping in touch with friends. We rely so much on someone else using their phone to text/email/call/facebook message, that we get so caught up in the moment we lose friends. Recently I sat down and made a list of 8 people I haven't talked to in forever and wrote them cards. It has brought me such joy this week to get a text from them thanking me for the card and reaching out. I still have more cards to send out, but it was nice to know I could make someones day.

Sometimes just hearing something nice from someone will get you out of your rut. I was recently told by one of my very good friends Curtis that this quote reminded him of me "the purest of people do the purest things and in return have the purest of lives".  Then he reminded me that blogging is a part of who I am and I blog to become a better version of myself.

Sometimes you just need someone to kick you in the butt to get yourself back together. 

I recently clocked in my 1 YEAR at Clark Construction, in which I told people I felt like I have been working forever. This is coming from the girl that has a sign on her desk that says "born to party, forced to work". A year in, I still feel like a new hire sometimes at Clark. They pile on the responsibilities and challenge you everyday. Along with a challenging work atmosphere you meet some amazing people. 

So to catch you up with my life.. I am now back to blogging. I am working on catching up with friends. Continuously learning more about construction. Writing my book. Improving myself everyday.

Also while leaving the metro today this one asian tween tried to hold my hand. You haven't missed much world, my life is still awkward.

To stop saying "I have been so busy"

Anybody with me?

Disclaimer: This blog post isn't to scare you!

I am just putting a quick disclaimer on this post, I am not at all in bad spirits or feel depressed in any way.

Recently I read this article on this girl that committed suicide, however her depression was masked by her positive posts on social media. First of all, the article made me shed some tears because everyone's life is worth something special. This article sparked a thought though as well. Social media makes people think that your life is going swell; you have no worries in the world, and you secretly want people to be jealous of your life. It hides all of your bad experiences and paints a pretty picture or adds a filter to a pretty picture.

Well here is the truth. ... To people who think I am living the dream: my life isn't perfect.

There are days when I need to take a break from it all because well I need to. The saddest part about needing a break is that I always feel as if I need to defend myself or come up with some acceptable excuse. Some days I just need to take a deep breath and slow down. As much as my mom is a super hero (she does it all without taking many breaks, except for her power naps), there are times when I need to take a mental break day.

Recently my mind hasn't stopped thinking. Tomorrow marks the year anniversary since I graduated college. Time has flown by! I also have been kicking myself in the ass for not making more of an effort to be home for mother's day. Although time hasn't really been on my side. Two days ago I met up with James (a best friend from college), who made the effort to come down to DC. I vented to him about the different obstacles one has to overcome when you move to an area that you don't know anyone. He also has had the same experience when he moved to NH. James only reassured me with happy thoughts by telling me that I should be proud of myself for taking the big plunge. He also told me that its okay to do things by yourself, and sometimes being alone is just what you need. I like to think that things happen for a reason. I believe James came at the perfect time, to tell me to take time to myself and to just stop thinking.

As much as physical fitness is important, I believe mental fitness is important also. To the new college graduates, especially of Clarkson, my best advice is to take some time to self reflect. Be proud of your huge accomplishment and your journey has just begun. Don't forget to take days for yourself and continue to self reflect either on your happiness, your success or just to clear your mind. Don't hide behind social media; talk to a friend that might be going through the same thing and get some advice. I can promise to lend some advice whenever or wherever is needed. Well I can't help with directions because I am incompetent at that.

Most importantly wish your Mom a Happy Mother's Day, because moms are superheroes. They never stop to take a break.

To happiness and moments of self reflection...

Anybody with me?

Only rainbows after rain ...

Well if spring hasn't hit DC, I don't know what did. I do love the 70 degree weather for April. I can say I am a Facebook fan of that! It has been a while since I wrote my last post. I am trying to update you without seeming like I haven't done much with my life.

I am running the NYC marathon on November 1st, to cross another item off the bucket list. I am in the process of writing a book about my life. It will be funny I promise. The book is coming along but it is very hard to organize my thoughts.

This blog post is being centered on the world comfortable. Which to most people is a positive term, "I am really comfortable in this chair". That was a lame example but you get the point. For me I hate being comfortable, it either means I'm not challenging myself enough or I am losing motivation. Today I went to a meeting and this woman came up to me after and she said "Did you notice that out of the 4 women in this room, I was the only one that spoke; why is that?". I  stepped back and was dumbfounded. She said she heard I was in Toastmasters (an international speaking club) and she asked me to think about it.

She was so right....

Here I am getting to comfortable at work. Estimating, calling subs, running through the routine of the daily life of an office engineer. But why I am capable of so so much more. I couldn't stop thinking about this woman on the way home from work. What are the chances? People do enter your life for a reason, and when they say something to you, take it seriously.

I instantly wanted to be a better employee, open some more doors of opportunity and become a better person. I instantly got mad at myself for not contributing to the meeting, because I knew I had ideas to share or things to say.

Sometimes in life we get too comfortable, and most of our goals are to be comfortable with where we are in life. To me, that is a nightmare. I want to be uncomfortable because it is pushing me out of my comfort zone and teaching me to learn new things.

Lately I have been a huge B. I think it is because I feel to comfortable, and I want a new challenge. But I also have to work on be patient, because sometimes the best opportunities come with time.

Today was not a great day, but it was a great learning opportunity.

So if you are comfortable, try something new.

For now, I'm keeping my head up!

Anybody with me?
MG

Thank you, Thank you!!

I know I don't usually posts 2 blog posts a month but today was a great day. You know there are days in you life where you question what you are doing. Those days where you ask yourself is this really what I want to do, am I happy with what I'm doing?

Today wasn't one of those days. Today solidified that I am in the right field.

First of all after a stressful week at work, today we got to go bowling for a new hire event. Yes I am still considered new until my ClarkNet profile says I have been at Clark for a year. There were many executives at this event, such as the head of HR who still remembers the day that I interviewed and talked about Clarkson. But one of my favorite execs was there, my boss John. I think when some of the other new hires see the way my boss and I interact they are confused. Mainly because John and I bust each other all the time, he can take the jokes and let me tell you he is getting very good at dishing the jokes too. I know I won't probably always work for John, but let me tell you he has made Clark a very enjoyable experience for me so far.

Second of all after this bowling event, I checked my phone. I of course had at least a dozen new emails ( I know, I know, I'm popular). It's mainly because we have bid day tomorrow. One of my subs sent me his proposal telling me that when he gets an email from me it makes him smile. And that I should never hesitate to ask him for help. I read the email about 4 or 5 times. It's the little things, like emails that can really solidify your life choices. Yes, construction is about having a personality. I am glad that even though I am not talking face to face with these subs (which I would prefer, my jokes are better delivered when I am in person), through emails and phone calls I can still be myself.

I'd like to give another shout out to this woman I work with, although a shout out is not nearly enough for all the help she has given me. Christine is not only my bid captain but my team Clark leader. She explains to me the industry, how to write scope sheets, how to excel at my job, and most importantly she has given me confidence to do my job (under a lot of critiques of course!!) The red pen will always, always come out. Later through my blog you will learn more about Christine.

I can't write a Clark blog post without mentioning Jo! When my days get crappy or I need advice Jo is always there to straighten me up. Whether it is to pull my skirt down a little bit to straighten out my outfit, or to tell me to take control of my career because no one will do that for me, or to tell me to set higher in volleyball. Jo has not only helped me through Clark but opened up a door of opportunities for me, especially to make friends. We know how to have some fun together!

This is a Thank you Post!

Thank you everyone who has helped me, I know I ask a lot of questions. I know my voice is really loud (I'd like to say I'm working on it but I have to volumes). Thank you for letting me be myself but also teaching a 22 year old how to become professional.

Thank someone today,

Anybody with me?

"We'll never go out of style, We'll never go out of style"

Well I can't say that 2015 was as great as the start of 2014, I had a couple arguments/encounters with best friends that I haven't fully repaired yet. What I thought was a "more than a friend" situation became a " lets just be friends" situation, adding to the awkward moments of my life.

But I think the most important thing I learned about myself through this last month in a half would be the word "grudges". No matter how bad things get, I don't hold grudges and I am open to forgiveness, no matter how disrespected I was. BUT a key note to realize is I am not fast at bouncing back, I am a thinker. I need to think each situation out and how it effected me so I don't say anything I would later regret, I just need that time to myself.

I don't want to throw friendships away, because as we know this world is to hard to conquer on your own.

Lately talking to one of my best friends that I once deleted from Facebook and his phone number from my cell phone (because that is the 21st Century version of deleting a person from your life). It took me what I believe is 6 months to fully forgive him, but he still reminds me at least once a month how happy he is that we are back to being friends again because "everyone needs a little Canajoharie in their life". I can honestly say I am just as happy as he is that we are friends again, the best-est of friends again. But what he helped me realize is that my friendship means a lot to him and to my other friends. I recently received one of the best Valentine's Day cards from my friend Alex. She recapped a bunch of dumb shit that we do and hoping to continue our list of stories. I also received a Valentine's Day text from Jo reminding me that I am beautiful inside and out. I had a wonderful Valentines dinner and dancing with my friends Menisha and Amanda. As we tore up the town with our Uptown Funk. Menisha reminds me every morning "gotta kiss yourself so pretty".

This is what I mean people, no matter who or what brings you down; you can play a key role in peoples lives.

I mean I offer jokes, awkward stories, and apparently a great friendship. But that is something I am working on everyday, being the best version of myself which correlates with being the best friend I can be. I make mistakes, I can overreact about things, I may take sometime to get over things.

But...

I do not hold grudges, because that's not Mary G.

Anybody with me?

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT-A MUST READ

This is my 50th blog post but whose counting?

I look back at all of my posts and I had some moments of self reflection. I had some moments of  doubt; no wonder why that post only got 30 views it sucked. But also some happy tears and laughs from awesome memories.

At this moment I am realizing what people are actually getting out of this blog, some advice, some encouragement, knowing that its okay to have "funks" and mental breakdowns. Or how about no matter how bad your day is you can always find some good in it. Or the struggles (aka First World Problems) of young professionals. As a 22 year old I haven't witnessed enough to be experienced enough to give the best words of encouragement or advice, but I can offer you a laugh or two.

I realized that I also have mislead you. My blog has always been called "Engineering a New Me", in hopes that I would become who I really wanted to be. I lost along the way the most important piece of information, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a better person, but there is something wrong with wanting to be a new you. No one should ever feel as if the version of yourself isn't good enough that you need to be a complete new person. And for that I apologize.

Recently I tried a new motto "Put yourself out there" which I feel like is an updated version of YOLO. And by doing that I found myself questioning, "whats wrong with me, what should I change?". But silly Mary, tricks are for kids. You shouldn't have to change yourself for anyone but yourself. But even in that situation you are probably still being your biggest critic. Once you start doubting yourself you are losing your biggest fan.

What I'm trying to say people is use 2015 as the year to believe in you! Do something you never in a million years thought you were capable of doing. It can be anything from running a marathon to finally figuring out to order your favorite drink  correctly at Starbucks.

From here on out, you can be expecting my blog to continue to make you laugh, offer advice, real life stories, add some inspiration to your life. And most importantly hearing things straight up from Mary G. I can only hope  most of you read this as if I was reading it to you in my batman voice. You know the one my mom hates?

Give yourself some credit, the world is already full of critics you don't need another one.

Anybody with Me?

"Where are you Christmas, Why can't I find you?'

As the holiday is soon approaching I thought this December season would be different. I thought with the lack of finals and Clarkson cold, I would get back my Christmas Spirit that I had before I was in college.  I was sad to find out that this December flew by as the past 4 have, filled with many busy hours at work.

But I have taken a lot of time this December to do some self reflection and today I even read a whole book, GASP I know. As many of my close friends know, I hate reading. But today I sat down and read #GIRLBOSS. I would highly recommend the book if you are looking for some motivation, plus if I got through it in less than a day "you are golden pony boy".

After listening to this song by Faith Hill, I realized I don't need Christmas to be happy. 2014 has been a great year for me. I'd also like to thank all my readers as my blog as over 5000 views! Yes, I had some bad patches but I am done focusing on the bad because life's to short. I can honestly say I love my job and the nations capital, but I'm not settling. I am always challenging myself at work and asking a MILLION questions. I want to know all the options and the different career paths I can take. Which is what I encourage everyone to do ask questions, that was the first lesson I learned this year. 

This past week I found myself getting into one of my Mary funks. During Mary funks I see myself focusing on the negative not the positive and I let others people's emotions effect my own. I care a lot about people and only like to see them happy. Which is the main reason I pride myself on being able to get the most serious people to chuckle. 

BUT, you can't let other people effect your life or expect people to react to situations the way you do. That my friends is Lesson 2 that I am still learning. I guess what I am trying to say is that in 2015, I want to work on focusing on Mary G. Although people think that when you have a job, you have your life together they are mistakingly wrong. I don't think anyones life is fully "together" because you should always be working on bettering something.   I told my boss in a recent meeting that I have always been my worst critic. For years coaches, teachers and friends have told me to work on that and not be so hard on myself. But my boss said to me "Mary don't ever lose that, that trait will only help you succeed"

After that meeting a light bulb went off in my head. John was right why do I have to change any part of my personality or character. That's what made me me, even if I am strange or awkward at  times.

to 2015, another year to be proud of because shouldn't we be proud of them all. WE only get so  many years lets not harp on the bad ones.

To creating yourself, not finding yourself, because that's what life is about!

Anybody with me?

" There's no place I'd Rather Be...."

Although most of the time I believe MTV should make a show about my life "True Life: My Life is Awkward". I wouldn't trade it for the world. As Thanksgiving is almost here and the Christmas tunes are starting to play in my head I am getting ready for mom's tradition.

Every year for Thanksgiving the Adams' family sits around our dining room table in our designated seats and we are asked one question; "What are you Thankful for this year?"

I could honestly give my mom a SAT essay as an answer. But I will sum it up nicely at the table and leave the blurb of an answer here. 2014 has been one of the best years of my life. I achieved many goals, was able to set many new ones.

1) I am thankful not only for my job but the people I have met. Not only do I have my work family (Alex and Ian a.ka. Dad),but I have met people within the company that have given me opportunities to be apart of awesome experiences. I am very thankful for Johanna Hsu, because of her I have been able to meet so many wonderful people in Clark and have enjoyed so many opportunities.

2) I am thankful for the home Washington DC has given me. I was scared to  move to a city after being a small town girl my whole life #don'tstopbelieving. But moving to DC was one of the easiest adjustments. I truly love all the different experiences and the fact that I can be in Maryland, then DC, then VA all in the same day.

3) I am thankful for FaceTime. FaceTime has made the distance between my family so much easier. Although we are 7.5 hour car ride away, it is so nice to see my siblings faces when I need a good laugh. Or when Luke makes a joke and we try to "bro-pound" through the camera.

4) Last but not least I am thankful to still keep in touch with my college friends, but mostly Karen who talks to me at least everyday. And new friends, like Menisha who makes the hardest days at work that much easier with our g-chats!

I have a lot to be thankful for and wonderful people in my life.

I hope for the rest of 2014 to be just as great!

But for now I am counting down the hours till I get to see my family not through a camera, and when we can start blasting Mariah Carey's Christmas song in our house.

Cherish what you are thankful for!
Anybody with me?

"But I keep cruising, can't stop won't stop moving .."

Now that you all have taylor swift's shake it off song stuck in your head. You're welcome. 

As some of you may know I went to the dirty dam this weekend to visit school. I know, I know I didn't want to be one of those alumni who can't let go of college, but sometimes you just need the cold rainy air of Potsdam. Especially when DC was 70 degrees.

There is something about Potsdam that really brings a smile to my face. But it was also bitter sweet. It was great because I learned something. When you leave college you are scared that it will change because you aren't there anymore. But visiting feels as if I haven't left, running into people at Maxfields, getting a big beer at ebens. Potsdam will always be  well.. Potsdam. Now not only do I have Canajoharie as a comfort zone but now Potsdam too. A place that I can escape to if I want some "consistency" in my life. But it was also bad because it made me realize how I miss all my friends, just being in Riverside made me want to run to El Cinco and check the ceiling for the patches where the holes used to be. Or call up Karen and Kyle to go to Kinneys to get a 30 of America's Finest: PBR.

Bittersweet because I miss those memories, but hell they were good ones. And they will always be good stories to tell and laugh about. 

But it was great to catch up with other recent grads and find out how their lives are working out for them. After telling people about my company and life in DC , I realized I am really happy. I am content with what I am doing, the people I am meeting, and the opportunities I have.

I guess what I want you to take away from this post is, cherish friendships and memories you make. No this isn't a line from a fortune cookie. But just because you graduate, you aren't forgotten. Well maybe its because I have a really loud voice and that's why people can't forget me. I love when people ask me "Oh do you and Karen talk? or not really?." ..Um we talk almost if not everyday. 

Graduating college isn't the end, It's the beginning!

Oh and enjoy cheap bars while you can,

Anybody with me?

"I believe in the YES, the YES can do anything.."

Yes I just quoted the yes dance youtube video that I watched in high school but it is so fitting. As most of you know I moved to DC about 7 weeks ago, wow that went by fast. And in order to meet people and expose myself to the city I began the YES iniative. 

Let me explain...

The YES iniative is so unlike me. Usually through out school if I was invited to go to something and I didn't know almost all the people going, I would be timid to go. Or I wouldn't go at all. The YES iniative means I have to say YES to anything I get invited to do or if an opportunity presents itself then I must say YES. 

Is this iniative stupid? YES it is. Has it allowed me to meet some awesome people and some great stories? YES indeed it has. 

Sometimes you have to push yourself past your comfort zone in order to excel. And let me tell you something there has been plenty of times when I felt uncomfortable but I worked through it and made firends. Perfect example is this past weekend I was invited to a dinner party where I knew the birthday girl and my roommate, all the other 15 people .. no clue. After the night it was like they were college friends it was a fun night full of laughs and jokes. 

As work goes I have tried to sink as many jokes as possible, stick out and I have learned a lot in the 6 weeks I have been there. It is amazing how fast the world of engineering goes, project after project, phone calls after phone calls. Everyday is a different experience and a new learning experience. 

I also have to make plenty of phone calls to subcontractors, and I hate calling people on the phone. So this has been quite the adjustment. I always refer to calling subs as me drowning because I get a bit of social anxiety on the phone. I am more of a person to person kinda gal. But I am working through my weeknesses to make them strengths .. even if it does sound like BLUB BLUB BLUB .. Hey this is Mary at Clark BLUB BLUB BLUB

Do me a favor friends, say YES to something you wouldn't usually do and see how it goes. Either way you have a story to tell and I love telling stories.

Let's say YES,

Anybody with me?

"It feels like one of those nights, We won't be sleeping."

In the spirit of turning 22 a couple weeks ago, I decided to give Taylor Swift the honor of using her lyrics this month. So T-Swift, You're welcome. 

Well folks, since January 9th I knew that I would be moving to Washington D.C. and tomorrow is the day. The U-Haul is packed, the directions are freshly printed (we believe in the old fashioned way of traveling). But don't tell mom, I am using the GPS also, she is awful with directions. I think we finally mastered our way to Clarkson, it only took us 4 years. 

After packing up my room today, reality hit. Nerves are high but only because of the unexpected. I truly believe it is my time to leave Canjo. Most of my other college friends have started their journey to Boston, NH, NYC and Albany. And like always I am the youngest out of my friends, and the last to do everything. 

My best friend Karen, gave me a book for my birthday. Usually I hate reading but Karen has this ability to find me books that I can actually read and fall in love with. This book is about the WTF's of your 20's. Who am I? What do I want to do with my life? How do I know what I want to do with my life, I'm only 20-something! But the book puts me at ease with stories of other 20-somethings that have the same issues. It is nice to know that most 20-somethings are in the same boat I am in. I mean I don't feel lost, I just feel as if I have a lot to learn about life, which is a good feeling. (link to book http://www.amazon.com/20-Something-Manifesto-Quarter-Lifers-Speak/dp/1577315952)

After talking to James, I realized I have a lot to learn about finances, banking and credit. But it is nice to know I have someone to talk to and to give me advice. Especially because I know he won't scam me into buying things I don't need like a new BMW. (I'm just busting him because of his new car. I personally don't want a car for awhile. BUT I am so happy and proud that my friends are doing well for themselves)

So I think it is time for me to start my new story all about how this small town girl put on her big girl city pants. I am excited to tell you the new ups and downs (because life isn't perfect) about my new life. 

Same old girl just a different world.

Leggo Real World,

Anybody with me?