While the month of July was packed with travel, the month of August was packed with opportunity. Mostly job opportunities and self-care advances. This month seemed endless! Looking back, I’m pleasantly surprised to realize I had fit so much into just one month! Although I’m not so pleasantly surprised to realize I had barely left my own county. Read on to find out what my biggest disappointment of the month was, and how I was able to turn the situation around for the better!
Destinations Visited
Sacramento, CA — 31 nights
Placerville, CA — 2 days
Davis, CA — 1 day
The Highs
At the beginning of the month, my roommate and I signed up for a free 7-day gym trial, and took all kinds of classes there. From Yoga to Pilates to Cycling. It was really nice to be able to get out of the house and try something new!
This month, I made my first official booking for a client as a travel agent! And it was a pretty pricey trip! As a new travel agent, I had previously spent hours booking other clients flights and a hotel here and there before discovering that we don’t really earn commission from flights and I hadn’t been signed up for the hotel suppliers I used yet. This meant I wasn’t actually earning any money for my work! I was SO stoked to have made my first legit booking that I went ahead and bought the group chocolate covered strawberries to be ready for their arrival on their trip!
I was approved to be a dog sitter and dog walker with Rover! I suddenly needed to be looking for another job or a way to make extra money (see my Lows section), and I came across Rover — a website and app where you can either sign up as a sitter/walker or search for sitters/walkers for your own dog. I was able to set my own rates, services, and availability and I successfully dog-sat 2 pups this month! If you’re interested in also becoming a dog sitter or dog walker, sign up here! If you think you’d ever need to search for a dog sitter or dog walker for future trips of yours, sign up here and use my code AWALKWITHJOY20 to get $20 off your pup’s first stay somewhere!
The Lows
My last 2 weeks of teaching Zoo camp classes were at the beginning of this month. And while I was glad not to have to plan any more lessons, it meant I was ending a job.
My biggest disappointment this month was finding out I had suddenly lost my 3 week cruise contract to Alaska. I had been asked to cover these 3 weeks and I had agreed, but hadn’t seen any further information come through. Figuring this was because I wouldn’t need any flight or hotel details since I’d be meeting the ship in San Fran instead of Seattle for this contract, I didn’t think anything of it. Until I inquired about the timing of joining the ship — and that’s when I discovered I wasn’t even scheduled for this contract anymore because there “wasn’t a need for seasonals.” Cue the confusion, slight anger, and tears. I had been counting on not only the money this contract would bring, but the opportunity to finish filming more of Alaska for the video I’d been planning. Lesson learned. Communication is key — on both ends.
This month brought the National Park Service’s 100th year anniversary celebration! All US National Parks had free entry and, being a seasonal wildlife biologist and girlfriend to a park ranger, my roomie and I had spontaneously planned a last-minute trip to Yosemite to celebrate — which unfortunately had to be cancelled the night before we were supposed to leave. Maybe next time, Yosemite!
Memorable Food
While meeting a friend for beer and cider at the University of Beer in Davis, my roomie and I were directed to Taqueria El Burrito where we had the best tacos ever! Though their level of deliciousness might have been skewed as I hadn’t really eaten much that day and I was kinda feeling my 1 cider (That’s what happens when you don’t drink to get drunk. Lightweight alert!). I also satisfied a bubble tea craving at Tea For U in Sacramento and I’ll definitely be back to indulge in different flavors!
Most Popular Instagram Shot
To raise awareness on World Elephant Day of the often horrible conditions elephants are kept in, I posted this image of my visit to Bali. To learn more about their mistreatment and conservation, view the image here and read the caption. Let me know what you think!
Goals Accomplished
One of my New Years Resolutions was to learn new recipes and practice cooking. Check!
I reached over 800 followers on Instagram this month! Still not much at all in comparison, but growth is growth! This means that my boyfriend owes me a dinner out once he’s home at the end of September.
Between Rover and a few other side gigs, I found plenty to keep me busy while earning small increments of money. It all adds up in the end!
Goals For Next Month
Looking back on the crazy busyness of August, I’m shocked to see that I barely made it out of the county! I know travel plans fell through a lot, but I’d still like to add at least one new destination visited next month.
Moving around a lot, traveling, and going back and forth with cruise contracts makes it incredibly hard to make friends. One personal goal of mine for September is to start going out even more and meeting new people when I do so. Even better if some (or even just one!) of these people become legitimate and lasting friendships.
Continue to practice editing and adding YouTube content! Seriously, the lack of my attention to this channel is just sad!
Host a giveaway! And hopefully in doing so, my blog and social media engagement and followers increases! (Hashtag newbie blogger problems?)
It’s almost Fall! My favorite season! I would love to go on a hike or outdoor adventure and go hammock-camping overnight somewhere — and then blog about it of course!
Coming Up…
With the unexpected cruise contract blunder this month, September is now looking a little too open and empty. Dog sitting with Rover has been going well, so I’m hoping to stay busy with that and continue making money by playing with dogs. I’m also trying to figure out the logistics of either seeing East Coast friends visiting LA or surprising my boyfriend in Washington for his THIRTIETH birthday! However, both of these trips require better finances, so we’ll see how that goes! Anyone else on the financial struggle bus?! Let’s all kick Sallie Mae in the booty, ya feel me?
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