July 2010

Ah, summer. The days feel longer, the sun is shining, the kids are out of school and the beach/mountains/your favorite vacation spot are beckoning. But what about your responsibilities at the office? No worries! We here at the Out of Office blog have some tips to help conquer the frenzy that always arises in the days leading up to that glorious summer vacation! ...read more

Not too long ago, I finished my first marathon. It was quite an effort but it was rewarding. Now, I am wondering what to do next – another marathon, an Olympic triathlon or something completely different? No matter what, I will keep running. And if you are thinking a marathon is too daunting, a fun way to compete is the marathon relay.

In a marathon relay, you and three to four of your friends each take part of the marathon and only run a section of it. I did one last December with my sister and three of my friends and it was great. Runningrelays.com is great website that even has Random Team Name Generator that helped us figure out our own team name – the Questionable Motley Crew. It also has lots of tips and tricks for running relays of all lengths. If I can find a team, I’ve even been considering running the “Capital 2 Coast” relay that goes from Austin to Corpus Christi, Texas.  ...read more

As a graduate student in art school, I was surrounded by talented graphic artists. While I was studying advertising and not design, I have always had an interest in art. Even though my skills are limited, I still like to think of myself as a creative individual. Lately I have been trying to use my artistic side to reinvent the artwork on my walls at home. We recently reorganized our furniture and I was thinking of a way to spruce up the walls, rather than continuing to look at the few random things I have accumulated at garage sales in years past. ...read more

As the final installment in this summer’s family reunion series, I want to showcase another one of my reunion must-haves: banners.

With relatives flooding in from all parts of the country, one of the biggest challenges is to get the whole clan to the event site. By posting an oversized, “can’t miss” visual at your meeting spot, family members will know immediately that they’re in the right place. And trust me…a bunch of balloons just won’t do – especially if the event is at a crowded park. Plus, if you change locations over the course of your reunion, banners are easily moved and reused – and everyone will already know what to look for. ...read more