how i came to live in wisconsin...a fairytale of sorts :)

I’m standing in my boyfriend’s one bedroom apartment which straddles the Madison Middleton line of everyone’s favorite Midwestern state…Wisconsin. A week ago this place was, as he said it “four walls and a place to sleep.” Somehow, and rather quickly I might add, it’s become our home. We have art on the walls, food in the fridge…and of course a ridiculously crowded closet J

Eight days ago I got into my overflowing 2007 Toyota Prius, and nineteen hours later I was at his door. And I puked in the parking lot. How romantic, huh? A girl who’s lived on every continent except for Antarctica and I’m nervous about America’s Dairyland….geez Louise. The truth is…this move was not like all of my other haphazard plans and schemes. I’m here because I felt something I didn’t think existed.

When I was a little girl I never thought of weddings and babies. My happily ever after was a little different. I craved adventure, excitement, a life of strangers and one way plan tickets that would make Carmen Sandiego look like a stay at home mom.  And for a few years, I did just that. During college I had amazing opportunities to study in Europe and South America. I spent the summer after college living the island life on St Simons, and after that I decided to spend a few years in the cultural melting pot of Orlando, Florida working at the happiest place on earth. When that got a little dull I applied for a visa to Australia and bought a one way ticket.

So how did I end up in Wisconsin from all that? Rewind to summer of 2009 (or was it 08?), Scottsdale, Arizona.  I represented GCSU at the PRSSA conference. I was meeting and greeting with about 297 females…and six males. Clearly I ended up at the boys table, because I had a conversation with one of them at the pool early that day. And by a conversation I clearly mean a drink.

Our technical “first date” was at a place called Bada Boom Pasta Room. As we were walking in the doorman said “can I see your ID?” and I said “NO.” I can’t believe 20 year old me didn’t get questioned.  Noah now tells me I said it with such conviction that even he didn’t think to ask how old I was. After the pasta room came margaritas at Salty Senorita and then the opening of a club called Cream. And there was our ridiculous first kiss story…sorry guys not giving up all the details J  It was a weekend of working hard and playing hard…and it was seldom I met people so great at both.

Later that summer, my new friend Noah invited me to his friend’s wedding in Wisconsin. He said the wedding was on a Saturday so I arranged to fly on Friday…the actual day of the wedding as I later found out. Just before scheduled departure, they announced that Milwaukee was flooded and my flight was cancelled. So there I am waiting in line to change my flight for a weekend in L.A., when an older Spanish lady is frantically trying to be reunited with her family. Trouble is none of the airline employees can understand a word she’s saying.  After they repeatedly asked anyone and everyone in line to translate, I stepped forward and used my terrible Spanish to somewhat resolve the situation. When my turn in line came around, lo and behold it was the same non-Spanish speaking Delta employee I had assisted in her crisis ten minutes prior. …so clearly I flew first class on the first flight into Milwaukee that afternoon J

The adventure continued…a stranger came to get me from the airport as Noah was actually IN the wedding…that was happening at that very moment….so I was fashionably late to the reception but still managed to be part of the maid of honor and best man’s speeches J We enjoyed the zoo, caught a Brewers game, saw a few shows at Summerfest, and went to some sort of street festival with lots of cheese.  Go figure. Next summer, different wedding, same story.  Once he came down to Florida to visit his grandmother for her birthday and we went to Disney and saw the Magic beat the Lakers back when Dwight and Kobe were on different teams. Wherever we were, good times were sure to follow.

In Australia, I got a package on the opening day of Brewers season. A Brewers tee and a note saying see you next season. So clearly that’s why I’m here. Dude owes me a baseball game. Okay, that’s a lie. I’m here because he’s all I think about. After Australia he and I toured Georgia and Florida and had an amazing time in Orlando, Palm Beach, St Simons, Savannah, and Atlanta. These places all have special meanings for me and I loved letting him see those parts of me. And I got acquainted with his family really fast as we all celebrated grandma’s 80^th birthday together down in Florida. He came to Atlanta for the NCAA Final Four and to California when I was working out there last month. For whatever reason, I feel at home with him…wherever we are.

So the past week we’ve made breakfast, gone to the gym, made tacos, played catch, gone to the movies (a first for us as a couple), cooked spaghetti, snuggled on the couch, went grocery shopping,  and done those couple things I always thought were boring. Turns out they’re not.

Are things different? Hell yes. He now has tampons in his bathroom and 37 pairs of women’s size 7.5 shoes in his closet. And different for me? In the corner of our living room sits an army green Mezlan shoe box that once contained a pair of men’s size 10.5 dress shoes made in Spain but now holds 47 miniature horse figurines all delicately wrapped in newspaper from 2001.  After I stumbled upon this beauty, I text his brother “why did I unpack?!”  haha. Truth is, we both have our random little trivia facts. He collected horses, I collect (yes, still, as in present tense) elephants. We’re weird. Whatever. We’re weird together. For the first time, for me at least, I am who I am, not who I think I should be. It’s liberating.

So here I am. With my love. In Wisconsin of all places.  And its crazy .But life’s crazy. I always said I would never change anything in my life for a guy. Some of you may distinctly remember me saying something along the lines of “never change who you are or what you do or where you live for a guy, because he’s only a temp.” Ouch. Eating my words right now. But really the truth is, I still stand by that. I didn’t change for just “a guy” being with THIS guy is the best thing that’s happened to me. I moved to be with my best friend.  And for now, life has never been sweeter <3 font="">

**disclaimer: this story is also available in a 2 minute or less rehearsed “elevator speech” as we both have been forced to tell it numerous times to numerous people who don’t really care for the facts just the hows and whys. Contact either of us in the event that reading the above is too daunting J cheers mates!

Back in the U.S.!

I had mixed feelings on coming back to the U.S. after an amazing year in Australia. I found myself asking for rubbish bins instead of trash cans, telling people things like "no worries mate" or "good on ya," and keeping an eye out for kangaroos instead of deer while driving at dusk. Thank goodness I brought some Vegemite back for brekky to make my transition a little easier :) 

Downunder, I worked in hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs and did a lot of traveling. I lived in a van for three weeks traveling up the east coast, snorkeling the great barrier reef, visiting the world's oldest rain forest, and getting to know some amazing people. I saw a lot of Australia, and even went to Bali for some time before my visa ended (please see my Facebook for these awesome pics). I was afraid that when I came home nothing would compare to the experiences I had lived for that year, but thankfully I have a great group of friends and family who have shown me an amazing time since the moment I got back.

I was so thankful to spend Christmas with my family back in Onionville USA aka Vidalia, Ga. I visited some old friends (and former co-workers) at the happiest place on earth, stayed at an amazing hotel in historic downtown Savannah, spent some time back on St. Simons Island, saw some great concerts in Atlanta (P!ink and Big Gigantic), and got a behind the scenes tour of the Georgia Aquarium! I even did some work with a few former and new employers in Georgia. I  had the opportunity to do some writing again. I can't believe it had been nearly 3 years since my last article!! I got to interview two Southeastern Technical  College students for their website. I wrote articles about A father of two who was inspired to go back to school and a first assistant in the operating room. I loved being back with family and friends, and I must admit it felt so good to dust off the ol' recorder and AP Stylebook. Last week I visited Virginia Beach and then road tripped to West Virginia where I got to see snow and go to a Pittsburgh Penguins game, and now the adventure continues..

So where in the world is Beth Benton now?? Im currently in Huntington Beach, California soaking up the sun and doing a bit of work here and there. I work with Eat Well Play Well, a new company dedicated to providing nutritional meal options to busy families. This week we made turkey meatloaf with basil pesto, skinny mac n cheese with broccoli, Moroccan spiced carrots, chipotle corn and potato chowder, and black bean soup with a hint of jalapeno. This weekend I'll be working at a children and baby photography studio in Santa Monica, and next week I have plans for a trip to Vegas!

Guys, I thought when I came back to the U.S. I'd be sucked into a nine to five and wake up ten years later and wonder what happened. Thank goodness I could not have been more wrong. The thing is, life is what you make it. I have learned through all my travels (now every continent except for Antartica) that you can find adventure anywhere. If you do have that office job treat yourself to a weekend trip, go to a park, try a new recipe. Regardless of where you are, there are opportunities to try new things.

 I loved sitting on the beach in Port Douglas, Australia but I must say I haven't hated the view from Palm Beach, Florida or Huntington Beach, California. 

The truth is, happiness in something that's in us, not in where we are or even who we are with. This being said, don't expect my adventures to stop, just know that I'm happy where I am. There's nothing like the feeling of coming back through customs and hearing "Welcome home Miss Benton."

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." - George Moore

Living life like we should

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” -St. Augustine


So for those of you who don't know, for the past 5 months I've been on a little adventure....and by little I mean I packed up and moved to the other side of the world. Twenty seven hours of travel, $1,600 and two suitcases with the destination Brisbane Australia. I lived three weeks in Brisbane and then went for a visit of Surfers Paradise (the name says it all). I went back to Brisbane, packed my bags, and moved into a little apartment a block away from the ocean in Surfers. I worked at QT, a luxury designer hotel as a hostess, server and barista in their restaurant outlets, and saved up some money to go on what has been my most amazing trip to date: Ten days on the road seeing the most amazing sites in Australia. I fed a tiger at Dreamworld, got kissed by a seal at Underwater world, swam in Lake Mackenzie and floated down Eli Creek on Fraser Island, visited the largest waterfall in Australia, and snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. The people are so friendly and laid back, and the sights are absolutely breathtaking. I still cant believe that I actually live here.

So what about getting a big girl job and moving back to the states and settling down and getting a mini van with some carseats??? Ehhh, I'll save it for my thirties :) Time is love. Gotta run.

catching up on life

Life has been a whirlwind lately!! Since I last wrote I have changed apartments, changed jobs, and embarked on many new journeys. Things are going great. I spent a few days in Daytona last week, sat three rows from the court at the Orlando Magic basketball game last night, and the week before that I went skydiving. Oh yea, and in two weeks I am headed back to California for a long weekend.

My new job is with Guest Relations at Walt Disney World. I get to meet people from all over the world and do all sorts of things from selling tickets, to planning their vacation, to my favorite (and most challenging) guest recovery. I hear amazing stories and see smiling faces all day. And if people are not having such a magical day, its my job to make it that way. I love the people I work with, and still I love being in Florida. There is always so much to do in Orlando, especially for a gal from a small town in south Georgia.

so whats next for me?

No really, I'm asking. The saying the world is my oyster could not be more fitting for my current situation. I love my job now but I just don't know that I am ready to settle into a "career", so as of now I will finish my current job on June 17. Part of me wants to go back to school, get a master's and maybe even become a professor one day. Another part of me wants to pack a backpack, get on a plane, and see where I end up. I want a job that allows me to travel. I want a job with a company that encourages people to think outside the box and doesn't feel like the traditional 9 to 5 you always hear people talk about. Whatever it is I end up doing, I intend to get the most I can out of it, and give back all the knowledge and success I can, and then some. I want to do something great with my life, and maybe that starts today, or maybe when I am 72. But for now, I am just soaking up every experience I can, living in the moment, and loving not knowing what comes next.

Life since graduation

Hello again blogging world, its been a while. My life has been nonstop since graduation, but I have had an amazing time. This summer I interned at Sea Island, a 5 star resort off the coast of Georgia. I was a Senior Staff member in charge of coordinating family and children's events. We had a camp program during the day, children's dinners at night, pirate parties, princess tea parties, and many other special events. I loved getting to play with kids, and living at the beach wasn't too bad either. I left Sea Island in August, took a short vacation in California, and then embarked on my next journey.

I moved to Orlando, Florida on September 6, 2010 and it was probably one of the best life decisions I have made. I work at Disney World!! I work in EPCOT at Innoventions, "where invention and innovation intersect on the road to tomorrow." When Walt Disney bought land in Florida for his next big project, he did so because he wanted lots of land to build a future world...Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. EPCOT houses the world showcase, but it also has some amazing things sponsored by companies that use technology to better our world. EPCOT is continuously evolving, and best of all, it contains the coolest examples of PR I have even seen.

In Innoventions, companies can show off their products and services in a way that gets people excited. Raytheon sponsors Sum of All Thrills, where guests can design their own bobsled, roller coaster, or jet ride and then test it on a simulator. Their goal is to get kids to realize that you can do really cool stuff with math and physics. Our world needs new creative engineers, and this venue does an awesome job of getting kids excited about technology. In Test The Limits Lab sponsored by Underwriters Laboratory, kids learn how the company tests products to make sure they are safe for homes. They can release a weight equivalent to a 22 mph baseball on a TV screen to see if it shatters or drop a steel drum on a fireman's hat to test its durability. IBM sponsors RunTime where guests run, jump, and dance on camera and are then put into their own video game. The most out of the box example of PR I have ever seen is the venue sponsored by Velcro. Slapstick Studios houses a comedy game show where guests do some wacky things with Velcro hook and loop fasteners. Kids stick blocks together to see who can build the tallest tower, couples attach Velcro covered bags to each other to pack for vacation, and (most entertaining) dads use Velcro to put diapers on baby dolls and attach them to their purple aprons. :) After the show, guests can decorate their own Velcro frog with princess crowns and dresses, pirate hats and clothes, or even mickey ears.

Before working here, I knew nothing about any of these companies, and now I have such a respect for them. Did you know that Underwriters Laboratories began when one man was concerned with fire safety at the Worlds Fair in 1893? William Henry Merrill then went on to develop a company that tested the first TVs and PCs as well as many other home appliances. The multinational company has its UL safety symbol on over 17 billion appliances worldwide and serves not for profit. Their main goal is to "Know by Test and State the Facts." IBM got its start with punch machines used in the census and is now at the cutting edge of computer technology. The Velcro company got its start from Georgle de Mestral in 1955 after he noticed cockleburs sticking to his dog's fur. He made hook and loop fasteners that are now used on NASA suits and even tanks for the armed forces (and lets not forget those awesome shoes for those of us who can't quite loop swoop and pull yet).

As someone with a degree in PR, I know how hard it can be to get a product or company out into the public, and then how much harder it can be to actually have the audience take an interest in it. I applaud these companies (and several others I didn't mention) for coming into Innoventions with a goal of getting kids and families excited about what they have to offer. It's far from traditional PR, and I think thats exactly what it takes to succeed in today's world.

Things I've Learned

As I get ready to graduate (only a week from today!) I can't help but look back on the lessons I have learned during my time in college both in and out of the classroom. Part of me is so ready to hit the ground running and take the real world by storm, yet there is some part of me that wonders what will happen out in the grown up world. It's interesting; one of my new favorite artists, Jess Chalker, has a song that says "the lessons you will learn aren't from pages you can turn." Looking back, I realize just how much truth there is in that statement. Miss Chalker also has another song that says "I'm not scared of change but I'm terrified of staying in exactly the same place." This too really fits with my life right now. I am so excited to move to St. Simons this summer and meet new people while interning at Sea Island, and I know that I will have a blast at the Disney College Program in the fall. I hate when things are predictable, the usual Monday/Wednesday class, the same small town scene; I'm ready to break free, but at the same time I know I'll miss these crazy college days. Anyway, enough of the trip down memory lane. Here's what I found out along the way (some are career related--some are just life lessons):

1. PR professionals don't need sleep, just caffeine and a smile :)
2. No matter how old you get, you still have times when you need your mom. And if you end up in the hospital having an emergency appendectomy, nothing makes you feel as good as seeing her come through those ER doors at 3 a.m.
3. When bad things happen and cupcakes run out, you see people's true colors. Some can handle crisis; some can't. (note: try to figure out who these people are BEFORE the crisis)
4. Adding to #3, things will always work how they are meant to work out, and sometimes the most unlikely people come to the rescue. Just plan ahead and be cool under pressure.
5. Never take the one person who thinks outside the box for granted. They are most likely your most valuable team member. Also, befriend the person who has the huge purse full of any random thing you might need.
6. Sometimes an idea you thought was brilliant gets nipped in the bud...and that's okay. Maybe it wasn't so great after all.
7. Carry a shout wipe.
8. "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" :) keep your priorities in order. focus on the receiver not the message.
9. Never underestimate the power of networking. the guy behind you in line at the airport may offer you your next job.
10. A few randoms to end on: Try everything. Life is too short to have regrets; we just consider them lessons learned. Love is one of the most complex yet utterly amazing emotions an individual can feel, and even people who don't believe in it can stumble upon it sometimes. No matter what happens with friends work or family, NEVER LOSE YOURSELF.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is ideally a means for businesses to make corporate decisions with the public interest in mind. CSR campaigns allow companies to maintain ethical standards by accepting responsibility for their actions and their impact on communities, employees, and the environment. The Coca-Cola Company uses the Live Positively campaign as a way to make a positive difference. According to their website, Live Positively is a “commitment to make a positive difference in the world by redesigning the way we work and live so sustainability is part of everything we do” (www.thecoca-colacompany.com).

As part of their social responsibility efforts, Coca-Cola sponsors programs and charities to help communities around the world with things like education, climate protection, and recycling. Operations Grass Roots is a project where each bottling facility is required to get involved with their local civic organizations, business leaders and politicians. Programs working specifically with education include My Coke Rewards which helps purchase playground equipment and art supplies for schools and Teach for America which recruits teachers for low-income schools. Each year the company also provides more than 1,400 college students with scholarships to two and four year universities.

In terms of climate protection, the company says their goal is to “to grow the business, not the carbon in our manufacturing operations” (www.thecoca-colacompany.com). They strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving the efficiency of coolers and vending machines and improve productivity in bottling plants to reduce manufacturing emissions. They also use fuel-efficient transportation for delivery. By the end of 2009, more than 300 diesel-electric hybrids trucks had been created. Currently, Coca-Cola has over 200,000 vehicles used to deliver their products around the world, and they are working to optimize delivery routes and create lightweight packing to cut down on pollution. The company estimates a 40 to 50 percent improvement in energy efficiency by the end of 2010 and a five percent reduction in carbon emissions in developed countries by 2015 (livepositively.com).

In terms of recycling, the company offers things like RecycleBank, where participants earn redeemable RecycleBank Points for rewards from Coca-Cola and hundreds of other participating businesses based on the weight of their recyclables. The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program donates recycling bins to kick-start recycling programs for local organizations. The company is also working with Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Japan to establish community organizations that promote recycling and litter reduction.

Since 1.3 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and an estimated one-third of the population is expected to face water shortages by 2025, Coca-Cola is committed to protect and preserve water resources (Laitinen). The company plans to preserve resources by using water more efficiently and ensuring that every gallon of water used will make a gallon of product. Their goal is to improve water efficiency by 20 percent by 2012 (www.thecoca-colacompany.com). The company has begun 120 community water projects in over 50 countries “working on a wide range of local initiatives, such as watershed protection, expanding community drinking water access, rain water harvesting, reforestation and agricultural water use efficiency” (livepositively.com).

Coca-Cola got its start in the late 1800’s as a patent medicine and has evolved into one of the world’s most popular and well known beverages; it is sold in over 200 countries. Their marketing and PR tactics have created a brand known worldwide, and the company is constantly recognized for its achievements and initiatives. In March of this year, the company was named one of Fortune’s most admired companies. In February, the company joined world efforts to help Haiti in the aftermath of natural disaster, just after making Newsweek’s “Green Rankings.” There is no doubt that this organization has in many ways made positive strides toward a better tomorrow for our world, but like many other corporations, there have also been harmful occurrences, though positive CSR publicity often keep them out of the spotlight.

The idea of CSR is to inspire community involvement and improvement, yet some people view CSR and even corporations as a whole in a negative light. Milton Friedman and others have argued that a corporation's purpose is to maximize returns to its shareholders not society as a whole, and that only people, not organizations can have social responsibilities (Friedman). Even though Coke seems to have numerous efforts towards making the world a better place, several flaws in their CSR programs have occurred. In response to eight employees of Coke bottlers in Colombia being killed in 2006 and others threatened and jailed on terrorism charges, Ray Rogers at Rutgers University launched Killercoke.com and urged universities nationwide to stop selling the product on their campuses. He claimed "The reality is that the world of Coca-Cola is a world of lies, deceptions, corruption, gross human rights and environmental abuses," while a coke spokesperson claimed he "has no facts to support his claims" (Businessweek.com). In March of 2010, Coca-Cola’s Indian subsidiary was fined $47 million for damage to the water and soil in a southern Indian village which occurred when the company discharged a sludge that contained toxic chemicals like cadmium and lead (nytimes.com).

The important thing that we as consumers and public relations professionals need to realize is that we must dig deeper into what’s really going on in a company and not just trust the positive information displayed on the company website. Coca-Cola operates in more than 200 countries, so it is essential to look not only at the positive things it does within our specific community, but also find out about negative aspects elsewhere and make sure our society knows about them in order to make educated purchasing decisions. The company prides itself on helping to “create sustainable communities by finding solutions to local needs, building capabilities and improving quality of life through programs, partners and people;” which is certainly an admirable goal, but it is society’s job to hold them accountable (www.thecoca-colacompany.com).