Happy Spring!

After a snowy and (seemingly) endless winter, spring has finally arrived in full force: the sun is out, flowers are blooming, and jackets are becoming a distant memory.  Nature’s happy perseverance is definitely something to celebrate.  So, in the spirit of spring, the GDM team has answered some questions about what we’re looking forward to most this season:

1. How will you spend time outdoors this spring?

Martha Enjoying a View of the Rockies

Riding my horse.  We’ve had so much snow this winter that he’s gotten fat…him not me.
-Alexandra Gibson, President/CEO

My husband and I love to take late spring motorcycle rides through the Colorado Rockies, experiencing the beautiful scenery coming to life after a long winter.
–Martha Kirkpatrick, Director, Member Services

I can’t wait to bike from Rosslyn to Old Town Alexandria with my friends. The Mt. Vernon Trail is right along the Potomac – a gorgeous ride to gorgeous Old Town!
-Amanda Butterworth, Director, Creative Services

Walking to the Charlottesville City Market on Saturday mornings for Shenandoah Joe’s iced coffee, running outside, and reading poolside.
-Lolly Rush, Senior Associate, Member Services

Doing homework in a bikini on my back porch to upset my crotchety neighbor and his 20 feral cats.
-Isabel Lampton, Intern

Grilling outside with friends on spring evenings, watching UVA lacrosse games at Klockner Stadium, and wishing I had a puppy to walk.
-Jessye Aibel, Social Media Intern

A View of D.C. from the Mt. Vernon Trail

2. What are your favorite warm weather treats?

Happy hour on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville.
-Alexandra

Hot fudge sundaes delivered by car-hop at the local Sonic burger joint; a cold, crisp Pinot Grigio on the deck at the Platte River Grille; grilled shrimp tacos on my back patio.
-Martha

A Pitcher of Homemade Sangria

Now that it’s warm out, I cannot wait to sit outside with my friends and a pitcher of sangria. Whether it is homemade or out at a happy hour, a glass of ice cold sangria always hits the spot.
-Amanda

Arch’s Frozen Yogurt is a must for warm weather and Slurpees from 7-11.
-Lolly

Curry and wine outside at Monsoon.
-Isabel

Chocolate milkshakes, homemade peanut butter banana smoothies, and margaritas from Continental Divide.
-Jessye

3. This spring, what song makes you want to drive with your windows down?

One of my favorite songs— The Killers “All These Things That I’ve Done.”
-Alexandra

“Beautiful Day” by U2.  Awaiting their June 12^th concert in Denver with breathless anticipation.
-Martha

An oldie but a goodie, I love blasting Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” when I’m driving with the windows down!
-Amanda

“Cruisin’ Together”—Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis.
-Lolly

Anything not by Justin Bieber.
-Isabel

Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits CD; it reminds me of cruising around with my dad during childhood summers!
-Jessye

4. What’s your favorite spring color to wear?

Turquoise on the Runways | Spring & Summer 2010

Turquoise- Pantone’s 2010 color of the year!  I look forward to sporting it with a better tan.
-Alexandra

Orange!  One of the happiest, most vibrant colors I know.
-Martha

Turquoise!
-Amanda

White pants (after Easter of course,) with my new favorite color charcoal gray.
-Lolly

White! But not while eating aforementioned curry…
-Isabel

Yellow! It’s sunny and cheerful, which is how I’m always feeling in the spring.
-Jessye

There’s no better time to catch up on some past due business reading than when you’re snowed in.  If you’re like me, you probably have several books in the rotation, plus a couple that are on your desk or nightstand that are in queue.  My most recent conquest:

Crush It: Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion (by Gary Vaynerchuk)

I recommend this book.  It’s short and conversational, much like reading a blog.  The content is a good mixture of anecdotes, detailed “how-to”s, and sage advice.  While the social media information is fairly basic, I still felt that it was a good reminder.  Most importantly, this book reinforced the importance of really doing what you love.  I feel fortunate that I do that already, and even more fortunate that now is a great time to actually make a living doing what I love.

The books currently in the rotation:

ProBlogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income (by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett)

While I am only 2 chapters in to this book, I already find it to be very informative.  In fact, I stopped after two chapters so that I could start working on some of their suggested exercises.  This book definitely falls under “How-To” manual.

The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers (by Keith McFarland)

I was fortunate enough to hear Keith speak last year at Inc. Magazine’s GrowCo conference.  This book is Good to Great for the smaller guys.  Keith and his team took solid metrics and found a handful of businesses that have not only survived but thrived by breaking through the entrepreneurial phase into the solid, established business phase.  This aspect makes The Breakthrough Company even more fascinating to me than Good to Great as it feels closer to home.

What business book did you just finish reading and what do you have in the rotation?

Leave a comment and we’ll send you a copy of Gary’s book, Crush It!