Celebrating Two Years

It's hard to believe I've been at this blogging thing for two years now. So many things have changed since then. I can remember the only way of finding new people to connect with was searching through people's blogrolls. Now we have twitter. And the content I write about has had a dramatic change from my very first post about The Darjeeling Limited. These days it's geared more toward design.

The Giveaway

Last year for my one-year blogiversary I gave away a 3-pack of Field Note Notebooks. It was a huge success. So this year I am happy to be giving away a Flip Mino HD (courtesy of the awesome guys at Firehost) with two available custom skins designed by yours truly, that one lucky winner will get to choose from.

I thought that since I've recently gotten in to video blogging (excuse my absence) this would be the perfect gift to give. And who knows, maybe it will help you break in to the video blogging scene.

Here's a preview of the two custom skins:

The Details

Enter to win a Flip Mino HD video recorder. Your chance to win will run from now to next Tuesday, October 20. The winner will be announced the day after the contest ends on here and will be sent a direct message via twitter with details on how to claim your new Flip Mino HD.

• Leave a comment saying why you deserve a custom skinned Flip Mino HD
• Follow @kylesteed and @firehost on Twitter
• tweet this message: Win a Flip Mino HD from @kylesteed and @firehost – celebrating two years http://tr.im/BELV RT to participate!

Good luck! And as always, thanks to those of you who have supported me over these past two years.

one year blogiversary

In light of my upcoming one-year anniversary for my blog, October 13, I am offering up the chance to win the wonderful FIELD NOTES THREE-PACK for free to one lucky person. No shipping and handling, no call now and get two for the price of one gimmicks. Just a simple, straight-talkin' free gift to give back to this community that I've been a part of for the past year.

Why, you may ask, am I offering just three plain notebooks? That's a valid question. And to answer your question, upon verification from a google search about "one-year anniversaries" I found that the traditional gift has something to do with paper. Whether that be in the form of a notebook, a love letter, stationary, you get the idea. So I thought, perfect, since I'm a designer and most people who visit my site would be more apt to be a designer, or at least interested in design. This would be the perfect gift to keep your ideas close at hand in a stylish way.

The contest will run until next Friday, October 17. All you need to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment below with the best reason you can muster on why you'd like these notebooks. Note: spam and ad links do not count. Also, don’t forget to provide a valid email address in the input field, otherwise I won’t be able to notify you.

Thanks and good luck.

workiversary

Today I am celebrating the one-year anniversary at my job, aka my workiversary. Looking back on this past year I must admit I've reached a level of success that I didn't think possible. You see, when I left the military and my wife and I moved back home I had no clue as to what lie ahead. My only direction was the way that God was moving in my life. And when He said "yes" to me getting out of the military I didn't waste one second. Of course we had made preparations for our move back home, such as saving $10,000 and making plans to stay with friends until we found an apartment, but there was no job waiting for me. If there's one thing God has taught me though, it's that making preparation is just as important, if not more than, the actual manifestation of his promises.

So it was no surprise when the first job I took was working in the photo lab at Walgreens. That lasted mmm... less than a week, and with the famous last words "Thanks, but no thanks" coming from the manager, I gladly removed my vest and walked home. That was on a Friday, and I started at Half Price Books the following Monday. My month long stint at Half Price was enjoyable, I met some cool people and fulfilled one of my desires to always work at a bookstore. (FYI - it's just another job) But I knew something better still awaited me. And around the middle of September I got a call from a recruiter who knew of a company that was looking for a web designer. Let me back up and say that if it weren't for my friend and resume writing ninja, Sydney Smith, I would've never got that call. Thanks.

I think there are few times in life when you know, without a doubt, that The Lord has directed your steps and you are exactly where you need to be. My interview at WaveTwo was one of these moments. When talking casually with my future boss, John Arnott Sr., after my interview I came to find out that we did the exact same job in the military. Only his service preceded mine by a good thirty years. And that may not seem like much to the natural eye, but after I heard that something inside of me knew this was a perfect fit. Now a year later my knowledge of web design and development have far exceeded my expectations. Even having to work with Microsoft products has taught me to humble myself and my attitude towards those who aren't fortunate enough to know the joys of owning a mac.

So it's been a good great year for me. My only hope is that this next year is even better.

smashing magazine anniversary poster

At 9:33 AM I received an email from an unusual name, a Mr. Sven Lennartz, who just so happens to be one of the guys behind my favorite online design magazine, Smashing Magazine. Then I burst with excitement when I read:

congratulations, you won the exclusive Smashing Magazine 2nd Anniversary Poster, designed by James White.

Thanks again Smashing Magazine for randomly choosing me, and I will have to send you guys a picture when I get it framed and displayed proudly at home.