#9to5TotalSocial

Is it just me, or do you hear Dolly Parton's voice singing, "workin' nine to five," every time someone asks you about your 9 to 5 life? No? Just me? Okay, moooooving on.

Today I am linking up with Sarah for the #9to5TotalSocial to talk about one of my favorite things: the glam life of #WoodsBarbie.

If you're new around here, you might not know what I do for a living. I'm a writer and magazine editor, sometimes crappy photographer and social media poster. I work for a small trade magazine publishing firm that puts out seven different magazines in the forest products industry. What does that mean, exactly? 

That's me down in the center, but I bet you figured that out.

I'm responsible for contributing feature articles, photos and columns to all seven magazines. I also "shepherd" one of the magazines, which means I am responsible for culling the entire thing together every month. So I read every page about three million times over, write the editorial at the front, check the pictures and hassle the other writers and PR people to get their stuff in on time. Along with a few others, I contribute to each magazines' blog, Facebook and Twitter. I also run a Facebook and Twitter just for #thehardhatdiaries related adventures. Each month I also put out an e-newsletter relating to two of the magazines. Holy crap, written out like this, little #WoodsBarbie has quite the list of responsibilities. Did I mention I was the only girl in the department? And one of the few women in the industry? I am. 

 HOWEVER, thanks to this job, I get to travel. A lot. All over the world. It's actually sometimes awesome. Sometimes it isn’t, but sometimes, it really is. Setting my own schedule, traveling the backwoods of this country (and spreading my wings all the way to Finland) has given me a lot of opportunities that others can only dream of. While I might complain about my job, I am very fortunate to not have to sit in a cubicle all day, every day, 52 weeks a year. 

In the past three years I've been… 

All over the South and learned that we are in fact, living stereotypes sometimes.

This is a real place in Mississippi.

 To Michigan to discover that while you need a jacket no matter the time of year, it definitely does not suck up there.

I just couldn't get over the gorgeous blue sky!

Operated countless pieces of heavy machinery and power equipment, to further solidify the personal belief that I am in fact, a total badass.

There is also video, if you need more proof.

On the trip of a lifetime to Finland, where I realized sometimes a charmed life isn’t what you thought it might be, but that doesn’t make it any less charmed. I also realized I would like to move to Europe pretty much as soon as possible.

Literally on top of the world

My "9 to 5" isn't like most peoples, in fact on the road, it can sometimes be 6 to 3! I love what I do, even if it means doing something I never thought I would. Because what little aspiring writer from Atlanta dreams of being around this all the time?