Recently....

Just thought I would check in and let you all know how I've been lately with the new job and such!

Needless to say, working from 8 am to 5 or 6 pm has been pretty exhausting.  I've had to get up and leave by 7 am in the sometimes 5 degree weather and I usually don't get home until 7ish in the evening.

Downtown on a snowy morning

That's my only complaint though because I'm really starting to feel comfortable at the job and getting along well with my co-workers.  I'm definitely learning a lot every day and only hope to learn more so I can be as efficient as everyone else.

Getting up so early has turned me into an old lady though and I've been falling asleep by 10 o'clock pretty routinely.  I can't even make it through movies anymore, although we watched Life of Pi the other day (at a reasonable hour) and it was really good!  I read the book and really enjoyed it, and I have to say they did a great job with the film.  It was very emotional and captivating and very well done.

Today was my first full day off in a while since I've also been working at Urban on the weekends, and it was really enjoyable.  Guillermo and I went to MIT for a workshop he has been taking part in, and while he was there I killed time at the MIT book store and found a new book with a pretty cover.

I also walked around campus a bit; I never miss a chance to see some famous architecture.

Gehry's STATA Center

When he got out, we took the bus up to Harvard and walked around campus and the surrounding shopping area.  I found Anthropologie and pointed out a few things I've had my eye on for a while.  Maybe one day I will break down and buy them.  I absolutely love this vase and this candle; I think my love of candles is coming back from when I was in middle school and high school.  I've started collecting them here and there since my mom sent me one for Christmas, and Capri Blue candles seem to be everywhere lately.  I've only heard great things about them and I'm addicted to all things glass so I want one in every color!

It was a wonderful, relaxing day and now I'm curled up with tea and a movie.  Hope you all enjoyed your day as much as I did!

Weekly Update

I've decided that since I really don't have that much to talk about, I am going to switch back to writing less frequently.  I'm going to shoot for once a week, and I think with the new job taking up a lot of my time now this will work out a lot better for me.  Hope none of you mind.

This past week was a big one for me.  I worked two jobs, and found out I am going to be a bridesmaid in another wedding!  My friend Sonia from school has been engaged for a year, and she is starting to get down to business when it comes to planning now that they have a date ironed out.  I'm so very excited and so very honored she thought of me, and now I get to take part in the big day! She has already gotten her Pinterest on, and has set up boards for general ideas and bridesmaid dresses.  I thought that was pretty smart of her, considering all us 'maids live in different areas.  Plus it's fun to pin away everything I think would be great for them.

Aside from that wonderful news, last week was my first somewhat full week at my new job!  It was an exhausting week because I was working two jobs, semi-full time.  My first few days at Sleeping Dog were kinda hectic, considering I had a lot to learn, but now that my first week is over I can safely say I feel very comfortable there.  Everyone is young (although I still think I'm the youngest) and they are already giving me a hard time in a friendly-older-sibling kind of way.  Today has been my first day of a full-time week and we will see how I can take it.

I'll check back in in about a week!

Preparations

With Christmas just around the corner, Guillermo and I have decided to spend it with some of his new friends from school.  Three people will be coming over on Tuesday; a Chinese girl, Turkish guy, and Israeli guy.  We are going to have a very multi-cultural day, and I have to say that excites me a lot.  I love making friends with people from other countries and I love learning about their cultures and hearing their stories.  We may be lucky enough to taste food from some of those cultures, but I doubt it on Christmas day.  Guillermo and I are going to cover the ham and one side (the others are covering other sides and drinks), and I'm thinking twice-baked potatoes.  My mom always made them for Christmas and they are just so indulgent and delicious.

I'm still trying to come up with an idea for dessert, too.  Something tasty, but not too tricky. This is my first Christmas as a grown-up that I will be hosting and I want everyone to leave full of food and happiness. 

Happy Hump Day!

How was everyone's Wednesday?  Mine was wonderful because I had the day off.  I know I took off this whole past weekend, but because I was so busy the whole time it really didn't feel like a break from work.  Today I got to lounge, start a few projects I've had in mind, and meet up with some friends at a small church group.

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned I went to church with my friend RJ?  Well every Wednesday night they have a small group for 20-somethings.  I have wanted to go since I went to church, but always seemed to work on Wednesday nights and never seemed to have the opportunity......until now.  It was a nice gathering and I even recognized a few people I had met previously.  We sang Christmas carols, ate snacks, and read through a bit of Matthew.

All in all, it was a great day off and a wonderful way to spend my evening.  I hope you all can say the same about your day!  And don't worry-the weekend is almost here!

Thankful for Friday

Last night was a blast!

After work, I went to a local bar with two girls from Urban for a few drinks.  It felt so nice to get out with friends and build relationships with them both.  We had a great time chatting about the crazy customers we get at work, school, our boyfriends, and other usual girl talk.

Not to mention, the bar really reminded me of a bar in Brooklyn that my friends and I used to frequent.  Made me feel right at home.   : )

I can honestly say that I'm making some good friends here in Boston now, and for that I'm thankful.


Hope y'all have a great pre-Thanksgiving weekend!

Weekend Recap

Well guys,  I must say this weekend was pretty awesome.  The main reason?  I finally met up with my friend RJ!

When Guillermo and I first moved here to Boston, I tried to get in touch with RJ just about every other day so we could get together.  After all, he is one of only 2 people in this city I knew upon moving here.  Week after week, we couldn't arrange a meeting so we both just forgot/gave up.

Cut to Thursday night when he asked what I was going to be doing Friday-which I had off from work.  That meant we got to finally hang out!  I met him and some of his friends at a restaurant downtown called Papagayo.  It's Mexican and delicious and they make some bangin' margaritas.  We ate there, then headed back to his apartment so we could all relax and chat.  RJ has a hookah that he fired up and we all had a great time getting to know each other.

The two friends that I got to know the most that night, Catie (featured in the picture) and Ben, are both friends of RJ's from their church.  Since I've been looking for a church to go to here in Boston, they invited me to join them on Sunday and explained to me that the 4 o'clock service is the contemporary one so I would feel the most comfortable there.  I decided to go for it and met RJ at the church yesterday and had a great time!  They played my favorite song and I met a bunch of new friends.  I'm definitely going to try to make it my routine every Sunday now.

What about you guys?  How was your weekend?

Thankful for Friday

This week, I am thankful for my Thursday night and here's why:

As you know, I am looking for a job at an architecture firm.  (I'll take any help I can get!) Well, I talked to my friend Hai last week and he suggested I look up the AIA chapter here in Boston, which I did and I found out its called the Boston Society of Architects.  Turns out they have an exhibition space downtown, and Thursday night they had an author speak about his book Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next, and about urbanism and global growth in general.  It was a very interesting lecture and it was nice to be in a room of creative-thinking people again.  

The real reason I went in the first place was to 'get out there' in the architecture world and network, and it seemed to work to some degree.  I met a woman named Katrina, who is a teacher here in Boston after graduating from Columbia in 2007 for architecture (I think).  She offered to put my name out there wherever she can and suggested that I email her my resume so she can then forward it to friends.  I am immensely thankful for her willingness to help me and hopefully we can keep in touch.  If she doesn't help me find a job, I may have at least made a new friend!

I'm A Maxxinista

When my parents were here last weekend, my mom managed to slip me a TJ Maxx gift-card because I had mentioned to her (on many occasions) that there was one nearby my apartment.  I had debated for a little while on what to use it for, but this weekend I made the most of it managing to find: 2 picture frames, a notepad-book thing, and a new laptop case all for just over $25.

As I've mentioned many times before, I would really like to gather as many frames as possible so I can properly display some of the artwork I have around the apartment.  One piece in particular I was saving until I found a frame because its very old and fragile:

Weekend Recap

Well, I must say this weekend was a blast!  If you don’t remember, my parents decided to come visit me for a long weekend and we managed to squeeze in a lot of stuff while still finding time to relax and enjoy being together.  

To pick up where I left off, Friday we made an attempt to do a grand walking tour of Boston and the surrounding area.  Of course, we got a late start after meeting at Starbucks and having a nice hot latte, but we managed to see a lot of the city.

Thankful for Friday

Hey, all!  This weekend is a very exciting weekend for me so I’ll keep this one short.

The reason for my excitement is that my mom and step-dad decided to come up for an extended weekend!! Yay! They arrived yesterday (made the entire 8 hour drive in one day..poor things) and we have a weekend packed with fun stuff and walking around the city.  This weekend also happens to be the annual Regatta, named the Head of the Charles.  We may try to check out some of the action.  I’ve definitely seen my share of rowers practicing…

See them scattered in there between the sailboats?

Anyways, I’ll fill you all in on Monday with what other fun stuff we did!  I’m planning to take them to all the restaurants I’ve been eyeing.  :)

Thankful for Friday

This week was nothing too special.  I would have to say I’m thankful for that.  

Guillermo and I have had some relaxing days together which mean so much now that all his school orientation business is starting to really take up some serious chunks of his time.  Yesterday we went to a lovely park that runs along the Charles River on the Boston side.  

We lounged on a bench and read for a bit while the sun set in front of us.  

It was pretty perfect.

I also had my orientation at Urban this week.  It was pretty ridiculously boring, but I’ll start my training this upcoming week before I have to jump on the train back to MD for my friends' wedding.  Should be a pretty busy week.

Artwork: Up

When Guillermo left his previous job at a digital fabrication lab, he made sure to utilize the machinery one last time to route out a bunch of patterns in a sheet of MDF.  He used a CNC miller and overlayed a bunch of different patterns to create a complex image overall.

Now, I’ll admit, when he brought home a HUGE 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of MDF, I was not impressed.  We were in the middle of packing for the move and I was sure that the sheet had no home in the moving truck.  We already had so much stuff to move, why do we need this piece of MDF that nobody else wanted?!?

Who Just Got Hired?

This girl. 

It’s not exactly a prestigious job at an architecture firm, but hey-it will pay the rent and right now that’s all that matters.  The Urban is literally a one minute walk from my apartment and I think I will really enjoy it! Everyone seems really nice and I’m definitely looking forward to my employee discount. ;)

Orientation is next week sometime and then I start immediately after!  Can’t wait!

Thankful for Friday

Again, I’m sorry I’m a day late.  Being jobless really screws with your sense of time-I can barely remember what month it is anymore.  (Except that I know its August because my birthday is coming up!!)

The apartment is still a mess (although livable) and I got turned down for the interview I had a week or so ago, so I’ve been kinda down lately, but I can honestly say that I am thankful for my friends and family.  My parents have been both emotionally and financially supportive while I struggle to find my way, and my boyfriend was very sweet and let me cry on his shoulder when I got the rejection call.  I am truly blessed to be surrounded by so many loving people and for that, I will be eternally thankful.

The New Place

Hey, all!

I am finally getting around to putting up the pictures of the new apartment that my boyfriend and I just moved in to.  We haven’t really gotten everything to a nice-designy-beautiful stage yet, so I’m only uploading the pictures of the empty rooms so you get an idea of the space. 

Hope you enjoy!

The front of the building-

The hallway from the front door-

(first door on right, bedroom, second on right, living room, first on left, bathroom, second on left, kitchen)

The bedroom-

The living room-

The bathroom (LOVE that tub!!)-

The kitchen (I forgot to take a picture before we unpacked, so that’s the state its in now)-

And….through that door in the kitchen is our balcony-type thing…

And that’s the tour!!

The bedroom doesn’t have any closets in it, but in the hallway there are two so we’ve split them.  (fair is fair, right? even though I could fill one entire closet with my shoes…)

So, what do you guys think?

Thankful for Friday

I know, I know, its Saturday.  Oops.  

I’ve been so busy with the move and all that I totally forgot that yesterday was Friday and I promised you all a post.  I apologize.  Please forgive me.

Anyways, this week I am simply thankful for surviving.  Moving is SUCH A PAIN IN THE YOU-KNOW-WHERE and it has been really tough on me and my boyfriend, both physically and mentally.  Our bodies have definitely taken the brunt of the beating and we are both sore in places we haven’t been sore in a very long time.  Icy-Hot has been our best friend lately.

We are also both still getting used to living together….organizing and trying to find a place for everything can be a challenge when its not just up to you anymore.  We are doing our best to keep our cool and try to see the light at the end of the cardboard-box tunnel.

Hope you all had an awesome week and you are enjoying your weekend!  Anything special planned?

Moved.

Just.

Finished.

Can’t

-exhausted-

finish sentences.

Will

post pictures

soon.

—ugh

Thankful for Friday

Hey all!

This week has gone by in the blink of an eye!  I’ve been busy wrapping up my sample portfolio to apply for jobs and wrapping my head around the fact that I’ll be moving in just a matter of days!

I’m thankful this week for a call I received about a job in Boston that sounds really interesting!  If you didn’t already know, I have a passion for jewelry-making (check out my Etsy shop!), and this job is at a large jewelry company, drawing up their custom designs in CAD and 3D modeling them in Rhino; both of which I know very well!  It would be at a top secret facility because they mainly work with diamonds and precious metals….how cool would that be!?

Anyways, I’m thankful for the opportunity and hopefully next Friday I will be saying that I’m thankful for getting the job. 

Wish me luck!

Big News!

So, remember a while back when I alluded to some big changes??

Well, one of them has fallen into place so in a little more than a week, I will be moving to…..