New Year, New Lifestyle

Hey all!  How was everyone's holiday?  I can only hope it was as enjoyable as mine.  Here's a peek at what I've been up to...

Christmas dinner was a success!!

Couldn't be happier for my newly-wed friends. <3 

Shenanigans with my high school buddies

My cutie cousin Lilah.

I really enjoyed my time at home visiting all my loved ones and celebrating the season with them.  I came back just in time to ring in the new year with Guillermo; he picked me up from the airport and we had a lovely dinner together and had a relaxing evening watching The Incredibles up until midnight.  

This year, I decided that my New Year's resolution should be to start forcing myself into a routine schedule of waking up early and being productive.  Now...I am not what you would call a morning person so this was truly going to be a struggle, especially on the days I don't have to work until the afternoon.

But that all changes this week, because...

I GOT A REAL GROWN-UP JOB!!!

On the 4th, I had an interview at a firm called Sleeping Dog Properties and they offered on the spot to hire me for a 30 day trial-run with possible (and hopefully) full-time employment after that!  It seems like exactly the kind of place I have talked about working at; it's a small firm that does mostly small-scale residential and some commercial renovations.  The company is owned by two brothers who have a construction background so they do a lot of construction management as well.  I am super excited to start on Tuesday and finally get my career rolling.

Wish me luck!

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. 

Deck the Hall

This weekend, I took some time to do at least a little bit of Christmas decorating in our apartment.  Now, I don't have too much space and I had a budget of about $0, but I think it looks kinda festive.  I'm proud!

The first thing I started working on was a paper and twine garland for the hall.  I had paper, paint, and twine laying around so all I did was paint the paper green, cut out leaf shapes, then tie them together along the twine.  Here's what it looks like!

All I did to tie them together was tie a loose knot around the center of the two leaves so the paper didn't tear.  I spaced them out by eye, so they aren't perfect, but that's ok with me.

The other thing I did was decorate the Peace Lilly that my mom got me for my birthday (and I haven't killed yet!!) with some teeny-tiny ornaments.  I got a package of 25 3/4" diameter balls for only $5 from Urban Outfitters and tied them to the leaves of the plant with thin wire.  

The little balls of color are so cheerful. :)

And finally, the small bookshelf we have in the hall is now where we display all of the Christmas cards we have been receiving in the mail.  Family and friends have been sending us cards and its so comforting to see them every day on the way into the apartment.

The ornaments that didn't make it onto the Peace Lilly are sitting in a glass jar from an old, used-up candle on the top shelf for a little extra fun.

Thankful for Friday

Well, Friday is finally here!  This week I'm thankful for friends and family.  We have been getting Christmas cards from our loved ones (and Fitzgerald motors...?) over the past week or so, and even a present already!  Although this year is going to be very different for me, I am sure it is still going to be wonderful-my family is going to be sure of it.  Guillermo and I are thinking about having some of his classmates over for Christmas dinner, since they wont be going back to their homes in other countries this year.  I'm hoping this works out because it would be nice to celebrate with some new friends, so cheers to new traditions!

Here's our Christmas Peace-Lilly

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!

Success

I would have to say this weekend in Brooklyn was just what I needed.  This is the first holiday season of mine not being surrounded by friends and family, and I have been missing both dearly as of late.  When I was in school I always had friends around and school to distract me, but this year all I have is a lot of down-time to reflect on those memories.

Going to my old home in Brooklyn did just the trick.  I got to see the people I have been missing most, and just in the nick of time because Taylor and Crosby will both be leaving for Rome shortly.  We didn't do anything too crazy, just ate Chinese food, drank, and played Mariokart.  It was really all I wanted; no going into Manhattan to fancy restaurants or seeing the tree at Rockefeller Center or ice skating in Central Park, just time with my friends doing what we do best.  (being immature and ridiculous of course!)

We did manage to go out Saturday night for drinks and merryment.  It was a great time had by all, and the first time in a very long time I have stayed up all night for pleasure, not for school.

I'm Excited to Announce...

Tomorrow I'll be going to New York City!!

Pretty much ever since I moved up here to Boston, I have wanted to go back to Brooklyn to visit my crazy roommates.  The first month after I moved out was really tough, but it has gotten a lot easier being away now that I'm settled into my new lifestyle.  I've barely been scraping by financially, but I decided that its now or never to go down for a visit because my friends Taylor and Crosby are leaving for Rome in January!!  (this trip sponsored by my lovely mom)  Taylor, a fellow Pratt student, is doing the same study abroad program I did 2 years ago (has it been that long already?!?!) and her fiance Crosby is going to go with her and study Italian cooking.  He works at an Italian restaurant right now and the owner is going to hook him up with a friend's restaurant in Rome.  I am soooo very excited for them and I promised I would map out all the best places to go in Rome.  Think: gelato, pizza, €1 shots, etc.

In addition to visiting my friends, I'm excited to be reunited with the amazing food New York has to offer.  Some places I plan on going are:

Urban Vintage for a delicious latte

Luigi's Pizza for THE BEST PIZZA ON THE PLANET

DOUGH for a light and fluffy donut

Choice for more coffee and some tasty pastries

And of course some other Brooklyn staples, like cheap Chinese food, PBR, and Bergen Bagels.

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

Today, I am thankful for people's generosity and willingness to help others.  Let me explain:

One of the blogs I like to follow is Project Little Smith.  It's about an architect-turned mother and the life of her adorable baby boy.  As I was flipping through her photos, I realized a lot of them looked familiar so I looked into where they live.  Turns out, they live in Boston!  Mama Smith still does freelance jobs here and there, but her husband (Papa Smith) is still a working architect in the area.  When I found all this out, I figured hey what the heck-I've got nothing to lose-so I emailed her asking if she knew of anyone hiring.

Well.

Yesterday, I got an email response from her husband saying he forwarded my information to the hiring committee at his firm, and I should be hearing back from them in 2-4 weeks.  I also got an email back from Mama Smith saying she forwarded my resume to multiple firms that she knows are hiring.

This just goes to show there are people out there that are genuinely nice and willing to help others!  I'm doing everything I can now to get myself out there more and network and not be afraid because as I said before-I've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain!


PS - Tonight I am going to meet up with one of my friends that I met studying in Copenhagen, RJ.  We haven't seen each other in over 2 years, so I'm so excited to catch up with him! (And he works at an architecture firm here in Boston as well!  I'll be meeting some of his work buddies too...definitely bringing some cards with me!)

Thankful for Friday

Hey, guys!  Sorry its a little late, but I worked until 9 tonight and by the time I changed into my sweats and had something to eat….well, here we are.

This week, I’m thankful for my friends Taylor and Crosby!  We had a chance to Skype this week and it really made my day.  I have been really missing my friends lately and feeling a little lonely so even the few minutes I had with them brought a warmth back to my heart. 

Love you guys!

How has everyone’s week been?  Ready for the weekend?!?

The OTHER Wedding

Some of you may remember that I said Labor Day weekend was going to be crazy because I was attending 2 (two!) weddings, back to back.  Well, here is the post about the other one!

The wedding was one of Guillermo’s cousins, Cindy, and her fiance (now-husband), John.  It was absolutely stunning.  The ceremony was at the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mott Street in Soho, which I had only been to before for the Young Designers Market, but that was in the rec-center type room, not the actual cathedral.

Anyways, the ceremony was beautiful.  It was a Catholic ceremony so I was a little lost, but overall it was smooth and lovely.

Thankful for Friday

Wow!  What a week!  I’m just thankful for surviving!!  It has been so busy and I’ve had to be on my best behavior, but now I can finally take a minute to relax.

As you guys know, I went home this past weekend for my friends’ wedding, and let me tell you-it was great.  We decided to have one more girl’s night out Thursday night, had the rehearsal dinner crab feast Friday, and then the big day was Saturday!  Everything was so special and wonderful.  Here are some of the best moments…

Forewarning...

This weekend is going to be crazy for me.  And by crazy, I mean I won't have a minute to think to myself or even breathe.  Which means I may not be able to post much.  Here’s my schedule for this insane wedding weekend:

Memories

My old roommates.  Crazy guys, but I miss them so much.

And I miss that stoop….

Shower Sunday

This past weekend, I made a journey home to go to my friend Becca’s Bridal Shower!

She was sweet enough to make me one of her bridesmaids and I am so honored and excited to be part of her wedding festivities.  Of course, the first on the list was the shower!  We planned a ‘Fashionista’ themed shower, with everything being pink and black.  We had dresses and shoes everywhere and games; all in all it was a great time. 

Here are some pictures from the day:

Photography, Friends!

Hi, all!  I know it has more than a long time since I have posted..there’s been a lot going on lately and I’ve been more stressed than inspired.  I thought it would be interesting to have an interview-type of thing happen with one of my friends, since I haven’t had time to do anything myself.  She just branched out into her own photography business and I think she is amazing!

Here are a few of her shots from her awesome website, and then below I've asked her some questions and she has provided me with her awesome, honest answers.