Flashback Friday

9-5 work days

i miss them.

i have to work this weekend because of black friday. i'm actually at work right now...

i've never worked on a weekend before, and i really don't recommend it. that probably has more to do with the fact that i've been here since 5am though.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Oh hello again

sorry i fell off the map, peeps.

guess what....

i got an new job!!

kinda.

i'm now the new aae on the best buy team - still at edelman.

woo hoo!

Sunday (Monday) Night Confessional

i chopped like 4+ inches off my hair this weekend.

as of yesterday, i had no regrets. but alas, that "oh shit" feeling set in this morning & has lasted all day. ugh, change.

i'm getting a facial tomorrow.

can't waitttttt. this is more beautifying within a few days time than i've given myself in about a year. unfortunately, this also means that i will look like a polka-dotted wildebeest on wednesday. the price we pay...

today was insane.

so busy. & the rest of this week won't be any better. god bless overtime!

counting down the days until liz gets home!!!!

oh, she's just been in peru. no bigs.

must.work.out.

don't.want.to. :(

i'm a horrible sister.

little petri dish turned 20 on saturday. not that he reads my blog anyway.

but just in case: i love you, brudder!

Bad Blogger

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

i'm sorry i've been away.

i just haven't had the time or energy to blog lately.

life if crazy - but good. here are the highlights:

i'm still loving edelman. i'm always super busy - "no time for facebooking" busy. but i love being back on a set schedule. it's great.

i am now only working at volare on saturday nights (as opposed to working friday and saturday nights), which is a nice break to my anti-social streak. but it also means that i have one day a week "off", which is... not ideal. i'm always so tiredddddd blah.

i went on a date the other night with a boy who looks like patrick dempsey in can't buy me love. but cuter.

i'm currently reading emily giffin's "love the one you're with." i'm hoping this book teaches me something about the value of just making a decision & sticking with it.

yvette's in town! unfortunately we didn't get to meet up last night due to libations beginning to flow at 5:45 pm and not stopping until 11:30 pm - at which point i had to book it to union station to catch the last train home. but i think we're going to brunch tomorrow! followed by some beach action. cheeeaaahhhh, 87 degrees!

my cousin lisa & i might be getting an apt together in july! i'll keep you postie on that one.

i'm currently flipping back & forth between my girl & sister act.

here's a video of jt & kenny jamming out to miley cyrus last saturday morning.

Working Girl

hey-oooooooooo!

i'm employed!

sort of. when i was invited back in for a 2nd interview with edelman, i was told that the dove position was actually an internship, not an aae position. i was a little bummed, but considering that edelman hires from within the company, i decided that it would still be worth it. i mean, at this point, what do i have to lose? nothing. & it's a foot in the door. not to mention that the position is paid & it's 40 hours a week, so i'll be making way more than i am now. & gaining experience, of course.

so while it's not exactly what i was planning on, i'm still very appreciative for this opportunity.

here's to a 9-5! ...err, 9-whenevertheyletmegohome.

woohoo!!

Dear friends all over the world,

i'm awful.

i'm sorry.

let me explain.

i'm currently.. sort of.. working 4 jobs.

1. urban outfitters.

my schedule is unpredictable. i make nothing. my main form of payment is in the form of a 40% off discount, which i'm unable to take advantage of because i am too poor. ironic.

2. rebuilding a website for c&r carpentry.

my cousin works for this company. they don't like their current website. they saw the one i made for my mom. they asked that i design one for them. it's a learning process.

3. marketing & social media for my cousin jimmy's soon-to-be-dropped album.

he's a musician. he's great. he knows nothing about how to market himself. he's working with a boutique ad agency in downtown chicago called mauge. he asked that i be involved in the entire process & give my input as much as possible. it's awesome. it also takes up most of my non-working time.

4. volare.

as if i had any extra time on my hands, i decided to take a hostess job at volare, an upscale italian restaurant in oak brook. why? it pays better than urban outfitters, plus those "high rollers" tend to dish out tips for priority seating. i'll be working every thursday, friday, & saturday night from 5pm-10/11pm. ta ta, social life.

oh, did i mention that i'm also still hunting for a full-time, great paying pr/marketing job in the chicagoland area? well yes, i am.

p.s. natalie, i have an interview at edelman on monday! woop woop, thanks lover. :)

the good news: because of my newly reformed, slightly more structured schedule, i'm now free to do whatever i please during the daytime hours on thursdays, fridays, & saturdays. that includes hanging out with/chatting with all of you!

lets schedule some phone dates!

miss you all dearly.

Sunday Night Confessional

remember these days? well i did this workout on saturday morning & am now in a great deal of pain.

i am literally having trouble walking, sitting, squatting. so embar.

my gym membership expired the other day.

i think i'll have to put the shopping on hold so that i can afford to renew it. i don't want to turn into a whale.

i didn't get out of urban until 12:15 am after my 4-close shift last night.

are.you.fing.serious.

i was so annoyeddddd. but i fought the urge to bail on the blackout party, & when i showed up at 12:40am with jello shots, peeps were still raging. fun fun!

the gummy bears were a bad idea.

the ones i placed on top turned out fine, other than a freezing, rock-hard gummy. but the ones with the gummy in the bottom of the shot were sickness. imagine taking a jello shot & getting a surprise chunk of hardened gummy in your mouth. ew.

i really want to go ice skating downtown.

i really want to go ice skating with a boy so we can hold hands while we skate and then sip on hot coco together while we chat. it's so high school in the best way possible. :)

Nasty Gal Favorites

my god, i wish i had the cash.

those red shoes are out of control!

p.s.

tonight is the christmas blackout elephant exchange party at taryn's!

everybody brings some kind of alcohol worth about $20, wrapped, & the exchange begins. whatever you end up with is your drink for the night - whether it be mike's hard lemonade or test-tube shots. everyone shares though, of course. craziness!

i have to work from 4-close tonight, which means that i prob won't get there til about 11:15 (aka i'll miss the actual exchange), but you better believe i'll be in attendance - gummy bear jello shots in hand.

built-in chaser. :)

woop woop!!

i love the holidays.

Flashback Friday

skip-it

p.s.

i hate my urban outfitters schedule right now.

i'm working 4-close tonight, 9am-5pm tomorrow, 10am-6pm sunday, & 4-close monday and tuesday. oh & i'm on the schedule for next friday & saturday too.

there goes my social life.

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.”

{we heart it}

sorry i've been so horrible about posting lately.

working multiple jobs really f's with my blogging sched.

Techie

i made a website for my mom's business last night.

check out what a talented interior designer she is!!

i'm so proud.

Blackout Wednesday...

it was a wild one.

i worked at urban from 2-8 today which meant that i had to wake up early to both get a little work out in & hit the grosh for some thanksgiving dessert ingredients so that i could make 5 layer bars before work as planned. well well welllllll. silly me & my sill plans. of course things did not turn out the way i had expected.

i accidentally used evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk... idiot... so my 5 layer bars did not set. but even if the graham cracker crust had not turned out soggy & disgusting, i still don't think i would have liked them. the butterscotch chips were overwhelming & it was way too heavy on the coconut for me - & i didn't even use the suggested amount.

so long story short, i had to hit the kitch & have a baking party for one when i got home from work at 8:30. i decided to go with pumpkin spice cookies. mm mm mmm.

pumpkin spice cookies

p.s.

my feet are about to snap off of my legs despite the fact that i'm currently laying in my bed (which has never felt more comfortable). how on earth am i going to make it from 6am-2pm on black friday!? heaven help me...

Work, work, shop. Dolla dolla billz.

guess what tomorrow is

......

my first day on the job at urban outfitters!

i work from 2-8pm. my first retail job ever. hope i like it.

...i do know one part i'm guaranteed to like, & that's the discount. woop woop!

Rambles...

hi boos!

i'm sorry i've been so mia the past couple of days. things have been crazy busy with work & all the house showings we've had this past week. ugh.

anyway, here's what's on my mind...

1. i went to an smu alumni event last night at the art institute of chicago downtown.

my friend alyssa & i went together (alyssa & i went to high school together, she transferred to smu soph year, we hung out at first but she was dating a guy at ut so she was in austin every weekend, we lost touch, didn't start hanging out again until i moved back to chicago) & we met jessica grose there. i also saw tri-delt jaclyn & "sloppy joe" there. we all enjoyed some complementary cocktails, did a little mingling, listened to some guy talk about the economic state of our country & how great smu business school is... hey yaaaa, meadows! all in all though, it was a good time! :) & slops didn't get too sloppy.

2. sorry for skipping music monday.

here's a great song to get you through the day.

3. did you follow fashion week?? images from various collections have been circulating around the internet like crazy. what were your faves?? i love me some erin wasson & charlotte ronson.

4. i want this dress.

{nasty gal}

& this bag from - what!? - forever 21.

5. work has been ridic.

but i will be getting a nice paycheck very soon & that makes me happyyyy.

6. it's def time for a haircut.

Get some!

hey yaaaaaa!

today was crazy crazy. full of meetings.

but that's cool, because i def need the money.

& speaking of money, i got my paycheck today. woop woop.

oh! & guess what else... i got a title change.

i'm now the marketing director.

shit just got real, son!

i also found out that patti group is looking to open a second downtown location. aka, my main reason for being unsure about working for them (the whole wanting to move to the city, not wanting to commute to lemont everyday) may not even be an issue anymore.

it's a beautiful ting.

...in other news...

i'm super psyched about having my bedroom back tonight.

my brothers got wood floors put in & because of the staining, we've had to keep the air conditioning off the past three days. sleeping in a room with no ac on a summer night is my hell, so there was no way i was staying in there with my huge down blanket & pillow-top mattress. unfortunately for me, margaux still doesn't have a room because of her closet being redone & the boys already claimed the family room couch & the basement couch.

basically, we had a serious lack of sleep space options.

so the first night i slept on a chair.

i mean, it was one of those oversized love-seat style chairs, but stilll. misery.

then last night margaux & i convinced peter michael that we should get the big couch because we could both fit on it. he gave in, but thanks to margaux's kicking & the fact that it was 83 degrees in my house (dudeeeee!), i think i would rather have been on the chair.

f.

but now i'm watching america's best dance crew which i love. & which also reminds me of jill & whitney - an added bonus. miss yall! so it's all good.

happy wednesday, dears!

hope your week is off to a good start.

& if not, be comforted by the fact that it's almost the weeeeeekend!

-xx-

Sunday Night Confessional

i'm convinced that i would be much better at keeping in touch with people if i had a pink typewriter.

i'm pretty sure i would mail a letter at least once a week.

{pink wallpaper}

i spent a ridiculous amount of time making this yesterday.

& i'm kind of really proud of it. :)

thanks to casey's suggestion, i think i'm going to look into creating handmade stationary.

i have absolutely no idea what goes into doing that, so this could be interesting.

it's very possible that this stationary talk will end up as another of my many "great" ideas that gets pushed to the side & forgotten after a few weeks time.

ijs. it wouldn't be the first time.

i've done nothing but lounge at the pool this weekend.

& i don't have any complaints.

♥♥♥

i desperately need an apartment so that i can actually do something with all these design ideas i have floating around in my head & on my computer. & if said gorgeous apartment could be in paris, well that would be even more spectacular.

i'm going to start looking for jobs over there. like, ones with companies that also have offices in chicago so that i could transfer back after 6 months or a year. how completely fabulous would that be!?

{the paris apartment. pink wallpaper. coco+kelly. dress design & decor.}

p.s.

i am presently obsessing over

(a) metallic wallpaper (b) wallpapered ceilings

(c) grey checkered tile floors (d) black & white photos.

Sunday Night Confessional

i'm turning obese.

i know that eating ice cream twice in one weekend is asking for shamoo thighs, but for some reason i still do it, thinking i'll be the exception. help.

bruno. omg.

have you seen it?? it was actually pretty hilar overall, but so.uncomfortable. i was dying. all i can say is: be prepared. & don't even think about going to see this with your parents or anyone under the age of 18.

i love my family.

i love that we have family parties every weekend. i love that our house is never empty. & i love that margaux & i often stay up to the wee hours of the night watching disney movies.

i am so thankful for the freelancing opportunities that have been presenting themselves to me, but it hasn't made me any less anxious to land a real job.

never satisfied.

i've fallen into a bit of a rut.

i've fallen into much worse ruts than what i'm currently in, but i am nonetheless in one. it's one of those ruts where you find yourself being pretty antisocial, staying in a lot, & feeling a little more helpless than usual. i'm taking the necessary steps to haul my booty out.

i would like a boyfriend, please.

preferably a tall, dark, handsome, confident one with preppy skater style who loves me very much. :)

Color of the Week:

hot pank.

margaux & i just got back from lunch at potbelly

& up at the tivoli theatre in downers grove.

a few things:

1. the movie: i forgot it was in 3-d until i was handed some super attractive glasses upon having paid for our tickets. the movie was a-dor-a-ble. seriously, you must see it! but be warned, i cried like a baby. so sweet, so sad, so lovely. precious.precious.precious.

2. the theatre: i'm obsessed! it was built in 1928 & i would guess it looks almost identical to what it looked like back in it's heyday. i forgot what a gem this enchanting little theatre is. :)

oh, & they give free refills on any size popcorn & drink. i don't know why i do it to myself, but we ordered both. plus a bag of reeses pieces. ugh, fat wish? i feel so sick.

mom kicked us out while a realtor came to appraise our house today, which is why we went to the movie & all that jazz.

we might be moving. i'm so so sad. i've lived in this house my whole life (minus those years i lived in texas, obvs). but apparently my parents are thinking it's time for a change. maybe hinsdale. maybe out of state. who knows.

although we for sure won't move out of state at least until margaux graduates high school.

...what else?...

i've been up since 6 today. definitely not used to these long days!

i had a meeting with patti group people in naperville at 8.

we talked about ideas for bag aid, a product i'm helping them market. & guess what... they're taking me with them on a business trip to north carolina august 5th & 6th! it probably won't be anything overly exciting, but i still think it's cool. i've never been on a business trip before.

& then i had an interview in des plaines at 11.

i might be doing some freelancing for this advertising company as well. they're small like patti group, so they'd like to start me off on a project basis & see if they can bring me on full-time. so that's pretty cool. a little extra cash is always welcome!

pretty sure thats all that's going on in my life.

now i would love to hear from you!

p.s.

dear whitney, jill, & sara,

i'm sorry for not yet having returned any of your phone calls.

i promise i will soon, things have just been a bit crazy.

jillz, i'm so happy you liked your bday card!!! i thought it was pretty perfect. :)

p.p.s.

this is currently my iphone background.

i love it. :)

04.05.06.07.08.09

as a lover of cupcakes (& pretty much all sweets),

i can't get over this, found at grey likes weddings.

cuteeeeeeee!

i have a meeting at 8am tomorrow & an interview 11,

so it's gonna be early to bed tonight!

look what margs and i did last night...

fort!

:)

p.s.

did you realize that today at 4:05:06 pm, the time/date was 04.05.06.07.08.09?