Feeling Clean

The office in my parent's house has always been a dark and frightening abyss of papers, ancient files, failed projects, dust, grime and despair. For the longest time, when my mom and I would clean the house, we'd just close the door to the office as if it wasn't even a part of the house. But, with my brother and I both back at home for now (please, God, not much longer!), we have no place for guests to sleep (mostly Uncle Jimmy and Daniel). Back in January, with the inspiration of a new year fueling our fire, my mom and I began the plans for our complete office renovation.

The clearing out of the room has been the most daunting and our living and dining rooms are feeling the brunt of it.  So many times we were discouraged by "what IS this?" or "what am I supposed to do with this?" Two computers, three desks, a trombone, 2 microphones, some exercise bands, an accordion, and about 300 pounds of paper later, we managed to get everything out. This week, we began the "fun" stuff - stripping and painting our recycled desks, washing, spackling and painting walls, ripping up linoleum, upholstering a found chair... you name it...

I'm not too diligent about taking pictures, but I did manage to take this one before and after of my mom's new desk chair which was a steal from the Insect Lore Warehouse Sale (it came as a set with a dining room table and 3 other chairs for $25!!! I guess it used to be in my boss' house)

what a gem!

so fresh and so clean!! (we're doing muted blue, chocolate and white in the room)

Hopefully in the next week, I'll have a complete before and after!! Trust me, it'll be astonishing! (I hope :)

My My My

... it's been a looooong time! The biggest reason why I'm so bad at posting new blogs is because I'm infinitely impatient when it comes to waiting for pictures to upload. We all know how much more entertaining a blog with pictures is. I HATE to be that boring blog with no visual aides. That said, I was tagged by a lovely lady and had to post a picture of myself as it, at this moment...

SURPRISE! 

I cut my hair! Not just like a trim, but more like 7 inches!!! I did it just before Easter and I must say I feel lighter, brighter and sassy :) I've always heard that a girl will cut her hair when she's good and ready, but now that I've done it, I can't imagine why I was holding onto my lifeless locks for so long. 

(Just like Olive Oyl stipulated  - no primping here, just a little casual Friday in the office after a morning run. I'm SUCH a good employee)

(This picture however, did take some preparation and think I look pretty hot :)

My Birfday came just a little early!!!

After I finished my study abroad program in Barcelona, my parents came to visit me in Spain. The plan was to visit Greece together, then return to Barcelona and show them around the city, then my mom and I were to be off to Italy for 2 weeks. Well, as many of you know, my dad had his first heart attack just after our visit to Greece. The time spent in Barcelona was tweaked accordingly and the trip to Italy was nixed all together. For the past 3 years, my dad has said that he "owes" my mom and me a trip to Italy. Suuuure dad, you really OWE me, you and your crazy, unpredictable heart attack.

Well, I.O.U. or not, my mom bought two plane tickets to Italy today! Come September, she and I are off to Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Venice for 2 weeks!!! My birthday isn't for another week, but this could be the best one yet :)

CIAO!

New York Cit - ayyyyy

Yes, I've been home from New York for over a week, but it seems that this life thing just never stops and blogging, while a total gas, has taken a back seat. We took 2 cameras and of course some pictures haven't even been saved to my computer. YOu'll have to stay tuned to see more highlight photos. Anyway, on to the fun stuff...

New York was awesome!! So much fun and even more exhausting. I didn't have a minute - make that a second to get over jet lag. Daniel and I flew in to Newark, delayed several hours because of strong winds and the horrible plane crash the day before! (Just awesome for poor Daniel who is petrified to fly). We hit the ground running and met my very dear friend Eileen in Midtown East for a fantastic dinner at Mia Dona (which is owned by some big wig whose last name I can't even pronounce). Eileen and Daniel hit it off, which I knew they would. I hadn't seen Eileen in a horrendous amount of time; since last June when we took our Vegas trip! 

From that dinner on, it was nonstop action. Setting up the booth at the biggest industry event in the country (arguably the world) was nerve racking, or so I thought. Then I began to actually work the booth and would occasionally take a peek at the person's badge in front of me and see their renowned company's name and think "I am SOOOOO not qualified to be talking to him/her..." But I think I did well and more importantly, my boss thinks I did well. So I guess I passed the test of Toy Fair.

I also passed the test of the 40th Anniversary party which was held at TOWN in Midtown East. The invitations were incredible, the venue was great, the drinks were awesome and the reviews... well, I don't want to toot my own horn... :) It was quite difficult to get up the next morning and work the booth, but I figured, it's NYC, I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Rather than regale you with every moment of every day, I think I'll give some highlights:

1) Dinner with Eileen at Mia Dona

2) Daniel's Birthday dinner at Gramercy Tavern - the most perfect evening!

3) Valentine's Day atop the Empire State Building - soooo Sleepless in Seattle

4) The success of the 40th anniversary party

(getting a little crazy with the W hotel's mini bar after the party

5) The street hot dog and pretzel that Dan and I shared after our disappointment with the       "heavy" appetizers

6) Wicked on broadway

7) Lunch with Eileen at Le Cirque

8) Realizing we got in on the Restaurant Week menu at Le Cirque!!

9) FINALLY meeting Eileen's boyfriend (they've been together over a year!)

10) Having successful chats with several big time buyers

(obviously, I do very serious work)

11) Walking the floor of Toy Fair and playing with some pretty fun stuff.

(this is one of Dan's favorites - Yes! That is an action figure!)

12) Our swanky hotel - the W New York Times Square

(this was right outside)

13) The farewell dinner with the whole crew at the NYC restaurant staple - Gotham Bar and Grill

14) Late night cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery

(Carrie and the girls would be proud!)

14) Taking pictures with Daniel on the Brooklyn Bridge (I think this was my favorite over all)

(I realize this is a little blurry but I liked it)

No, I didn't freeze to death

... I've just been intensely busy since my return from the windy city. Yes, it was cold, as I anticipated. A couple of days delivered high temperatures around 7 degrees and even at my most bundled, I seemed to be nearly escaping frost bite. I've definitely seen a better side of Chicago.

Between the frigid weather, frustrating and offensive teachers, and having all of my booth money (around $1,500) stolen, I left a little jaded. Maybe that's why I haven't said hello in nearly a month.

On to more exciting things! 

I'm leaving for New York in only two days!! My flight leaves Friday morning, much earlier than it should. But nonetheless, I am so excited to get this show on the road. There are so many elements to this trip that are making my toes tingle in anticipation. First of all, it's NEW YORK CITY! duh. Second of all, I get to be there on Valentine's Day with Daniel... forget Valentine's Day, I get to be with him the whole time!! 

Thirdly and maybe most poignantly, I'm taking the trip for work. While, I'm not ecstatic about being locked inside a convention center until 6pm every evening, the professional aspect brings some attractive qualities to the equation. Sure it's nice that I don't have to pay for transportation, hotel or meals, but even more than that, it's the feeling of being a grown up. I know that sounds ridiculous, but "being in Manhattan on business" has a certain "big fish" ring to it (even though we all know once I step off that plane my "big fish" will turn to krill, figuratively speaking). But even so, I have a sense of accomplishment and pride associated with this trip. 

I do trade shows all the time, but this one is the mother of them all, for the location, the pizzazz and for the money that is thrown around between people who say "do you have any idea who I am" far too often. I feel a bit like I'm coming into my own in a most unlikely situation (who knew it would come about by selling bugs?). I want to be an event coordinator and I actually am. And it's not just boring trade show booths and AV equipment this time, but rather a swanky venue, cocktails, hors d' oeuvres, flowers and the prettiest darn invitations you ever did see. For the company's 40th Anniversary party I've gotten to pay the closest attention to detail and it's made me stressed and very happy :) 

It feels really good to say "When I grow up, I want to be..." and realize that I'm getting there.

P.S.

I know my blog is always lacking in the picture department, but after New York, I promise not to disappoint!

I've never been more afraid of the weather!!

I'll be flying to Chicago tomorrow morning. I am frightened to say the least. The recent record lows (high of -9) are disconcerting to say the least especially for a girl who gets the chills when temperatures hit the 40's. Lucky for me, the windy city has been warming up a bit - today the high was 22. I'll be sure to write an update as soon as my fingers have thawed.

I'll be on the lookout for flocks of geese!

I'm about a week late

I know the first week of January is already over and that any New Year's Resolutions should have been recorded and begun a week ago, but it's hard to make time to think about these things during the holiday rush. I've given myself a week to think about resolutions and it's a good thing, because ideas just keep coming to me! So here's my 2009 list thus far:

1.) Practice yoga 2x a week

2.) Get back into my routine of running 2-4 miles 4 times a week

3.) Go gluten free (this will undoubtedly be the HARDEST challenge! But, after discussing some health issues with my mom, we think it might be the evil culprit of some not-so-pleasant physical ailments) An occasional cheat with a biscuit at 24th street cafe with Daniel will work itself in :)

4.) Be debt free! I'm pretty close and that feels good, but I can't even imagine how awesome it will be to have it all gone :)

5.) Stay in touch more diligently with : Emily, Amy, Eileen, Andria, Jessica, Amber and Shaun

6.) Complete my home improvement projects in my room, my parent's office and (fingers crossed) Zack's room.

7.) Save enough money for my next trip. I am still undecided on the location or the time - maybe next fall (if I don't go back to school). The places I'm considering are Peru/Chile/Argentina, Eastern Europe - Czech Republic and Croatia, Thailand, or South Africa.

I'm sure I'll continue to add to this list as daydreaming is my favorite pastime. But, a week into 2009, this is where I stand.

A couple of things that I'm looking forward to in 2009:

1.) Spending an incredible week in New York City - staying at the W time square, eating at great restaurants, seeing Wicked on broadway, catching up with Eileen, ice skating in Rockefeller Center on Valentine's Day... 

2.) Attending the Insect Lore 40th Anniversary soiree at Town in NYC

3.) Going to Philadelphia - a city I've never visited - and catching up with Bree and Kim, long lost Barcelona buddies.

4.) Flexing my creative muscles with the brand new Insect Lore visitor's center/museum and planning the grand opening in the spring!

5.) Watching the Jr. Miss girls blossom into confident young women and put on a great program in March.

6.) Going back to Seattle

7.) A road trip from Seattle to Shafter with my best friend Jessica!

8.) Having Jessica be a Toews for the summer!

9.) Seeing new places, tasting new flavors, meeting new people...

I'm excited about 2009!!