ode to lovely

the news

After being on a 3.5 year break from the real world, I find myself sitting in a cubicle from 9-5 all over again. I'm incredibly thankful for this opportunity and feel super lucky to have found a job as quickly and as smoothly as I did. 

But, I have to be honest. It's been a hard transition. I'm not used to being confined to a desk for 9 hours a day. And I'm not used to commuting for long periods of time and paying exorbitant prices for gas, parking, and metro. And what I dislike the most right now is how tired and lazy I feel once I finally get home from a long day at the office. But, like I told my mom, I just need some time to adjust. Starting over is never easy. 

The good news is that I feel like a productive member of society again. I'm also so thankful to be working in the heart of the city (just a few blocks from the White House) and around so many other young professionals. I'm excited about the projects I'll be working on and I have high hopes that some new friendship will be formed in the upcoming months. 

Now, I have to get myself to bed. My alarm is now set for 6:15am Mon-Fri. Sigh.

Oh and did you notice how they spelled my name wrong? 

hello again

Well hello hello hello. Man, it has been a long time.

I feel horrible about abandoning my blog the last few weeks. 

It's just that I've been so busy. With very important things on my plate. Job interviews. Family time. Lauren came to visit. Shopping for weather-appropriate clothes (my dumb-ass only brought tanks and flip flops home). A million shopping trips to Target. And, probably the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me: 

I bought myself an iPhone 4s. 

Let me first say that its my very first phone that does more than just make phone calls and texts. And it's also my first phone that connects to the internet. I can have music. And Apps. And information at my fingertips. It truly is life changing! I'm in love and slightly obsessed with all the fascinating (and oh so time consuming) functionalities it has. I can finally understand why people Tweet all the time, and how Instragram works, and how WhatsApp lets me stay connected to all my friends around the world.

Me = a very VERY happy girl.

I do have some other pretty exciting news. But more on that later. Happy Sunday. 

missing my nanpengyou

I miss Manuel. So freaking much. Especially our fun nights out.

october 3rd

Today:

• I woke up at 5:00am and just started reading my current book in bed.
• I want to get my highlights fixed. They are way too brassy for my liking.
• I will go to the post office to send presents to my favorite friends in TW.
• I want to start redecorating my room. It needs to feel more like "young professional" and not the "highschool girl" feel that it has now.
• I will drink lots of hot tea because its freaking cold outside.
• I will go shopping for new shoes and new tops and new jeans.
• I will have lunch with a very old friend at one of my favorite restaurants.
• I am thankful for new opportunities and the hope that exists within them.

the last day of september

September was good month for me. It was a month where I had to make tough decisions, but I am pretty certain that coming home was the right choice. I've been so happy at home. And this is the first time I can say that visiting home has been truly a happy and positive experience. 

On the other hand, it's been really hard being away from Manuel. Our Skype dates help us get us through the days, but the hardest part is not knowing when we're going to see each other again. It could be 3 weeks, it could be 3 months. Only time (and my job situation) will tell.

September was a month that I took a much-needed blog break. I wanted to come home and enjoy home without the pressures of having to talk about my daily outings and random thoughts. I wanted to take a break from everything and blogging was at the top of that list.

September was also a month that I started being crafty again. And man did that feel good. And can I get a HELL YEAH for new scrap supplies!?!?! Woo! 

I also started running again on a regular basis. Even though I'd go running in Taiwan, the weather prohibited me from going as much as I would have liked. And even though its been rainy here in the DC area, I'm proud to say that I run 3-4 times a week. Part of is good motivation. And part of it I can attribute to my new running shoes. 

September was great. But now I have high hopes for October. I think its going to be twice as great. I have a good feeling about what the future brings.