Catching Up

I know. I know. It's been almost 9 months since I've been around. Life has a crazy way of showing you how great it could be. To put the last 9 months in a short blog post would be impossible, so I'm going to break out the last couple of months for you. This is me desperate for you to understand why I've been MIA.

April: Coachella

Every year we as a brand sponsor Coachella. We have a tent on site and we as a team get to go. We work all day, and get to play at night. This was my first year attending, and it was so much fun. We're already talking about our next trip!

May: Herald Square

Similar to last year's opening in NY, we opened a new store in the heart of NY. This time it was the Largest H&M in the world. So much planning and time went into making this opening a success. Even John Legend came to celebrate with us!

June: Cover Girl

If you're a blockhead like me, you'll understand the title of June. I may be showing my age with this one, but I can't say I care too much right now. This was definitely one of my favorite days this year. PS Donnie Loves Jenny & Augenie


July: The Last Frontier

Like I always say, I travel a lot for work. Traveling to Alaska for work definitely tops my list as one of my favorite trips. With 23 hours of sunlight, it was a bizarre but amazing experience. We drove through the mountains, saw glaciers, and even went whale watching!

August: Windy City + Girls Trip

 
August brought a handful of small trips. I traveled to Chicago for the first time. Bucket List Check.
Then my college girlfriends and I decided to do a girls trip to Montauk, NY. We haven't done a trip together in a long time, and we had so much fun. We're going to start making girls trip a tradition every year!

I'm going to end this blog post with the summer. It's been a crazy year with a lot of ups and a lot of downs. I just like to post about the good and happy times.
Until next time..

It Finally Happened..

I know I know, it's been a long time since I've been here. I feel like I’ve let all 17 of you who read this blog down, but I have some good news to share! I found my dream house (for this stage in my life at least). It all started back in October when my realtor said he had the “perfect” house for me. I had the day off and decided to go take a look. Putting aside the cosmetic updates that it needed, I was in love.

It checked all my boxes:

• 3 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• Closet in the foyer
• Window in the full bathroom
• Small yard
• A lot of natural light
• A lot of closet space
• Close to public transportation

I went back two days later, this time with my mom and my aunt. I couldn’t get that house out of my mind, and made an offer the same day. After negotiating, they finally accepted exactly a week after my very first showing. Then the waiting began. Waiting for the bank approvals, appraisal, etc. After what seemed like forever, it was time for the closing. For those of you who have never bought a house, a closing consists of basically signing your life away to the bank for the next 20+ years. Even though that sounds scary, it is the largest investment you will ever make and at least your money is going towards something. Especially here in NY. Believe it or not, my mortgage payment is less than some of my friends’ monthly rent payment. We headed to the house afterwards to celebrate with some champagne and discuss all the changes I wanted to do before moving in.

The very next day, I was ready to meet contractors to get estimates for all the renovations. Renovations included:

•       Knocking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room – Open concept people!
•       Changing all interior doors
•       Gutting the half bathroom
•       Adding baseboard and crown molding to the entire house
•       Refurbishing the wood floors
•       Removing wall paper and wood paneling
•       Install recessed lighting

I finally decided on one of the 8 contractors, because we knew him. Unfortunately, whether you know the person or not, all contractors are the same. I needed to get everything done in 3 weeks because my lease was up at the end of the month and I needed to be out of my apartment! My renovation process was pretty seamless, minus the 3 weeks of patiently waiting to actually live in my house. I took this time to pack up my apartment, which I thought I was doing a good job of until my mom saw my progress and took charge. 

On the very last day of renovations, (the day before I was to move in) my contractor tried to pull a fast one on me and ask for more money. MORE MONEY?! It was an interesting conversation to say the least. This is why you should always make sure you have a contract in place before starting any type of job. Even though it was a lot of blood, sweat and tears (I don't mean this literally), it was completely worth the investment. I’m still unpacking boxes and deciding how to set up my furniture, so it will definitely be a process. I can’t wait to share the before and after pictures with you! And now that I have a home office, you’ll be hearing from me more often.

Things I've Learned

Being in my late (insert scream here) twenties, has taught me a couple of things about life. To be honest, I've always been terrified to grow up. It means things will never be the same, and you're just getting old. However, I've managed to figure out a few things along the way that have made this whole growing up thing a little easier.

1. Nobody's life is like the movies.

2. Siblings are the only thing you have that will connect you to your past and your future.

3. Smile. Even if you don't feel happy, it will make you feel better. I promise.

4. Don't chew with your mouth open. It's just plain rude.

5. Plans change. Your life will never go in the order you thought it would, and that's okay.

6. Take care of your skin, or you'll look your age.

7. Coffee fixes everything.

8. Have a good solo dance party. Your day will only get better.

9. A dog is THE best friend you'll ever have.

10. Travel every chance you get.

11. Try to remember people's birthdays.

12. Keep in touch.

13. Laugh. A lot.

14. No one will clean up after you. After all, you're a grown up now.

15. Be a good friend. Remember things they tell you & keep secrets.

16. If you have time to do something now, do it. ie. send a text, put away your laundry, do the dishes etc.

17. Cleaning your house is actually free therapy.

18. Don't yell.

19. Be a good coworker and colleague. Others depend on you.

20. Nothing is that serious. When it's serious, you'll know.