I can't stop smiling...

Hello boys and girls! Well, just girls, as I could count on one hand those of you reading...

Life is incredible. The new job is going really well. We had our first big board meeting since I've started working here, and it went off without a hitch! I was very pleased. I have also just moved into my own apartment. I had such grandiose plans for painting and the like. One project later, definitely not finishing all my projects. I am not completely unpacked yet--I have some sort of function every day this week after work. When I do finish unpacking, I will consider posting pictures, though, I may wait for my furniture to arrive. I cannot wait for this place to feel like a home instead of some studio apartment (sleeping in the living room until I decide whether or not to paint the bedroom).

And in the land of tell-my-mother-and-you-die: I got my second tattoo! It's absolutely beautiful. My first tattoo is the motto from my family crest on my mom's side. This one is a cherry blossom branch for my Japanese side. They are both on my ribcage (one on each side). I do not recommend a giant ribcage tattoo...that was the most painful experience ever.

Otherwise, here is an update on my goals!

Shopping Goals

1. Khaki trench coat
2. Rain boot flats
3. Tory Birch flats
4. Sperry's
5. Burberry quilted coat
7. Pair of stilleto black pumps that are comfy and long lasting

I've really got to get on this. However, I've decided to just start giving one of my friend's money and have her shop for me. I love her style...OK, EVERYONE loves her style, and I just don't have time to shop lately! I think the Sperry's should be coming soon, though. That's an easy purchase. Maybe even the Tory Birch flats (though, buying both pairs of shoes in one month would eat up my ENTIRE shopping allowance for that month). The sticky wicket is that Burberry coat. I need to save a little each month--it's 2 months worth of shopping allowance (almost).

It's weird that I stress over this. There are people starving in this world.


Financial Goals
8. Pay off credit card
9. Make my savings larger than my debt
10. Have enough in my checking account to cover rent for 2 months
11. Start a Roth IRA
12. Start a 401K
13. Meet with a financial planner and figure out how much I need for retirement
14. Find a position that keeps me on track of my $100k/annually by 30
15. Figure out if I want to buy an investment property in Fresno, or a home for myself in DC (I found my dream home, and am a few months from being able to get a loan. If I wait another year, I could get an even better place).

I really don't thin kthe financial planner thing is going to happen. I feel like everyone is trying to sell me something or take my money (paranoid much?), so I'd rather just have my mom tell me what to do. Clearly, I am a grown ass woman.

Personal Goals
16. Stop thinking about/actively hating people I don't like
17. Lose the weight I put on from being stressed while with my ex (10 15 pounds down already!)
18. Read Wayne's favorite book
19. See my family at least 3 times (last year I saw them twice)
20. Keep my bedroom in order for at least a week
21. Cook dinner at home every night for a whole week
22. Take a day off work to spend with Wayne and only Wayne
23. Go a whole month without blowing off plans because I "don't feel like it"
24. Get all my broken stiletto heel tips fixed
25. Go a whole month without repeating an article of clothing without buying a new piece (not including shoes--this will probably happen over the summer as I have enough dresses to wear a different one every day of a month...and halfway into the next month)


I'm bad at this one! However, I have definitely found that anger and hate that I felt for some people replaced by pity and disappointment. I find that I don't really hate them, I'm just disappointed in the type of people they've become. However, I have found that someone I used to seriously dislike because of something they wrote to me years ago I know longer have any animosity towards. I was looking at pictures of him and his wife on his blog (stalker), and just felt happy for him. That is a very freeing moment. I feel like being with Wayne has caused me to love other people more deeply, and not really dwell on those I don't like. He has such a therapeutic effect on me.

100 Goals...before 25

A good friend of mine made a list of 100 things to do before summer. I don't have time for 100, so how about 25 before 25? I will be 25 next summer, so here goes!


Shopping Goals
'Cause if I have goals, I won't overdo it.


1. Khaki trench coat
2. Rain boot flats
3. Tory Birch flats
4. Sperry's 
5. Burberry quilted coat
7. Pair of stilleto black pumps that are comfy and long lasting




Financial Goals
'cause nothing is more fabulous than a girl who know what she wants...in her bank account.


8. Pay off credit card
9. Make my savings larger than my debt
10. Have enough in my checking account to cover rent for 2 months
11. Start a Roth IRA
12. Start a 401K
13. Meet with a financial planner and figure out how much I need for retirement
14. Find a position that keeps me on track of my $100k/annually by 30 
15. Figure out if I want to buy an investment property in Fresno, or a home for myself in DC



Personal Goals
'Cause I DO have a life beyond money and work...I think...


16. Stop thinking about/actively hating people I don't like
17. Lose the weight I put on from being stressed while with my ex (10 pounds down already!)
18. Read Wayne's favorite book
19. See my family at least 3 times (last year I saw them twice)
20. Keep my bedroom in order for at least a week
21. Cook dinner at home every night for a whole week
22. Take a day off work to spend with Wayne and only Wayne
23. Go a whole month without blowing off plans because I "don't feel like it"
24. Get all my broken stiletto heel tips fixed
25. Go a whole month without repeating an article of clothing without buying a new piece (not including shoes--this will probably happen over the summer as I have enough dresses to wear a different one every day of a month...and halfway into the next month)

Staying Positive II

So, around this time last year I put together this list of things I love. I am going to take the same headers, now, and see write about the reasons I love them still:

Reasons I love my job:
1. Where else (besides my house) can I wear house slippers all day?
2. It's where half my groceries live.
3. Get money, get paid SON!
4. I love my clients. I just absolutely adore [most] of the people I work for, and I think that many of them are completely inspirational.
5. We just upgraded to a better office AND better computers, so it's finally tolerable to be here 10-14 hours a day.
6. It gives me an excuse to pretty much live at the Capitol Hill Club.

Reasons I love the beef:
1. He's a doll. He's like my giant baby.
2. Even if he'd rather go to his house, he stays with me if I am terribly homesick.
3. He encourages me to be the best at my job.
4. He tells me when he's proud of me.
5. He's pretty much everyone's favorite person, and he's all mine!

Reasons I love my DC friends:
1. They understand that Britney Spear and Lady Gaga are goddesses among women.
2. They can keep up!
3. They are smart/funny/and just a good time.
4. They make my life a constant party.


Reasons I love my Fresno friends:
1. They understand that Britney Spear and Lady Gaga are goddesses among women..
2. We can still talk like we saw each other yesterday.

3. They're lives are so different from mine and it's so great that we can still be close even though we've chosen such different paths.

Reasons I love DC:
1. It's a Tuesday night and I can party. It's a Wednesday night and I can party. It's a Thursday night and EVERYONE IS PARTYING! It's just a party out here.
2. It's unlike NYC in that it sleeps--I do like a good time, but I also like to be in bed at a decent hour.

Reasons I love Fresno:
1. My mom lives there. (same as last year)

2010: My first full year out of school, in DC, and so much more!

Oh, hello!

I am terrible about updating this thing (as I have mentioned every few months when I go to update it...). Well! A lot has happened in the past year. My lovey-dovey Jessa Havican did a year-in-review post, and I think I may just follow suit!


January 2010:
Chris had just broken his leg (d'oh!) and there was a terrible blizzard in DC. We spent the entire month, pretty much, trapped in my apartment. We watched a lot of West Wing, though. I also got to fly home and be a bridesmaid in a different lovey-dovey's wedding. Kristen's wedding was wonderful, and I was so happy to be there for her special day!























February 2010:
Chris and I took our first trip to VEGAS! We came back unmarried, with most of our money, and no serious injuries--I'd call it a success.



















March 2010:
Work really started to pick up. In my line of work it's important to have the bulk of your fundraising done by March of the election year so the candidates can actually spend the money. I spent a good deal of time in the office. I had never sat in an office working for 14 hours straight, but I did it!

April 2010 - June 2010:
More fundraising. Work, work, work! Between March and June I didn't take a single day off. Not so exciting. I was averaging 60 hour work weeks (at least). It was exhausting, but I seriously believe that we were made for work and we're happiest when we're doing just that.

However, Chris's leg was better and the blood clot was completely gone by June. That made our lives quite a bit better.















July 2010:
I got to go home for the Fourth of July! Seeing my parents always makes me so happy. I got to just hang out at home with the family (which I hadn't really done in almost a year). I didn't even tell my friends I was in town. It was fantastic. My mom and I drank wine, went shopping, and I got to see my daddy and brother and sister and grandparents. So much love!

Later that month Chris and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary as a couple (our anniversary is actually in August) by taking a long weekend in the Outer Banks. It was glorious. We stayed beachfront, played in the water, ate lots of Southern cookin', and climbed to the top of a lighthouse. We also drank a bottle of champagne at 5AM to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean together (something neither of us had ever done).



August 2010:
I turned 23. Ugh.

September 2010:
Work got even crazier. I would full out take naps at the office afterhours so I could work extra late. I had interviewed a girl I thought would be perfect for the intern position in our office. My bosses agrees so heartily that they hired her as our staff assistant! She made my life so much easier. Thank the Lord for Lida!

October 2010:
Things calmed down a lot. There wasn't a lot more to do work-wise. Chris was out of town for most of the month, which was a serious bummer to me. However, I danced on a bar for the first time on Halloween (WIN!).
























November 2010:
November 2nd. Best. Night. Ever.


















December 2010:
Chris and I took a 2 week trip to Nicaragua where we hiked a volcano, ziplined through the canopy, fed monkeys, ate local cuisine, went horseback riding, and all other sorts of craziness. It was phenomenal. I feel so blessed to have the ability to travel with the man I love all over the world (well, hopefully all over the world--SOON!)




If 2011 can be half as interesting as 2010 I will be happy! I hope to travel more, maybe watch what I eat (gave up on weight--but I eat too much junk), get even better about my finances (thinking about a house...), and celebrate 4 years with my man! Professionally, I think this is going to be a great year for me. I've worked really hard, and I intend to keep it that way!

Things I'm Terrible At:

1. Blogging.

That's about it.

However, life is definitely interesting! Election year is in full swing. I pretty much just want to crawl in bed everyday. And eat pizza. And drink a bottle of wine. In that order.

Well, Congress is in recess and it's 6pm so I am going home at a reasonable hour. Later Gators!

Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Feeling Settled

Since college began I have been restless. I went to Westmont, left after a semester, moved out of my parents' house a 10 months after that, moved out of that apartment back to my parents' six months after that, moved into another apartment two months after that, moved back in with my parents 5 months after that, went to DC 5 months after that, and back in with my parents 8 months after that. Then 9 months later I graduated from college and moved to DC. Now, almost a year later, I am feeling restless. Part of being a grown-up, though, is staying put for a bit and only moving for some really great opportunity. It's kind of funny to think, though, that my little apartment is the place I've spent the most time since I turned 18. However, if you know me, you know I love that apartment.

I am realizing how wonderful my life is. I have a good job, the best apartment in DC, a college education, an amazing boyfriend, and the cutest fish ever :) Chris has fallen in love with Percy (my/our fish...he was my fish, and now Chris wants some parenting rights). Chris and I are great. It's almost been three years. WOW! For those who knew me before Chris, settling down wasn't my style. I have finally found someone I don't mind cooking dinner for, who understands my obsession with making the bed and hanging up towels, and who is as silly as I am. He's also stepped up to the plate as my family in DC. It is hard living out here without my family--we are really close. He is doing a great job of celebrating holidays with me, cooking dinner with me, grocery shopping with me, and feeding my fishy. I could not have survived without him out here.

My job has been tough. Republicans are going to take back the majority (can I hear some good ol' fashioned hootin' and hollerin'?!) and there is a lot of work to be done to get there. The free market will prevail! Lower taxes! Individual freedoms! This go I think you will see a lot of fresh perspectives from incoming freshman--leaders who believe in fiscal responsibility, who also want to kick government out of the bedroom. I am so excited! Follow the special elections this month--I have worked long hours for those guys, and I'm really excited!

That's my life. I love you all!

BROWN WINS MASSACHUSETTS!

Sorry, guys. It is my civic duty to get excited! Also, as someone who's living revolves around whether or not Republican candidates win seats this is very exciting news for me!

Let me know if you're interested in politics at all. I love to discuss, especially with those who usually don't have such an outlet. I am a wealth of information, especially if you want to get involved. I am happy to help anyone (even dirty Democrats...just kidding! y'all aren't all dirty) get involved. This is a representative democracy, so I think we need to make sure the right people are representing us!

Again:

BROWN WINS THE LATE SENATOR TED KENNEDY'S SEAT IN THE SENATE!!!

Staying Positive

Sometimes to stay positive you have to list the good that's going on in life. Here are a few lists of reasons I love certain things:

Reasons I love my job:
1. All politics, all the time. Instead of looking at me like I'm a crazy person when I talk about different elections, I am educated on races I didn't know much about.
2. I can listen to Lady Gaga while I do busy work.
3. I can snack on popcorn.
4. My bosses crack me up and never cease to surprise me.
5. I got my first raise!
6. I get the occasional free meal.

Reasons I love the beef:
1. He has a goofy side that is just for me--though sometimes it comes out other times, it's mostly just for me.
2. He can't dance and it's adorable.
3. He bought me the Lady Gaga cd I listen to at work (well one of them--his sister got me the other).
4. He's as snobby as I am and likes how high maintenance I am.
5. He is definitely the smartest boy I've ever dated.

Reasons I love my DC friends:
1. They will play Jersey Shore dress up with me.
2. They will steal balloons with me.
3. They are as domestic as I am (not at all!).
4. We're all political.


Reasons I love my Fresno friends:
1. We can still dance around like kiddies.
2. They are always there for me.
3. They are some of the most accepting people I know.

Reasons I love DC:
1. It's the center of the world...well, right after NYC.
2. It looks beautiful covered in snow (though I HATE the cold).

Reasons I love Fresno:
1. My mom lives there.

My life is pretty great. I love that it is NEVER boring. I feel like when I look back I will have plenty of interesting stories, and I think that's important.

Halloween Continues

Another great part of being a grown up is that Halloween can last for a whole month! As promised, here are pictures from my second Halloween. I was Jackie O, and my friends Heath and Neil were JFK and Marilyn Monroe (or Morning-After-Marilyn as we called him) respectively. Not as many pictures were taken for this one as I did not have a disposable camera (which was amazing) in my fanny pack (more amazing) like the first time.


Marilyn, JFK, and Jackie O.




Aren't we just a precious bunch?








Jackie O and Marilyn: Behind the Scenes.







This may be my favorite of the night. Cameras missed the part where I found Bam Bam's club and came after Marilyn.







1960s ladies.



Have I mentioned that I've decided to wear elbow length gloves on a regular basis?





The night before we saw Rocky Horror Picture Show.



They put me in the dress, but I was already wearing the tights and boots. I didn't know to dress up. It's kind of scary thinking I just dress like this...





And because I was a Rocky Horror Virgin, I had to participate in a contest.


I won't tell you what I did in front of a theater full of people, we want to keep this PG.






Well, all! I hope you had as much fun as I did. Now onto Thanksgiving. One of the best parts of transitioning into a grown-up as opposed to actually being one is that everyone wants to cook at turkey at some point this month. Yum!

Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Loving the Life I Have

I've been reading through my past posts. One such post (which you can find here) discusses my hate of Arlen Spector and has a list of things I'd like to do instead of becoming and adult. Now that I am an adult, I thought I'd make a list of things I'd rather be doing than being an adult. The grass is always greener on the otherside of the...college degree... Then I rethought and decided to make a list of things I like about being an adult. I need to be a little more positive.

As a side note, I currently work for a company that has been hired by Pat Toomey, the man who will either run against Spector or Sestak (the person in a primary against Spector).

Things I like about being an adult:
10. Taylor Lautner has to turn 18 sometime.
9. On Halloween instead of trick-or-treating, you just get to Caroline it up!
8. Talking about the current elections or the 2010 elections is just normal conversation; I don't sound pretentious.
7. I have a job that allows me to wear high heels everyday. If I want.
6. Trivia nights.
5. I can see Harry Potter at midnight without asking my mom. Now I just have to ask my significant other.
4. No homework.
3. Vodka Tonic.
2. Starting my own board game collection (weirdly exciting).
1. A paycheck.

Fabulous. Oh lord. I am still at work for three hours. It is election day. Tonight will hopefully be a good night for the GOP. This McDonnell race looks really promising, which is great considering the last 2 governors of VA were Dems. Creigh Deeds is just an awful candidate--it worked out for us. NY-23 should go to the GOP, as well, but we're going to have trouble with such a right wing conservative in that seat. Moderate is not the devil, people. Moderate is a good thing in a lot of places. There are others, but I won't go on a political rant.

I love you, friends! Come visit your DC!

Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Working

Here I am at the office! Please note the pearls. Work is my life, so please forgive me as I talk about it.

For my job, I am, essentially, a PTA mom on steroids. I make a lot of phone calls, attend millions upon millions of events, yell at caterers, setup venues, collect checks, sit with grown men to watch them make phone calls, and make informational packets. Here is my desk at the moment.
Saturday, for work, I went to a Penn State game. I got to bring the beef and New Girl (a friend). It was 34 degrees, i.e. colder than Fresno will ever be. Here is the other side of the stadium. By the end of the game this looked more like a jellyfish than an "S."And here's me and New Girl at the game. Sometimes my job is awesome.

Working is hard. Make sure you get a job where you can reap the rewards. Early and often.

Love, love, love, love, love

My oh my oh my! Two years! It's fast approaching. This upcoming weekend is more important than even Valentine's Day. Yes, it's that big a deal. With all this love in the air I've decided to make a list of the things that I love the most.

10. The Carolines. Good friends, check! Bad decisions, check! The Carolines are my favorite for so many reasons: hills, High School Musical, and Metro pole dancing: The Carolines bring the fun.

9. Nellie's Sports Bar. Best nachos ever, trivia, and drag queen bingo. Need I say more?

8. Washington, DC. The best place in the world. Who doesn't love doing the monument crawl? What could be better than [semi]reliable public transit? No one and nothing. DC is the place.

7. Scratching mosquito bites. I hate the things, but there is such satisfaction that comes with scratching them. Itchy, itchy!

6. Being Republican. Elephants+fiscal responsibility=Beautiful.

5. Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton. True love. True Blood.

4. My Blackberry. I would be lost without it. It acts as my personal assistant, but I love it as my child.

3. The Ashton Clan. There is no stranger family, no family so diverse, and no family so meant to be. Maybe we're crazy, but love runs through these veins.

2. My mother. If you've met her, you know. She's quiet and shy and a little tiger.

1. The reason for the season: My beef, Christopher! I love the boy. Happy anniversary, baby!

Happy August 1st everyone!

Life without a rice cooker

Reasons I Don't Like Being a Real Adult:

5. The AC flooded my room.

4. My room is flooded and my mom can't call a plumber to clean it up.

3. My room is flooded.

2. My room smells like a moldy dog because it is flooded.

1. I have as much freedom as before, but less money.

Reasons I Like Being an Adult:

5. I ate too many nachos at Nellie's.

4. Someday, my room will not smell like mold.

3. I get to go to luncheons with congressmen.

2. Coryn rolled down a hill.

1. Zac Efron is of age.

I saw Aretha Franklin perform for the Fourth of July festivities on the West Lawn. I almost cried. I am way too flamboyant. I couldn't help it. She started singing "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and I almost broke down. Saw a little Barry Manilo, too. He wore a white blazer. Of course.

I've been listening to such mellow music lately. I think it's mostly because my room smells like dog and otherwise I couldn't sleep. It is awful. Someone killed a dog and buried him in my carpet. My bedroom is gorgeous and amazing (covered in flowers and pink things) and flooded. It's like God gets a kick out of my dramatic, flamboyant nature.

Still no job. Being a slave has its perks. No taxes, for example. Also a perk: haven't had a mosquito bite in almost a week! I kill every mosquito I see. I think they know that I have declared war on their kind, and this war does not need congressional approval.

I love you all. I will try to keep you updated. Sorry for the lack of wit. I am tired and moldy.

Welcome to DC! Now on your knees and beg!

Ah, DC. Capitol of the land of the free and home of the brave. It stands for everything I love (and majored in): democracy, law, unemployment? Well, according to my friends and I, yes. Unemployment. I did find an internship (slavery with a better title). For my internship I have had the opportunity to go to quite a few events. At one event, a congressman force-fed me a shrimp cocktail. Only in DC. Lord, I love DC.

Other than unemployment, parties, and force-feeding, I have had a lot of fun. I have had the opportunity to go to happy hours, internet stalk Real World, DC, and have a Carolyn Light night with my girlfriends (who says a 21-year-old can't enjoy Lizzie McGuire?!). Maybe I'm broke, but I sure can have a good time! Today, I even went to Annapolis with the beef and another couple. Military men and seafood--almost heaven.

Also, I have decided to start a rumor: mosquitoes only adamantly attack those who are good, wonderful, beautiful people. According to this new rumor, I am a hybrid of Mother Teresa and Gisele Bundchen. I cannot go outside without being eaten alive. It's my fault for living in a former swamp. Really, though, I would like to blame our founding fathers. I feel like they got a lot right--Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc., but really--a swamp?! It's not like SoCal didn't exist. We obviously had no problem heading west/annexing land. Why couldn't they have just taken CA a little sooner? If only I had a time machine. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure comes to mind.

This week has been depressing. Farrah Fawcett, Micheal Jackson, Billy Mays, and John and Kate's marriage have all passed away (though the last was probably over a LONG time ago). I mostly feel sorry for Farrah who not only had to battle something she didn't inflict upon herself, but right as the tributes started MJ had to go and die. No one even remembers that she passed away except that it was the day that MJ died. Well, Farrah, here's to you!

That's all for now, my sweets. Now I will spell check and label this nonsense for you. Until next time (which is whenever I get internet at my apartment and don't have to use the beef's).

What a minute...I did WHAT?!

Apparently, I graduated from college. Like a wolf in the night graduation came and went leaving me, the unsuspecting sheep, ravaged--swallowed up and digested. Graphic? Maybe. Dramatic? Never. [As I wrote that little bit about the wolf my dad's dog sat up and stared at me--we should start feeding him more so he doesn't decide that he's graduation and I'm a sheep. Something to that effect...]

I have officially graduated from college--checked my grades and I'm golden. Abosch gave me an A. I think it's because he is afraid I will try to talk to him about it otherwise. "Pass her or she will talk to you, again." It's just like the time I got my driver's license. Jokes on you, Abosch! All this means is that I will crash my political theory 7 times and eventually refuse to get behind the wheel. Something to that effect.

It is officially June, which means I officially move this month. I am officially unemployed and officially really stoked to live in the District. Everything is so official. I should get a badge I'm so official. Officially sleepy.

Here is a list for y'all, since it is only appropriate. It is my top 5 favorite things I did to torture teachers this semester. Mostly, I did them to a poor man named Dr. Anderson. Probably one of my favorite teachers ever, but I tortured him.

Top 5 Favorite Torture Moments:

5. "Well, what is an acceptable level of perkiness?!" (to Dr. Abosch after he responded rudely to my saying "Good afternoon.")

4. Text messaged throughout class and never got in trouble solely because the teacher didn't want to hear my voice. (to Dr. Anderson)

3. "BLESS YOU!" (in Dr. Abosch's class after someone sneezed. Abosch stopped class to say, "UNNECESSARY!" back.)

2. "Were you ever a Star Trek character for Halloween? What about Star Wars? I think you're lying." (to Dr. Anderson)

1. "I'M HERE!" (to Dr. Anderson after tapping his podium while walking in 15 minutes late to class)

As Chris said, I'm that girl he hated in college. Now I'm free, though, so I think I'll take a nap!

And the freak out commences.

You're welcome, world! I'm letting you win. College, as I've come to know it, is for "suckas." With a PAC paper, a political philosophy paper, a comparative politics paper, and whatever the weather man and the Olympics coach decide to give me I am, essentially, dead. 

Don't get too jealous. 

Apparently, this is the worst year to graduate. Ever. DC does have a growing job market (especially for the Dems, but no one will believe that I'm liberal), and I will be moving out there in the next two months. That, my darlings, is insane.

The jump from Fresno to DC will be nothing short of vertical. I will trade in the cowboy boots, bleached blonde with black underside hair, and the canal in my backyard that make Fresno home for suits, high heels, and happy hour. 

Get ready! Get set! We're off!