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!

Election Year!

Well my dearies, I've decided to let you know what's on my mind lately. As most of you know, I do political fundraising (I am assistant to the two guys who own the firm I work for and their sole employee). Because of my job I have interest in quite a few political races. I have a couple that are really interesting, and I think you should take a little peek at just for funsies!

1. Charles Djou--HI-1
Charles is a really impressive guy. He's in the reserves, has been a state legislator, is a city councilman (in HI a city councilman is a higher position than a state legislator based on the size of the constituency--the only state like that...well, maybe RI), is a law professor, a husband, and a father, and he isn't even 40 yet. He's perfect for Pat Saiki's former district. Hawaii has elected Republicans in the past, so it is not as far-fetched as it may seem. Charles is currently in an open, winner-take-all special election against 3 Democrats (and no Republicans). If you're looking to throw some support behind a Republican, I recommend Charles. He is one of my very favorite candidates. Not only is this an interesting race because a Republican can take a currently Democratic seat, it's the congressional district where Barry Obama grew up.
www.djou.com

2. Pat Toomey--PA Senate
Whoa! This race is dramatic at best. Current Senator Arlen Spector betrayed, yes BETRAYED Republicans and switched parties to cover himself during what seemed would be a liberal landslide. Unfortunately, the oh-so-popular president's rating fell faster than my boyfriend walking home drunk in the snow. Pat Toomey, the man who almost beat Spector in the Republican primary almost 6 years ago has stepped up to the plate. He is a great candidate and it really looks like he's going to take this race. This is another race to support!
www.toomeyforsenate.com

I only have the Republican side (as that is the only side I care about--GO SCOTT BROWN). There are certain blogs/sites that are fantastic to watch as well. I usually don't go straight to the pollsters, because blogs will give you the outcome of many polls at once (and I don't have time to search through everyone's sites).

www.swingstateproject.com (my FAVORITE--huge lib, but he does a good job analyzying polls)
www.realclearpolitics.com

Also, and this is really important, don't get all your information from FoxNews, CNN, Huffington, or anything of the like.

Now you can see what's going on in my brain.

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.

Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Prioritizing

1. Work
2. Diet
3. Beef
4. Social Life
5. Oh lord, I was supposed to go to sleep!

That is my life. I am learning to prioritize, and it is hard! I am trying not to be a workaholic, but it is addicting. I got my first pay check last week and all it made me want to do was work harder so there would be a possibility of a raise in a few months.

I am also trying to diet. I put on weight in college (we all put on weight in college, I know), and now I am trying to cut calories on the run. Salad seems to be the easiest way to do this, but if you know me you know I hate salad. Ugh. Life is difficult. However, hundred calorie packs of cookies and Oreo candy bites save me.

Boyfriend. Yes. I have one. We are both so exhausted all the time, though, and by the time work is over all we want to do is sit on the couch. However we both want:

A social life. Trying. E-mail is my social life. Gchat is my social life. I try to be good and see my friends, but being a grown-up with work and saving money gets in the way. Thank goodness for happy hour.

And sleep. I try. However, by the time I get to bed my head is swimming and I wake up with all of the things I have going on. I remember that I should have exercised, should have called my mom, should have skipped that PB&J burrito (don't ask), should have done laundry, should have skipped watching the Disney Channel for 3 straight hours, should have e-mailed so-n-so for work...

I want a vacation. Can't wait for Christmas and then January when one of my favorites has her special day. Can't wait. CANNOT WAIT!

However, to negate all of the things that I have decided come with being a grown-up I had a cupcake on Sunday. A Georgetown Cupcake cupcake. Jealous.